﻿164 
  

  

  THE 
  VEETEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  Order 
  FULICAEI^E. 
  

   Family 
  RALLIDiE. 
  

   Genus 
  RALLUS, 
  Linn. 
  

   Rallus 
  aquaticus, 
  Linn. 
  Water-Rail. 
  

  

  This 
  retiring 
  little 
  bird 
  is 
  not 
  well 
  known 
  with 
  us, 
  never- 
  

   theless 
  it 
  is 
  fairly 
  abundant 
  where 
  suitable 
  haunts 
  exist. 
  

   There 
  it 
  lives 
  and 
  brings 
  forth 
  its 
  young, 
  and, 
  in 
  its 
  autumnal 
  

   migration, 
  it 
  frequently 
  falls 
  to 
  the 
  sportsman's 
  gun. 
  

  

  Genus 
  CREX, 
  Bechstein. 
  

   Crex 
  porzana, 
  Linn. 
  Spotted 
  Crake. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  have 
  .... 
  seen 
  many 
  specimens 
  obtained 
  in 
  

   Forfarshire, 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Aberdeen, 
  and 
  in 
  various 
  

   parts 
  of 
  that 
  county. 
  Dr. 
  Farquharson 
  mentions 
  its 
  breeding 
  

   in 
  Alford." 
  (MacGillivray.) 
  

  

  Edward, 
  in 
  his 
  Birds 
  of 
  Strathbeg, 
  says, 
  "twice 
  found; 
  " 
  but 
  

   gives 
  no 
  clue 
  as 
  to 
  who 
  found 
  them, 
  or 
  when 
  or 
  where 
  they 
  

   were 
  found. 
  

  

  This 
  cannot 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  common 
  species 
  in 
  " 
  Dee." 
  

   In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  forty 
  years 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  seen 
  or 
  heard 
  of 
  the 
  

   following 
  : 
  In 
  1863, 
  two 
  were 
  shot 
  on 
  the 
  estate 
  of 
  Haughton, 
  

   Alford, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  preserved 
  and 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  

   of 
  the 
  proprietor, 
  from 
  whom 
  I 
  received 
  the 
  information. 
  The 
  

   second 
  specimen 
  was 
  too 
  much 
  injured 
  and 
  was 
  cast 
  aside. 
  

   On 
  15th 
  September, 
  1866, 
  one 
  was 
  shot 
  upon 
  the 
  estate 
  of 
  

   Fasque, 
  and 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  by 
  the 
  proprietor, 
  the 
  late 
  

   Sir 
  Thomas 
  Gladstone. 
  On 
  the 
  same 
  date, 
  one 
  was 
  shot 
  on 
  

   the 
  Aberdeen 
  Links 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Proctor, 
  and 
  in 
  Sep- 
  

   tember, 
  1875, 
  one 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  Newburgh 
  by 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  Pope. 
  

   This 
  was 
  an 
  immature 
  bird. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  month 
  and 
  year, 
  

   one 
  was 
  shot 
  by 
  Col. 
  Simpson, 
  Cobairdy, 
  near 
  Huntly, 
  while 
  

   about 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  another 
  was 
  killed 
  on 
  Old 
  Aberdeen 
  

   Links, 
  and 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Campbell, 
  Hutcheon 
  

   Street, 
  Aberdeen. 
  

  

  