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  BIRDS. 
  

  

  and 
  ' 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  well-known 
  gulleries 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  

   Abernethy 
  forest, 
  of 
  which 
  that 
  at 
  Loch 
  na 
  Chnuic 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  ' 
  

   (Hinxman). 
  A 
  few 
  pairs 
  have 
  lately 
  frequented 
  Loch 
  a 
  Choire, 
  

   near 
  Laggan 
  — 
  a 
  locality 
  not 
  occupied 
  when 
  Harvie-Brown 
  used 
  to 
  

   fish 
  in 
  that 
  district 
  about 
  1865. 
  Along 
  Findhorn 
  there 
  are 
  colonies 
  

   on 
  the 
  loch 
  of 
  Belivat, 
  another 
  on 
  the 
  loch 
  of 
  Boath, 
  and 
  a 
  smaller 
  

   one 
  in 
  the 
  Dulsie 
  forest 
  (R. 
  Thomson, 
  Femes, 
  21/v/92). 
  There 
  

   is 
  a 
  large 
  colony 
  also 
  between 
  Lochandorb 
  and 
  Grantown, 
  on 
  a 
  

   mossy 
  hollow 
  among 
  the 
  hills. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  considerable 
  colony 
  

   on 
  a 
  small 
  loch 
  close 
  to 
  Kingussie, 
  and 
  indeed 
  many 
  others 
  too 
  

   numerous 
  to 
  mention. 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  Black-headed 
  Gull 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  

   our 
  most 
  assertive 
  and 
  rapidly 
  increasing 
  species 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  

   of 
  Scotland. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Robert 
  H. 
  Read 
  found 
  a 
  colony 
  1 
  settling 
  down 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  

   the 
  middle 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  wet 
  bog 
  at 
  Lynwilg,' 
  but 
  in 
  1891 
  the 
  nests 
  

   of 
  these 
  birds 
  were 
  found 
  utterly 
  swamped 
  by 
  heavy 
  rains 
  having 
  

   flooded 
  the 
  marsh. 
  There 
  were 
  thirteen 
  pairs 
  on 
  May 
  17th. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  severely 
  dry 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  autumn 
  of 
  1887 
  Black- 
  

   headed 
  Gulls 
  were 
  seen 
  perched 
  on 
  the 
  house-tops 
  of 
  Forres, 
  

   1 
  watching 
  the 
  wells. 
  They 
  were 
  very 
  hard 
  pressed 
  for 
  both 
  food 
  

   and 
  water 
  ' 
  (Brown 
  of 
  Forres, 
  in 
  lit.). 
  

  

  In 
  hard 
  winters 
  these 
  birds 
  get 
  very 
  tame, 
  and 
  haunt 
  the 
  

   houses 
  about 
  Inverness 
  for 
  food. 
  We 
  have 
  had 
  them 
  come 
  in 
  

   numbers 
  close 
  to 
  our 
  dining-room 
  windows 
  to 
  eat 
  bits 
  of 
  bread 
  

   put 
  out 
  for 
  them 
  and 
  other 
  birds. 
  Writing 
  in 
  1846, 
  St. 
  John 
  

   remarks 
  that 
  the 
  Black-headed 
  Gulls 
  are 
  absent 
  in 
  winter, 
  so 
  it 
  

   seems 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  that 
  these 
  birds 
  have 
  become 
  

   residents. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  letter 
  we 
  received 
  from 
  Captain 
  Dunbar-Brander 
  he 
  

   writes 
  : 
  — 
  1 
  1 
  don't 
  know 
  and 
  I 
  can't 
  make 
  out 
  how 
  the 
  young 
  

   Gulls 
  are 
  fed. 
  There 
  are 
  now 
  hundreds 
  swimming 
  about 
  in 
  the 
  

   reeds 
  (of 
  Loch 
  Spynie, 
  which 
  belongs 
  to 
  him). 
  There 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  

   few 
  flies 
  for 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  loch, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  an 
  old 
  Chill 
  feed 
  

   a 
  young 
  one 
  ; 
  besides, 
  there 
  are 
  so 
  many 
  hundreds, 
  all 
  promiscuous, 
  

   that 
  she 
  could 
  never 
  tell 
  her 
  own.' 
  

  

  Talking 
  of 
  over-preservation 
  of 
  certain 
  species, 
  we 
  are 
  inclined 
  

   to 
  think 
  that 
  this 
  species 
  requires 
  no 
  protection. 
  It 
  has 
  been, 
  and 
  

   is, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  assertive 
  and 
  rapidly 
  increasing 
  birds 
  over 
  large 
  

   and 
  widely- 
  separated 
  areas 
  of 
  Scotland. 
  But 
  although 
  thus 
  far 
  

  

  