﻿158 
  

  

  THE 
  VEETEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  when 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  fine 
  specimens 
  were 
  obtained. 
  Hopes 
  were 
  

   at 
  that 
  time 
  entertained 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  might 
  remain 
  with 
  us 
  

   and 
  become 
  permanently 
  resident, 
  but 
  this 
  hope 
  was 
  not 
  

   realised, 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  that 
  year 
  none 
  of 
  

   the 
  birds 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  ; 
  those 
  of 
  them 
  that 
  had 
  escaped 
  

   being 
  shot 
  had 
  again 
  taken 
  their 
  departure. 
  Not 
  again 
  until 
  

   1888 
  did 
  the 
  bird 
  appear 
  in 
  Britain, 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  which 
  

   year 
  vast 
  numbers 
  landed 
  along 
  the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  

   Scotland 
  — 
  the 
  county 
  of 
  Aberdeen 
  being 
  specially 
  favoured 
  — 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  having 
  taken 
  up 
  their 
  quarters 
  upon 
  the 
  

   sandy 
  ground 
  that 
  lies 
  between 
  Mennie 
  on 
  the 
  south, 
  right 
  on 
  

   to 
  the 
  sands 
  of 
  Forvie 
  on 
  the 
  north, 
  and, 
  again, 
  upon 
  the 
  

   "back 
  bar," 
  beside 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Strathbeg. 
  On 
  these 
  places 
  

   I 
  have 
  had 
  opportunities 
  of 
  seeing 
  the 
  birds 
  and 
  of 
  studying 
  

   their 
  habits. 
  

  

  Eegarding 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  while 
  here, 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  list 
  includes 
  all 
  the 
  kinds 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  yet 
  satisfactorily 
  

   identified 
  : 
  Yare 
  or 
  spurrey, 
  Spergula 
  arvensis 
  ; 
  knot 
  grass, 
  

   Polygonum 
  aviculare 
  ; 
  clover, 
  probably 
  Trifoleum 
  pratense 
  ; 
  

   orache, 
  Atriplex 
  babingtonn 
  ; 
  flowers 
  and 
  seed 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  

   yellow 
  clover, 
  Trifoleum 
  minus 
  ; 
  mouse 
  - 
  eared 
  chickweed, 
  

   Cerastium 
  vulgare 
  ; 
  eyebright, 
  Euphrasia 
  officinalis 
  ; 
  leaves 
  and 
  

   seeds 
  of 
  sorrel, 
  Bumex 
  acetosella 
  ; 
  chickweed, 
  Stellaria 
  media; 
  

   dock, 
  Bumex 
  crispus; 
  rye-grass, 
  Lolium 
  perenne 
  ; 
  broom, 
  Spartium 
  

   scopurium 
  ; 
  Molina 
  cozrulea; 
  bent, 
  Triticum 
  junceum 
  ; 
  all 
  the 
  

   vetches 
  common 
  to 
  the 
  district, 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  

   of 
  the 
  Leguminosce 
  generally 
  ; 
  barley, 
  wheat, 
  and 
  oats 
  ; 
  large 
  

   seeds, 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  nothing 
  but 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  apple 
  ; 
  

   and, 
  lastly, 
  the 
  chrysalis 
  of 
  some 
  small 
  moth. 
  The 
  seeds 
  

   partaken 
  of 
  most 
  freely 
  were 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  "yare;" 
  frequently 
  

   I 
  have 
  taken 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  an 
  ounce 
  of 
  it 
  from 
  

   a 
  single 
  crop. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  localities 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  

   seen, 
  and 
  many 
  obtained, 
  through 
  the 
  whole 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  

   " 
  Dee 
  ; 
  " 
  but 
  this 
  took 
  place 
  chiefly 
  on 
  their 
  arrival. 
  As 
  the 
  

   season 
  wore 
  on, 
  the 
  birds 
  collected 
  in 
  packs 
  upon 
  such 
  ground 
  

   as 
  that 
  mentioned 
  above. 
  By 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  autumn 
  all 
  the 
  birds 
  

   had 
  left 
  us 
  ; 
  but 
  not 
  so 
  in 
  other 
  favoured 
  localities, 
  for 
  in 
  

   1889 
  a 
  young 
  one 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  Binsness, 
  near 
  Forres, 
  an 
  

   account 
  of 
  which 
  appears 
  in 
  Professor 
  Newton's 
  paper 
  in 
  the 
  

   Ibis 
  for 
  April, 
  1890. 
  

  

  