34-8 The Scottish Naturalist. 



struction composed of lichen-covered larch sticks, many of 

 them an inch in diameter, was placed on the summit of a 

 lofty spruce (near the Loch) the top of which had formerly 

 been broken off at about 60 feet from the ground, and the 

 side branches arched over so as to form a sort of canopy to 

 the nest, out of which were taken two eggs. On one occa- 

 sion the male bird being fired at, dropt from his talons a 

 large trout just captured. The hen was eventually killed, 

 after which the male bird left the district. 'The nest is 

 now in the possession of the Perthshire Society. On 

 taking it down a part of a third egg was discovered which 

 unfortunately had probably been destroyed by a Hooded 

 crow. 

 134. Great White Heron.- A specimen is stated to have 

 been shot in Perthshire in the spring of last year, 1887, 

 somewhere in the same vicinity as the Little Egret was 

 obtained, in 1881, on Loch Katrine in the Forth district; 

 but particulars have not been forthcoming. 



154. Whooper or Wild Swan. A flock of twenty-two of 



these birds were seen in the Montrose basin, during the 

 winter of 1886-188 7 ; but none were killed, (communicated 

 by Dr. Howden, Sunnyside, Montrose, Dec, 1887.) 



177. Goosander. This bird is now ascertained to nest annually 

 in Perthshire. A very perfect nest of this species, con- 

 taining eleven eggs, and copiously lined with grey down, 

 now in the Perthshire Society's Museum, was obtained in 

 Rannoch in May, 1887. 



188. Pallas' Sand Grouse After an interval of 25 years 

 another extensive invasion of these birds has taken place. 

 Again spreading themselves from their haunts in eastern 

 Tartary over Continental Europe they have reached these 

 islands in considerable numbers, as they did in 1863. It 

 cannot be said that they have never appeared in Britain 

 since the latter year, for fresh arrivals were noticed in 1872 

 . both in Northumberland and in Ayrshire ; but they were , 

 few in number, and none were recorded from other places. 

 A few years later a pair were killed in Ireland ; but there 

 was no further visit in force until the present year 1888, 

 when about the end of the first fortnight in May, many 

 flocks reached England, and, almost immediately after- 



