﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  159 
  

  

  first 
  they 
  leave 
  the 
  coops, 
  and, 
  until 
  the 
  flock 
  breaks 
  up, 
  are 
  very 
  

   apt 
  to 
  rise 
  in 
  one 
  lot 
  when 
  flushed. 
  They 
  are 
  swift 
  fliers, 
  and 
  

   make 
  a 
  great 
  noise 
  with 
  their 
  wings 
  when 
  flying. 
  Their 
  eggs 
  are 
  

   like 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  Pheasant, 
  but 
  slightly 
  larger. 
  

  

  When 
  at 
  Guisachan 
  in 
  May 
  1892 
  we 
  saw 
  about 
  a 
  dozen 
  cocks 
  

   all 
  together 
  — 
  a 
  very 
  pretty 
  sight. 
  

  

  Eeeve's 
  Pheasants 
  are 
  also 
  common 
  at 
  Balmacaan, 
  and 
  hybrids 
  

   between 
  them 
  and 
  the 
  common 
  Pheasant 
  have 
  been 
  killed 
  there 
  — 
  

   one 
  in 
  July 
  1880, 
  another 
  in 
  1887. 
  

  

  Eeeve's 
  Pheasant 
  has 
  been 
  introduced 
  at 
  Duff 
  House 
  within 
  

   the 
  last 
  year 
  or 
  two. 
  and 
  examples 
  have 
  strayed 
  to 
  and 
  been 
  shot 
  

   near 
  Huntly. 
  We 
  told 
  the 
  keeper 
  at 
  Duff 
  House 
  that 
  these 
  hand- 
  

   some 
  birds 
  are 
  worthless 
  as 
  game-birds, 
  and 
  that 
  elsewhere 
  where 
  

   tried 
  (as 
  at 
  Tulliallan 
  in 
  Forth), 
  orders 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  issued 
  for 
  their 
  

   destruction. 
  They 
  hector 
  it 
  too 
  highly 
  over 
  the 
  other 
  Pheasants, 
  

   and, 
  when 
  flushed, 
  'go 
  to 
  tree' 
  after 
  a 
  long 
  flight, 
  and 
  select 
  

   always 
  the 
  densest 
  they 
  can 
  find, 
  thus 
  affording 
  little 
  sport. 
  

   They 
  had 
  also 
  been 
  introduced 
  at 
  Pitcroy 
  opposite.] 
  

  

  Caccabis 
  rufa 
  (L.). 
  Red-legged 
  Partridge. 
  

  

  Murdoch 
  Matheson 
  informed 
  us, 
  while 
  at 
  Invergarry 
  in 
  May 
  1S92, 
  

   that 
  a 
  Red-legged 
  Partridge 
  had 
  been 
  shot 
  there 
  that 
  year, 
  and 
  

   that 
  a 
  pair 
  were 
  still 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood. 
  

  

  Edward 
  speaks 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  having 
  been 
  recently 
  introduced, 
  

   but 
  we 
  could 
  hear 
  of 
  no 
  other 
  record 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  In 
  1890, 
  

   however, 
  Brown 
  of 
  Forres 
  wrote 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Gordon, 
  saying: 
  — 
  'I 
  have 
  

   a 
  fine 
  specimen 
  here 
  of 
  a 
  Eed-legged 
  Partridge 
  shot 
  near 
  Find- 
  

   horn, 
  23rd 
  December 
  1891, 
  by 
  John 
  S. 
  Clark. 
  A 
  record 
  also 
  

   occurs 
  of 
  one 
  shot 
  at 
  Eafford 
  in 
  1870' 
  (Fauna 
  of 
  Moray). 
  Now, 
  

   Captain 
  Dunbar-Brander 
  writes 
  us 
  that 
  lie 
  turned 
  down 
  four 
  

   pairs 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  two 
  years 
  ago, 
  but 
  they 
  disappeared 
  from 
  

   his 
  ground. 
  One 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Covesea, 
  and 
  Captain 
  Dunbar- 
  

   Brander 
  heard 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  covey 
  near 
  Eoseisle. 
  Captain 
  

   Dunbar-Brander 
  goes 
  on 
  to 
  say 
  : 
  — 
  'The 
  country 
  is 
  now 
  so 
  overrun 
  

   by 
  poachers 
  netting 
  at 
  night 
  that 
  the 
  grey 
  birds 
  are 
  getting 
  very 
  

   scarce. 
  My 
  reason 
  for 
  turning 
  down 
  the 
  Eed-leg 
  is 
  because 
  they 
  

   sleep 
  in 
  much 
  rougher 
  ground 
  than 
  the 
  grey 
  bird, 
  and 
  are 
  thus 
  

   comparatively 
  safe 
  from 
  the 
  poachers 
  — 
  better 
  the 
  Eed-leg 
  than 
  

  

  