﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  217 
  

  

  Brown 
  of 
  Forres 
  has 
  obtained 
  young 
  unable 
  to 
  fly, 
  and 
  0. 
  A. 
  J. 
  

   Lee 
  and 
  Harvie-Brown 
  have 
  both 
  seen 
  a 
  few 
  pairs 
  there 
  in 
  mid- 
  

   summer. 
  Large 
  numbers 
  of 
  immature 
  birds 
  frequent 
  the 
  rocks 
  

   near 
  Banff 
  harbour, 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  railway 
  station, 
  in 
  April. 
  

  

  Larus 
  fuscus, 
  L. 
  Lesser 
  Black-backed 
  Gull. 
  

  

  Local 
  Name. 
  — 
  See 
  under 
  Herring 
  Gull. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  used 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  Sutherlandshire 
  part 
  of 
  

   our 
  area, 
  breeding 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  situations 
  as 
  the 
  Herring 
  Gull, 
  but 
  

   has 
  much 
  decreased 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  war 
  that 
  is 
  waged 
  

   against 
  it 
  by 
  keepers. 
  Mr. 
  Jennings 
  says 
  that 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  pairs 
  

   breed 
  on 
  the 
  hill 
  of 
  Tain, 
  with 
  the 
  Herring 
  Gull, 
  but 
  both 
  these 
  

   keep 
  apart 
  from 
  the 
  Common 
  Gull. 
  We 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  species 
  at 
  

   Invergarry, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  observe 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  breeding, 
  

  

  Edward 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  Met 
  with, 
  not 
  plentiful 
  ; 
  does 
  not 
  nest 
  ' 
  (i.e. 
  

   in 
  the 
  Banff 
  district). 
  But 
  we 
  have 
  always 
  found 
  it 
  common 
  on 
  

   the 
  river 
  Deveron, 
  and 
  on 
  ploughed 
  fields 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  reaches, 
  

   coming 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  coast 
  about 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  in 
  April 
  or 
  beginning 
  

   of 
  May 
  ; 
  and 
  recognised 
  as 
  ' 
  common 
  along 
  our 
  rivers, 
  principally 
  

   in 
  spring 
  and 
  autumn,' 
  by 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  0. 
  Wilson 
  of 
  Huntly. 
  Decidedly 
  

   commoner 
  at 
  these 
  seasons 
  than 
  the 
  Herring 
  Gull. 
  Hinxman 
  

   identified 
  this* 
  species 
  as 
  breeding 
  in 
  peat-mosses 
  in 
  Abernethy, 
  

   and 
  Mr. 
  Lee 
  met 
  with 
  it 
  nesting 
  sparingly 
  on 
  the 
  Culbin 
  Sands, 
  

   and 
  found 
  amongst 
  their 
  eggs 
  the 
  variety 
  which 
  has 
  reddish 
  spots 
  

   on 
  a 
  greenish 
  ground, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  kindly 
  gave 
  us. 
  

  

  Larus 
  marinus, 
  L. 
  Great 
  Black-backed 
  Gull. 
  

  

  Local 
  Name. 
  — 
  Fid. 
  ant. 
  

  

  By 
  no 
  means 
  so 
  numerous 
  as 
  the 
  preceding 
  species, 
  though 
  it 
  breeds 
  

   sparingly 
  inland 
  through 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  our 
  area, 
  but 
  as 
  yet 
  

   we 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  of 
  it 
  doing 
  so 
  south 
  of 
  Dornoch. 
  We 
  have 
  

   observed 
  a 
  pair 
  or 
  two 
  about 
  the 
  Old 
  Bar 
  of 
  the 
  Fiiulhorn, 
  nesting 
  

   on 
  the 
  sands, 
  and 
  their 
  deep 
  notes 
  may 
  be 
  heard 
  almost 
  any 
  day 
  

   on 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Beauly 
  Firth, 
  an 
  old 
  pair 
  and 
  their 
  young 
  

   often 
  being 
  seen 
  together. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  east 
  Sutor 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Millais 
  found 
  the 
  Great 
  Black- 
  

   backed 
  Gull 
  evidently 
  breeding 
  in 
  fair 
  numbers 
  on 
  the 
  tops 
  ol 
  

  

  