ACJCHENBLAE. 



Ixv 



knows to have been found within the district. It takes the form of 

 an annotated copy of the recent handbook to the Museum, which I 

 sent with additional notes and interleaves. His annotated list 

 contains notes on one hundred and twenty-four species. 



AUCHENBLAE. 



Having accomplished all that was considered necessary in this 

 neighbourhood — at least so far as known to me — we went on to 

 Fordoun, where a trap met us and took us to Auchenblae, and the 

 tirst thing I did was to call upon Mr. J. Milne,^ whose name appears 

 so often as an authority on the local avifauna for a distance of some 

 ten miles around that centre. He obligingly agreed to accompany 

 us on the morrow in a drive up Drumtochty Glen and to Glen- 

 saugh Loch. 



This was accomplished on the 7th June, and Mr. Milne pointed 

 out many of the objects and localities of interest in my special 

 quest — such as the glen where Eough-legged Buzzards halt at times 

 on migration ; the small glen where the Great Spotted Woodpeckers 

 remained so long resident in 1904 — though as yet they do not appear 

 to have bred there ; a Eedstart's nesting place —a rare bird here — 

 and other places of interest. Loch Gleusaugh was frequented by a 

 pair of Wigeons which reared their young for the first time in 

 1904.- Many pairs of Mallards nest there upon the islands of the 

 artificial loch ; and some fourteen Canada Geese have long been 

 inhabitants. The single occurrence which has been reported of an 

 Osprey at Loch Glensaugh, however, requires verification ; indeed it 

 is locally and currently believed it was "just a big Gull." The loch 

 contains Loch Leven Trout — introduced, of course — and also Brown 

 Trout. It is rather a pretty little sheet of water, well worthy of the 

 expenditure of a plate, though the heavy and bitter wind from the 



^ Mr. Milne was an old correspondent of the late Col. Drummond Hay, and he 

 began writing to me (first letter is dated 20th March 1895) ; and since that time he 

 has reported continuously from his immediate and native district his daily observa- 

 tions. Accompanying his first letter (see above) was a note-book, with all his 

 observations up to date, since Col. Dr\mimond Hay's death. His notes after this 

 will be quoted under his name and date. I first met Mr. Milne at Auchenblae station 

 at .3.33 P.M. on a Friday in June 1897. 



- But have since increased. See Appendix. 



