NOTES 163 



Guillemots, but it is more difficult to be certain on this point. 

 Information as to decided increases or decreases in the colonies 

 of cliff-breeding birds round our coasts would be very welcome. 

 This might be sent in the form of short notes for the Scottish 

 Naturalist, or direct to ourselves for incorporation in the next 

 Report. Leonora Jeffrey Rintoul and Evelyn V. Baxter, 

 Largo. 



The Nesting Season of 1914. As one would expect, the 

 open winter and the spell of summer-like weather we had in April 

 seem to have stimulated many of our birds to nest somewhat earlier 

 than usual. Such at any rate is the impression I have gained from 

 what has come under my notice in this district. Apart from Rooks, 

 Owls, and Herons, several of our resident birds Blackbird, Mistle- 

 thrush, Song-thrush, Dipper, Robin, etc. had begun laying by the 

 end of March. On 15th March I watched a Starling carrying 

 material with which to make its nest ; while another Starling's nest 

 contained eggs early in April, as did also a Hedge-sparrow's. By 

 the middle of the month Larks were laying. A Greenfinch had 

 eggs (two) on 17th April, and within the next three or four days, 

 Linnet, Yellow-hammer, and Chaffinch had followed suit. On nth 

 May, Misses Rintoul and Baxter showed me a Rock-pipit's nest, 

 containing recently hatched young, on the May Island, which they 

 had discovered the previous day. Summer migrants, which on the 

 whole were with us rather earlier than usual, had begun building by 

 the middle of May. For the three following records (and others) from 

 East Lothian, I am indebted to Mr James Curr, who kindly took 

 me to see the nests, namely, a Willow-warbler's with one egg on 

 17th May, a Garden-warbler's and a Whitethroat's, each with one- 

 egg, on the 1 8th, and a Wood-warbler's with six eggs, three or four 

 days incubated, on the 24th. In the last-mentioned case the first 

 egg must have been laid on or about the 15th, by which date Sand- 

 martins were commencing to incubate. A pair of Great Spotted 

 Woodpeckers had young in an East Lothian wood by 26th May. 



Golden Plover were laying by the 20th of April, on which date 

 I found a sucked egg on Blawhorn Moss, an exposed and bleak 

 locality in the west of Linlithgowshire. I mention this, not as a 

 specially early date I have several similar ones for former years 

 but in view, rather, of the statements one finds in certain standard 

 works to the effect that in this country the Golden Plover does not 

 begin to lay till some time in May. On 30th May I watched a 

 pair of Dunlins on the moor north of Fauldhouse, which by their 

 behaviour I felt sure had young, the inference from this being that 



