﻿BIRDS 
  

  

  abroad 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  the 
  estate. 
  How 
  such 
  

   an 
  idea 
  could 
  have 
  arisen 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  discover. 
  

   When 
  this 
  sheet 
  of 
  water 
  was 
  reduced 
  by 
  drainage, 
  the 
  birds 
  

   left 
  it 
  and 
  attempted 
  to 
  establish 
  a 
  colony 
  in 
  Corby 
  Loch, 
  

   but 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  tmt 
  t>f 
  the 
  nests 
  being 
  easily 
  reached 
  by 
  

   pilfering 
  boys 
  and 
  v-^u. 
  '■=-.•;;] 
  e» 
  -tors, 
  the 
  birds 
  have 
  been 
  driven 
  

   ftom 
  the 
  place, 
  Afchougb 
  & 
  few 
  still 
  persist 
  in 
  the 
  attempt. 
  In 
  

   1861 
  two 
  pair- 
  br*al 
  kfi 
  f&:d 
  *t 
  Uppermill, 
  near 
  Kintore, 
  and 
  

   each 
  succeeding 
  ve 
  ihs>, 
  sntil 
  in 
  li>02 
  the 
  number 
  

  

  The 
  ehk** 
  breeding-grounds 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  muddy 
  islands, 
  which 
  

   can 
  be 
  reached 
  by 
  boat 
  only. 
  There 
  the 
  nests 
  are 
  placed 
  so 
  

   close 
  together 
  that 
  in 
  walking 
  one 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  careful 
  not 
  to 
  

   trample 
  upon 
  the 
  eggs. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  most 
  interesting 
  sight 
  to 
  see 
  

   those 
  birds 
  sitting 
  upon 
  their 
  nests, 
  looking 
  like 
  so 
  many 
  balls 
  

   of 
  snow 
  resting 
  upon 
  the 
  black 
  mud, 
  and 
  no 
  Jess 
  interesting 
  

   and 
  instructive 
  is 
  it 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  hovering 
  on 
  wing, 
  scream- 
  

   ing 
  loudly 
  the 
  while. 
  

  

  Before 
  the 
  drving 
  of 
  the 
  Lfoch 
  of 
  Auchlossan, 
  which 
  was 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  these 
  b 
  

   country, 
  chiefly 
  along 
  Use 
  coast 
  line, 
  an> 
  

   most 
  of 
  them 
  leave 
  oof 
  iislriet, 
  a 
  ft 
  

   through 
  the 
  winter 
  months. 
  

  

  Spalding, 
  in 
  his 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  .' 
  

   1641, 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  here 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  ih 
  

  

  