'570 Natural History in Scotlajid : ^-~ 



Fife. — A Firmer Whale taken at Largo, — On the morn- 

 ing of May 15. 1832, a finner whale, 14 ft. in length, was found 

 entangled in the stake-nets opposite the Hallhill estate, near 

 this place. The huge animal was dragged ashore, and excited 

 in no small degree the curiosity of the natives. {Edinburgh 

 Advertiser, May 22. 1832.) 



Elgin. — The Woodcock ( Scolopax rusticola L.) resides through 

 the Year, and breeds in Scotland. — The following communica- 

 tion appeared in the Elgin Courier, to the editor of which 

 journal it was addressed : — " Sir, I am surprised to find that 

 so little information exists as to the fact of the woodcock not 

 only remaining in this part of the world, but of actually 

 breeding every season in the forest and woodlands which 

 surround the Earl of Moray's magnificent seat of Darnaway 

 Castle. That such is the fact is well known, not only to the 

 gamekeepers and woodmen, but to the forester, Mr. Cutler, 

 who is well qualified to give to the world a very interesting 

 account of the natural history of this northern emigrant. A 

 friend of my own lately mentioned to me. that, during the 

 barking season, the woodmen frequently found woodcocks' 

 nests. He also informed me, that, in the month of April last, 

 he accompanied the principal gamekeeper into the woods ; that 

 during their ramble they flushed a woodcock, which Jlew as if 

 wounded; that, on his remarking this, the gamekeeper laughed, 

 and told him it was a hen bird flying off" with a young chick 

 in her talons ; and, to convince my friend of a brood being 

 near at hand, the gamekeeper looked cautiously among the 

 underwood, where the nest was discovered, containing two 

 young woodcocks, which, on being disturbed, ran off, uttering 

 a piping note. The keeper, further, gave my friend the fol- 

 lowing most interesting account of this migratory bird, which 

 he had repeatedly witnessed. He stated, that it always builds 

 its nest in a dry situation; that it generally has three chicks ; 

 that immediately after they are hatched, and until the chicks 

 can fly, the cock and hen bird regularly, every morning 

 and evening, clutch the chicks in their talons, and fly 

 with them to the nearest springs, where they continue until 

 the chicks have fed ; when the old birds re-convey them in 

 the same manner to their nest. He also stated, that, when 

 the winter set in, the woodcock almost entirely deserted the 

 T)arnaway Forest ; and concluded that they flew southward. 

 I trust that some one will acquire from Mr. Macbean, the 

 keeper at Darnaway Castle, the necessary information, to 

 enable such person to give to the public a more perfect 

 account of the natural history of the woodcock, than it at 

 present possesses." 



