330 Raptorial Birds of the Solway Area. 



Gray states that Totenham Lee shot two and saw a third on 

 Glenlee in 1853, but I do not care to accept the statement. 



We next come to one of the most interesting Raptores on 

 our list, 



The Merlin. 



In the breeding season it is rather local. It nests pretty freely 

 on the Upper Nithsdale moors, but seems scarce and casual else- 

 where in Dumfriesshire. In Galloway it is partial to moorlands 

 near the shore during summer. During the autumn months it is 

 a comparatively numerous species, and is then of general distribu- 

 tion throughout Solway. At that time its splendid speed and 

 supreme mastery of the power of flight make it an object of much 

 interest to the field ornithologist. 



The Kestrel 



still holds its own wonderfully well, and I verily believe that 

 even gamekeepers are beginning to doubt if a Falcon, after all, 

 may be entirely evil. It is a scheduled species, and well deserves 

 all the protection that can be given it. I have often observed the 

 nests of this bird on the sheep farms of Nithsdale and Annandale, 

 and noticed how in these districts the pellets, or castings, which, 

 as you know, all the Raptorial birds disgorge, being the indiges- 

 tible parts of their meals, are often largely, and sometimes entirely, 

 composed of the rejectamenta of the Spring Dorbeetle. During 

 the vole plague the Kestrels were augmented in numbers to an 

 enormous extent, and they seemed to suffer similarly, but to a 

 considerably less degree, from the same cause that killed off so 

 many of the Short-eared Owls. 



[The Goshawk] 



[comes next, and following the admirable method adopted by Mr 

 Harvie Brown, the Goshawk as a Solway species must be kept 

 within "square brackets." The bird is mentioned twice in the 

 "New Statistical Account" as a nesting species on the Ross 

 and Muncraig heughs, near Kirkcudbright. These are at pre- 

 sent, or were very recently, both stations of the Peregrine Falcon. 

 The name " Goshawk " used to be often applied to the Peregrine 

 in Galloway, where it is quite a common habit to misname things. 

 Then we have the story first set down by Totenham Lee, jun., to 

 Robert Gray, which I may be allowed to give in the latter 



