116 Transactions. 
were not observed. ‘The song of this bird is very loud and clear. 
The Wood Warbler and Willow Warbler are abundant, the 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 Chiff 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 Tree Pipit, 
whose eggs are said to vary more than almost any other 
British bird, is abundant. The Meadow 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 hills 
by daybreak, and with a fine morning, the air of the freshest, the 
sun rising gloriously in the east, a view stretching to Criffel, the 
