﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  177 
  

  

  still 
  occupies 
  a 
  few 
  localities 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Spey. 
  

   One 
  correspondent 
  1 
  writes 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  At 
  one 
  time 
  — 
  say 
  thirty 
  years 
  

   ago 
  (1864) 
  — 
  they 
  were 
  comparatively 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  'localities 
  

   indicated' 
  (i.e. 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Spey 
  valley). 
  'Of 
  recent 
  years 
  

   they 
  have 
  only 
  appeared 
  in 
  limited 
  numbers, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  true 
  as 
  

   regards 
  all 
  our 
  mountain 
  heights 
  ' 
  — 
  i.e. 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  those 
  specified 
  

   in 
  his 
  communication. 
  AVe 
  ourselves 
  have 
  no 
  positive 
  records 
  of 
  

   its 
  breeding 
  farther 
  west 
  than 
  Ben 
  Alder 
  — 
  even 
  if 
  it 
  does 
  breed 
  

   regularly 
  on 
  that 
  hill. 
  North 
  of 
  the 
  Spey 
  valley 
  a 
  few 
  hills 
  are 
  

   suitable, 
  as 
  they 
  top 
  the 
  3000 
  feet 
  contours. 
  We 
  have 
  a 
  decided 
  

   record 
  from 
  one 
  capable 
  observer 
  of 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  five 
  pairs 
  of 
  

   Dotterel, 
  evidently 
  with 
  eggs 
  or 
  young, 
  having 
  been 
  seen 
  upon 
  

   one 
  mountain 
  of 
  the 
  Cairngorm 
  range 
  in 
  1885. 
  

  

  The 
  comparatively 
  restricted 
  area 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  species 
  breeds 
  

   is 
  not 
  easily 
  explained. 
  The 
  moss 
  on 
  the 
  summits 
  of 
  these 
  

   mountains 
  amongst 
  which, 
  or 
  on 
  which, 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Dotterel 
  

   are 
  laid, 
  is 
  the 
  woolly-fringed 
  moss 
  (Trichostomum 
  lanigerosum) 
  of 
  

   botanists, 
  but 
  this 
  moss 
  occurs 
  on 
  many 
  other 
  mountains 
  which 
  

   appear 
  equally 
  suited 
  to 
  their 
  wants, 
  above 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  about 
  

   2700 
  feet, 
  the 
  birds 
  themselves, 
  however, 
  being 
  seldom 
  found 
  

   below 
  the 
  altitude 
  of 
  3000 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  Dotterels 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  approach 
  their 
  breeding 
  haunts, 
  

   in 
  Forfarshire, 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  Dee, 
  by 
  the 
  foot-hills 
  of 
  the 
  Clova 
  

   range, 
  but 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  Cairngorms 
  by 
  a 
  somewhat 
  

   more 
  northerly 
  route. 
  Thus 
  we 
  have 
  records 
  of 
  resting-places 
  in 
  

   Dee 
  in 
  Buchan, 
  and 
  within 
  our 
  own 
  area 
  towards 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   the 
  river 
  Deveron, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  higher 
  ridges 
  which 
  separate 
  the 
  

   valley 
  of 
  the 
  Deveron 
  from 
  the 
  streams 
  running 
  east 
  through 
  

   Aberdeenshire. 
  

  

  St. 
  John 
  says 
  the 
  Dotterel 
  is 
  a 
  rare 
  visitor, 
  but 
  may 
  occasion- 
  

   ally 
  be 
  found, 
  both 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  April, 
  on 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  

   and 
  from 
  their 
  breeding-grounds. 
  

  

  Major 
  Chadwick 
  includes 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  list 
  of 
  birds 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  

   Culbin 
  Sands, 
  but 
  this 
  we 
  consider 
  must 
  be 
  of 
  very 
  exceptional 
  

   occurrence. 
  Brown 
  of 
  Forres, 
  however, 
  corroborates 
  the 
  state- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  has 
  seen 
  a 
  few 
  shot 
  in 
  September 
  near 
  Forres, 
  and 
  

   O. 
  A. 
  J. 
  Lee 
  saw 
  two 
  pairs 
  near 
  that 
  place 
  on 
  August 
  5th, 
  1887 
  

   — 
  an 
  early 
  date 
  at 
  which 
  to 
  find 
  them 
  at 
  such 
  a 
  low 
  elevation. 
  

   1 
  Nether 
  Lochaber 
  : 
  the 
  nom-de-jtlumt 
  of 
  the 
  Rev. 
  Alexander 
  Stewart. 
  

  

  II. 
  

  

  M 
  

  

  