158 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



and the birds were not seen there in 1914. Great Spotted 

 Woodpeckers are recorded as nesting in Perthshire, at 

 Lauder, and at Duns, and having been seen in the woods 

 at Tynninghame, where Hawfinches too were observed. 

 Eider, which formerly bred only on the links, have been 

 so much harried by Rooks that, for the last three or four 

 years, they have taken more and more to nesting in the 

 adjacent woods at Tynninghame, East Lothian (i. 1914, 263). 

 Another place where nesting birds suffered from the depreda- 

 tions of the Corvidffi was the Butt of Lewis, where both 

 first and second clutches of eggs from some of the Shags' 

 nests were pilfered either by Grey Crows or Gulls (i. 1915,36). 

 Lesser Terns are believed to have bred on the shore below 

 Tynninghame fi. 1914, 236), a pair having been seen con- 

 stantly flying about one spot. 



Little Grebes, Black-headed Gulls (six pairs), Coots, and 

 Moor-hens breed on Loch Stiapavat (O.H.) (i. 1915,80,79, 

 and yy). This last is an interesting record, as but little 

 is known regarding the status of the Moor-hen in Lewis. 

 Twites on Pentland Skerries departed from their usual 

 nesting habits there, and nested in the faces of the geos 

 in sites similar to the Rock-pipits. One geo, about 45 feet 

 long by 12 feet wide, contained seven nests, and a crack of 

 the rock about 25 yards long and only 3 feet wide had 

 five nests in it. Our correspondent tells us they used to 

 nest in the tussocks of grass on the top of the island, and 

 "about sunset the Gulls used to hunt the island systemat- 

 ically, disturbing the old birds off the nests and raiding the 

 eggs. They did about 300 yards per evening, 150-200 of 

 them walking along together, never went over the same 

 section two evenings running, and worked the whole island 

 thoroughly except the gardens." This happened in 191 3, 

 and may account for the Twites' change of habit. On the 

 other hand, Mr Eagle Clarke tells us that, on Fair Isle, 

 the geos and cracks of the rocks are the Twites' favourite 

 nesting places. Several pairs of House-sparrows breed in 

 a small stack off the lighthouse at the Butt of Lewis. " They 

 are summer visitors to this unusual nesting haunt, spending 

 the winter in the village of Eoropie, about a mile and a 



