236 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



discovered, but I have information indicating that the haunt is 

 known. ROBERT GODFREY, Bo'ness. 



[Mr. W. Renton of Hawick informs us, since the above notes 

 were put into print, that the Great Spotted Woodpecker breeds 

 annually in the Wells and Minto woods. EDS.] 



Ring Dove nesting- on the Ground. The following notes will, 

 I think, be of interest, as I have failed to find any mention of 

 similar occurrences in any of the works I have consulted. The 

 Grennan Wood is situated about seven miles from the Mull of 

 Galloway, on the shores of Luce Bay, and has long been remarkable 

 for the number of Ring Doves (Cohimba paluinbus) frequenting it. 

 The nearest wood to the north is about two miles. By various 

 gales spread over the last twenty-five years about two-thirds of the 

 original wood has been destroyed. The information in this note 

 has been obtained from my nephew, Mr. M'Donald, of Logan, who 

 states that the details given by his keeper can be absolutely relied 

 on. The keeper, when he first went to this beat about five years 

 ago, noticed nests on the ground among the bracken and other 

 ferns, also sometimes under fallen branches. In this wood they are 

 found only where the trees are wanting about 8 to 10 per cent of 

 the pigeons frequenting the wood build thus the keeper coming 

 across as many as twenty nests on the ground in one day, without 

 specially looking for them. An odd nest or two have been found 

 in other woods, generally under a fallen branch. Nests are also 

 found all over the estate in whins, and sometimes among heather. 

 On rare occasions a few nests have been met with in other woods, 

 where trees have not been blown down. Mr. M'Donald writes me 

 that a Wood Pigeon has this year built her nest on one of the 

 beams in a shed close to the house ; the shed is at present being 

 used to rear pheasants. Unfortunately the bird deserted after com- 

 pleting her nest ; she flew out several times on being disturbed, before 

 finally leaving. On the 24th of August, Mr. M'Donald sent to 

 Mr. Eagle Clarke a young well-feathered Ring Dove from a nest 

 placed in a whin bush, twenty inches from the ground, and situated 

 one and three-quarter miles from any wood. ARCHIBALD BUCHAN- 

 HEPBURN, Smeaton-Hepburn, East Lothian. 



Pintail in Caithness. On ist August an adult female Pintail 

 (Anas acuta), full moult, was shot at Loch Heilan, near here. This 

 is a rare bird in Caithness, and has not, to the writer's knowledge, 

 been known to occur there at that time of year before. T. E. 

 BUCKLEY, Castleton, Thurso. 



The Spotted Crake in East Lothian. A Spotted Crake (Porzana 

 inaruetta) (male) was shot near Dunbar on i5th August, and kindly 

 forwarded to me by Mr. David Bruce the following day. Of fourteen 

 previous occurrences in the Forth area, recorded in my note-book, 



