HERONRIES IN THE CLYDE FAUNAL AREA. 387 



Crawford John there is a story, dating, say, half-a-century back, that 

 the factor on the Douglas estate, writing Lord Douglas to be 

 moved to exterminate the Heronry, then propounded the riddle — 

 "Why are Herons like traitors?" Answer : ''Because they hatch 

 high trees-on " (sic/' ^ Gilkerscleuch is at an altitude of 878 feet 

 above sea- level, and this, along with the localities next to be named, 

 is the highest lying nesting-place of the Heron in our area. 

 Douglas is at an altitude of about 650 feet. In the parish of Craw- 

 ford, on the Clyde, near Elvanfoot, there was a large Heronry up to 

 within the last twenty years ; ^ but this season there are only two 

 nests in Newton Wood (altitude, about 890 feet), and two are 

 also known in Yewsgill Wood, on the farm of Castle Crawford 

 (altitude, about 850 feet), and a further two in Glespin Wood, on 

 the farm of Midlock Crawford (altitude, about 880 feet). These 

 nests are in Scots Firs 20 to 30 feet high.^ The only other 

 Heronry I know of on the Clyde was at Hamilton, where 

 up to about fifteen or twenty years ago nests were very 

 numerous, both in the Heron Hill and Barmichael Woods (near 

 Both well Bridge). They are believed to have been introduced 

 by Alexander, the 10th Duke of Hamilton (1767-1852), who 

 had them fed for many years in the Basket Hill Wood until 

 they got attached to the place. ^ His Grace seems liimself 

 to have been attached to these birds, for between 1800 and 

 1810, when he lived at Ashton Hall, Lancashire, he "brought 

 some Herons from Hamilton Palace and had them in the pad- 

 docks."^ At Hamilton in 1835 there were about 30 nests in the 

 loftiest trees, and it is remarked that the "birds are frequently 

 attacked by the carrion crow, on their return from their fishing 

 expeditions, and the prey snatched from them;"^ in 1856 the 

 nests were " very numerous ;" ^ and in 1876 the locality is one of 

 the two named in the Fauna and Flora of Clydesdale, dx., p. 

 10. At Forrestfield there used to be a Heronry, but it is about 



1 Rev. J. D. W. Gibson, in lit. to Mr. John Paterson, 22nd April, 1899. 



2 Fide Mr. A. Fingland, Eglinton. 



5 Mr. J. Cranstonn, in lit., 30tli May, 1899. 



* Mr. G. M'Dougall, in lit. to Mr. G. Cleland, 14th Nov., 1898. 



5 F. S. Mitchell : Birds of Lancashire, 2nd ed. (1892), p. 143. 



« .V.^.^., VI. (1835), p. 261. 



7 Fide Mr, G. M'Dougall. 



