﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  165 
  

  

  The 
  O.S.A. 
  gives 
  as 
  a 
  locality 
  Kirkhill 
  (North-west 
  Moray), 
  

   vol. 
  iv. 
  p. 
  114. 
  Edward 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  'Very 
  sparingly 
  distributed 
  about 
  

   Banff.' 
  He 
  has 
  seen 
  it 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  December. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  place 
  in 
  

   Smith's 
  list, 
  and 
  is 
  common 
  about 
  Huntly 
  (Dr. 
  J. 
  0. 
  W.), 
  

  

  The 
  Corn-crake 
  occurs 
  far 
  up 
  the 
  Cain 
  district 
  hills 
  amongst 
  

   patches 
  of 
  cultivation, 
  but 
  of 
  course 
  in 
  such 
  localities 
  only 
  in 
  com- 
  

   parative 
  numbers 
  — 
  numbers 
  very 
  limited 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  more 
  

   fully 
  cultivated 
  areas. 
  

  

  In 
  1885 
  we 
  heard 
  it 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  that 
  season 
  at 
  Aberlour 
  on 
  

   Spey, 
  on 
  10th 
  May. 
  So 
  long 
  ago 
  as 
  1844 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  recorded 
  

   its 
  arrival 
  near 
  Elgin 
  on 
  the 
  9th 
  May, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  year 
  

   it 
  was 
  reported 
  as 
  very 
  abundant 
  about 
  Forres, 
  and 
  as 
  leaving 
  in 
  

   September. 
  Considerable 
  numbers 
  are 
  killed 
  at 
  times 
  by 
  coming 
  

   in 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  telegraph-wires. 
  

  

  By 
  several 
  credible 
  observers 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  Corn-crakes 
  vary 
  

   very 
  considerably 
  in 
  numbers 
  year 
  by 
  year, 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  

   numerous 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  is 
  said 
  by 
  some 
  people 
  to 
  be 
  scarcer 
  now 
  than 
  

   formerly 
  ; 
  but 
  such 
  an 
  estimate 
  may 
  be 
  considered, 
  we 
  think, 
  from 
  

   the 
  standpoint 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  sentence 
  — 
  not 
  a 
  permanent 
  decrease, 
  

   only 
  a 
  seasonal 
  variation 
  — 
  a 
  ' 
  Corn-crake 
  year 
  ' 
  ! 
  — 
  like 
  a 
  good 
  or 
  

   bad 
  ' 
  Woodcock 
  year.' 
  

  

  In 
  those 
  birds 
  killed 
  by 
  telegraph-wires 
  — 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  

   have 
  examined 
  in 
  Brown 
  of 
  Forres' 
  shop 
  — 
  it 
  seems 
  almost 
  in- 
  

   variably 
  the 
  case 
  that 
  the 
  upper 
  mandible, 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  head, 
  is 
  

   severely 
  bruised. 
  

  

  Porzana 
  maruetta 
  (Leach). 
  Spotted 
  Crake. 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  rare 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  our 
  area. 
  Besides 
  the 
  one 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  taken 
  at 
  Rosehall 
  (vide 
  Fauna 
  of 
  Sutherland 
  

   and 
  Caithness), 
  we 
  have 
  only 
  notes 
  of 
  other 
  three 
  examples 
  ; 
  

   one 
  of 
  these 
  was 
  obtained 
  at 
  Ardross, 
  on 
  October 
  7th, 
  1889, 
  and 
  

   another 
  close 
  to 
  Inverness, 
  on 
  the 
  14th 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  month 
  and 
  

   year. 
  The 
  third 
  was 
  shot 
  in 
  the 
  Carse 
  of 
  Clachnaharry, 
  near 
  

   Inverness, 
  on 
  the 
  2nd 
  December 
  1874, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  T. 
  B. 
  Snowie 
  of 
  

   Inverness. 
  

  

  St. 
  John 
  has 
  killed 
  it 
  at 
  Spynic, 
  and 
  always 
  in 
  autumn 
  or 
  

   winter 
  j 
  he 
  considered 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  1 
  very 
  rare.' 
  

  

  