178 



BIRDS. 



a companion bird, but he (?) died and left Ole still monarchess of all she 

 surveyed ! Xor did there appear to have been any tangible result of 

 the royal marriage (?). Ole still laid eggs, but, alas 1 " they didna 

 come oot." Finally, Ole having passed through all stages of plumage, 

 I gave him — her, I beg her pardon — to my friend Mr. J. D. Paterson, 

 of Dalnaglar, Glen Shee, as company to other scions of the house 

 which he already possessed in durance there. The last I heard of 

 her -was she was still living about the year 1901, and since then I 

 have heard that her reign has ceased by death. She is still embalmed 

 at Dalnaglar (1905). 



In 1873 Mr. Eobert Gray records the occurrence of one at 

 Pitlochry, obtained on 17th January 1873 (recorded, 22nd February 

 1873, in Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glas., vol. ii. p. 214), but, as has 

 been shown, this was probably an escaped bird (see vol. iii. p. 359). 

 In fact, one had escaped shortly before from Fountains Abbey, and 

 was doubtless the same bird. 



Scops giu (Scop.), Scops-eared Owl. 



Rare. Very occasional visitant. 



Col. Drummond Hay, writing to me on 5th March — by internal 

 evidence, 1885 — told me of a male and a female Scops Owl having 

 been shot at Scone in May 1864. This was after fresh inquiries, and 

 he added : "I have since noted it down." These two specimens are 

 in the Museum. 



[Athene noctua (Retz). Little Owl. 



Laidlaw records one in his Movements of Birds. One is there reported 

 as obtained in Kincardineshire on 1st February {Annals Scot. Nat. Hist., 

 1903, p. 150). I have not traced the destination of this specimen. 



Also the late Prof. Heddle, of St. Andrews, related at considerable 

 length his having seen one of this or some other small species of Owl 

 at St. Andrews late one night in the old palace gardens.] 



Family ACCIPITEES. 



Circus aeruginosus {L.). Marsh-Harrier, 



Rare. Possibly commoner at one time, but this is doubtful. 



Col. Drummond Hay saw one "in the flesh" in Mr. Malloch's 

 hands, which had been shot in the district in 1880, but no precise 

 date was given. 



