﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  201 
  

  

  between 
  Cluny 
  Castle 
  and 
  Dalhooley, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  Mashie 
  Burn 
  

   and 
  beyond 
  the 
  falls 
  of 
  Beltaig. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  seen 
  Redshanks 
  flying 
  from 
  north-east 
  to 
  south-west 
  

   over 
  the 
  skyline 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  near 
  Dalnaspidal 
  in 
  July, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  month 
  Mr. 
  Backhouse 
  has 
  again 
  observed 
  them, 
  of 
  late 
  years, 
  

   at 
  the 
  same 
  place. 
  

  

  Of 
  their 
  nesting 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  Tomatin, 
  Mr. 
  MacBean 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  

   'They 
  appeared 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  at 
  Tomatin 
  in 
  1890, 
  

   nesting 
  on 
  spots 
  previously 
  occupied 
  by 
  Golden 
  Plovers. 
  They 
  

   nest 
  within 
  300 
  yards 
  of 
  Freeburn 
  Hotel, 
  in 
  the 
  mosses, 
  and 
  150 
  

   yards 
  from 
  where 
  people 
  cut 
  peats.' 
  We 
  have 
  eggs 
  in 
  our 
  collec- 
  

   tions 
  taken 
  as 
  long 
  ago 
  as 
  27th 
  May 
  1870, 
  near 
  Feabait, 
  Glen 
  

   Avon. 
  

  

  Totanus 
  fuscus 
  (£.). 
  Spotted 
  Redshank. 
  

  

  Brown 
  sends 
  us 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  Dusky 
  Redshanks 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   Findhorn 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  When 
  out 
  shooting 
  on 
  the 
  20th 
  August 
  

   1887, 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Findhorn, 
  I 
  met 
  with 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  Dusky 
  Redshanks. 
  They 
  were 
  very 
  shy 
  and 
  difficult 
  of 
  

   approach, 
  and 
  I 
  only 
  managed 
  to 
  secure 
  one 
  young 
  bird, 
  which 
  I 
  

   have 
  preserved 
  and 
  was 
  seen 
  by 
  Harvie-Brown. 
  

  

  Totanus 
  canescens 
  (Gmel). 
  Greenshank. 
  

  

  The 
  Greenshank 
  is 
  perhaps 
  commoner 
  in 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  Moray 
  than 
  in 
  

   any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  and 
  nowhere 
  more 
  so 
  during 
  the 
  breed- 
  

   ing 
  season 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  wild 
  flow-grounds 
  and 
  flat 
  wastes 
  that 
  lie 
  

   about 
  the 
  head- 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Helmsdale, 
  Brora, 
  and 
  Shin. 
  They 
  

   arrive 
  in 
  April, 
  and 
  are 
  then 
  seen 
  constantly 
  along 
  the 
  rivers' 
  

   sides. 
  To 
  the 
  Dornoch 
  Firth 
  and 
  suchlike 
  estuaries 
  the 
  Green- 
  

   shank 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  casual 
  visitor, 
  and 
  is 
  mostly 
  seen 
  in 
  such 
  situations 
  

   in 
  the 
  autumn. 
  Booth 
  found 
  them 
  1 
  particularly 
  numerous 
  ' 
  on 
  the 
  

   muddy 
  islands 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Cromarty 
  Firth 
  in 
  the 
  beginning 
  

   of 
  August. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Guisachan 
  the 
  Greenshank 
  is 
  a 
  rare 
  

   bird. 
  We 
  saw 
  one 
  there 
  in 
  May 
  ; 
  most 
  probably 
  its 
  mate 
  was 
  

   nesting 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  In 
  1883 
  one 
  was 
  sent 
  into 
  Inverness 
  for 
  

   preservation 
  from 
  Invergarry, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  said 
  only 
  to 
  have 
  

   bred 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  three 
  years 
  (1893). 
  We 
  ourselves 
  saw 
  a 
  pair 
  

   on 
  a 
  small 
  peninsula 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Loch 
  Garry 
  in 
  that 
  year. 
  

  

  