﻿76 
  

  

  THE 
  VEETEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  Turdus 
  pilaris, 
  Linn. 
  Fieldfare. 
  "Highland 
  Pyot." 
  

  

  Unlike 
  the 
  Kedwing, 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  more 
  regular 
  and 
  more 
  

   abundant 
  autumnal 
  visitor 
  to 
  " 
  Dee," 
  where 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  

   flocks 
  of 
  thousands 
  searching 
  for 
  food 
  in 
  the 
  pasture 
  lands. 
  

  

  [In 
  the 
  Naturalist 
  for 
  1853, 
  pp. 
  139 
  and 
  140, 
  under 
  the 
  

   heading, 
  " 
  Occurrence 
  of 
  Rare 
  Birds 
  in 
  Aberdeenshire," 
  by 
  

   James 
  Taylor, 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  Turdus 
  pilaris 
  (Fieldfare), 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  

   Black 
  showed 
  me 
  the 
  nest 
  of 
  a 
  pair 
  that 
  bred 
  at 
  Raeden 
  in 
  

   1847." 
  "Rare 
  in 
  the 
  woods 
  during 
  summer; 
  numerous 
  flocks 
  

   come 
  in 
  autumn 
  and 
  remain 
  through 
  the 
  winter. 
  Every 
  year 
  

   a 
  few 
  nests 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  woods 
  of 
  Blackhall 
  and 
  

   Inchmarlo." 
  (Adams.) 
  "Fieldfare 
  resident 
  all 
  summer 
  in 
  a 
  

   particular 
  wood 
  in 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  as 
  recorded 
  by 
  a 
  friend, 
  on 
  

   the 
  accuracy 
  of 
  whose 
  observation 
  I 
  place 
  strict 
  reliance." 
  

   So 
  wrote 
  Edward 
  Blyth 
  in 
  Charlesivorth's 
  Mag. 
  of 
  Nat. 
  Hist., 
  

   vol. 
  i., 
  p. 
  440, 
  July 
  10th, 
  1837.] 
  

  

  Turdus 
  merula, 
  Linn. 
  Blackbird. 
  " 
  Merle." 
  

  

  Abundant 
  and 
  resident, 
  frequenting 
  woods, 
  plantations, 
  

   and 
  gardens. 
  Its 
  numbers 
  are 
  greatly 
  increased 
  in 
  autumn 
  

   by 
  migrants 
  from 
  more 
  northern 
  lands, 
  at 
  which 
  season 
  many 
  

   become 
  exhausted 
  in 
  their 
  flight 
  and 
  are 
  drowned 
  at 
  sea. 
  

   Many 
  are 
  then 
  cast 
  upon 
  the 
  beach 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Aber- 
  

   deenshire. 
  

  

  " 
  Blackbirds 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  which 
  used 
  to 
  come 
  only 
  in 
  winter 
  

   . 
  . 
  . 
  remain 
  now 
  and 
  build 
  their 
  nests." 
  (0. 
  S. 
  A., 
  parish 
  of 
  

   Strichen, 
  vol. 
  vii., 
  p. 
  419.) 
  

  

  Turdus 
  torquatus, 
  Linn. 
  Ring-Ouzel. 
  "Hill 
  Merle." 
  

  

  This 
  summer 
  visitant 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  every 
  wild 
  and 
  

   lonely 
  waste 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  hill 
  - 
  sides 
  where 
  whin, 
  broom, 
  

   birch, 
  or 
  juniper 
  grow. 
  Along 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Dee 
  and 
  Don, 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  glens 
  through 
  which 
  their 
  tributary 
  streams 
  

   rush 
  wildly 
  on, 
  the 
  Ring-Ouzel 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  perched 
  upon 
  

   some 
  bush 
  or 
  jutting 
  rock, 
  anon 
  uttering 
  his 
  pleasant 
  cry, 
  

   while 
  near 
  by 
  the 
  female 
  may 
  be 
  sitting 
  in 
  her 
  nest 
  under 
  the 
  

   shelter 
  of 
  some 
  mossy 
  bank 
  or 
  tangled 
  tuft 
  of 
  heather. 
  After 
  

   the 
  period 
  of 
  nidification, 
  old 
  and 
  young 
  betake 
  themselves 
  to 
  

   the 
  strips 
  of 
  cultivated 
  land, 
  and 
  there 
  diligently 
  search 
  for 
  

  

  