﻿H8 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  Edward 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  'Exists 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  higher 
  districts.' 
  This 
  is 
  

   scarcely 
  our 
  experience. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  0. 
  Wilson 
  does 
  not 
  consider 
  it 
  

   very 
  abundant 
  around 
  Huntly, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  higher 
  

   districts 
  of 
  Cabrach, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  all 
  lists 
  from 
  Cullen, 
  in 
  

   the 
  north-west 
  part 
  of 
  Deveron 
  inland, 
  over 
  most 
  suitable 
  areas, 
  

   such 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  Knock 
  and 
  Bin 
  hills 
  and 
  the 
  Bin 
  wood 
  of 
  Huntly, 
  

   and 
  fairly 
  common 
  about 
  Eothiemay. 
  We 
  did 
  not 
  find 
  it 
  very 
  

   common 
  about 
  Keith, 
  but 
  much 
  more 
  so 
  at 
  Auchluncart 
  (Mr. 
  

   Stewart's), 
  where 
  we 
  have 
  shot 
  them. 
  Over 
  all 
  the 
  district 
  and 
  

   watershed 
  of 
  Deveron, 
  however, 
  it 
  cannot, 
  perhaps, 
  be 
  described 
  

   as 
  common 
  or 
  abundant. 
  It 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  abundant 
  on 
  Spey 
  side, 
  

   still 
  more 
  so 
  in 
  Strathspey 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  woods 
  or 
  adjoining 
  

   moors 
  of 
  the 
  Spey 
  plateau, 
  and 
  Eothiemurchus, 
  Abernethy, 
  and 
  

   Duthil. 
  It 
  is 
  more 
  local 
  among 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  tributaries 
  

   of 
  Spey 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  Carn 
  districts. 
  Some 
  years 
  they 
  appear 
  very 
  

   abundantly 
  about 
  Castle 
  Grant, 
  whilst 
  in 
  other 
  years 
  they 
  are 
  

   quite 
  as 
  remarkably 
  scarce. 
  Mr. 
  Templeton 
  had 
  often 
  made 
  such 
  

   observations, 
  and 
  accounted 
  for 
  this 
  fluctuation 
  in 
  numbers 
  by 
  

   the 
  changes 
  taking 
  place 
  during 
  many 
  years 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  — 
  drainage 
  and 
  planting 
  and 
  general 
  land 
  improvements, 
  

   and 
  consequent 
  physical 
  changes. 
  Mr. 
  Templeton 
  gave 
  us 
  the 
  

   impression 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  shrewd 
  and 
  most 
  intelligent 
  observe^ 
  having 
  

   used 
  to 
  the 
  utmost 
  advantage 
  his 
  long 
  experiences 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  

   localities 
  whilst 
  serving 
  under 
  the 
  Seafield 
  family. 
  

  

  Of 
  large 
  and 
  decided 
  increase 
  of 
  black 
  game 
  on 
  several 
  

   estates 
  and 
  shootings 
  we 
  can 
  positively 
  speak, 
  both 
  in 
  our 
  present 
  

   area 
  and 
  on 
  shootings 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  in 
  central 
  Scotland 
  and 
  what 
  is 
  

   curious, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  of 
  even 
  greater 
  interest, 
  these 
  instances 
  of 
  

   increase 
  of 
  black 
  game 
  have 
  run 
  concurrently 
  with 
  the 
  decrease 
  

   of 
  Grouse 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  institution 
  of 
  driving 
  and 
  killing 
  off 
  old 
  

   cocks. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  Mr. 
  Brown 
  of 
  Earlsmill, 
  Forres, 
  in 
  reply 
  to 
  

  

  1 
  This 
  has 
  now 
  been 
  done 
  on 
  our 
  own 
  shooting 
  above 
  mentioned, 
  steadily 
  for 
  

   some 
  years 
  back, 
  where 
  packs 
  can 
  now 
  be 
  seen 
  of 
  twenty, 
  thirty, 
  fifty, 
  and 
  even 
  a 
  

   hundred 
  together 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  our 
  driving 
  season. 
  Before 
  we 
  took 
  to 
  driving 
  

   this 
  moor, 
  the 
  keeper 
  was 
  told 
  off 
  to 
  shoot 
  old 
  cocks 
  only 
  at 
  the 
  feed, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  

   year 
  he 
  got 
  these 
  orders 
  he 
  killed 
  over 
  seventy. 
  A 
  notable 
  increase 
  of 
  birds 
  was 
  

   evident 
  even 
  the 
  very 
  following 
  year, 
  and 
  in 
  1893 
  we 
  four 
  times 
  broke 
  our 
  record 
  

   bags, 
  and 
  actually 
  split 
  up 
  and 
  dispersed 
  a 
  huge 
  pack 
  of 
  over 
  eighty 
  birds. 
  

  

  