20 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



having apparently come in contact with some telephone wires, and 

 had taken refuge in the doorway of a house occupied by Mr C. 

 Sykes, where it was picked up by his son. Mr Sykes is a well- 

 known local naturalist and bird-fancier, and it is due to him that 

 this exceptionally rare species was recognised. He has kindly 

 consented to the specimen being presented to the Royal Scottish 

 Museum for preservation. M. R. Tomlinson, Inveresk. 



[Richard's Pipit (A?ithus richardi) is a native 'of Siberia and 

 N.W. China, migrating to India and South-eastern Asia for winter 

 quarters. It has only twice previously been recorded for the main- 

 land of Scotland, namely, for Perthshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. 

 It has occurred several times in autumn at Fair Isle. Eds.] 



Nesting of Pied Flycatcher in Peeblesshire. With 

 reference to my note in the February number of the Scottish 

 Naturalist, it may be of interest to record that the birds nested 

 in the spring of 1*913 in the hole occupied two years ago. I first 

 saw the cock bird on 2nd May, but it was not till a fortnight 

 afterwards that I saw the hen, though I looked for her almost every 

 day, and the cock was always within a few yards of the same spot. 

 Even before the appearance of the hen, the cock had obviously 

 decided that the nest was to be in the hole previously occupied, 

 as he was always on guard near it, and drove away any tits showing 

 a liking for it, of which there were several. The hen was carrying 

 nesting material when I first saw her, so that she had probably 

 arrived some days previously. The nest had three eggs on 24th 

 May, .and other three or four were laid, but it was impossible to 

 count either the eggs or young accurately, owing to the shape of 

 the cavity. The young hatched on 12th June and left the nest on 

 the 26th. When newly arrived the birds seemed to prefer the 

 lower branches of the trees, and a wire fence near was also much 

 used as a good position for capturing flies, many of which seemed 

 to be taken among the grass. Later in the season, when the 

 leaves had opened, the birds kept to the higher branches, so that 

 observation became more difficult and ultimately impossible, except 

 when they were entering the nest. The change of habit evidently 

 was due to the ever-increasing food supply as the foliage grew on 

 the trees. There was a second pair within about a quarter of a 

 mile, but I was unable to find the nest. William T. Blackwood, 

 Peebles. 



Yellow-browed Warbler in Kirkcudbrightshire. On 



15th October I saw a small bird sitting at the edge of a coppice 



