﻿168 
  

  

  BIRDS, 
  

  

  other 
  parts 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  the 
  probability 
  seems 
  certainly 
  in 
  favour 
  

   of 
  its 
  much 
  more 
  general 
  breeding 
  distribution 
  in 
  Scotland 
  than 
  

   has 
  been 
  as 
  yet 
  actually 
  recorded. 
  In 
  severe 
  winters 
  'freezing 
  

   out' 
  enables 
  observers 
  to 
  find 
  more 
  Water-rails, 
  et 
  id 
  genus, 
  than 
  

   in 
  an 
  open 
  winter. 
  

  

  Gallinula 
  chloropus 
  (£.). 
  Moorhen. 
  Popularly 
  called 
  also 
  'Water- 
  

   rail 
  ' 
  (George 
  Sim). 
  

  

  North 
  of 
  the 
  Ness 
  this 
  half-tame, 
  half-wild 
  species 
  is 
  common 
  and 
  

   resident, 
  very 
  generally 
  distributed 
  when 
  not 
  interfered 
  with. 
  In 
  

   1847 
  Hepburn 
  met 
  with 
  it 
  in 
  Glen 
  Urquhart 
  Bay, 
  though 
  it 
  was 
  

   then 
  scarce. 
  From 
  this 
  and 
  from 
  our 
  own 
  observations 
  we 
  think 
  

   the 
  bird 
  has 
  increased 
  in 
  numbers 
  since 
  then 
  in 
  the 
  North. 
  

  

  The 
  Moorhen 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  lochs 
  suitable 
  to 
  it, 
  far 
  away 
  among 
  

   the 
  hills, 
  and 
  again 
  close 
  to 
  towns 
  like 
  Inverness, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  

   sufficient 
  cover 
  to 
  hide 
  it 
  and 
  its 
  nest. 
  We 
  have 
  also 
  seen 
  them 
  

   among 
  the 
  short 
  grass 
  that 
  grows 
  on 
  the 
  ooze 
  along 
  the 
  Beauly 
  

   Firth. 
  

  

  Southwards 
  it 
  is 
  common 
  and 
  resident. 
  It 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  all 
  

   lists, 
  and 
  represented 
  in 
  most 
  Museums. 
  We 
  have 
  seen 
  it 
  on 
  all 
  

   the 
  reaches 
  of 
  Deveron, 
  except 
  very 
  high 
  up 
  among 
  the 
  Carn 
  

   district 
  burns. 
  [We 
  have 
  fished 
  from 
  sources 
  of 
  the 
  Deveron 
  

   nearly 
  to 
  the 
  sea, 
  except 
  about 
  the 
  last 
  twelve 
  miles.] 
  The 
  

   Moorhen, 
  however, 
  though 
  less 
  common 
  high 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  Carn 
  

   district, 
  is 
  seen 
  nevertheless 
  even 
  upon 
  the 
  high 
  lochs 
  near 
  the 
  

   bases 
  of 
  the 
  Cairngorms. 
  Hinxman 
  has 
  found 
  a 
  few 
  pairs 
  

   scattered 
  along 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  Avon. 
  It 
  is 
  abundant 
  

   along 
  Spey 
  and 
  in 
  Abernethy, 
  and 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  tame 
  and 
  

   abundant 
  on 
  Speyside, 
  especially 
  around 
  Gordon 
  Castle. 
  

  

  Fulica 
  atra, 
  L. 
  Coot. 
  

  

  In 
  1847 
  Hepburn 
  noticed 
  the 
  Coot 
  in 
  Glen 
  Urquhart 
  Bay, 
  and 
  then 
  

   only; 
  they 
  are 
  now 
  quite 
  common 
  there. 
  Mr. 
  Jennings 
  says 
  they 
  

   breed 
  largely 
  near 
  Fearn, 
  in 
  East 
  Ross-shire. 
  They 
  occur 
  also 
  near 
  

   Guisachan 
  and 
  Invergarry, 
  though, 
  perhaps, 
  not 
  very 
  abundantly. 
  

   We 
  have 
  met 
  them 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  our 
  area 
  from 
  Sutherland- 
  

   shire 
  southwards, 
  though 
  on 
  the 
  hill 
  lochs, 
  from 
  the 
  general 
  want 
  

   of 
  cover 
  in 
  these 
  places, 
  they 
  are 
  less 
  commonly 
  seen. 
  

  

  