﻿BIEDS. 
  

  

  169 
  

  

  Mr. 
  William 
  M'Boyle 
  informs 
  me 
  that, 
  prior 
  to 
  1860, 
  

   " 
  Dotterel 
  were 
  seen 
  every 
  year, 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days, 
  about 
  Craig- 
  

   ston, 
  near 
  Turriff, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  shot." 
  

  

  About 
  1872, 
  Mr. 
  Watters 
  saw 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  eight 
  or 
  nine 
  on 
  the 
  

   hill 
  beside 
  Aboyne 
  Castle. 
  He 
  had 
  observed 
  several 
  on 
  the 
  

   same 
  ground 
  for 
  some 
  years. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  28th 
  of 
  May, 
  1873, 
  three 
  Dotterels 
  were 
  killed 
  near 
  

   the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Loirston, 
  Kincardineshire. 
  These 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  

   me 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  date 
  one 
  got 
  killed 
  by 
  striking 
  the 
  

   telegraph 
  wires 
  at 
  Cove, 
  and 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  

   Mitchell, 
  Aberdeen. 
  As 
  these 
  two 
  places 
  are 
  near 
  to 
  one 
  

   another, 
  there 
  seems 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  those 
  birds 
  had 
  formed 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  flock. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Fletcher, 
  manager 
  of 
  Glenbucket 
  Estate, 
  informs 
  me 
  

   that 
  Dotterel 
  used 
  to 
  breed 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  to 
  the 
  

   north 
  of 
  the 
  Glen, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  former 
  keeper 
  had 
  shot 
  them 
  

   there. 
  I 
  accordingly 
  interviewed 
  this 
  man 
  (Mr. 
  Clark), 
  and 
  

   he 
  said 
  that 
  "twelve 
  years 
  ago" 
  he 
  saw 
  a 
  female 
  with 
  one 
  

   young 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  Gellacharn. 
  This 
  would 
  have 
  

   been 
  about 
  1879. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  25th 
  of 
  June, 
  1886, 
  I 
  received 
  two 
  from 
  James 
  

   Allan, 
  Esq. 
  of 
  Templand, 
  Auchterless, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  killed 
  

   in 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Fyvie. 
  Two 
  were 
  killed 
  at 
  New 
  Deer 
  in 
  

   1887, 
  and 
  also 
  forwarded 
  to 
  me. 
  

  

  Genus 
  VANELLUS, 
  Brisson. 
  

  

  Vanellus 
  vulgaris, 
  Bechstein. 
  Lapwing. 
  " 
  Peewit" 
  

   "Tuchit." 
  " 
  Green 
  Plover." 
  

  

  This 
  familiar 
  and 
  still 
  common 
  bird 
  is 
  year 
  by 
  year 
  

   decreasing 
  in 
  numbers, 
  and 
  must 
  continue 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  if 
  the 
  

   treatment 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  subjected 
  to 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  past 
  is 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  continue. 
  Few 
  birds 
  there 
  be 
  that 
  are 
  so 
  essen- 
  

   tially 
  the 
  farmer's 
  friend, 
  and 
  none 
  exist 
  that 
  do 
  him 
  more 
  real 
  

   good 
  and 
  require 
  from 
  him 
  nothing 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  a 
  share 
  in 
  

   his 
  produce 
  for 
  their 
  service. 
  The 
  "Tuchit's" 
  sole 
  requirement 
  

   is 
  to 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  pick 
  up 
  the 
  insects, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   injurious 
  to 
  the 
  farmer's 
  interests 
  and 
  peace, 
  and 
  a 
  quiet 
  

   place 
  to 
  bring 
  out 
  its 
  young. 
  This 
  being 
  so, 
  we 
  should 
  

   naturally 
  expect 
  that 
  farmers 
  would 
  see 
  that 
  their 
  servants 
  

  

  