﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  171 
  

  

  Such 
  a 
  place 
  is 
  upon 
  the 
  Dee, 
  opposite 
  Castleton 
  of 
  Braemar, 
  

   and 
  upon 
  the 
  Clunie 
  Water, 
  not 
  far 
  distant. 
  In 
  July, 
  1892, 
  

   I 
  saw 
  the 
  birds 
  near 
  the 
  head-waters 
  of 
  the 
  Don. 
  

  

  Family 
  SCOLOPACID^. 
  

   Genus 
  EECURVIROSTRA, 
  Linn. 
  

   Recurvi 
  rostra 
  avocetta, 
  Linn. 
  Avocet. 
  

  

  Very 
  rare 
  ; 
  the 
  only 
  specimen 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  occurred 
  in 
  

   " 
  Dee 
  " 
  is 
  one 
  that 
  was 
  shot 
  on 
  Old 
  Aberdeen 
  Links 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  

   Mr. 
  A. 
  Mitchell 
  in 
  1841. 
  Edward 
  says, 
  in 
  his 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  

   Birds 
  of 
  Strathbeg, 
  that 
  the 
  Avocet 
  "has 
  been 
  obtained," 
  but 
  

   the 
  statement 
  is 
  too 
  vague 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  any 
  value. 
  

  

  [Genus 
  HIMANTOPUS, 
  Brisson. 
  

   Himantopus 
  candidus, 
  Bonnaierre, 
  Black-winged 
  Stilt. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  notice 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  having 
  been 
  seen 
  in 
  

   " 
  Dee 
  " 
  is 
  that 
  given 
  by 
  Gray, 
  who 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  first 
  infor- 
  

   mation 
  I 
  received 
  was 
  from 
  my 
  indefatigable 
  correspondent, 
  

   Mr. 
  Angus, 
  of 
  Aberdeen, 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  note 
  : 
  ' 
  15th 
  Sep- 
  

   tember, 
  1867 
  — 
  I 
  observed 
  a 
  bird 
  in 
  the 
  Tile 
  Burn, 
  near 
  

   Don-mouth, 
  which, 
  on 
  close 
  inspection, 
  I 
  recognised 
  as 
  the 
  

   Stilt 
  Plover, 
  .... 
  viewed 
  with 
  a 
  binocular 
  glass, 
  under 
  

   a 
  clear 
  sun, 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  130 
  yards, 
  the 
  legs 
  orange, 
  iris 
  

   beautiful 
  red.' 
  " 
  This 
  is 
  charmingly 
  exact. 
  The 
  Stilt's 
  eye 
  

   is 
  under 
  a 
  quarter-of-an-inch 
  in 
  diameter. 
  Let 
  anyone 
  view 
  

   an 
  eye 
  four 
  times 
  that 
  size 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  distance, 
  and 
  

   see 
  if 
  he 
  can 
  say 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  " 
  beautiful 
  red 
  " 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  colour, 
  

   especially 
  under 
  a 
  clear 
  sun 
  ! 
  ] 
  

  

  Genus 
  PHALAROPUS, 
  Brisson. 
  

  

  Phalaropus 
  hyperboreus, 
  Linn. 
  Red-necked 
  

   Phalarope. 
  

  

  Like 
  the 
  preceding, 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  uncommon 
  species 
  in 
  

   " 
  Dee." 
  One 
  was 
  obtained 
  at 
  Aberdeen 
  in 
  1846 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  

   unable 
  to 
  say 
  who 
  obtained 
  it, 
  or 
  by 
  whom 
  it 
  was 
  identified. 
  

  

  