72 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Tweed. 



This is another area in which the Great Crested Grebe does not 

 breed as commonly as one would expect, as far at least as we have 

 been able to ascertain. 



Berivickshire. In 19 14 a pair of Great Crested Grebes bred on 

 the loch at The Hirsel, Coldstream, and two young birds were 

 hatched. Lord Home writes : " I am afraid the young birds died, 

 but from what cause is not known ; the keeper picked up one dead. 

 It is curious that the Grebes never returned as the lake, being 

 surrounded with reeds, is an ideal place for them, and it is kept very 

 quiet for the sake of the different wild-fowl that frequent it. 

 Convalescent officers used to fish for pike sometimes, and it is 

 possible that the Grebes did not like the boat." 



Roxburghshire. On loth July 1908 a pair of Great Crested 

 Grebes with biggish young were seen on a loch in Roxburgh, and in 

 subsequent years the species returned and bred at the same place. 



Selkirkshire. On Clearburn Loch in this county a bird and 

 young were seen in June 1910; the next year "a moorland loch in 

 Selkirkshire" is recorded by Mr Abel Chapman {Brit. Birds., vi., 

 p. 108) as having been colonised by this species, and he has kindly 

 informed us that these records refer to the same sheet of water. 



Peeblesshire. It is perhaps worth mentioning that the only 

 Peebles record of the Great Crested Grebe is that of a pair on 

 Portmore Loch on 14th April 1912. MrWm. Evans writes : "They 

 were swimming close together, and from their actions I should not 

 be surprised if they nested on the loch" {Scot. Nat., 191 2, p. 186). 



Forth. 



This area has been ably dealt with by Mr Wm. Evans in the 

 March-April number of The Scottish Naturalist, 1919. As will be 

 seen from the details given below. Great Crested Grebes are more 

 widely distributed in Forth than in either of the two areas last dealt 

 with, though Mr Evans is of opinion that fewer nest in Forth now 

 than was the case several years ago. 



Midlothian. In 1907 three nests were found on Cobbinshaw 

 Reservoir, and in 1916 one was found at a Reservoir near Balerno. 

 Mr Evans writes: "A pair also nested, I believe, on Gladhouse 

 Reservoir in 191 1, but in this instance I have no positive evidence 

 to adduce" {Scot. Nat., 1919, p. 50). 



Stirlingshire. Stirlingshire holds one of the early records of the 

 breeding of Great Crested Grebes in Scotland: in April 1890, eggs 

 were taken at Carron Dam in that county. 



