﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  185 
  

  

  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 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  being 
  easily 
  reached 
  by 
  

   pilfering 
  boys 
  and 
  egg-collectors, 
  the 
  birds 
  have 
  been 
  driven 
  

   from 
  the 
  place, 
  although 
  a 
  few 
  still 
  persist 
  in 
  the 
  attempt. 
  In 
  

   1861 
  two 
  pairs 
  bred 
  in 
  the 
  pond 
  at 
  Uppermill, 
  near 
  Kintore, 
  and 
  

   each 
  succeeding 
  year 
  they 
  increased, 
  until 
  in 
  1902 
  the 
  number 
  

   was 
  estimated 
  at 
  seven 
  thousand. 
  In 
  June 
  of 
  that 
  year, 
  I 
  had 
  

   the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  visiting 
  the 
  pond 
  through 
  the 
  kind 
  permission 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  company 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Tait, 
  within 
  whose 
  shooting 
  it 
  lies, 
  

   and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  birds 
  stated 
  above 
  did 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  too 
  

   high. 
  Mr. 
  Tait 
  takes 
  every 
  means 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  birds 
  during 
  

   the 
  breeding 
  season, 
  hence 
  the 
  great 
  increase. 
  The 
  pond 
  is 
  

   used 
  as 
  a 
  mill-dam, 
  and 
  is 
  in 
  extent 
  about 
  ten 
  acres. 
  This 
  

   includes 
  a 
  large 
  piece 
  of 
  marshy 
  ground 
  at 
  the 
  north 
  end. 
  

   The 
  chief 
  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 
  less 
  interesting 
  

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

   ing 
  loudly 
  the 
  while. 
  

  

  Before 
  the 
  drying 
  of 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Auchlossan, 
  which 
  was 
  

   effected 
  about 
  1859, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  colony 
  of 
  Black- 
  

   headed 
  Gulls 
  there, 
  and 
  since 
  then 
  they 
  have 
  taken 
  up 
  their 
  

   quarters 
  at 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Braeroddach, 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  westward. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  these 
  birds 
  disperse 
  over 
  the 
  

   country, 
  chiefly 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  line, 
  and 
  as 
  winter 
  approaches 
  

   most 
  of 
  them 
  leave 
  our 
  district, 
  a 
  few 
  only 
  being 
  visible 
  

   through 
  the 
  winter 
  months. 
  

  

  Spalding, 
  in 
  his 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  Troubles 
  in 
  Scotland, 
  p. 
  256, 
  

   1641, 
  says 
  : 
  "It 
  is 
  here 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  no 
  maws 
  were 
  seen 
  

   in 
  the 
  Lochs 
  of 
  New 
  or 
  Old 
  Aberdeen 
  since 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  

   their 
  troubles 
  and 
  coming 
  of 
  soldiers 
  to 
  Aberdeen, 
  who 
  flocked 
  

   and 
  clocked 
  in 
  so 
  great 
  abundance 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  pleasure 
  to 
  

   behold 
  them 
  flying 
  above 
  our 
  heads, 
  yea, 
  and 
  some 
  made 
  use 
  

   of 
  their 
  eggs 
  and 
  birds 
  ; 
  in 
  like 
  manner 
  few 
  or 
  no 
  corbies 
  were 
  

   seen 
  in 
  either 
  Aberdeens, 
  at 
  the 
  water-side 
  of 
  Dee 
  or 
  Don, 
  or 
  

  

  