l6o THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



East Lothian. One of the very early records of Scottish breed- 

 ing comes from this county, where prior to 1843 Sir Wm. Jardine 

 saw a nest and eggs, with the female bird, that had been brought 

 from Gullane Links (Jardine's Nat. Lib., xiv., p. 123). It apparently 

 settled down and bred in the county in small numbers, as in 1904 

 H. D. Simpson, writing in the Zoologist (1904, p. 459), says: 

 "Although nesting in East Lothian is by no means a common bird." 

 Mr Evans saw a duck with a brood on a pond at Biel on 12th June 

 1909 {Scot. Nat., 1920, p. 84). 



Midlothian. Before 1902 the Shoveler nested annually in 

 Midlothian {Nat. Hist. Brit. Surface Feeding Ducks, p. 59). Mr 

 Evans saw a pair on Threipmuir Reservoir all through May 1904 

 "evidently nesting; male usually seen alone." On 19th May 19 10 

 he found two nests with ten and eleven eggs respectively, and other 

 nests have since been seen {Scot. Nat., 1920, p. 84). 



S. IV. Perth. Mr William Evans has kindly informed us 

 that on 3rd May 1886 he saw four pairs of Shovelers on Loch ma 

 Haick (Uoune), evidently nesting, and on 18th May 1887 a nest 

 with eggs was found there by Colonel Duthie. By 1893 the species 

 had increased in numbers about Doune, and on 6th May of that 

 year Colonel Duthie found no fewer than seven nests. 



Kinross-shire. In common with many other species the 

 Shoveler has found a congenial home at Loch Leven. They bred 

 for the first time on this sheet of water in 1880 {Proc. Roy. Phy. 

 Soc. Edin., vii., 18S2, p. 202), a nest and nine eggs being found 

 there on i6th May of that year by Dr A. C. Stark. Mr William 

 Evans has kindly sent us the following note: "Several pairs seen 

 and a nest with ten eggs found by me nth June 1883 on the south 

 shore. Since then I have seen many nests both on the shore and 

 on St Serf's Island ; they were numerous throughout the " eighties." 

 Later, on i8th May 1898, I noted ten or twelve pairs, and found 

 three nests. In May 1908 I noted Shovelers as still plentiful, but 

 not more so than in 1898." In 19 10 we saw a good many Shoveler 

 and found several nests at this loch. 



South Fife. Before 1905 the Shoveler was known to nest in 

 the neighbourhood of Burntisland {A.S.N. H., 1906, p. 198), and 

 in 1906 Mr Evans saw a pair on Burntisland Reservoir where he 

 had no doubt they were breeding, though he did not find a nest. 

 The same naturalist saw a duck with quite small young on Loch 

 Gelly on 17th June 1885, and two broods there three days later. 

 Nests were found in subsequent years. 



In June 1920 we saw a duck and young brood on Raith Lake, 

 near Kirkcaldy. 



