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were not observed. Tlie song of tliis bird is very loud and clear. 

 The Wood Warbler and Willow Warbler are abundant, tlie former 

 having increased in numbers greatly during the last dozen years. 

 When Macgillvray wrote it was not recorded from the north of 

 Scotland, but in June of 1883 I heard numbers of Wood Warblers 

 about Balmacarra, and all along the wooded banks of the Cale- 

 donian Canal, from Inverness southwards. There is almost no 

 doubt but that the Cldff' Chaff visits the parish, but I have not 

 seen its nest, and cannot distinguish the bird from the Willow 

 Warbler. Numbers of the Golden-crested Wren are found in the 

 woods, particularly where there are pines. That very active little 

 bird the Wren is plentiful. It is a pugnacious little fellow. One 

 day, when the ground was covered with snow, I observed two fight- 

 ing, rolling about until quite draggled, and so fatigued that they 

 could hardly fly away. It adapts the exterior of its nest beauti- 

 fully to the surroundings. Two of which I knew last year could 

 not have been detected but for the small hole in the side. One 

 was in a clump of withered fern, and composed chiefly of the 

 same material. The other was against the trunk of a moss- 

 covered ash tree. The birds had got under the moss, raising it 

 sufficiently from the stem to allow of their making the nest com- 

 pletely underneath it. The Tree Creeper, whose bill is so 

 admirably adapted for securing its food from underneath the 

 bark, is not rare. The Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, and Long- 

 tailed Tit are all common, especially the two first. I saw a proof 

 of the strength of the Great Tit's bill on one occasion when it 

 picked up a grain of Indian corn, with which it flew to a tree. 

 After pecking at it for some time the corn was dropped, and on 

 examination was found to have a considerable hole in it. 

 Pied and Grey Wagtails are common. The IVee Fipit, 

 whose eggs are said to vary more than almost any other 

 Bi'itish bird, is abundant. The Meadoio Pipit is by far the 

 most numerous of the small birds in the parish. A few pairs 

 of Sky Larks are found on most of the hills (generally near 

 the top) during the spring and summer months. Their song is 

 one of the sweetest, and rendered particularly charming under 

 the circumstances in which we often hear it on the Tynron hills. 

 The duties of those who have charge of sheep lead them, during 

 the latter part of April and first half of May, to be on the liills 

 by daybreak, and with a fine morning, the air of the freshest, the 

 sun risin" "loriously in the east, a view stretching to Criffel, the 



