﻿190 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  abundant 
  ' 
  in 
  Strathspey 
  : 
  they 
  are 
  observed 
  most 
  abundantly, 
  

   however, 
  in 
  spring. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  years 
  a 
  migration 
  occurs 
  in 
  April 
  ; 
  — 
  a 
  great 
  * 
  rush 
  ' 
  of 
  

   passing 
  migrants 
  was 
  observed 
  early 
  in 
  April 
  1891 
  (Hinxman). 
  

   The 
  so-called 
  1 
  return 
  of 
  the 
  Woodcocks 
  1 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  Stirling- 
  

   shire 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Grampians 
  usually 
  in 
  March, 
  especially 
  

   between 
  the 
  Firths 
  of 
  Forth 
  and 
  Clyde, 
  the 
  fly-lines 
  trending 
  to- 
  

   wards 
  the 
  north 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  Firth 
  rather 
  than 
  towards 
  the 
  south 
  

   coast. 
  Many 
  pairs 
  remain 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  of 
  Spey, 
  but 
  

   perhaps 
  not 
  so 
  many 
  as 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  along 
  the 
  birch-clad 
  slopes 
  

   of 
  our 
  west 
  coasts. 
  A 
  curious 
  inquiry 
  might 
  arise 
  : 
  Did 
  the 
  Wood- 
  

   cock 
  not 
  always 
  breed 
  in 
  North 
  Britain, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  end 
  of 
  

   last 
  century 
  become 
  rarer 
  owing 
  to 
  physical 
  changes 
  ? 
  Did 
  it 
  not 
  

   then 
  become 
  resuscitated 
  in 
  Speyside, 
  without 
  becoming 
  extinct, 
  

   also 
  according 
  to 
  changes 
  of 
  physical 
  conditions 
  1 
  Who 
  can 
  say 
  1 
  

   Some 
  may 
  find 
  fault 
  with 
  us 
  for 
  even 
  proposing 
  such 
  a 
  question 
  , 
  

   — 
  but 
  data 
  accumulated 
  regarding 
  the 
  fly-lines 
  of 
  several 
  other 
  

   species 
  induce 
  us 
  to 
  start 
  the 
  inquiry. 
  

  

  In 
  1879, 
  during 
  a 
  very 
  severe 
  winter, 
  'nearly 
  five 
  hundred 
  

   Woodcock 
  were 
  killed 
  along 
  the 
  shore 
  below 
  Lossiemouth 
  and 
  

   Burghead 
  in 
  Elgin, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  were 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  come 
  

   from 
  the 
  opposite 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Firth, 
  if 
  not 
  from 
  still 
  farther 
  north 
  

   (Dr. 
  Gordon, 
  in 
  lit. 
  24th 
  Jan. 
  1879). 
  Another 
  account 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  

   •Large 
  flight 
  of 
  Woodcocks 
  in 
  the 
  severe 
  winter 
  of 
  1878-79 
  at 
  

   Duffus 
  and 
  Gordonstoun 
  and 
  Bin 
  Hill, 
  near 
  Innes 
  House. 
  Over 
  

   three 
  hundred 
  killed 
  near 
  Covesea, 
  and 
  many 
  at 
  Inverugie, 
  and 
  

   also 
  at 
  the 
  Blackhill, 
  Speymouth. 
  They 
  appeared 
  to 
  have 
  come 
  

   from 
  Sutherland, 
  where 
  the 
  frost 
  was 
  intense 
  and 
  long 
  continued 
  ' 
  

   (Fauna 
  of 
  Moray). 
  

  

  Yet 
  again, 
  at 
  a 
  later 
  date, 
  we 
  have 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  another 
  

   great 
  invasion. 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  writes 
  us, 
  Feb. 
  14th, 
  1889 
  : 
  — 
  'In 
  the 
  

   severe 
  weather 
  of 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  1889 
  a 
  large 
  flight 
  came 
  down 
  to 
  

   the 
  shore, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  by 
  Captain 
  Dunbar-Brander 
  to 
  have 
  

   come 
  from 
  the 
  interior 
  and 
  not 
  from 
  across 
  the 
  Firth, 
  as 
  related 
  

   of 
  the 
  much 
  larger 
  flight 
  several 
  years 
  ago.' 
  With 
  Captain 
  Dunbar- 
  

   Brander's 
  opinion 
  we 
  are 
  inclined 
  to 
  agree. 
  

  

  Now, 
  these 
  flights 
  are 
  of 
  common 
  occurrence 
  in 
  severe 
  weather 
  

   in 
  Moray, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  accounted 
  for, 
  we 
  believe, 
  in 
  somewhat 
  the 
  

   following 
  manner 
  : 
  If 
  the 
  whole 
  country 
  suffers 
  under 
  a 
  universal 
  

  

  