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  THE 
  VERTEBRATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  to 
  decrease 
  in 
  numbers, 
  and 
  the 
  statement 
  must 
  now 
  be 
  

   repeated. 
  It 
  may, 
  however, 
  be 
  well, 
  before 
  recording 
  the 
  

   latest 
  occurrences 
  of 
  this 
  interesting 
  species 
  in 
  " 
  Dee," 
  to 
  

   bring 
  together 
  every 
  bit 
  of 
  information 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  

   to 
  "lay 
  hands 
  upon" 
  regarding 
  it. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  0. 
  S. 
  A. 
  of 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Tarland* 
  we 
  are 
  told 
  

   that 
  " 
  the 
  mountains 
  abound 
  with 
  Moor-fowl, 
  Plover, 
  and 
  

   Dotterel." 
  In 
  vol. 
  ix., 
  p. 
  107, 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  work, 
  the 
  Dotterel 
  

   is 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  birds 
  given 
  for 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Birse, 
  

   and 
  in 
  vol. 
  xv., 
  p. 
  475, 
  for 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Alford. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Towie, 
  in 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  I 
  met 
  with 
  a 
  

   very 
  large 
  flock 
  on 
  the 
  low 
  hill, 
  on 
  the 
  10th 
  September, 
  1821, 
  

   and 
  was 
  assured 
  by 
  a 
  gentleman 
  residing 
  at 
  its 
  foot 
  that 
  they 
  

   bred 
  on 
  the 
  elevated 
  moors 
  every 
  year." 
  The 
  author, 
  con- 
  

   tinuing, 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  Dr. 
  Irving, 
  Old 
  Aberdeen, 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  

   has 
  shot 
  several 
  specimens 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  September 
  on 
  the 
  

   moors 
  near 
  Tarland. 
  The 
  Rev. 
  Mr. 
  Smith 
  says: 
  'The 
  Dotterel 
  

   is 
  seen 
  almost 
  yearly, 
  in 
  its 
  progress 
  towards 
  the 
  north, 
  on 
  the 
  

   links 
  — 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  called 
  — 
  which 
  adjoin 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Strath- 
  

   beg. 
  In 
  May, 
  1847, 
  I 
  accidentally 
  fell 
  in 
  with 
  a 
  flock 
  upon 
  a 
  

   piece 
  of 
  ploughed 
  land, 
  near 
  the 
  old 
  castle 
  of 
  Fedderat, 
  in 
  

   New 
  Deer.' 
  On 
  the 
  8th 
  of 
  August, 
  1851, 
  being 
  on 
  the 
  

   celebrated 
  mountain 
  of 
  Lochnagar, 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  

   Aberdeenshire, 
  I 
  came 
  upon 
  a 
  Dotterel, 
  which 
  flew 
  from 
  

   among 
  some 
  stones, 
  pretending 
  lameness, 
  and 
  hovered 
  around, 
  

   manifesting 
  great 
  anxiety. 
  Although 
  it 
  was 
  evident 
  the 
  bird 
  

   had 
  a 
  nest 
  or 
  young 
  ones, 
  as 
  it 
  fluttered 
  and 
  limped 
  when 
  

   chased, 
  we 
  failed 
  in 
  discovering 
  its 
  charge. 
  They 
  are 
  known 
  

   to 
  breed 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  

   Strathdon 
  district." 
  (MacGillivray.) 
  

  

  " 
  Three 
  were 
  shot 
  at' 
  Strathbeg, 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1852, 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Crawford 
  Noble, 
  who 
  sent 
  me 
  this 
  information." 
  

   (Edward.) 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  N. 
  S. 
  A. 
  of 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  the 
  Dotterel 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  

   the 
  "Zoology" 
  of 
  Glenbucket; 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Strathdon 
  

   it 
  is 
  said, 
  "and 
  the 
  Dotterel's 
  (C. 
  morinellus) 
  nest 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  

   the 
  more 
  sequestered 
  hills." 
  

  

  " 
  Very 
  rare 
  ; 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  seen 
  one, 
  which 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  

   Belnagouk 
  in 
  May, 
  1858. 
  It 
  was 
  so 
  covered 
  with 
  oily 
  fat 
  that, 
  

   before 
  the 
  skin 
  was 
  taken 
  off, 
  the 
  feathers 
  were 
  completely 
  

   run 
  over." 
  (J. 
  Wilson, 
  Methlick, 
  MS.) 
  

  

  