i66 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Fulmars nesting at Haskier. It is interesting to be able to 

 record that the Fulmar is nesting this year (1919) on the Haskier 

 rocks, eight miles north-west of Griminish Point, North Uist. A 

 friend and I went there one day this June as he was keen to see 

 the colony of birds. We only went over part of the large island 

 and found four Fulmar nests with one egg each. Arthur J. 

 Campbell Orde, Sponish, Lochmaddy. 



Tree-sparrows nesting near Glasgo'w. A pair of Tree- 

 sparrows nested here this year (1919) in a shed, on the wall under 

 the roof, and I handled one of the young ones which was able to 

 fly a little. I saw another pair building in a Rook's nest. James 

 Bartholomew, Torrance, near Glasgow. 



The Nightjar in Renfrewshire. In past years it has been 

 our privilege to have annually one pair of Nightjars {Caprimulgus 

 europceus) in this district. Our usual pair returned this year. On 

 1 6th June 19 19 one of the gamekeepers found a nest with newly 

 hatched young. On the i8th a second nest with young was found 

 quite near the other. I visited these with the keeper on the 

 20th. He told me that in the area round his house he had located 

 six pairs of Nightjars this season. If Howard Saunders is correct 

 in saying eighteen days are required for incubation, it follows that 

 the first egg in the above nests must have been laid on 28th May. 

 Considering how far north we are, this is a surprisingly early 

 record. T. Thornton Mackeith, Kilmacolm. 



Quail in Midlothian. On Monday evening, 7th July 19 19, 

 at 7.30, Major Taylor Cameron, 9th Royal Scots, and I heard a 

 Quail {Coiur/u'x communis) calling in a field of corn close to the 

 farm of Swanston. We listened to the bird for nearly half an hour, 

 and on re-passing the place an hour later, the bird kept uttering 

 the unmistakable " weet, weet, weet " for a considerable time. 

 Bruce Campbell, 10 Greenbank Place, Edinburgh. 



Observations on Carrion-crows. On 22 nd May 1919 one 

 of my gamekeepers found a Carrion-crow's nest containing two 

 young ones and shot an old bird. On 24th May he sent his 

 assistant to wait near the nest and he, during the evening, shot 

 three old birds. On ist June the gamekeeper again visited the 

 nest, found one young bird dead in the nest, the other almost 

 ready to fly, and shot a fifth old bird. This is one of the most 

 remarkable instances of the provision of foster parents which has 

 come to my notice. Hugh S. Gladstone, Thornhill, 



