328 Raptorial Birds of the Solway Area. 



Sir H. Maxwell says is a White-tailed Eagle), taken from the 

 nest about that time, was kept in captivity at Cairnsmore House, 

 where it died only a couple of years ago. As I have already said, 

 there is considerable confusion in local records and stories betwixt 

 the two species, and the Osprey has also been confused with 

 them. But the Golden Eagle, judging from specimens in exist- 

 ence, seems to have been by far the commoner. There was some 

 ID or 12 years ago an old man still alive in Dalmellington who as 

 a youth swam to the islet in Loch Macaterick, and took the 

 eaglets from the eyrie there so far back as 1812. 



The Osprey. 



The picturesque lochs of Galloway lost their finest ornament 

 when the Fishing Eagle left their shores. Beyond any doubt it 

 bred on the islets of Lochs Skerrow and Grannoch, and also on 

 one or other of the Glenhead group of lochs, till about i860 — a 

 year, or maybe two, sooner or later. 



The birch tree on an islet on I,och Skerrow was still standing 

 within the last 20 years, and I have spoken to several persons, 

 not much older than myself, who had seen the big, bulky nest 

 the birds built upon it. 



Gray made a statement in " Birds of the West of Scotland " 

 (and the same passage also appears in Gray and Anderson's 

 "Birds of Ayrshire and Galloway ") that it then had (that was 

 under date of 1870) a frequented eyrie in Wigtownshire. He 

 farther stated that it had then a nesting site in Kirkcudbright- 

 shire. Not long before Gray's death Professor Newton was, I 

 believe, in communication with him as to these statements, but 

 could not obtain, I was told, any confirmatory evidence. The 

 late Captain Clark Kennedy was Mr Gray's informant, and I 

 tried also to get some data from him on the subject, but those 

 who knew that gallant gentleman will not be surprised to hear 

 that I failed. While I have no evidence against these statements 

 of Gray's and Clark Kennedy's, there is considerable doubt that 

 the Osprey really nested in Galloway more than perhaps a couple 

 of years at most subsequent to i860. I have questioned many 

 persons who knew the lochs well as angling haunts, but I never 

 succeeded in getting any tangible information. At the same 

 time, several anglers have told me of having seen an occasional 

 Osprey during these last thirty years. Of the 



