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  BIRDS. 
  

  

  Glen 
  Morriston 
  and 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  hills 
  of 
  Strathglass 
  about 
  

   seventy 
  years 
  ago, 
  but 
  is 
  now 
  quite 
  extinct' 
  — 
  thus 
  quoting 
  

   Pennant 
  (vol. 
  xiv. 
  p. 
  43). 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Muirhead, 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  October 
  31, 
  1866, 
  writes: 
  — 
  'Mr. 
  

   Stewart, 
  head 
  keeper 
  at 
  Balmacaan, 
  sent 
  me 
  a 
  young 
  cock 
  Caper- 
  

   caillie. 
  It 
  had 
  been 
  found 
  lying 
  dead 
  near 
  Balmacaan 
  House. 
  

   Lord 
  Seafield 
  had 
  introduced 
  Capercaillie 
  from 
  the 
  Duke 
  of 
  

   Athole's 
  place 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  before 
  this 
  date, 
  but 
  we 
  believe 
  they 
  

   did 
  not 
  succeed 
  well, 
  as 
  the 
  woods 
  were 
  too 
  old 
  to 
  afford 
  them 
  

   sufficient 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  kind.' 
  

  

  In 
  1890 
  we 
  issued 
  circulars 
  once 
  more 
  to 
  those 
  likely 
  to 
  assist 
  

   us 
  in 
  bringing 
  up 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  Capercaillie 
  in 
  Moray 
  to 
  date. 
  

   This 
  resulted 
  in 
  negative 
  replies 
  from 
  the 
  following 
  estates 
  : 
  — 
  

   Burgey 
  (Morayshire), 
  Moy 
  Hall 
  (Nairn), 
  all 
  the 
  estates 
  in 
  

   Badenoch, 
  in 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Laggan 
  and 
  Kingussie, 
  and 
  Alvie 
  

   (Inverness-shire), 
  Dallas 
  (Morayshire), 
  and 
  negatives 
  also 
  from 
  all 
  

   the 
  Strathspey 
  estates 
  (Inverness-shire), 
  which 
  cover 
  24,000 
  acres 
  

   of 
  perfectly 
  suitable 
  cover 
  for 
  the 
  birds. 
  None 
  have 
  been 
  heard 
  

   of 
  at 
  the 
  estates 
  of 
  Flichity 
  (Inverness), 
  nor 
  at 
  Cawdor 
  Castle, 
  nor 
  

   on 
  the 
  Gordon 
  Castle 
  estates. 
  

  

  These 
  returns 
  also 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  information 
  that 
  on 
  many 
  of 
  

   these 
  estates, 
  although 
  their 
  introduction 
  was 
  attempted, 
  it 
  had 
  

   never 
  been 
  successful 
  up 
  to 
  date. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Castle 
  Grant 
  woods 
  Mr. 
  Templeton 
  — 
  whose 
  name 
  we 
  

   have 
  already 
  mentioned 
  — 
  told 
  us 
  that 
  thirty-two 
  years 
  ago 
  (say 
  

   1860) 
  Capercaillies 
  were 
  introduced 
  by 
  eggs 
  placed 
  under 
  Grey 
  

   Hens. 
  Mr. 
  Templeton 
  accounts 
  for 
  the 
  complete 
  failure 
  by 
  the 
  

   occurrence 
  of 
  a 
  most 
  unusually 
  severe 
  frost, 
  which 
  he 
  well 
  re- 
  

   membered, 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  June 
  of 
  that 
  year. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  

   direct 
  cause 
  of 
  failure, 
  all 
  the 
  young 
  birds 
  being 
  killed 
  in 
  one 
  

   night. 
  These 
  attempted 
  restorations 
  occurred 
  both 
  at 
  Cullen 
  

   and 
  at 
  Castle 
  Grant. 
  

  

  In 
  1851 
  Capercaillies 
  were 
  confined 
  in 
  the 
  aviary 
  at 
  Duff 
  

   House, 
  but 
  the 
  young 
  all 
  died 
  off, 
  invariably 
  from 
  a 
  parasite, 
  or 
  

   worm 
  in 
  the 
  intestines, 
  as 
  related 
  by 
  the 
  Eev. 
  J. 
  Smith 
  (Zoologist, 
  

   1851, 
  p. 
  2980). 
  

  

  In 
  1866 
  a 
  female 
  Capercaillie 
  was 
  shot 
  by 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Brown, 
  

   keeper 
  at 
  Rothiemay, 
  in 
  Glenbarry, 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  

   hatch-out 
  from 
  eggs 
  put 
  down 
  near 
  Keith 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  