﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  157 
  

  

  is 
  only 
  stated 
  for 
  what 
  it 
  is 
  worth, 
  considering 
  how 
  few 
  parishes 
  

   are 
  treated 
  of 
  at 
  all, 
  as 
  regards 
  their 
  zoological 
  aspects. 
  

  

  Edward 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  1 
  Introduced. 
  Thrives 
  well.' 
  Smith 
  adds 
  : 
  — 
  

   ' 
  Abundant 
  in 
  Lord 
  Fife's 
  plantations.' 
  

  

  Xow, 
  at 
  all 
  events, 
  the 
  Pheasant 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  woods 
  

   wherever 
  cared 
  for, 
  around 
  all 
  the 
  properties 
  on 
  Lower 
  and 
  Middle 
  

   Deveron, 
  and 
  as 
  far 
  up 
  as 
  Beldornie. 
  The 
  soil 
  and 
  aspects 
  of 
  

   Lower 
  Deveron 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  eminently 
  suited 
  for 
  Pheasants, 
  as 
  

   without 
  annual 
  hand-rearing 
  — 
  or 
  only 
  occasional 
  rearing 
  — 
  large 
  

   bags 
  are 
  often 
  obtained. 
  Over 
  600 
  were 
  shot 
  on 
  one 
  property 
  in 
  

   one 
  season 
  — 
  certainly 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  of 
  shooting, 
  being 
  over 
  30,000 
  

   acres. 
  These 
  were 
  all 
  wild 
  bred 
  birds 
  of 
  that 
  and 
  the 
  previous 
  

   season, 
  1890. 
  Sixty 
  -four 
  were 
  shot 
  one 
  day 
  out 
  of 
  one 
  small 
  

   spinney. 
  

  

  The 
  merciless 
  cutting 
  down 
  of 
  timber, 
  and 
  what 
  appears 
  to 
  us 
  

   to 
  be 
  a 
  wrong 
  system 
  of 
  forestry, 
  very 
  different 
  from 
  that 
  pursued 
  

   upon 
  the 
  best-managed 
  forested 
  estates 
  of 
  Spey, 
  and 
  even 
  of 
  

   Deveron, 
  will 
  no 
  doubt 
  alter 
  these 
  circumstances 
  in 
  time. 
  But 
  if 
  

   — 
  as 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  — 
  the 
  old 
  woods 
  are 
  renewed 
  by 
  extensive 
  plant- 
  

   ing, 
  on 
  an 
  improved 
  system 
  of 
  forestry, 
  the 
  same 
  conditions 
  will 
  

   again 
  supervene, 
  and 
  Pheasants 
  become 
  as 
  numerous 
  as 
  before 
  ; 
  

   but 
  successions 
  of 
  growth 
  will 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  now 
  be 
  difficult 
  of 
  

   attainment, 
  as 
  such 
  extensive 
  areas 
  have 
  been 
  denuded 
  all 
  about 
  

   the 
  same 
  time. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  J. 
  O. 
  Wilson 
  recognises 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  Pheasants, 
  owing 
  

   in 
  many 
  places, 
  of 
  course, 
  to 
  hand-rearing. 
  The 
  fine 
  weather 
  in 
  

   1887 
  proved 
  a 
  good 
  hatching-out 
  season 
  for 
  wild 
  birds 
  also, 
  and 
  

   Dr. 
  Wilson 
  saw 
  them 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  country 
  in 
  places 
  where 
  he 
  had 
  

   never 
  seen 
  them 
  before. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Upper 
  Spey 
  valley 
  Pheasants 
  are 
  not 
  abundant, 
  as 
  we 
  

   have 
  indicated, 
  except 
  where 
  reared 
  and 
  encouraged. 
  About 
  

   Lynwilg 
  they 
  are 
  abundant, 
  and 
  were 
  heard 
  continually 
  calling 
  in 
  

   1891, 
  yet 
  in 
  1889 
  a 
  keeper 
  told 
  Mr. 
  R. 
  H. 
  Read 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  

   none 
  in 
  the 
  district, 
  because 
  it 
  was 
  too 
  cold. 
  

  

  A 
  Pheasant 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Glen 
  Feshie 
  in 
  October 
  1888, 
  by 
  

   H. 
  J. 
  Tollemache, 
  Esq., 
  M.P. 
  

  

  Hinxman 
  includes 
  it 
  in 
  a 
  list 
  from 
  Glen 
  Avon 
  and 
  district, 
  and 
  

   says: 
  — 
  'At 
  Ballindalloch, 
  whence 
  it 
  strays 
  some 
  little 
  way 
  up 
  

   Strathavon.' 
  The 
  Pheasant 
  is 
  reared 
  and 
  preserved 
  also 
  near 
  

  

  