﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  213 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  Black-headed 
  Gull 
  generally 
  breeds 
  in 
  large 
  

   colonies, 
  sometimes 
  isolated 
  pairs 
  are 
  met 
  with. 
  "We 
  knew 
  of 
  

   one 
  such 
  pair 
  on 
  a 
  loch 
  within 
  the 
  Brora 
  watershed, 
  among 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  Common 
  and 
  Herring 
  Gulls, 
  but 
  apparently 
  there 
  was 
  

   little 
  suitable 
  ground 
  for 
  them 
  in 
  that 
  place. 
  In 
  another 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  watershed 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  fine 
  colony 
  ; 
  but 
  we 
  never 
  

   met 
  with 
  them 
  spread 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  flows 
  like 
  the 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  

   gull. 
  

  

  Near 
  Strathpeffer 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  colony 
  on 
  Loch 
  Kinellan, 
  and 
  the 
  

   birds 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  come 
  to 
  steal 
  the 
  1 
  pigs' 
  meat 
  ' 
  at 
  the 
  

   back 
  of 
  the 
  Ben 
  Wyvis 
  Hotel 
  — 
  scarcely 
  the 
  sort 
  of 
  thing 
  one 
  would 
  

   expect 
  this 
  species 
  to 
  do 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  of 
  year, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  pre- 
  

   sumed 
  to 
  be 
  principally 
  insect-feeders. 
  

  

  Edward 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  Not 
  breeding 
  in 
  Banff*, 
  but 
  does 
  so 
  in 
  great 
  

   numbers 
  on 
  either 
  side.' 
  Not 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  

   Deveron 
  by 
  us 
  in 
  1886, 
  1889, 
  1890, 
  or 
  1891. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  0. 
  Wilson 
  

   1 
  cannot 
  recollect 
  ' 
  whether 
  he 
  had 
  seen 
  it 
  1 
  near 
  Huntly 
  or 
  not.' 
  

   Hinxman, 
  however, 
  has 
  seen 
  it 
  as 
  high 
  up 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Don 
  

   as 
  Inverernan. 
  

  

  In 
  1885 
  we 
  met 
  with 
  it 
  first 
  on 
  Lower 
  Strathspey, 
  on 
  9th 
  May, 
  

   and 
  it 
  became 
  common 
  later 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  season. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  splendid 
  

   colony 
  at 
  Loch 
  Spynie. 
  Years 
  ago, 
  as 
  Captain 
  Dunbar-Brander 
  in- 
  

   forms 
  us, 
  only 
  about 
  seventy 
  pairs 
  bred 
  there 
  ; 
  they 
  increased 
  to 
  a 
  

   hundred 
  pairs 
  the 
  year 
  afterwards. 
  Now, 
  viz. 
  in 
  1885, 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  

   counted 
  by 
  thousands. 
  One 
  day 
  in 
  1885 
  from 
  1200 
  to 
  1300 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  taken 
  by 
  Captain 
  Dunbar-Brander, 
  only 
  two 
  days 
  after 
  they 
  

   had 
  been 
  robbed 
  before. 
  On 
  our 
  visit 
  to 
  Loch 
  Spynie 
  in 
  May 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  year, 
  every 
  nest 
  contained 
  three 
  eggs. 
  No 
  other 
  species 
  

   of 
  gull 
  breeds 
  at 
  Loch 
  Spynie. 
  

  

  In 
  1866 
  Norman 
  spoke 
  of 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  colonies 
  in 
  woodland 
  

   lakes 
  of 
  Darnaway. 
  

  

  Before 
  the 
  loch 
  of 
  Buckie 
  was 
  partly 
  drained 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  

   extensive 
  colony 
  there 
  ; 
  now 
  there 
  are 
  seldom 
  any 
  nests 
  at 
  that 
  

   locality. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  however, 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  localities 
  

   where 
  they 
  have 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  taken 
  up 
  their 
  abode. 
  They 
  breed 
  

   in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  on 
  two 
  little 
  lochs 
  near 
  the 
  place 
  marked 
  

   on 
  the 
  map 
  Craig-a-bhcinne, 
  close 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  disused 
  road 
  or 
  

   path 
  which 
  crosses 
  Blar-mor 
  — 
  the 
  big 
  moss 
  near 
  Carr 
  Bridge. 
  

   There 
  are 
  colonies 
  on 
  lochs 
  in 
  Altyre 
  woods, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  Darnaway, 
  

  

  