180 TRANSACTIOXS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



Family Gastoridcfi. 



22. *Castor fiber, L. — Beaver. Remains were found by 

 Mr. John Smith in the Ardrossan Shell-mound and in Cleaves 

 Cove, Dairy, but written history tells nothing of this species 

 in our area. In 1874 a small colony was established at Moimt 

 Stuart, Bute, by the then Marquess of Bute, but by 1890 the 

 animals had died out. One found dead and shown at the 

 Zoological Society of Glasgow in 1890 was supposed to be the 

 last. Mr. J. Stuart Black has given some particulars of this 

 experiment in a pamphlet entitled " A Short Account of how the 

 Marquis of Bute's Beavers have succeeded in the Isle of Bute, 

 Scotland" (Cupar-Fife, 1887). 



Family Muridce. 



23. Mus MiNUTUS, Pall. — Harvest-Mouse. A nest of this 

 species from Kilbarchan (1895) is in the Paisley Museum, and 

 Mr. J. M. B. Taylor has seen the nest in the Abbey Parish. 

 The nest is also reported from Lendalfoot, but in every case 

 the animal is awanting. In the Hunterian Museum there is a 

 specimen marked " Andersonian Collection," but no further 

 data is given. It is probably not a local example. 



24. M. sylvaticus, L. — "Wood or Long-tailed Field-Mouse. 

 Common, and said also to occur in the islands, but I have no 

 information from them later than the date of Alston's general 

 statement that it is " in most if not all of the inner islands." 

 He knew it as common in Arran. In many mainland localities 

 it is so abundant as to be a pest. 



25. M. musculus, L. — House-Mouse. This 'companion of 

 man " is probably our most abundant sj^ecies. 



26. fM. RATTUS, L. — Black Rat. There is no e'S'idence that 

 this species was ever common. Recent records from Glasgow, 

 Greenock, and Paisley are almost certainly due to introductions. 

 Between March and December, 1887, Mr. W. Hannan Watson 

 received eighteen specimens from a rat-catcher, all taken in the 

 neighbourhood of Glasgow Harbour. Amongst this number was 

 a young female, which gave birth to seven young, four being 

 regular brown rats. 



27. fM. DECUMAyus, Pall. — Brown Rat. This species seems 

 to have made its appearance in the early years of last century. 



