18 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



the tree gave the faithful bird evident anxiety. On 22nd May and 

 23rd May I found the little watcher still vigilant and still alone but 

 he had done no more nest-building. He spent most of the time 

 perched on a high dead branch, calling incessantly, making occasional 

 excursions to catch a fly. On 29th May I paid my last visit to him 

 (I was going abroad the next week), and found that his song had 

 become weaker and hoarser, but still he called for his mate, who 

 never came. During the four weeks through which I watched him, 

 I never saw him go as far as 100 yards away from his nesting-tree. 

 Sometimes when I could not get him to come within range of my 

 camera I used to climb the tree and then retire, when he would be 

 pretty sure to come to his nest within five minutes. His mate had 

 doubtless perished during migration, and no other female of his 

 species was in the neighbourhood. On my return heme I visited 

 the locality again on 24th June, but I saw no sign of any Pied 

 Flycatcher, nor was the nest finished. H. N. Bonar, Saltoun. 



Interesting variety of the Starling. Mr Harry Duncan, of 

 Glasgow, has presented to the Royal Scottish Museum a singularly 

 pretty variety of the Starling. In general coloration it is light silvery 

 grey, a little darker on the crown, mantle, and flanks, and having 

 silvery white spots to the tips of the feathers of the nape, back, 

 scapulars, breast, and flanks. The feathers of the lower back, 

 wings, tail, and under tail-coverts are margined with silvery white. 

 The bird is a male, and was captured at Gartshore, Dumbartonshire, 

 on 1 2th September last. Wm. Eagle Clarke, Edinburgh. 



Hoopoe in Forfarshire. On 3rd or 4th September a Hoopoe 

 {Up up a epops) was killed (shot?) at Newbarns, in Lunan Bay, 

 Forfarshire. It was sent to my brother, Dr W. J. Dewar, Arbroath, 

 who in turn sent it to Dundee. to be skinned. I have not yet heard 

 the sex. Thomas F. Dewar, Edinburgh. 



A Cuckoo incident. The following incident, which occurred 

 on the farm of Craigmailing, in the Parish of Linlithgow, may be 

 of interest to readers of the Scottish Naturalist. On the morning 

 of 26th June last I noticed a Cuckoo {Cuculus canorus) flying 

 very fast, when all of a sudden it swooped to the ground. It 

 remained there for a few seconds and then rose, being pursued 

 by two Titlarks (Meadow-pipits), who were immediately joined 

 by other two of their kind, who assisted in driving off the intruder 

 to a distance of about 300 yards, when they all returned to the 

 vicinity of the nest. Going forward to the spot, I found the hen 



