SISKIN. 129 



wherein it has been observed is unnecessary. Sufficient to 

 say that it has been recorded as a more or less occasional 

 incident in Kirkcudbright and in the counties of Dumfries, 

 Lanark, Roxburgh, Selkirk, Haddington, Linlithgow, Fife, 

 Forfar, Kincardine and Banff, while it seems to be a regular 

 occurrence in those of Argyll, Perth, Aberdeen, Inverness, 

 Elgin, Ross and Sutherland — and perhaps all the Highland 

 shires ; but it must not be supposed that the species is in 

 summer anywhere very numerous in Scotland, except in 

 certain favourable localities — such as are afforded by the 

 remnants of the ancient forests, or the planted woods which 

 of late years have almost restored to the country one of its 

 original features. It is too quite possible that in districts 

 like these the Siskin breeds far more commonly than is gene- 

 rally supposed, for the nest when built in tall trees, as is 

 usually the case there, is hard to find and harder still to take. 

 We may perhaps anticipate its discovery in every Scottish 

 county. In Ireland though Thompson supposed that this 

 bird might not impossibly breed in the county Wicklow 

 and certain suitable localities in the north, the fact of its 

 doing so has only been established since his time. At 

 Powerscourt in the county just named, Kinahan saw a 

 hen-bird July 22nd, 1852 ; but the nest does not seem to 

 have been actually found in Ireland till May 1871, when 

 Mr. R. M. Barrington, who in July 1866 had seen a Siskin 

 close to his house at Fassaroe in that county, closely 

 observed (Zool. s.s. p. 3915) a pair which reared their young 

 in a nest placed near the end of a long larch-bough, some 

 twenty feet from the ground, at the same place. In the 

 county Dublin, Mr. Blake-Knox (Zool. s.s. p. 298) saw a 

 pair late in March 1866, and Mr. A. L. Sinclaire informs 

 the Editor that specimens were obtained in Donegal in 

 August 1857 ; while he learns from Mr. More that on July 

 3rd, 1871, he saw Siskins flitting among the birch-copses 

 which border the Upper Lake of Killarney, and others also 

 near Kenmare — both in Kerry. Mr. Brunton further bears 

 witness (Zool. s.s. p. 3235) to this species breeding in 

 Antrim in 1872. 



VOL. II. s 



