ON THE AVIFAUNA OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES 149 



landed on the west side of our island (The Lews), whilst there were 

 hundreds of them found floating along the shores dead, of course. 

 The survivors found their way to the Castle grounds here (i.e. 

 Stornoway), and I estimated there would be at least 4000 (sic). 

 They stayed on during the winter of 1895, and in the spring 

 following they pretty nearly all left, except about 200 which remained 

 during the summer, but did not nest. However, about 30 of them 

 nested in the spring of 1897, and they have been increasing in 

 numbers each year since." In April 1902 I counted over 20 nests 

 in one tree, and there are now over 100 nests in all (J. A. H.-B.) 



Mr. Mackenzie then speaks of Jackdaws having accompanied 

 the Rooks, and a small proportion of these birds also have taken up 

 their new quarters in the Castle grounds. The Chough, also, which 

 Mr. Mackenzie shot in 1897, he believes "must have come among 

 the Rooks." I consider these notes of great interest from our 

 migrational, and subsequent distributional, points of view. 



The Rook is spoken of as a regular spring and autumn visitor to 

 some of the more southerly isles, notably Barra, where Mr. W. L. 

 MacGillivray shot one in May 1901 ; and that gentleman also speaks 

 of their being accompanied by a few Jackdaws, one of which he also 

 shot for his collection in October 1894. Dr. M'Rury says: 

 " Every winter a small flock visits the island; but in October 1893 

 very large flocks arrived, and remained till the spring. 



The Migration Report for that year also records unusual numbers, 

 viz. : Barra October 20, in unusual numbers, and on November 2, 

 with Jackdaws. Barra Head October 30, in flock, with Jackdaws. 

 Monach January 7, March 18, October 27 to 30, in large flocks, 

 during W.N.W. wind (gale) ; November i to 9, in hundreds with 

 some Jackdaws, going towards St. Kilda gale to strong breeze, 

 W.N.W. and N.E. ; a few observed returning November 10 and u 

 and some found dead on shore. The same movement was recorded 

 from Shetland, Orkney, and Argyll and Inner Hebrides stations in 

 the Migration Reports, q.v. ("Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist." 1893, p. 217), 

 and about 12 or 15 were seen at Flannan Isles between March 4 

 and April 3, when one was killed ("Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist." April 

 1902, #.v.). 



John Morrison, late keeper at Gress in Lewis, told Mr. Radclyffe 

 Waters " that in the summer he used often to see several Rooks 

 hovering over, and pouncing upon, something on the ground. At 

 first he thought they were robbing grouse-nests, but soon found that 

 they were harrying wild bees' nests." 



I think there must be some comparatively new development 

 going on with regard to the dispersal of these Rooks, because the 

 older records of MacGillivray and others, which we referred to in the 

 " Fauna of the Outer Hebrides," pointed only to a visitation of 

 Rooks when driven over from the mainland by severe weather. 



