tiERONRIES IN THE CLYDE FAUXAL AREA. 383 



the birds afterwards moved to near Eglinton Castle, '" where 

 the River Lugden falls into the River Irvine " (szc).^ Here they 

 nested for some years, but eventually deserted on account of the 

 persecution to which they were subjected, and the close proximity 

 of the Eglinton Iron Works. ^ I am glad to say that on a 

 recent visit (15th April, 1899) to Eglinton I had the pleasure 

 of seeing a flourishing colony of about thirty nests in the " Craw " 

 Wood there, the nests all being in the tallest Scots Firs, one 

 or two trees having two each, height from ground running up to 

 about 60 feet (estimated). The young were hatched out. as 

 we heard them calling in the nests, and picked up fragments 

 of egg shells and one nestling, which had fallen over, and which 

 was probably about a fortnight old. This means that there were 

 eggs laid in the first week of March. Rooks nest in immense 

 numbers in the same wood, but the two species seem to live 

 in amity, which is not always the case. The Herons have bred 

 in and about this wood for 26 years, nests having also been seen 

 in Beech trees near the foot of the Long Walk, and previous 

 to that they nested in Sourlie Plantation (Eglinton policies). 

 My informant (J. Jeffrey, an old keeper), who recollects the 

 great Eglinton Tournament in 1839, says they were at Sourlie in 

 that year, so they probably did not leave the policies when they 

 deserted the proximity of the iron- works, and both the late and 

 present Earl have protected them. Their numbers, however, 

 seem to keep about the same. Another Ayrshire Heronry 

 named by Mr. Harting is "a large colony at Largs (Earl of 

 Glasgow").- The mention of this nobleman identifies the 

 locality with Kelburn Park, which is in the parish of Eairlie, and 

 where, within the recollection of an old man born there 80 years 

 ago. Herons were nesting 70 years back. Formerly they built 

 in Ash and Beech trees ; some time ago they removed to their 

 third known nesting-place, which is in two contiguous clumps of 

 mixed trees — perhaps 100 yards between them — mostly Beech, 

 with some Silver Firs, and a few Scots Firs and Larches, situated 

 in an open field. The Silver Firs are the largest trees, but the 

 birds have selected the Beech trees, which are neither tall nor old ; 

 and when I saw them (17th March, 1899) there were 25 nests in 



^ The Lugton is a tributary of the Garnock. 

 - Zoologist (1872), p. 3267. 



£ 



