﻿144 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  probably 
  from 
  woods 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  Inverness-shire 
  (query, 
  via 
  

   Dalwhinnie 
  ? 
  — 
  J. 
  A. 
  H.-B.) 
  

  

  'In 
  1884 
  the 
  keeper 
  saw 
  a 
  nest 
  of 
  eggs 
  (ten) 
  and 
  three 
  coveys 
  

   of 
  young 
  birds. 
  They 
  are 
  abundant 
  now 
  (1891). 
  The 
  keeper 
  has 
  

   seen 
  fifteen 
  in 
  one 
  day 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  of 
  1890. 
  The 
  acreage 
  

   suitable 
  to 
  their 
  necessities 
  of 
  thriving 
  existence 
  is 
  4000 
  acres. 
  

   They 
  are 
  carefully 
  preserved 
  and 
  are 
  increasing. 
  Black 
  game 
  also 
  

   are 
  increasing. 
  Capercaillies 
  are 
  also 
  seen 
  occasionally 
  on 
  Coul- 
  

   mony, 
  the 
  adjoining 
  estate 
  to 
  Darnaway.' 
  1 
  

  

  Now, 
  'on 
  the 
  Rothiemurchus 
  estates, 
  Inverness-shire,' 
  as 
  we 
  

   are 
  informed 
  by 
  the 
  Eev. 
  D. 
  M'Dougall, 
  Rothiemurchus 
  Manse, 
  

   ' 
  four 
  Capercaillies 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  several 
  times 
  this 
  last 
  autumn 
  

   (i.e. 
  autumn 
  of 
  1890). 
  They 
  arrived 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  accord, 
  probably 
  

   from 
  the 
  Athole 
  Forest 
  across 
  by 
  Drumochter 
  (and 
  Dalwhinnie 
  1 
  

   — 
  J. 
  A. 
  H.-B.). 
  There 
  are 
  over 
  eight 
  square 
  miles 
  on 
  this 
  

   estate, 
  suitable 
  for 
  their 
  habits, 
  and 
  so 
  also 
  are 
  great 
  areas 
  of 
  

   adjoining 
  estates. 
  If 
  left 
  unmolested 
  they 
  surely 
  will 
  increase.' 
  

   We 
  are 
  indebted 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  of 
  Birnie 
  for 
  the 
  above 
  interesting 
  

   notes. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  other 
  places 
  within 
  our 
  area 
  where 
  introductions 
  

   have 
  been 
  attempted. 
  Eggs 
  have 
  repeatedly 
  been 
  set, 
  and 
  the 
  

   birds 
  have 
  been 
  hatched 
  and 
  reared 
  until 
  they 
  were 
  about 
  three 
  

   weeks 
  old, 
  when 
  they 
  died 
  off. 
  On 
  one 
  occasion, 
  at 
  Gordon 
  Castle, 
  

   in 
  1888, 
  there 
  were 
  hatched 
  out 
  under 
  a 
  Greyhen 
  a 
  setting 
  of 
  eggs, 
  

   and 
  Mr. 
  Cuthbard, 
  keeper 
  there, 
  observed 
  the 
  Capercaillie 
  or 
  

   Capercaillies 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  for 
  about 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  a 
  year 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  

   afterwards. 
  After 
  that 
  all 
  sign 
  of 
  them 
  disappeared 
  (Cuthbard, 
  in 
  

   lit. 
  1891). 
  

  

  In 
  1892, 
  Mr. 
  R. 
  Thomson 
  — 
  whose 
  abilities 
  as 
  an 
  observant 
  

   field 
  naturalist 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  much 
  service 
  to 
  us 
  in 
  this 
  and 
  other 
  

   connections, 
  in 
  our 
  preparation 
  of 
  a 
  Fauna 
  of 
  Moray 
  — 
  writes 
  us 
  

   (21st 
  May 
  1892): 
  — 
  'There 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  Capercaillies 
  in 
  the 
  Clunas 
  

   woods 
  near 
  here 
  — 
  Ferness 
  on 
  the 
  Findhorn. 
  They 
  were,' 
  he 
  adds, 
  

   ' 
  introduced 
  about 
  eight 
  years 
  ago 
  from 
  eggs, 
  and 
  are 
  carefully 
  pre- 
  

   served 
  by 
  Lord 
  Cawdor 
  and 
  James 
  Mackillican, 
  Esq., 
  of 
  Calcutta.' 
  

   This 
  account 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Thomson's 
  we 
  are 
  inclined 
  to 
  accept 
  as 
  the 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  above 
  replies 
  to 
  our 
  queries 
  will, 
  we 
  believe, 
  call 
  to 
  remembrance 
  of 
  

   readers 
  of 
  our 
  Capercaillie 
  in 
  Scotland 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  circular 
  originally 
  sent 
  out, 
  which 
  

   is 
  reproduced 
  at 
  p. 
  54 
  of 
  the 
  said 
  book 
  {q.v.). 
  

  

  