﻿18 
  

  

  INTEODUCTION. 
  

  

  of 
  a 
  similar 
  nature. 
  Near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  this 
  river 
  the 
  

   Common 
  and 
  Little 
  Terns 
  breed, 
  but 
  are 
  subject 
  to 
  much 
  

   persecution, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  their 
  numbers 
  are 
  yearly 
  

   becoming 
  fewer. 
  Between 
  this 
  point 
  and 
  the 
  Burn 
  of 
  

   Forvie 
  lies 
  a 
  vast 
  tract 
  extending 
  to 
  many 
  thousands 
  of 
  

   acres, 
  composed 
  of 
  bent-hillocks, 
  heath, 
  and 
  whin-covered 
  

   ground, 
  with 
  a 
  considerable 
  extent 
  of 
  marsh, 
  on 
  which 
  may 
  

   be 
  seen 
  Green 
  Plover, 
  Redshank, 
  Tern, 
  Lark, 
  Pipit, 
  Starling, 
  

   Grouse, 
  and 
  Hooded 
  Crow, 
  with 
  Ring 
  Plover 
  and 
  Dunlin 
  

   on 
  the 
  dry 
  hillocks. 
  The 
  "Dunter 
  Duck" 
  (Somateria 
  mollis 
  - 
  

   sima) 
  builds 
  her 
  nest 
  among 
  the 
  bents, 
  and 
  the 
  "Annet" 
  

   (Tadorna 
  cornuta) 
  creeps 
  into 
  the 
  rabbits' 
  burrows 
  and 
  suc- 
  

   cessfully 
  disputes 
  possession 
  with 
  the 
  rightful 
  owners, 
  and 
  

   makes 
  her 
  beautiful 
  nest. 
  Here 
  stand 
  the 
  low 
  ruined 
  walls 
  

   of 
  the 
  old 
  Church 
  of 
  Forvie, 
  the 
  only 
  object 
  that 
  now 
  remains 
  

   to 
  mark 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  sand- 
  smothered 
  hamlet 
  of 
  that 
  name. 
  

   Now 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  but 
  one 
  expanse 
  of 
  bent 
  and 
  sandy 
  

   desolation, 
  over 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  heard 
  the 
  melancholy 
  wail 
  

   of 
  the 
  Golden 
  Plover 
  and 
  the 
  eerie 
  cry 
  of 
  the 
  wary 
  Curlew. 
  

  

  Near 
  the 
  old 
  Church 
  of 
  Forvie 
  Hornblende 
  Slate 
  and 
  

   Gneiss 
  appear, 
  and 
  form 
  the 
  coast 
  line, 
  which 
  rises 
  to 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  height 
  at 
  Hackley 
  Bay; 
  and 
  after 
  passing 
  Port 
  

   Thuddan 
  we 
  arrive 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Collieston, 
  a 
  curious 
  

   assemblage 
  of 
  huts, 
  thrown 
  down, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  along 
  the 
  face 
  

   of 
  the 
  slopes 
  surrounding 
  the 
  bay. 
  On 
  the 
  landward 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  village 
  lies 
  the 
  Sand 
  Loch 
  of 
  Slains, 
  a 
  sheet 
  of 
  

   water 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  acres 
  in 
  extent; 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  further 
  

   north 
  lies 
  the 
  Meikle 
  Loch 
  of 
  Slains, 
  extending 
  to 
  some 
  

   80 
  or 
  100 
  acres. 
  Around 
  this 
  loch 
  there 
  are 
  high 
  ridges 
  

   of 
  gravel 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Kippet 
  Hills, 
  "consisting 
  of 
  sand, 
  

   gravel, 
  and 
  waterworn 
  pebbles, 
  showing 
  no 
  regular 
  arrange- 
  

   ment, 
  but 
  abounding 
  in 
  rolled 
  stones 
  of 
  all 
  sizes." 
  Along 
  

   with 
  these 
  are 
  fragments 
  of 
  marine 
  shells 
  and 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   limestone. 
  This 
  deposit, 
  however, 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  situ. 
  Dr. 
  

   Jamieson, 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  to 
  the 
  Quarterly 
  Journal 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  