44 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 



hurt the skin, if it is required, as the loop will easily open again, especially 

 if the horse-hair snooOing of a fish-hook is used. It is certainly a much neater 

 manner than that of knocking the wounded bird's head against the side of 

 the boat, or a stone, which disfigures it very much, and causes the blood to 

 flow so much as to make it disagreeable to carry in the pocket. I have 

 practised it now so long that I lasso my victims with as much paternal 

 kindness as the Grand bignor bowstrings his superannuated ministers. 



( To be continued.) 



ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 



BY TOTTENHAM LEE, ESQ., JUK. 



White-tailed Eagle, (Aquila albicilla,) of frequent occurrence. I trapped 

 an old one; and was informed by two or three difierent people that one of 

 these birds had been seen flying about with a trap, and a long chain on it, 

 affixed to its leg. 



Osprey, (Pandion haliaetus.) — I saw one almost every day for a week at 

 Loch Dee. It always hunted round the Loch, and alighted on large stones. 



Peregrine Falcon, (Falco Peregrinus,) is very common here. They build 

 upon high rocks in the vieinityj generally lay three eggs; the common colour 

 is red, but I have twice seen a nest of red and white ones. In a nest con- 

 taining young I found the beaks of three Snipes and a Cuckoo. On one 

 occasion, when out shooting, one of these birds made a sudden stoop at, and 

 carried ofl\, a Blackcock, which was shot by one of our party; and I have 

 seen another carrying a Curlew as easily as if it had nothing in its talons. 

 They are very fond of Lapwings. A few weeks ago I robbed two Peregrines' 

 nests; one had three eggs, the other two young ones, and I trapped the old 

 bird in the nest with eggs. A curious circumstance occurred within my 

 observation not. long ago: — I had set a trap in a Raven's nest, containing 

 six eggs; and on returning to look at it, I found a Peregrine Falcon caught 

 fast. I can hardly assign a reason for its visit; it might have been one of 

 retaliation upon the family; for on a previous occasion I trapped a Carrion 

 Crow in the nest of a Peregrine, with an egg in it. 



The Hohhy, (Falco subbuteo.) — I am not aware of any instance of this 

 rare bird occurring in Scotland except those specimens which I have seen 

 myself. The first one we got, the keeper knocked down with his stick 

 while it was feeding on a young Grouse: it was a young individual. About 

 a year afterwards the keeper shot another, which was an old bird. I also 

 saw one last summer: it alighted on a wall close to me, so that I could 

 not, even in this third instance, be mistaken with regard to the species. 



Merlin, (Falco ^salon.) — A winter visitor only to this part of the country, 

 but of frequent occurrence. 



Goshawk, (Accipiter Palumbarius.) — I have often seen this fine bird flying 



