﻿BIRDS. 
  105 
  

  

  . 
  

  

  From 
  personal 
  observation, 
  I 
  am 
  enabled 
  to 
  say 
  that, 
  prior 
  

   to 
  1860, 
  the 
  Starling 
  was 
  a 
  regular 
  spring 
  visitor 
  in 
  the 
  

   district 
  I 
  then 
  resided 
  in, 
  viz., 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  Cromar, 
  which 
  

   embraces 
  the 
  parishes 
  of 
  Logie 
  - 
  Coldstone, 
  Tarland, 
  and 
  

   Coull. 
  Being 
  then 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  going 
  out 
  with 
  the 
  gun 
  

   in 
  company 
  with 
  a 
  gamekeeper, 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  

   seeing 
  the 
  Starlings 
  passing 
  northward 
  each 
  spring 
  ; 
  but 
  none 
  

   remained 
  to 
  breed 
  until 
  the 
  above 
  date. 
  Since 
  that 
  time 
  they 
  

   have 
  year 
  by 
  year 
  increased, 
  until 
  now 
  no 
  district 
  throughout 
  

   " 
  Dee 
  " 
  is 
  without 
  Starlings 
  in 
  abundance, 
  and 
  they 
  remain 
  all 
  

   the 
  year 
  round. 
  This 
  bird 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  fastidious 
  as 
  to 
  

   choice 
  of 
  a 
  situation 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  nidification 
  : 
  holes 
  

   in 
  trees, 
  in 
  turf 
  dykes, 
  amongst 
  ivy, 
  in 
  ruined 
  castles, 
  under 
  

   the 
  eaves 
  of 
  churches 
  and 
  dwelling-houses, 
  stables 
  and 
  cow- 
  

   houses, 
  dovecots, 
  among 
  the 
  sticks 
  forming 
  Rooks' 
  and 
  

   Herons' 
  nests 
  — 
  all 
  are 
  alike 
  suited 
  to 
  its 
  wants. 
  In 
  1894, 
  

   I 
  saw 
  several 
  pairs 
  of 
  Starlings 
  building 
  their 
  nests 
  behind 
  

   some 
  advertising 
  boards 
  within 
  the 
  Ellon 
  railway 
  station, 
  

   busily 
  flying 
  out 
  and 
  in 
  without 
  giving 
  heed 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  

   who 
  were 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  Charges 
  of 
  egg-stealing 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  against 
  this 
  

   useful 
  bird, 
  but 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  asserted 
  that 
  every 
  such 
  case, 
  

   when 
  sifted 
  thoroughly, 
  has 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  merely 
  the 
  silly 
  

   imaginings 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  knew 
  not 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  bird. 
  

  

  Genus 
  PASTOR, 
  Temminch. 
  

  

  Pastor 
  roseus, 
  Linn. 
  Rose-coloured 
  Pastor. 
  

   " 
  Rosy 
  Cow-bird." 
  

  

  A 
  rare 
  and 
  irregular 
  visitor. 
  In 
  1867 
  one 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  

   Micras, 
  Crathie, 
  by 
  J. 
  Brown, 
  farmer, 
  there, 
  who 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  

   taxidermist, 
  and 
  made 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  birds. 
  In 
  his 
  hands 
  I 
  

   saw 
  the 
  specimen. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  year 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Mitchell 
  

   shot 
  one 
  near 
  Aberdeen 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  1879 
  one 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Manar, 
  

   Donside, 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  for 
  preservation. 
  It 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  

   Manar 
  House. 
  

  

  [In 
  Gray's 
  Birds 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  p. 
  161, 
  the 
  author 
  

   says 
  : 
  "Mr. 
  John 
  Wilson 
  has 
  informed 
  me, 
  through 
  Mr. 
  Angus, 
  

   that 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1840 
  the 
  nest 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  

   obtained 
  in 
  a 
  burrow 
  in 
  a 
  sand-bank 
  near 
  Methlick, 
  in 
  Aber- 
  

  

  