BIRDS. 



Physical Society, Edinburgh {Proc. Soc, vol. iv. p. 177, 1874-78). 

 Was this a migrant, perhaps passing south from breeding haunts on 

 the other side of the watershed 1 1 think that extremely likely. As 

 long ago as 1865 Mr. Thomas Craven told me and my friend Mr. 

 C. G. Danford that Hobbies had nested there in his father's time, not 

 many years previously. His father was one of the under-falconers 

 employed by either John Barr or his brother William Barr. The 

 Cravens come of an old family of falconers and gamekeepers in Dee. 

 Tom Craven was keeper on Banchory Lodge ground when I shot and 

 fished for salmon there in 1864 and 1865. A brother was keeper at 

 the same time on Inchmarlo (Davidsons of), and another was keeper 

 in Glen Dye. Tom Craven, on leaving Banchory Lodge soon after 

 the Danfords left, went to Glen Dye, and one of the brothers is still 

 there at the present time. Their father was keeper at Glen Dye 

 when he first came to know the brothers Barr. 



Don mentions the Hobby also as an inhabitant of the district in 

 181.3, but spoke of it as "rather rare." Sim mentions several other 

 specimens obtained in Dee. 



Mr. E. Gray quotes my information in his Birds of the West of 

 Scotland (p. 30). My informant was, as I have said, Tom Craven. 



CO aesalon, Tunstall. Merlin. 



Resident. Xot rare, but less common than formerly. Breeds in the 

 central and upper districts. 



In 1870, Horn ranked the Merlin as being as common as the 

 Sparrow-Hawk about the Aberfeldy and north-west portions of 

 Perthshire. He instances four having been killed in one pole-trap 

 in a short time, about two years previous to that date. But it has 

 already become much scarcer generally, and this is almost without 

 doubt due to the use of these cruel pole-traps, which, let us hope, in 

 these later and more enlightened times, may be discontinued. No 

 gentleman should suffer their use upon his grounds, and I wish we 

 could see the day when shooting tenants also would strongly dis- 

 courage them. I am sure no true-born sportsman would, if he knew 

 of the practice. 



In the north of the area Merlins were stated to be very rare by 

 Mr. Macgregor during his long service as gamekeeper on Drum- 

 ouchter, and this seems somewhat difficult to understand, because 

 much of the ground appears to be eminently suited to their require- 

 ments as nesting haunts. 



In the south-west there is still evidence of its holding a pre- 



