6 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Scotland ; but Professor Newton, in his rewritten " Yarrell," in 

 1872, recognises the increase, and indeed epitomises all that 

 our previous writers have said about it. He, however, finds 

 that its breeding-places in Ireland are few and far between, 

 and that from most places it disappears in spring, and that 

 it is only abundant in winter. 



But we must not forget MacGillivray's account in 1837. 

 He treats of the species principally as a Hebridean one, 

 describing its haunts in the sea-caves, and also quoting " Low 

 and others " for its abundance in the Orkney and Shetland 

 Isles. He adds : " These birds occur in many other parts of 

 Scotland, but are generally rare in the middle and southern 

 divisions." He also speaks of the Starlings of Skye " leaving 

 their breeding haunts and roosting in different localities 

 during the winter, whilst those of the Outer Hebrides and 

 the North-Eastern Islands equally treeless remain all the 

 year round" 



But perhaps one of the most interesting remarks is one 

 given in Lockhart's " Life of Sir Walter Scott." Sir Walter 

 says : " When I was four or five years old I was staying at 

 Lessudden Place, an old mansion, the abode of [Scott of] 

 Raeburn. A large pigeon-house was almost destroyed by 

 Starlings, then a common bird, tJwugh now seldom seen " the 

 italics are ours (pp. cit. p. 704; Edinburgh, 1845). Here 

 appears a very clear indication of the advancing and retreat- 

 ing wave of dispersal. 



According to our usual practice, we desire to add the 

 testimony of the " Old Statistical Account," which takes us 

 back again to the end of last century. The records are as 

 follows : It is mentioned as a migratory species at Ballantrae, 

 South-West Ayrshire, vol. i. (1791), p. 1 14. It is included 

 in the following lists as occurring, viz. at Kirkhill, Inverness, 

 vol. iv. (1792), p. 114; Shetland, vol. v. (1793), p. 189; 

 Orkney, vol. vii. p. 547 ; Caithness, vol. vii. p. 574 ; Cara and 

 Gigha ("Argyle") vol. viii. (1793), p. 5 I ; "Dee," vol. ix. 

 (1793), P- 108; "Tay," vol. ix. (1793), p. 235 ; Shetland 

 again, vol. x. (1764), p. 201 ; "Argyle" (Cantyre), vol. xiv. 

 0795). P- 202; Roxburgh, vol. xvi. (1795), p. 76. The 

 records for " Argyle," " Dee," and " Tay " are only isolated 

 and rare, yet some are given upon the line of migration, such 



