A LIST OF SCOTTISH HERONRIES, PAST AND PRESENT 219 



authority, either from published works or upon personal 

 knowledge. The publications mostly drawn upon are the 

 two "Statistical Accounts of Scotland" (179 1-7 and 1845) ; 

 the various volumes of the " Vertebrate Fauna of Scotland " 

 by Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown and other writers ; local avi- 

 faunas and histories ; Transactions and Proceedings of 

 learned societies; and Mr. J. E. Harting's " British Heronries " 

 in the "Zoologist" (1872, p. 3261). The number of 

 Scottish Heronries given by Mr. Harting is under fifty, in- 

 cluding some extinct. More particular knowledge and in- 

 formation enable over 230 places to be now named, but it 

 would be erroneous to assume that this means an increase 

 in the number of nesting birds. All evidence is to the 

 contrary, but it may be some gratification to know that, so 

 far as can be judged, the Heron is at the present time as 

 generally distributed throughout Scotland as it has ever 

 been, even although no large or populous Heronries now 

 exist. I do not know that anything can now be seen in 

 Scotland similar to what is reported of Shaw on the Dryffe 

 at the end of the eighteenth century, where it is said of 

 the Heron, " some hundreds are bred yearly " (" Statistical 

 Account," 1795, xii. p. 580). 



The present communication is advisedly restricted to an 

 unannotated list, but a brief analysis of the "Clyde" section 

 may be instructive as showing the recent status there, and 

 indicating what probably prevails in the other areas. There 

 are 5 i nesting-places named in " Clyde," of which 29 were 

 unoccupied and 4 doubtful in the year 1899. Of the 18 

 places remaining, 12 contained 6 nests or more, the 

 largest number in one place being 35,^ and the aggregate 

 number of nests in the whole area was approximately 



230. 



In the list the ^ indicates that the heronry is not now 

 in existence, but undoubtedly some other places, the names 

 of which are not thus marked, are not occupied at present. 

 Definite information is awanting as to their status^ and would 

 be gladly received by the writer. 



^ During a visit to this place in August 1908 I was informed that there are 

 now 50 to 60 nests. 



