332 Raptorial Birds of the Solway Area. 



outright at least half a dozen times over. The places, or beats, 

 of the birds thus killed are filled again each season by arrivals 

 from other parts of the western range of the species. This 

 process, however, cannot go on for ever, and it is showing signs 

 of coming to an end. Like other members of our fauna, sub- 

 jected to like cruel treatment, continued persecution is bound to 

 finally banish the Sparrow Hawk. 



The Kite 



may have been, and probably was, a resident at one period. But I 

 have never been able to glean a single authentic note on its former 

 existence. It is occasionally reported as seen, the fork in the tail 

 leading sanguine observers to think they have identified it. 



The Common Buzzard, 



although not by any means justified in its trivial name, now-a- 

 days, is still happily not rare in the Stewartry. I hardly think it 

 breeds in Dumfriesshire or Wigtownshire, but it does so in several 

 localities in Kirkcudbrightshire. In the south of the county one 

 pair had their nest on a tree in late years, but in the hill country 

 they breed on cliffs. The last time I was in the neighbourhood 

 of Loch Dungeon I saw no fewer than three on the wing at one 

 time, flying in wide circles over the Carlin's Cairn. One was 

 shot in Eskdale a short time ago, and another frequented a 

 locality not more than three miles from this hall most of last 

 winter. Almost every year a few examples are killed during the 

 autumn migration. 



The Rough-Legged Buzzard 



is a species that, so far at least as Solway is concerned, can 

 only be regarded as a casual winter migrant. We have had in 

 my own experience three immigrations. The first was in the 

 autumn of 1875, just at the start off of the vole plague of 

 i875"76- There was another in the autumn of 1880, since when, 

 until the present season, I have not heard of it with us. On each 

 of the two first described immigrations from a dozen to a score 

 of specimens were recorded. No doubt as many more were 

 taken and no record made of the fact. Those I saw were 

 most remarkable for the range of colour in the plumage shown by 

 •the various examples. Some were very fine dark — almost black- 

 birds, while others were very light. MacGillivray states that one 



