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  THE 
  VERTEBRATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  In 
  1886, 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Wilson, 
  jun., 
  Hillock, 
  Terpersie, 
  Tully- 
  

   nessle, 
  reported 
  to 
  Colonel 
  H. 
  M. 
  Drummond 
  Hay 
  that 
  the 
  

   Rock-Dove 
  " 
  is 
  permanently 
  resident 
  on 
  the 
  rocks 
  along 
  the 
  

   sides 
  of 
  the 
  rivulets 
  on 
  the 
  Coreen 
  Hills, 
  Central 
  Aberdeen- 
  

   shire 
  ; 
  " 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  East 
  of 
  Scotland 
  Union 
  of 
  

   Naturalists' 
  Societies, 
  held 
  at 
  Perth, 
  1887, 
  Mr. 
  Wilson 
  gave 
  a 
  

   paper 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  subject 
  (pp. 
  23 
  and 
  24 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Proceed- 
  

   ings"), 
  repeating 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  "nested 
  beside 
  the 
  rivulets 
  

   of 
  the 
  Coreen 
  Hills." 
  Being 
  anxious 
  to 
  make 
  sure 
  of 
  the 
  

   correctness 
  of 
  this 
  statement, 
  I 
  made 
  a 
  journey 
  to 
  Terpersie 
  

   and 
  Coreen 
  Hills 
  in 
  June, 
  1890, 
  and 
  there 
  met 
  Mr. 
  Wilson, 
  in 
  

   company 
  with 
  whom 
  both 
  the 
  glens 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Rock-Dove 
  

   had 
  been 
  reported 
  to 
  breed 
  were 
  visited, 
  but 
  no 
  such 
  bird 
  was 
  

   to 
  be 
  seen, 
  although 
  some 
  Wood-Pigeons 
  were 
  observed, 
  and 
  

   several 
  nests 
  were 
  found, 
  which 
  were 
  evidently 
  those 
  belong- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  species. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  nests 
  were 
  in 
  low 
  

   stunted 
  mountain 
  ashes, 
  others 
  on 
  the 
  ledges 
  of 
  rocks. 
  

  

  Again, 
  in 
  August, 
  1893, 
  I 
  made 
  a 
  second 
  journey 
  to 
  those 
  

   glens, 
  as 
  it 
  had, 
  since 
  my 
  first 
  visit, 
  been 
  suggested 
  that 
  

   the 
  bird 
  might 
  be 
  the 
  Stock-Dove. 
  Being 
  determined 
  that 
  

   the 
  search 
  should 
  be 
  thorough, 
  not 
  a 
  bush 
  of 
  any 
  sort 
  — 
  

   mountain 
  ash, 
  willow, 
  birch, 
  broom, 
  or 
  heath 
  — 
  was 
  passed 
  

   without 
  being 
  closely 
  scrutinised. 
  At 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  a 
  birch 
  

   bush 
  a 
  nest 
  built 
  of 
  heather 
  twigs 
  was 
  found, 
  and, 
  while 
  

   examining 
  it, 
  two 
  Wood-Pigeons 
  came 
  within 
  ten 
  yards 
  of 
  

   where 
  the 
  nest 
  was, 
  evidently 
  with 
  the 
  intention 
  of 
  taking 
  

   possession 
  of 
  the 
  structure, 
  but 
  shied 
  off 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  

   intruder 
  was 
  observed. 
  Another 
  nest, 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  

   branches 
  of 
  a 
  willow 
  bush 
  and 
  built 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  material 
  as 
  

   the 
  first-mentioned, 
  represented 
  all 
  the 
  nests 
  within 
  the 
  glen, 
  

   which 
  is 
  a 
  short 
  one 
  and 
  easily 
  seen 
  from 
  end 
  to 
  end. 
  After 
  

   watching 
  for 
  several 
  hours 
  and 
  seeing 
  nothing 
  but 
  the 
  

   common 
  " 
  Cushat," 
  I 
  left 
  this 
  glen, 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  

   Clistie 
  Burn 
  flows, 
  and 
  took 
  to 
  the 
  glen 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  

   Cot 
  Burn 
  " 
  wimples 
  " 
  leisurely 
  along, 
  and 
  searched 
  from 
  head 
  

   to 
  foot, 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  result 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  instance. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  perfectly 
  clear 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  neither 
  Rock- 
  

   Dove 
  nor 
  Stock-Dove 
  frequents 
  these 
  glens 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  

   trouble 
  has 
  been 
  raised 
  through 
  the 
  " 
  Cushat" 
  placing 
  its 
  nest 
  

   in 
  some 
  instances 
  upon 
  rocky 
  ledges, 
  and 
  thus 
  " 
  bringing 
  upon 
  

   itself 
  " 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Rock-Dove. 
  

  

  