298 PRACTICAL ORNITHOLOGY. 



Sparrow, Yellow Bunting, Blue Tit, Black Tit, Hedge Chan- 

 ter, White Wagtail, Wren, and Gold-crest. A single Stone- 

 chat also was seen near a cottage. A few Magpies and Jack- 

 daws, w^ith two Missel Thrushes, were observed ; but of Field- 

 fares and Redwings, so abundant about Edinburgh, not a single 

 individual was anpvhere seen. About houses, how^ever, we 

 met with some Blackbirds and Thrushes, and towards Peebles 

 saw Rooks and Jackdaws in abundance, some flying slowly 

 over the fields, others walking along the slopes, a few wading 

 by the edges of the stream, and numbers pulling at the corn- 

 stacks, while in the shelter of a fence was a very large flock of 

 AVood Pigeons, probably amounting to two hundred. But, 

 upon the whole, the number of species that occurred was much 

 less than I had anticipated. At length, after a tedious march 

 alonof the vallev, we arrived in the ancient town of Peebles, 

 situated on the Tweed, at the distance of twenty-one miles 

 from Edinburgh, and were welcomed by my excellent and 

 esteemed friend, the Reverend Mr. Adam. 



Next morning, the weather being similar, but the snow 

 deeper, we resolved to attempt a journey to Nidpath Castle, 

 about a mile distant, which we accomplished without much 

 difficulty, although in several places we had to make our w^ay 

 through snow-drifts of great depth. A Kestrel, some Rooks and 

 Daws, a AYren, two Missel Thrushes, a Fieldfare, a few^ Black- 

 birds, andanumberof Sparrow^s, Chaffinches, Yellow Buntings, 

 and Hedge Chanters, were all the species that occurred. The 

 gamekeeper had a small collection of stuffed birds, among 

 which however was nothing remarkable, excepting a Peregrine 

 Falcon shot in the neighbourhood. Our object in visiting this 

 building, which is partially in ruins, although the roof is kept 

 in repair, was to obtain, if possible, a few Bats. We therefore 

 ascended by a winding stair to the deserted apartments, which 

 we searched for a long time, but without success, until at length 

 Mr. Adam discovered one in a very small crevice in the wall. 

 It was a Pipistrelle, of which the gamekeeper had procured a 

 specimen some days before. Three stuffed individuals of the 

 same species also obtained in the castle, and a Long-eared Bat, 

 Plecotus auritus, formed part of his collection. It is certainly 



