FALCO iESALON. 127 



about three miles from St Andrews. And on the 18th of May 

 1862, I got another nest on a ledge of rock, about twenty feet 

 up, near the top of the brae, also at Kinkell, past the "Rock 

 and Spindle" — there was no nest, only a few twigs laid together. 

 There were four deeply-sitten eggs in it. When I came to the 

 foot of the rock the female flew off seaward. I watched her ; she 

 came repeatedly back close to the ledge and flew away again, as 

 if loth to enter so long as I was there. At last she darted in 

 upon her eggs. The male also came and flew about, as 

 if sympathising with her, until he saw her safely in the ledge 

 upon her eggs, then ho flew away — both birds in their anxiety 

 unconsciously telling the secret they were so anxious to hide. 

 But this is a habit with the merlin. Macgillivray says — 

 " Should one approach the nest when there are young the merlin 

 flies around and overhead with great anxiety, uttering shrill 

 cries, but keeping at a safe distance," which corroborates my 

 own experience — only the pair at Kinkell came very close to me 

 when at their nest. As already said, Wordsworth had also 

 noted this habit of the merlin when he says — 



" In clamorous agitation, round the crest 

 Of a tall rock." 



On the 16th of May next year, 1863, two schoolboys also got 

 four deep-sitten eggs near the ledge of this " tall rock " where I 

 got mine. The way they managed was — the elder boy held on by 

 the younger one's heels, while he reached over the edge of the 

 rocky brae and got the eggs. They broke the eggs and left them at 

 the foot of the rock, where I picked up the shells ; they were dark, 

 dirty brown, closely freckled all over. The same year, in August, 

 the blacksmith at Brownhills (about two miles from St Andrews) 

 showed me a fine male, newly staffed. The way he got it was 

 this — flocks of sparrows frequented his pigs' troughs — one day 

 he saw a lot of sparrows flying over the paling and a hawk after 

 them, wdiicb struck its head on the top spar and fell stunned ; he 

 picked it up, but it died in a lew minutes — hence, being a fine 

 specimen, he got it stuffed — very possibly the male of the nest 

 at Kinkell. In the end of June 1856 I got a male which was 

 shot at Stravithie. And on the 9th of March 1857 I got a fine 

 female, which was shot at Cambo, which I stuffed and still have ; 

 also a male, with its feathers much worn, shot at Priorsmuir in 

 August 1859 ; and another male, shot at Kinkell in May 1862 — 

 so there can be no doubt about the merlin being indigenous in 

 Fife. The female shot at Cambo was 12 J inches to end of tail; 



