Upupa epops [Hoopoe].
Three or four of these pretty birds have occurred here: one was taken at Duff House, in 1832, by a Mr. Mackay, in such a state of exhaustion as to allow itself to be captured by hand; another was seen by myself, a few years back, in the same place; and two others are said to have been since obtained in other parts of the county.
Cuculus canorus [Cuckoo].
This is another sweet and darling gem. Well do I remember, when only a little fellow, rummaging about the Den of Rubislaw, near Aberdeen, how surprised I was on hearing the sound of “Cuckoo, cuckoo,” from a small plantation close by, and how overjoyed I was when I obtained a sight of the bird; and now that I am old, the sweet voice of the harbinger of sunny days still cheers me. They are not very numerous with us along the sea-coast, but are very frequent in the higher districts. They generally appear about the end of April. It is said that they can retain their eggs for a number of days after they are ready for extrusion. I will relate, without comment, a circumstance of this sort which came under my own observation:—A female specimen, shot in a garden here, was brought to me to be preserved. On dissecting it, I was agreeably surprised at finding in the oviduct an egg as perfect as if it had been obtained from a nest.
Coracias garrula [Roller].
I am only aware of one specimen of this pretty and rare bird being obtained in our county; it was a splendid specimen killed on the hills of Boyndie.
Merops apiaster [Bee-Eater].
I give this species a place here from having heard that a greenish bird, somewhat less than a thrush, with a longish bent bill, and with two feathers of the tail longer than the rest, was killed in a garden between Huntly and Dufftown, about seven years ago. It has since been found at the hills of Boyndie, about two miles from Banff.
Alcedo ispida [Kingfisher].