﻿BIRDS. 
  197 
  

  

  so 
  far 
  up 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  lower 
  down 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth, 
  about 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Findhorn, 
  and 
  between 
  that 
  and 
  Nairn. 
  

  

  Edward 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  1 
  a 
  few 
  on 
  autumn 
  passage.' 
  

  

  In 
  1885 
  reported 
  common 
  and 
  abundant 
  by 
  Brown 
  of 
  Forres. 
  

   Arriving 
  in 
  September 
  and 
  departing 
  in 
  April, 
  in 
  small 
  flocks 
  on 
  

   the 
  shore. 
  

  

  Machetes 
  pugnax 
  (L.). 
  Ruff. 
  

  

  The 
  EufF 
  has 
  occurred 
  on 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  occasions 
  in 
  the 
  Sutherland 
  

   portion 
  of 
  our 
  area, 
  once 
  on 
  the 
  8th 
  of 
  September 
  1890 
  up 
  the 
  

   Cassley 
  strath 
  ; 
  and 
  another 
  was 
  shot 
  on 
  the 
  Dornoch 
  Firth 
  by 
  a 
  

   son 
  of 
  Sheriff 
  Mackenzie. 
  Macleay 
  once 
  shot 
  one 
  at 
  Clachnaharry, 
  

   near 
  Inverness, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  remember 
  the 
  date. 
  

  

  St. 
  John 
  seems 
  only 
  to 
  have 
  met 
  with 
  this 
  species 
  once, 
  w 
  T 
  hen 
  

   he 
  shot 
  one, 
  a 
  solitary 
  bird, 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Findhorn. 
  

  

  O. 
  A. 
  J. 
  Lee, 
  on 
  August 
  19th, 
  1887, 
  saw 
  about 
  four 
  pairs 
  of 
  

   Ruffs. 
  ' 
  No 
  bird 
  had 
  the 
  same 
  coloured 
  plumage, 
  or 
  anything 
  

   like 
  the 
  others, 
  some 
  being 
  buffish 
  with 
  brown 
  and 
  black 
  marks, 
  

   some 
  blue-grey, 
  and 
  some 
  chestnut. 
  They 
  were 
  very 
  shy.' 
  

  

  Edward 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  about 
  three 
  obtained 
  — 
  all 
  in 
  autumn 
  plumage. 
  

   There 
  is 
  one 
  in 
  summer 
  plumage 
  in 
  the 
  Banff 
  Museum, 
  but 
  without 
  

   any 
  label 
  or 
  history. 
  In 
  1880 
  a 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  were 
  obtained 
  

   by 
  Captain 
  Dunbar-Brander, 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  Elgin 
  Museum. 
  

   The 
  same 
  gentleman 
  shot 
  a 
  female 
  at 
  Pitgaveny 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  

   of 
  1884, 
  and 
  presented 
  it 
  to 
  Campbell 
  Macpherson 
  Grant 
  of 
  

   Drumduan, 
  Forres. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  10th 
  September 
  1887 
  Brown 
  shot 
  a 
  solitary 
  Reeve 
  near 
  

   Forres, 
  which 
  he 
  preserved. 
  This 
  bird 
  had 
  the 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  

   toes 
  of 
  one 
  foot 
  joined 
  together, 
  one 
  nail 
  serving 
  for 
  both 
  toes. 
  

  

  The 
  Ruff 
  is 
  considered 
  of 
  rare 
  occurrence 
  near 
  Forres, 
  but 
  

   Brown 
  saw 
  ten 
  Ruffs 
  and 
  Reeves 
  near 
  Findhorn, 
  varying, 
  as 
  they 
  

   usually 
  do, 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  colour. 
  He 
  examined 
  them 
  with 
  his 
  glass, 
  

   and 
  shot 
  one. 
  

  

  Calidris 
  arenaria 
  (/>.). 
  Sanderling. 
  

  

  Not 
  a 
  rare 
  bird 
  in 
  autumn 
  and 
  early 
  winter 
  on 
  those 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   shore 
  suited 
  to 
  its 
  habits. 
  It 
  is 
  often 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  sands 
  about 
  

   Brora. 
  

  

  