﻿BIEDS. 
  

  

  107 
  

  

  can 
  find 
  no 
  such 
  observation 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  of 
  the 
  

   Statistical 
  Account 
  of 
  Peterhead. 
  

  

  Genus 
  GARRULUS, 
  Brisson. 
  

   Garrulus 
  glandarius, 
  Linn. 
  Jay. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  strange 
  that 
  although 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  common 
  about 
  Perth, 
  and 
  extends 
  northwards 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  

   Laurencekirk, 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  boundary 
  of 
  

   "Dee," 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  more 
  than 
  three 
  records 
  of 
  

   its 
  ever 
  having 
  crossed 
  that 
  line. 
  It 
  is 
  fortunate 
  that 
  one 
  

   of 
  these 
  occurrences 
  was 
  recorded 
  by 
  such 
  a 
  careful 
  and 
  

   painstaking 
  observer 
  as 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  Alex. 
  M'Pherson, 
  

   Woodside, 
  who, 
  leaving 
  nothing 
  to 
  memory, 
  took 
  notes 
  of 
  

   each 
  observation 
  as 
  it 
  occurred, 
  and 
  thus 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  

   following 
  : 
  " 
  On 
  Sunday, 
  November 
  28th, 
  1875, 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  Jay 
  

   at 
  the 
  Fir 
  Hill 
  of 
  Waterton. 
  A 
  pair 
  of 
  Blackbirds 
  were 
  

   teasing 
  it 
  and 
  drew 
  my 
  attention 
  to 
  it. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  

   I 
  have 
  seen 
  in 
  Aberdeenshire. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  blue-winged 
  Jay, 
  

   Garrulus 
  glandarius." 
  (MS. 
  notes.) 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Gordon 
  of 
  Manar 
  that 
  he 
  and 
  his 
  

   son 
  saw 
  one 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  his 
  house 
  in 
  May, 
  1872. 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  also 
  informed 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  T. 
  S. 
  Tait, 
  Esq., 
  Ardinnan, 
  

   Inverurie, 
  in 
  January, 
  1896, 
  that 
  he 
  heard 
  a 
  Jay 
  had 
  been 
  

   caught 
  in 
  a 
  trap 
  on 
  the 
  estate 
  of 
  Fetternear, 
  and 
  was 
  being- 
  

   preserved 
  by 
  a 
  person 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood. 
  In 
  a 
  letter 
  to 
  

   me, 
  Mr. 
  James 
  Mackie, 
  Burnhervie, 
  speaking 
  of 
  this 
  bird, 
  

   says 
  : 
  " 
  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  mistake 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  right 
  enough 
  

   named 
  or 
  I 
  would 
  have 
  sent 
  it 
  to 
  you 
  as 
  I 
  promised." 
  Since 
  

   then 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  specimen 
  referred 
  to, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   doubt 
  of 
  its 
  identity. 
  

  

  Genus 
  PICA, 
  Brisson. 
  

   Pica 
  rustica, 
  Scopoli. 
  Magpie. 
  " 
  Pyet." 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  superstitious 
  notions, 
  the 
  Magpie 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  abused 
  and 
  highly 
  persecuted 
  birds 
  we 
  have. 
  Forty 
  

   years 
  ago 
  this 
  pretty 
  bird 
  was 
  fairly 
  abundant 
  in 
  most 
  parts 
  

   of 
  " 
  Dee," 
  but 
  from 
  that 
  time 
  onwards 
  till 
  near 
  the 
  present 
  

   day 
  it 
  was 
  being 
  steadily 
  exterminated 
  in 
  many 
  quarters. 
  

  

  