156 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



nest, but the old bird was seen pulling the remains of the 

 nest off the ledge ; by 6th November all had left. Cor- 

 morants at the Butt of Lewis were noticed on 3rd April 

 making their nests of " oily paraffin waste." April brings 

 yet more records of the nesting of our earlier breeding 

 birds. A Stockdove's nest and two eggs was found on the 

 Lammermuirs on 4th April, a Snipe at Corsemalzie had 

 four eggs, and was sitting on the 9th, next day a Long- 

 tailed Tit in East Lothian had a nest and egg, on the 

 nth a Redshank at Craignish had two eggs, and on the 

 15th a Carrion Crow at Penninghame had six eggs in 

 an advanced state of incubatioiL From Hoy High comes 

 a note of a Rock Pipit with two eggs on i6th April, 

 and by the 19th Rooks and Herons had hatched in 

 East Ross. On the 26th, records come of four Curlews' 

 nests, three with four and one with three eggs, on the 

 moor at Corsemalzie. By May there are reports of the 

 nesting of our summer visitors, and of later breeding 

 species generally. On 3rd May Eiders' nests with five, 

 six, and three eggs were found at Craignish, where also 

 lots of Gulls had eggs. On the 5th, at Mochrum Castle 

 Loch, there were a good many Herring-gulls' nests with 

 three eggs, also three Greater Black-backed Gulls' nests 

 with three eggs each, while six Cormorants' nests, each 

 containing five eggs, were also found. A Goldcrest nesting 

 in a spruce tree on an island in the same loch had nine 

 eggs nearly ready to hatch on the same date. By i8th 

 May a pair of Stonechats, with young " flying well," were 

 seen on the shore at Luce Bay, a very early date. On 

 the 1 2th Fulmars began to sit at North Unst, the first 

 young left the nest on 4th September ; this species is also 

 reported from Doune Tower, on the east side of the Lewis 

 on 26th May, to which part it only spread in 191 3. On 

 14th May a Swallow's nest was found built in a horse collar 

 hung up in a stable at Soulseat, and on the same day two 

 nests of the Grey-lag Goose with four and five eggs were 

 found at Galson (O.H.), and the first Guillemot's egg was 

 laid on the Bass. Nesting there began early in 191 5, the 

 first Puffin's egg being seen on 4th May, the first Herring- 



