﻿BIEDS. 
  

  

  133 
  

  

  in 
  Mr. 
  Mutch's 
  possession, 
  with 
  whom 
  I 
  saw 
  it. 
  The 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Gray, 
  that 
  in 
  " 
  Glen 
  Dye, 
  county 
  of 
  

   Kincardine 
  .... 
  the 
  Hobby 
  has 
  for 
  some 
  years 
  been 
  

   known 
  to 
  breed" 
  requires 
  confirmation. 
  

  

  Falco 
  aesalon, 
  TnnstalL 
  Merlin. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  active 
  hostility 
  of 
  gamekeepers 
  and 
  

   sportsmen, 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  not 
  very 
  rarely 
  to 
  be 
  seen, 
  especially 
  in 
  

   the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  woods." 
  (Adams.) 
  " 
  Not 
  many 
  years 
  

   back, 
  far 
  from 
  scarce 
  throughout 
  spring 
  and 
  summer 
  in 
  hilly 
  

   districts 
  where 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  its 
  nest, 
  or 
  rather 
  eggs, 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  Now 
  rare 
  in 
  spring 
  and 
  summer 
  in 
  almost 
  every 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  county, 
  but 
  in 
  autumn 
  and 
  winter 
  there 
  seems 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  influx, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  then 
  about 
  as 
  numerous 
  as 
  

   any 
  bird 
  of 
  prey, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  low 
  open 
  districts." 
  

   (Mr. 
  S. 
  Burnett's 
  MS.) 
  I 
  can 
  fully 
  bear 
  out 
  Mr. 
  Burnett's 
  

   remarks, 
  but 
  this 
  autumnal 
  influx 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  immature 
  

   birds 
  — 
  mature 
  well-plumaged 
  birds 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  abundant. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  generally 
  understood 
  that 
  the 
  Merlin 
  forms 
  its 
  nest 
  

   upon 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  usually 
  the 
  case 
  ; 
  still 
  it 
  

   occasionally 
  breeds 
  in 
  trees. 
  Mr. 
  John 
  M'Bain, 
  for 
  many 
  

   years 
  head 
  keeper 
  to 
  Lord 
  Aberdeen, 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  

   shot 
  a 
  Merlin 
  while 
  on 
  its 
  nest 
  in 
  a 
  tall 
  tree. 
  On 
  20th 
  of 
  

   May, 
  1898, 
  a 
  pair 
  appropriated 
  a 
  Hooded 
  Crow's 
  old 
  nest 
  

   near 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  at 
  Pitfour, 
  and 
  the 
  keeper, 
  J. 
  Mutch, 
  

   shot 
  the 
  hen 
  on 
  the 
  nest, 
  as 
  also 
  the 
  male 
  as 
  he 
  came 
  to 
  

   where 
  the 
  nest 
  was. 
  I 
  saw 
  both 
  birds 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Mutch. 
  

  

  Falco 
  vespertinus, 
  Linn. 
  Red-footed 
  Falcon. 
  

  

  An 
  extremely 
  rare 
  visitant. 
  One 
  was 
  shot 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Andrew 
  

   Gill 
  at 
  Hill 
  of 
  Fiddes, 
  parish 
  of 
  Foveran, 
  in 
  May, 
  1866. 
  

   Mr. 
  Gill 
  brought 
  the 
  bird 
  to 
  me 
  for 
  preservation 
  and 
  identifi- 
  

   cation, 
  which, 
  I 
  stated 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  (Aberdeen 
  Herald), 
  was 
  the 
  

   first, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  aware, 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  obtained 
  in 
  

   Scotland. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  in 
  question 
  was 
  a 
  female, 
  weighing 
  4^ 
  

   ounces 
  ; 
  length, 
  11 
  J 
  inches 
  ; 
  and 
  expanse 
  of 
  wings, 
  26f 
  inches. 
  

   Its 
  stomach 
  contained 
  a 
  mouse 
  and 
  two 
  beetles. 
  Thus 
  the 
  

   Foveran 
  specimen 
  stood 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  for 
  Scotland 
  until 
  1875, 
  

   when 
  one 
  was 
  shot 
  in 
  Ross-shire, 
  and 
  another 
  in 
  Caithness- 
  

  

  