42 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



and after waiting a little saw the hen disappear into a hole in a 

 branch of an Ash tree about n ft. from the ground. As I did 

 not wish to disturb her, I did not climb to the nest till the 25th, 

 when there were seven eggs. The hole was about 9 in. or a foot 

 deep. On the 29th, I was much struck by the behaviour of the 

 cock. He was very restless and excited, and sang a very pretty song 

 very often and with great passion, but in a pathetic and coaxing way 

 I have never observed in any other bird. Every now and again he 

 flew to the edge of the nesting-hole and sometimes entered for a 

 moment, while at other times he merely looked in. He was 

 evidently trying to coax the hen on to the eggs, but did not seem to 

 know where she was. The nest seemed all right. On 3rd June the 

 cock was still singing, but in a half-hearted and disconsolate way, 

 and there was no sign of the hen. I climbed to the nest and found 

 a mouse in possession, so I removed the seven eggs with great 

 difficulty owing to the small size of the aperture. One egg was 

 broken in the process and was quite fresh, so I set the rest next day 

 under a Willow-warbler, choosing her because I thought she would 

 manage the feeding of the young better than any other species 

 whose nest I knew of at the time. She sat steadily for sixteen days ; 

 but none of the eggs hatched, owing I think to a severe rainstorm 

 which occurred a few days after they were set. In May 1912, 

 I was on the lookout for the birds again, and on the 18th heard 

 the cock high up among the trees at the old place. Next day 

 I saw him and heard him sing, but only once or twice. No hen was 

 visible either day. I thought I heard the call-note on one or two 

 subsequent days, but never saw the bird. The cock did not exhibit 

 any anxiety when I climbed to the old nest, but he was seldom more 

 than 50 yards away from it. There was no sign of nest-building in 

 the hole. . (Like Mr Bonar, I had removed the old nest.) In a few 

 days a pair of Great Tits were in possession, and I neither saw nor 

 heard the Flycatcher again. Mr Bonar's explanation that the mate 

 of his bird doubtless perished on migration, raises two interesting 

 questions which I will not pretend to answer, (i) Does this species 

 pair for life? (2) If not,-does it do so before or after arriving in the 

 nesting area? William T. Blackwood, Peebles. 



The Scarlet Grosbeak in Moray Area. A female Scarlet 

 Grosbeak was caught in an exhausted condition on the balcony 

 rail of Tarbatness Light by Mr Allan, lightkeeper, on the early 

 morning of 8th September 1912. The wind was from the E.N.E., 

 light, with some rain. Thanks to Mr Allan's powers of observation 

 in perceiving this bird to be a stranger, and capturing it forthwith. 



