
HERONRIES IN THE CLYDE FAUNAL AREA. 393 
blown down, some years back. The birds frequent the neigh- 
bouring hillside, which along the loch side towards Coilessan has 
a belt of young Oaks, Alders, and Birches, and on the previous 
night they had been making a great noise. It is thus probable that 
there are a few more nests about, and during the three days I 
was at Arrochar, I never missed seeing a Heron or Herons 
about the loch. The Holy Loch is a favourite resort of the 
Heron, but the only place there that I know of it nesting at 
present, and that by report, is on the Hafton estate. Previous 
to 1845 “there was a regular Heronry in a clump of Scotch Firs 
not far from Hafton House, but they [the Herons] have 
latterly again abandoned it,” * so the present colony, whatever it 
may be, is apparently a case of re-occupation. The Heron was 
said to “frequently nestle” in the parish of Dunoon and Kil- 
mun,” but the only further definite report I have is of one nest 
near Massan Bridge, in 1890, on a Larch tree, 70 feet from the 
ground. In spite of statements to the contrary, it does not nest 
on the estate of Benmore. At Ballimore, Otter Ferry, is a 
Heronry, which I first heard of through Mr. John Renwick, and 
where, I am informed, there were 16 to 18 nests this spring. 
They are situated in Larch trees, in a wood near the shore of 
Loch Fyne.* At Inveraray there is a Heronry or Heronries, 
probably of old date, and in full vigour to-day. In a Larch 
wood on Loch Shira there used to be a number of nests, 
but some years ago a storm destroyed part of the wood, 
and in 1897 there were only one or two nests in this 
locality. A number of the birds found a fresh nesting-place 
nearer the town of Inveraray, where they had in 1897 nests to 
the number of about 16, in Scots Firs, Larch, and Beech trees.* 
This year the following statement appeared in the Glasgow Evening 
Citizen (1st April, 1899)—“ A great increase has taken place in 
the colony of Herons that established themselves about three 
years ago on the trees on Craigdhu, ° overlooking Inveraray from 
the north-west. The nests now number several score.” I felt 

1 Mr. C. S. Roedsmer, in Uit., 18th March, 1899. 
2 W.S.A., VII. (1845), p. 589. 
3 Major J. MacRae-Gilstrap, in lit., 9th August, 1899. 
4+ Rev. Wm. Stirling, i. /it., 28th December, 1897. 
§ Creag Dhubh in 0.8. map. It is the same locality mentioned by W. 8, 
