﻿98 
  

  

  THE 
  VEETEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  solicitor, 
  who 
  brought 
  it 
  to 
  me. 
  Another 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  by 
  

   W. 
  H. 
  Ritchie, 
  Esq., 
  Dunnottar 
  House, 
  January 
  29th, 
  1897. 
  

   The 
  nest 
  on 
  several 
  occasions 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  Thorn's 
  Forest 
  

   by 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  Stewart 
  Burnett. 
  

  

  Linota 
  flavirostris, 
  Linn. 
  Twite. 
  Mountain 
  Linnet 
  

   " 
  Heather 
  Lintie." 
  

  

  The 
  Twite 
  is 
  fairly 
  abundant. 
  In 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  

   woodless 
  tracks 
  of 
  moor 
  and 
  marsh 
  throughout 
  " 
  Dee 
  " 
  this 
  

   species 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  during 
  its 
  breeding 
  season. 
  When 
  the 
  

   young 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  take 
  wing 
  with 
  their 
  parents, 
  the 
  family 
  

   may 
  be 
  flushed 
  from 
  amongst 
  the 
  heather 
  and 
  gorse 
  ; 
  and 
  

   as 
  autumn 
  advances 
  several 
  families 
  join, 
  and 
  thus 
  they 
  

   continue 
  throughout 
  the 
  winter. 
  Frequently, 
  however, 
  such 
  

   flocks 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  the 
  Common 
  Linnet, 
  

   and 
  in 
  severe 
  weather 
  the 
  Twites 
  betake 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  

   coast, 
  where 
  they 
  associate 
  with 
  Linnets, 
  Bramblings, 
  Snow- 
  

   flakes, 
  and 
  Chaffinches 
  ; 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  stack 
  - 
  yards 
  and 
  barns, 
  

   where 
  they 
  run 
  the 
  risk 
  of 
  capture 
  under 
  the 
  "riddle 
  trap" 
  

   of 
  the 
  farmer 
  boys. 
  

  

  Genus 
  PYRRHULA, 
  Brisson. 
  

  

  Pyrrhula 
  europae, 
  Vieillot. 
  Bullfinch. 
  "Bullie." 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  the 
  lower 
  wooded 
  tracts, 
  but 
  very 
  uncommon." 
  

   (MacGillivray.) 
  

  

  This 
  fine 
  bird 
  has 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  very 
  much 
  decreased 
  in 
  

   numbers. 
  Forty 
  years 
  ago 
  I 
  knew 
  them 
  as 
  common 
  where 
  

   now 
  none 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  they 
  were 
  abundant 
  

   in 
  the 
  Turriff 
  district, 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  gardens 
  of 
  that 
  town 
  

   they 
  were 
  of 
  no 
  uncommon 
  occurrence. 
  In 
  the 
  Den 
  of 
  

   Maiden 
  Craig, 
  near 
  Aberdeen, 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  common 
  

   thirty 
  years 
  ago, 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  seen 
  them 
  ; 
  but 
  now 
  a 
  " 
  Bullie 
  " 
  

   is 
  rarely 
  seen 
  there. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  upper 
  wooded 
  reaches 
  of 
  the 
  Don 
  valley, 
  as 
  also 
  

   in 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Dee 
  and 
  Feugh, 
  the 
  Bullfinch 
  is, 
  however, 
  still 
  

   fairly 
  abundant 
  ; 
  and 
  being 
  there 
  beyond 
  the 
  reach 
  of 
  urban 
  

   bird-destroyers, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  hold 
  out 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  to 
  

   come. 
  

  

  