﻿BIRDS. 
  127 
  

  

  The 
  Stock 
  Dove 
  has 
  undoubtedly 
  largely 
  increased 
  in 
  numbers 
  

   and 
  extension 
  of 
  range 
  up 
  the 
  Forth 
  valley 
  as 
  far 
  as, 
  and 
  farther 
  

   than, 
  Loch 
  Ard. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  also 
  on 
  the 
  Fife 
  coast 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eden, 
  whence 
  we 
  have 
  obtained 
  eggs 
  by 
  the 
  kindness 
  of 
  a 
  

   friend 
  — 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  Berry 
  of 
  Tayfield 
  — 
  where, 
  however, 
  they 
  have 
  

   only 
  appeared 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  years, 
  say 
  1890. 
  1 
  

   On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  either 
  absent 
  or 
  but 
  little 
  

   known 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  Fife, 
  or 
  otherwise, 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  stray 
  

   specimens 
  are 
  reported 
  as 
  far 
  inland 
  as 
  Blairadam, 
  near 
  Kinross 
  : 
  

   we 
  hold 
  returns 
  mostly 
  quite 
  negative 
  from 
  several 
  competent 
  

   observers 
  in 
  the 
  interior. 
  It 
  has 
  no 
  appearance 
  of 
  increasing 
  

   in 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  Fife 
  since 
  the 
  earlier 
  records 
  given 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  J. 
  

   Dalgleish. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Tay 
  above 
  Perth 
  they 
  appeared 
  first 
  about 
  1889 
  at 
  

   Blackpark, 
  according 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Adam 
  Steel, 
  Fairmount, 
  Perth 
  — 
  they 
  

   1 
  came 
  from 
  a 
  southerly 
  direction, 
  and 
  when 
  disturbed 
  always 
  flew 
  

   back 
  same 
  route.' 
  Blackpark 
  is 
  about 
  nine 
  miles 
  north-north-west 
  

   of 
  Perth. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  breed 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Almond, 
  on 
  

   Lyndoch 
  estate. 
  It 
  is 
  reported 
  as 
  decidedly 
  increasing 
  around 
  

   the 
  upper 
  Tay 
  slopes, 
  as 
  at 
  Cardney, 
  near 
  Dunkeld 
  (this 
  is 
  ten 
  

   years 
  since 
  Mr. 
  Basil 
  Brookes' 
  first 
  record), 
  and 
  they 
  nest 
  numer- 
  

   ously 
  on 
  rocky 
  precipices 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  open 
  moor. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  county 
  of 
  Aberdeen, 
  as 
  we 
  are 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  George 
  

   Sim, 
  Stock 
  Doves 
  first 
  appeared 
  upon 
  the 
  Links 
  of 
  St. 
  Fergus, 
  to 
  

   the 
  north 
  of 
  Peterhead, 
  where 
  they 
  have 
  nested 
  regularly 
  for 
  the 
  

   past 
  seven 
  or 
  eight 
  years. 
  Mr. 
  Sim 
  visited 
  their 
  breeding- 
  

   ground 
  in 
  June 
  1881, 
  and 
  saw 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  pairs. 
  It 
  is 
  estimated 
  

   that 
  there 
  are 
  between 
  twenty-five 
  and 
  thirty 
  pairs 
  there. 
  Their 
  

   next 
  appearance 
  was 
  upon 
  the 
  1 
  Rack 
  Bar,' 
  between 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  

   Strathbeg 
  and 
  the 
  sea, 
  where 
  they 
  have 
  bred 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  ; 
  

   their 
  exact 
  number 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  Lastly, 
  they 
  appeared 
  on 
  

   Mennie 
  Links, 
  about 
  eight 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  Aberdeen, 
  in 
  1888 
  — 
  

   about 
  twenty-five 
  pairs. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  perhaps 
  worthy 
  of 
  note 
  in 
  this 
  place 
  to 
  remark 
  that 
  they 
  

   appear 
  to 
  have 
  spread 
  south 
  ward 
  from 
  their 
  first 
  residence, 
  or 
  at 
  

   least 
  populated 
  areas 
  south 
  of 
  their 
  first-known 
  haunt 
  among 
  the 
  

  

  i 
  Except 
  that 
  Mr. 
  James 
  Puffus, 
  professional 
  pigeon 
  shooter, 
  remember* 
  sending 
  

   one 
  for 
  identification 
  to 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  about 
  eight 
  or 
  nine 
  years 
  previous 
  to 
  

   1892 
  (W. 
  Berry, 
  in 
  lit.). 
  

  

  