﻿94 
  

  

  THE 
  VERTEBRATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE." 
  

  

  the 
  woods 
  and 
  employed 
  in 
  rearing 
  its 
  young. 
  In 
  winter 
  and 
  

   spring, 
  not 
  uncommon." 
  (Adams's 
  Birds 
  of 
  Banchory 
  -Ternan, 
  

   p. 
  20.) 
  " 
  Mr. 
  Brown 
  has 
  found 
  it 
  but 
  rarely 
  in 
  Crathie." 
  

   (MacGillivray.) 
  One 
  was 
  seen 
  by 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  M'Pherson 
  in 
  the 
  

   Grove 
  at 
  Greenburn. 
  (MS. 
  Journal.) 
  " 
  Not 
  so 
  common 
  as 
  it 
  

   used 
  to 
  be, 
  still 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  occasionally." 
  (Horn, 
  

   Birds 
  of 
  Buchan, 
  1880, 
  p. 
  239.) 
  Mr. 
  Mutch, 
  gamekeeper, 
  

   Pitfour, 
  saw 
  the 
  Goldfinch 
  and 
  found 
  its 
  nest 
  at 
  Breda, 
  near 
  

   Alford, 
  in 
  1884, 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  1885. 
  Since 
  going 
  to 
  Pitfour, 
  

   he 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  two 
  Goldfinches 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  

   feet 
  of 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  of 
  December, 
  1897 
  ; 
  and 
  that, 
  

   for 
  the 
  past 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  years, 
  he 
  has 
  seen 
  a 
  few 
  each 
  

   spring, 
  but 
  has 
  not 
  known 
  them 
  to 
  breed. 
  Mr. 
  Mutch 
  has 
  a 
  

   thorough 
  knowledge 
  of 
  our 
  woodland 
  songsters, 
  and 
  can 
  

   detect 
  the 
  call 
  of 
  each 
  with 
  accuracy, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  

   opportunities 
  of 
  observing. 
  Mr. 
  Ramsay, 
  banker, 
  Peterhead, 
  

   informed 
  me 
  that 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  Goldfinches 
  nested 
  and 
  brought 
  

   out 
  their 
  young 
  near 
  Peterhead, 
  in 
  1885, 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  1887. 
  

   In 
  1889, 
  a 
  pair 
  built 
  their 
  nest 
  in 
  a 
  tree 
  in 
  the 
  garden 
  at 
  

   Ravenscraig, 
  near 
  Peterhead. 
  The 
  farmer, 
  Mr. 
  Brand, 
  very 
  

   kindly 
  showed 
  me 
  where 
  the 
  nest 
  was 
  situated, 
  portions 
  

   of 
  which 
  remained 
  at 
  the 
  time. 
  A 
  pair 
  bred 
  at 
  Inverugie 
  in 
  

   1896. 
  The 
  nest 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  tree 
  near 
  "The 
  Cottage." 
  Old 
  and 
  

   young 
  were 
  frequently 
  seen, 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  informed, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Brand, 
  jun. 
  Mr. 
  West 
  saw 
  five 
  Goldfinches 
  in 
  his 
  garden, 
  

   near 
  Peterhead, 
  in 
  August, 
  1890. 
  In 
  October, 
  1889, 
  I 
  found 
  

   one 
  dead 
  upon 
  the 
  sands, 
  north 
  of 
  Don-mouth. 
  Two 
  nested 
  

   near 
  Rubislaw 
  Quarries, 
  Aberdeen, 
  in 
  1894, 
  but 
  were 
  both 
  

   taken 
  by 
  bird-catchers. 
  

  

  As 
  has 
  been 
  said, 
  this 
  fine 
  bird 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  verge 
  of 
  

   extinction 
  within 
  " 
  Dee." 
  Why 
  this 
  should 
  be 
  so 
  is 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  explain 
  ; 
  some 
  hold 
  that 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  improvements 
  that 
  

   have 
  taken 
  place 
  in 
  agriculture, 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  

   not 
  now 
  permitted 
  to 
  grow, 
  hence 
  the 
  bird 
  has 
  to 
  go 
  else- 
  

   where. 
  Anyone 
  knowing 
  "Dee" 
  and 
  the 
  "improvements" 
  

   referred 
  to 
  will 
  not 
  readily 
  admit 
  that 
  thistles 
  have 
  been 
  

   improved 
  off 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  land, 
  for 
  even 
  within 
  the 
  farm 
  

   enclosures, 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  farmers' 
  corn, 
  thousands 
  of 
  

   " 
  thistle 
  taps 
  " 
  can 
  yet 
  be 
  seen 
  flourishing 
  year 
  after 
  year, 
  

   producing 
  their 
  seeds, 
  but 
  not 
  a 
  " 
  Goldie 
  " 
  to 
  fatten 
  upon 
  

   them. 
  This, 
  however, 
  cannot 
  explain 
  the 
  matter, 
  for 
  although 
  

  

  