NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 305 



ings of Swallows on the telegraph wires, and was told that they 

 collect at the same points year after year. I should say there 

 must have been thousands of them closely packed together. 



SWIFT. 



Cypselus apus (Lin.). 



Mr. Robt. Service writes me that Swifts are unusually abundant 

 this year (May) around Dumfries, while last year there were very 

 few. 



MARTIN. 

 Chelidon urbica (Lin.). 



Last seen in Berwickshire by Mr. Hardy, 3rd Oct., 1879. Mr. 

 R« Service considers that the Martin is becoming yearly scarcer 

 around Dumfries; he writes, " I scarcely ever see one now." At 

 Dalwhinnie, on Loch Errochd side, Martins used to breed 

 commonly under the wooden eaves of the hotel. I have had 

 opportunities of observing a steady decrease during the past 20 

 years. This year — 1880 — only two or three nests are to be seen. 

 On the coast lines of Stonehaven and St. Abbs Head, I observed 

 considerable numbers resting in the cliffs this summer. Can any 

 inclemency in our weather and seasons have driven them back to 

 the warm sea-cliffs from more inland localities ? 



KINGFISHER. 



Alcedo ispida, Lin. 

 Did not take its departure from Stirlingshire during the severe 

 frost of 27th Nov. to 9th Dec. — on which latter date I saw two on 

 the Carron River — and did not appear to leave at all during the 

 remainder of the winter. 



WREN. 



Troglodytes parvulus, Koch. 

 Wrens, along with other species of small birds, are reported as 

 "still very scarce" in July, 1880, by Mr. Jas. Hardy, Berwick- 

 shire, but to be increasing rapidly again in certain other localities 

 [R. Warren, Co. Sligo, Ireland]. 



WILLOW WARBLER, 



PhYLLOSCOPUS TE.OCHILUS ( Lill. ). 



The small Warblers are reported by Mr. Service as being 

 unusually abundant this year in Dumfriesshire, especially the 



