1903-1904-] Wild Life around Edinburgh. lOl 



While records occur every now and again in the papers of the 

 capture of badgers in different parts of the Lothians, I never 

 expected to be able to record their appearance within four 

 miles of the market cross of Edinburgh. Their burrow is 

 situated somewhere on Corstorphine Hill. Perhaps some day 

 the members of the Society may wish to visit the spot, but 

 meantime this description will suffice. I first heard of their 

 being there in the beginning of 1903, but I have no doubt 

 the badgers were in the hill a considerable time before that 

 date. Their tracks have been seen right down through Muir- 

 house grounds to the seashore near Granton, and the garbage 

 which is found along the coast makes an acceptable meal. 

 On Sunday morning, 15th August last, a dead badger was 

 found at the foot of the steep rocks on the west side of 

 the hill. It had possibly missed its footing and been killed 

 by the fall. 



The fox also breeds regularly on Corstorphine Hill, and has 

 done so for many years. I shall not enter into a detailed 

 description of the smaller animal life to be found in the 

 neighbourhood. I have placed on the table a specimen of the 

 lesser shrew, our smallest British mammal, but I only want to 

 speak of the squirrel, — an animal which has recently furnished 

 a good deal of discussion in this Society. Unfortunately I 

 was not present when Dr Aitchison Eobertson read his paper, 

 but in the ' Transactions ' for that year I find this sentence : 

 " The ridiculous statement which we find in certain books that 

 the squirrel kills and eats young birds and mice in their nests 

 is so alien to their natural habits, that I only mention it to 

 show how imperfectly the habits of this little animal have 

 been studied." I do not wish to destroy the good opinion of 

 the squirrel which any one who reads Dr Eobertson's words 

 will form, but I think the statement is too dogmatic to be 

 allowed to appear in our ' Transactions ' without at least being 

 modified. I can personally give one instance of the squirrel 

 eating young birds. On the 18th of July 1896 my father 

 had his attention attracted by the plaintive cries and flutterings 

 of two birds which proved to be flycatchers. The cause was 

 soon seen, for sitting at the poor birds' nest was a squirrel 

 coolly devouring a young fledgling, which he held in his paws 

 as he would a nut. The nest was situated on the limb of an 



