
HERONRIES IN THE CLYDE FAUNAL AREA. 383 
the birds afterwards moved to near Eglinton Castle, “where 
the River Lugden falls into the River Irvine” (sic). Here they 
nested for some years, but eventually deserted on account of the 
persecution to which they were subjected, and the close proximity 
of the Eglinton Iron Works.? I am glad to say that on a 
recent visit (15th April, 1899) to Eglinton I had the pleasure 
of seeing a flourishing colony of about thirty nests in the “ Craw” 
Wood there, the nests all being in the tallest Scots Firs, one 
or two trees having two each, height from ground running up to 
about 60 feet (estimated). The young were hatched out, as 
we heard them calling in the nests, and picked up fragments 
of egg shells and one nestling, which had fallen over, and which 
was probably about a fortnight old. This means that there were 
eggs laid in the first week of March. Rooks nest in immense 
numbers in the same wood, but the two species seem to live 
in amity, which is not always the case. The Herons have bred 
in and about this wood for 26 years, nests having also been seen 
in Beech trees near the foot of the Long Walk, and previous 
to that they nested in Sourlie Plantation (Eglinton policies). 
My informant (J. Jeffrey, an old keeper), who recollects the 
great Eglinton Tournament in 1839, says they were at Sourlie in 
that year, so they probably did not leave the policies when they 
deserted the proximity of the iron-works, and both the late and 
present Earl have protected them. Their numbers, however, 
seem to keep about the same. Another Ayrshire Heronry 
named by Mr. Harting is “a large colony at Largs (Earl of 
Glasgow”).2 The mention of this nobleman identifies the 
locality with Kelburn Park, which is in the parish of Fairlie, and 
where, within the recollection of an old man born there 80 years 
ago, Herons were nesting 70 years back. Formerly they built 
in Ash and Beech trees; some time ago they removed to their 
third known nesting-place, which is in two contiguous clumps of 
mixed trees—perhaps 100 yards between them—mostly Beech, 
with some Silver Firs, and a few Scots Firs and Larches, situated 
in an open field. The Silver Firs are the largest trees, but the 
birds have selected the Beech trees, which are neither tall nor old ; 
and when I saw them (17th March, 1899) there were 25 nests in 
1 The Lugton is a tributary of the Garnock. 
2 Zoologist (1872), p. 3267. 
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