The Scott is Ji Naturalist, 107 



their old places of resort; and Mr Malloch informs me that on 

 the Almond he found it to be again breeding there. It is to be 

 hoped, therefore, that this, the most beautiful of all our native 

 birds, may long be allowed to remain unmolested ; and that the 

 morbid desire of seeing it in a glass case, or covered with dust 

 on some cottage chimney-piece, rather than on its native river- 

 side, may become less and less every year. 



CoRACiAS GARRULA, Liun. (Roller.) 

 Upupa epops, Linn. (Hoopoe.) 



The visits of both the above species to the district must be 

 looked upon as purely accidental, no other instance that I am 

 aware of having occurred during a lapse of many years than those 

 already recorded. See 'Scot. Nat.,' July 1878, p. 289. 



25. Lanius excubitor, Linn. (Great Grey Shrike.) 



Of late years many instances have occurred of this bird having 

 been shot in the district. Perched for hours, perhaps, on the 

 extremity of a decayed branch, on the watch for some passing 

 beetle, the Grey Shrike, with his breast shining full in the sun, 

 becomes so conspicuous an object that, w^ere it not for his ex- 

 treme wariness, he would stand little chance of escaping from 

 the gun, which, I regret to say, is ever ready to be pointed at 

 him when occasion offers. 



26. BuTALis GRisoLA, Boie. (Spotted Flycatcher.) 



The Spotted Flycatcher, the latest of all our summer birds to 

 arrive, seems to be more frequent in the lowland part of the 

 district than the upper. Mr Brooke informs me that about 

 Dunkeld it is very sparingly distributed, but there are always one 

 or two pairs about every summer. Higher up the country I have 

 never noticed it. Its congener, the Pied Flycatcher (Muscicapa 

 atricapitla, Linn.), I have never observed; but Sir Thomas 

 Moncreiffe some time ago informed me that a bird, which he 

 believed to be this species, was obtained near Moncreiffe, but, 

 unfortunately, was not preserved. From the notice of it in the 

 adjoining county of Stirling, it may possibly be found to occur 

 in the more western parts of the district, but, from its very local 

 habits, I consider this to be somewhat doubtful. 



