BIRDS OBSERVED ON THE CLYDE 63 



the Severe Frost of the 17th May, 1871," Mr. James Ramsay, 

 then a Vice-President of the Society, who is still held in 

 respectful remembrance by some of our members, said : — " Satur- 

 day, the 22nd April, was about as ungenial a day as ever I 

 recollect, considering the time of year : cold and blustering, with 

 constantly - recurring sleety showers ; yet, on that Saturday 

 afternoon I saw as many as a dozen Swallows {Hirundo rustica) 

 skimming over the surface of the Clyde, just above the new 

 Albert Bridge. The following day was no great improvement on 

 its predecessor, as regards the weather ; but, on that day also, I 

 saw a perfect little flock of Sand Martins {H. riparia), with two 

 or three Swallows amongst them, sporting over the Langside 

 dam on the Cart." The Swallow (Hirundo rustica, Linn.) is 

 still, of course, an abundant bird, usually appearing in the third 

 week of April, but I have not seen any of the Hirundinidse 

 much below Dalmarnock Bridge, and think Mr. Ramsay's note 

 on its appearance at the Albert Bridge very interesting at this 

 date, and likely to get more so with the flux of time. 



The House-Martin (Chelidon urbica (Linn.)) is very much 

 scarcer, but to be seen regularly notwithstanding. It may be 

 remembered that in the Extracts from an unpublished Ornith- 

 ology of Glasgow, by the late Dr. John Grieve, which I arranged 

 for the last part of the Society's Transactions issued, that 

 gentleman stated of this species — " Their nests are to be found 

 on almost every window fronting the Clyde." The Sand Martin 

 {Cotile riparia (Linn.)) may be looked for during the first 

 fortnight of April, and, no doubt, sometimes appears before 

 March is out, though J have not been fortunate to find it so 

 early — the 2nd of April being my earliest date. Like the 

 Swallow, it is abundant during summer. No place can be more 

 favourably situated than the banks of the river for watching the 

 behaviour of the delightful family to which these birds belong. 



The Greenfinch (Ligurinus chloris (Linn.)) is common, 

 about Dalbeth especially; at any rate, I rarely miss hearing its 

 cheerful song in that neighbourhood. Mr. Wilson tells me it is 

 very common in large flocks in winter. 



The Siskin (Carduelis spinus (Linn.)) I have only seen once, and 

 that was in April thirteen or fourteen years ago. I was sitting on 

 the right bank of the stream, opposite Farme, when a small flock 



