The Scottish Naturalist. 47 



localities. Whereas Mr J. Allen Harker has in Scotland only heard of a "single 

 instance of one nesting in a hole in a decayed trunk,"' we in England have 

 never met with a Tree- Sparrow's nest in any other situation. May this differ- 

 ence in habit in the same species not be partially accounted for by the fact that 

 whereas pollard— and, consequently, hollow — trees are exceedingly common in 

 England, — in some districts at all events, — they are rare in Scotland. It is 

 perhaps noteworthy, also, that in such districts of England where pollarding is 

 most practised, there the Tree-Sparrow appears to be most abundant. Is it not 

 also possible (I will not say probable) that were we in Scotland to practice 

 pollarding, and thus allow the moisture to eat holes into our willow and other 

 trees, that the Tree-Sparrow might not become a more abundant species than it 

 at present is, upon thus finding places congenial to its habits prepared for it ? 

 The fact of the distribution of many species northward is well known, and can 

 be traced in many, if not in most cases, to changes in the aspect of the country ; 

 conversely in the year 1690 the Green Woodpecker (Gecinus canusj " made 

 place for its nest with its beak in the oak tree, " in the far northwest of Sutherland, 

 as we are informed by Sir Robert Gordon, in his " History of the Earldom of 

 Sutherland." Now that great forests of wood have disappeared, the Green 

 Woodpecker likewise has departed. — John A. HARVIE Brown, Dunipace 

 House, Falkirk, Jan. 12, 1871. 



The Glaucous Gull.— [Larus glaucus,}— This beautiful gull has appeared on 

 the Eastern shores of Scotland in unusual numbers this winter. Though gene- 

 rally regarded as a somewhat rare British bird. I have of late years observed that 

 it regularly frequents the coasts of Caithness, Sutherland, and Ross, making its 

 first appearance in September or October, and departing early in the month of 

 April. It is perhaps nowhere more numerously met with on the mainland of 

 Scotland than in Aberdeenshire. Two very fine specimens were sent to me, in 

 the flesh, in the last week of December, 1870, by Mr. Alex. Mitchell, who in- 

 forms me that young birds especially are this year very plentiful. Another 

 correspondent in that quarter writes, that he never goes along the shore with his 

 gun in quest of birds without seeing several glaucous gulls. The two birds now 

 before me present the following measurement, — Adult male, length, 32 inches ; 

 extent of wing, 66 inches. Young of second year, length, 27 inches; extent of 

 wing, 61 inches. In other parts of Scotland this conspicuous sea-gull is occa- 

 sionally observed. In the outer Hebrides it occurs sometimes in considerable 

 numbers, and when two or three old birds are seen together, they form a splen- 

 did sight as they wheel round in their flight, and sweep their snow-white figures 

 athwart the dark clouds during a Hebridean storm. — Robert Gray, Glasgow. 

 Jan. 16. 



Birds of the Northwest of Aberdeenshire.— A complete list of Scottish 

 breeding birds would be hailed with satisfaction by, I am sure, most of those 

 taking an interest in Scottish Natural History. But such a list cannot be com- 

 piled by one individual, or even by a few, however observant, and however as- 

 siduous in their task they may be ; it requires one to be intimately acquainted 

 with, and to be resident for years in, a locality, to become thoroughly acquainted 

 wit h its natural' history — each parish, or at most one or two parishes, requires a 

 natural historian for itself, and if those interested in this pursuit in different lo- 

 calities of Scotland would but keep their eyes and ears open, and keep a register 

 of what passes under their notice, and send in, after a time sufficient to verify 



