BIRDS. 
171 
early as 1863, Wolley received eggs from Sutherland sent 
by Mr. AV. Dunbar. This bird is increasing very much in 
the south-east, probably on account of the number of plan- 
tations of Scotch fir which are springing up, as in 1870 we 
only knew of one nest in the immediate vicinity of Brora, 
and now (1884) the keeper there was complaining to us of 
their numbers. It is holding its own, in spite of persecu- 
tions at Tongue, though other hawks are becoming scarce, 
but it is not known as yet in the west. We have never 
seen the nest of this species in birch-woods in Sutherland, 
but Mr. Booth mentions the fact of their breeding in such 
places, as, for instance, in an old hooded crow's nest on a 
birch-tree at Loch Craggie. 
Mr. Osborne states that the sparrow-hawk may be described 
as being but rarely seen, and still more rarely obtained in 
Caithness, and says the only recent specimen he has seen 
was shot at Stirkoke by E. Eoss, at one time game- 
keeper there (0. MSS., 1868). 
A good many sparrow-hawks appear in Mr. L. Dunbar's 
list of birds he has preserved, all, however, dating between 
1881 and 1883. The localities mentioned are Westfield 
(two, January and February 1881) ; Eattar (January 1882) ; 
Sandside (August 1883) ; Sandside (December 1883); Brawl 
Castle (December 1883); Brawl (December 22, 1883); and 
Thurso Castle (December 29, 1883). We give the dates, 
as of interest for migrational data. 
Milvus ictinus, Savlgny. Kite. 
At one time a common bird, the kite is now extinct, nor does 
a Sutherland specimen exist in the Duurobin Museum, 
though there was one in the collection of the late Mr. Dunbar 
of Brawl. Mr. Macleay, the well-known bird-stuffer in 
Inverness, writes to us : " When I was a boy the kite was 
a very common bird in Sutherland, and I once got its nest. 
It was no uncommon thing to see half-a-dozen together, 
circling about in the air at Eosehall." Since then the 
