L 



1904-1905.] The Avifau7ia of the Solway Area. 185 



On the Galloway coast we have breeding- stations of the 

 common gull that are the most southerly on the west coast 

 of Great Britain, and these are getting more populous than 

 they used to be. All the gulls are certainly on the increase, 

 and this may be attributable to protection, to the effect of the 

 gun tax, and some other less evident causes. A new breeding 

 species with us is the great crested grebe, which has at least 

 three breeding-stations. Strange to say, the little grebe has 

 only remained to breed with us in comparatively recent years. 

 Not many do so yet, but it is of fairly general distribution in 

 the nesting season. 



After a lengthy series of years, during which the resident 

 cormorant population was either stationary or going back in 

 numbers, one of their large breeding-places that had been 

 deserted for almost forty years has again been taken up very 

 numerously. 



One of the prettiest bird sights we have in spring and 

 summer is the great abundance of the beautiful sheldrakes 

 scattered in pairs or small flocks over the vast sandy expanses 

 that fringe the firth. This pretty duck is certainly increasing 

 to a rather remarkable extent, and far more of them nest at 

 inland localities than formerly. 



Ducks in general have more than recovered from the down- 

 grade that threatened the tribe so seriously some thirty or 

 more years ago. The long-tailed duck is creeping around 

 from the west coast, and the capture or sight of individuals in 

 the waters of the firth is not so unusual as it was in very 

 recent years. Then there is the tufted duck, of which the 

 first nest was only found so recently as 1887, and now it 

 would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a piece of water 

 of sufficient size to which they do not resort to nest. 



Specially interesting is the small colony of pied flycatchers 

 that have within the past twelve to fifteen years put in an 

 appearance each season in Nithsdale and Annandale respect- 

 ively. These are increasing very slowly, and indications are 

 not wanting that we may see some established offshoots before 

 long. Our Dumfriesshire pied flycatchers have doubtless 

 originated from those that have long been known to frequent 

 the Lake District. 



Let me also mention the fairly regular appearance now 



