28 The Veetebkates of Solway. 



hall in 1822. John M'Dlarmid states in the old "Courier" of date 

 August 9, 1825, that "pheasauts are spreading fast over the whole 

 of Galloway, very little to the comfort of the farmers, who com- 

 plain that a colony of them are as ill to keep as a hirsel of sheep." 



The Ptarmigan {Lagopus mutus. Leach). 



The Ptarmigan was still on our hilltops when the century 

 came in. It survived till about 1822. In the "Zoologist" for 

 1887 I have gone pretty fully into the history of the last survivors, 

 and all particulars may be obtained therein. 



The Woodcock {Scohpax rusticola, L.). 



Nowadays the Woodcock remains, and breeds here, in no 

 scanty numbers. It is the general belief that it did not do so 

 during the first two-thirds of the century. At the same time, 

 some are of opinion that, from insufficient observation, the fact of 

 the Woodcock remaining to breed was overlooked. I have seen 

 an egg of the Woodcock that was taken in Newabbey parish so 

 long ago as 1828. 



The Little Grebe {Podkeps fluviatilis^ Tunstall). 



This is another addition to our breeding residents. It was 

 first noted nesting at Falbae Loch, in Parton, in 1876, and since 

 then it has been noticed in several other localities. When Robert 

 Gray wrote his "Birds of the West of Scotland," he remarked 

 on the curious fact that the Little Grebe had not been known up 

 to that time to breed here. 



REPTILIA. 



The Adder {Felias berus, L.). 



Although far from being at all scarce yet, there is no doubt 

 that the Adder has greatly decreased from its former abundance. 

 Drainage and reclamation have destroyed many of its haunts. The 

 late Mr Thomas Wilkin informed me that, when a large portion of 

 his farm of Tinwald Downs was reclaimed from Lochar Moss, a 

 note of the Adders killed during the progress of the work was 

 regularly kept. The average was 40 per acre. 



PISCES. 

 The Common Cod {Gadus morrhua, L.), 

 Does not now come up the Solway Firth in the great quan- 



