HERONRIES IX THE CLYDE FAUNAL AREA. 393 



blown down, some years back. The birds frequent the neigh- 

 bouring hillside, which along the loch side tow^ards Coilessan has 

 a belt of young Oaks, Alders, and Birches, and on the previous 

 night they had been making a great noise. It is thus probable that 

 there are a few more nests about, and during the three days I 

 was at Arrochar, I never missed seeing a Heron or Herons 

 about the loch. The Holy Loch is a favourite resort of the 

 Heron, but the only place there that I know of it nesting at 

 present, and that by report, is on the Hafton estate. ^ Previous 

 to 1845 " there was a regular Heronry in a clump of Scotch Firs 

 not far from Hafton House, but they [the Herons] have 

 latterly again abandoned it," ^ so the present colony, whatever it 

 may be, is apparently a case of re-occupation. The Heron was 

 said to " frequently nestle" in the parish of Dunoon and Kil- 

 mun," but the only further definite report I have is of one nest 

 near Massan Bridge, in 1890, on a Larch tree, 70 feet from the 

 ground. ^ In spite of statements to the contrary, it does not nest 

 on the estate of Benmore.^ At Ballimore, Otter Ferry, is a 

 Heronry, which I first heard of through Mr. John Renwick, and 

 where, I am informed, there were 16 to 18 nests this spring. 

 They are situated in Larch trees, in a wood near the shore of 

 Loch Fyne.'^ At Inveraray there is a Heronry or Heronries, 

 probably of old date, and in full vigour to-day. In a Larch 

 wood on Loch Shira there used to be a number of nests, 

 but some years ago a storm destroyed part of the wood, 

 and in 1897 there were only one or two nests in this 

 locality. A number of the birds found a fresh nesting-place 

 nearer the town of Inveraray, where they had in 1897 nests to 

 the number of about 16. in Scots Firs, Larch, and Beech trees.* 

 This year the following statement appeared in the Glasgoiv Evening 

 Citizen (1st April, 1899) — " A great increase has taken place in 

 the colony of Herons that established themselves about three 

 years ago on the trees on Craigdhu, ^ overlooking Inveraray from 

 the north-west. The nests now number several score." I felt 



1 Mr. C. S. Roedsmer, in lit., 18th March, 1899. 



2 N.S.A., VII. (1845), p. 589. 



3 Major J. MacRae-Gilstrap, in lit., 9th August, 1899. 

 * Rev. Wm. Stirhng, in. lit., 28th December, 1897. 



° Creag Dhubh in O.S. map. It is the same locality mentioned by W. S. 



