182 



BIRDS. 



Archibuteo lagopus {Gmel). Rough-legged Buzzard. 



Autumn and winter visitant. May almost be valued as regular, but 

 varies in numbers, appearing in great quantities in some seasons, and 

 staying, of late years, well into the spring months. 



Mr. I). Dewar informed me {in lit, 16th Dec. 1870), that "every 

 winter for a long time back he had noticed that when a strong east 

 wind had blown in November, and continued for a day or two, ' Eagles ' 

 appeared, and were either accompanied or followed by Eough-legged 

 Buzzards coming from the same direction, and following an exactly 

 similar course in their flight." In 1870 four White-tailed Eagles 

 were accompanied by three Rough-legged Buzzards, flying up 

 Loch Tay. 



As a rule, Rough-legged Buzzards are seen more frequently near 

 the east-coast line, but often fly far inland after arrival. Thus birds 

 turn up at Balmain, Fasque, etc., whence specimens have been 

 obtained as long ago as 1837, and some of which are stated to be 

 in the Montrose Museum ; and Macgillivray records one shot in Fife 

 as long ago as December 1839. 



About 1856 birds of this species were constantly trapped around 

 Ballyouchan, and, during the migration season, were far more 

 abundant than the Common Buzzard — as might naturally be ex- 

 pected by up-to-date students of migrational fly-lines. 



Amongst other " rushes " — or what may be termed " Rough-legged 

 Buzzard years" — was the season between autumn and spring of 

 1875-6. On that, and as on other occasions, they reached far 

 across Scotland, and there appears to have been certainly two main 

 streams of the migrants, as will be indicated further on. 



Mr. James Lumsden has brought their history up to date of May 

 1876 (Nat. Hist. Soc. Glas., vol. iii.). He told us that apparently the 

 forerunner of the flight which followed was got at Castlecary (Forth), 

 and dated 22nd October 1875, and shortly after, four were sent 

 into Edinburgh. The great flight swept across from the north-east 

 of our present area to Clyde ; and numbers also appeared later in the 

 season (February) in the island of Mull (Argyll). The front of the 

 immigration extended down the whole east coast to Berwickshire, 

 but there seemed to have been fewer observed in Dee — at least we 

 are not specially informed as to the numbers seen in that area in that 

 year. However, there seems scarcely any doubt that a considerable 

 section of these immigrants passed down the great trough of the 

 Moray Basin, and so found their way to the west, north of Clyde. 



