1899-1900. ] The Birds of Bute and Arran. 79 
being very pretty, and its shores well wooded. This want of 
water of course accounts for the absence of many aquatic 
species, which might otherwise haunt the place if their favourite 
breeding-grounds were more plentiful. The climate of both 
islands is, on the whole, very mild, hence the fact of Bute being 
such a resort of invalids; but as an offset to that advantage, it 
must be confessed that in some seasons the quantity of rain 
that falls is sufficient to more than satisfy the needs of the 
gS Cat Poe Fe =~ 
most ardent hydropathist or rabid teetotaller. This very 
cursory sketch of the islands must suffice, so let us turn to 
the bird life. 
It will be within the memory of most of you that May 
1899 was a most inclement, cold, and backward month, just 
about the very worst possible for observing the feathered 
- fauna, and to this I attribute the circumstance that my list is 
so meagre, and nothing like so full as many other stations in 
Scotland can show under more favourable climatic conditions. 
It would take up too much time to separately describe all the 
species observed in both islands, as many of them are dupli- 
cated ; so to avoid this, I purpose appending to the paper two 
lists showing the species noted in Bute during May, and in 
Arran during June, 1899. 
Of the Falconide or Strigide (that is to say, the hawks and 
owls) I never happened to identify one solitary specimen, 
although no doubt several exist. They cannot be plentiful, 
however; probably their numbers are well kept down for the 
_ benefit of the almighty game, but upon that vexed and con- 
troversial subject it may be as well to draw the veil. The 
Corvide, or crows, were fairly well represented. Chief among 
them is the raven, which was identified several times in 
Arran, at the head of Glen Cloy, also in Glen Sannox, where 
two pairs were observed about a mile apart. No ground 
could be more suitable for rearing their young, as the cliffs in 
many places are perfectly inaccessible; and there"are so many 
solitary spots admirably adapted for nesting purposes, that it 
is not likely they will become extinct in our day, although 
persecuted with unyielding rigour. The carrion crow also 
frequents this island, although I found no trace of the grey 
or hooded species at the time of year indicated. Naturally, 
the rook was, as elsewhere, in evidence, and our cunning and 
