154 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



usual easily accounted for by the cold and late spring. We 

 have, however, the usual early notes of Starlings visiting 

 nesting-holes : thus at Cullen these birds were seen 

 examining a hole in a tree and going inside on 7th and 

 13th January. A prolonged struggle for possession of this 

 hole took place between House-sparrows and Starlings : on 

 1 2th February the Sparrows were building in it; on the 

 1 8th a Starling perched on a branch close to the hole and 

 was driven away by the Sparrows. On the 24th March the 

 hole was raided by Starlings, half a dozen removing the 

 material and dropping it on the ground ; next day they 

 abandoned the hole and the Sparrows returned ; the latter 

 were building on the 28th. On 23rd April the Starlings 

 again removed the Sparrows' nesting materials from the hole, 

 but by 6th May the Sparrows were once more in possession. 



Shags returned to their nesting ledge on the Isle of May 

 on 14th March; Rooks had eggs at Cullen on the 24th; 

 Jackdaws are reported at their nesting-holes there on the 

 30th, and a Stockdove's nest with two eggs was found at 

 Darvel next day. But it is not until the middle of April 

 that we have records of any number of species nesting ; there- 

 after the earlier breeding birds are noted pretty generally 

 as having nests and eggs. But their attempts even as late 

 as this were not unattended by danger, as is seen from the 

 fact that on 18th April, at Cullen, a Blackbird was sitting 

 on three eggs with thick snow lying. At the same place, 

 under 23rd April, we have the note, " No Lapwings' eggs 

 found yet, usually plentiful 6th-ioth April." A Long-eared 

 Owl's nest was found at Kilmacolm on 29th April, and a 

 Teal's at Galson (O.H.) on 30th April. 



May brings more to record. A Hooded Crow's nest with 

 four eggs was found at Cullen on the 5th, where a Yellow 

 Bunting was building next day ; on the 9th, Rock-pipits had 

 a full clutch of eggs at Swona ; on the 10th, Greenfinches 

 had three eggs at Grangemuir (E. Fife); and by 13th May 

 Fulmars on Foula had begun to lay. From this time 

 onwards nesting proceeded apace, and we have notes of 

 Robins, Wheatears, Blackbirds, Willow-warblers, Linnets, 

 Common Gulls, Lapwings, Little Grebe, Moorhen, Golden 



