On the Occurrence of the Tree Sparrow in Argyllshire. 199 



neighbourhood, all witliin a limited radius of ten or fifteen 

 miles. A specimen shot at Pitcox, near Dunbar, in tlie 

 same county, by the late Dr C. Nelson, was exhibited at 

 a meeting of this Society in 1859. 



From Mr George Bolam, of Bervvick-on-Tweed, I liave 

 received a most interesting account of the tree sparrow's 

 appearance and habits in Berwickshire. He states that " it 

 is fairly common all along the coast-line of North Northum- 

 berland and Berwickshire, and, wherever suitable breed- 

 ing places exist, may be found in considerable numbers. It 

 does not appear to venture far from the coast, however, and 

 so far as I am aware, except as a mere straggler, is not found 

 in this district more than a few (say six or eight) miles 

 inland." He has observed it at Eeston station on the North 

 British Eailway in Berwickshire. He further adds that, 

 although partially migratory, it is found in that district 

 throughout the year, being most plentiful in summer. 



In Ayrshire, the tree sparrow was found breeding in 1870 

 by the late Mr John Jameson, of Ardrossan, under the cope 

 of a wall near that town, and a specimen from that loca- 

 lity was exhibited by Mr Gray at a meeting of the Natural 

 History Society of Glasgow in the same year. The latter 

 gentleman states, in his work on the " Birds of the AYest of 

 Scotland," that Mr D. C. Brown, of Glasgow, informed him 

 that he had observed it in limited numbers at Arrochar, on 

 Loch Long ; but Mr Lumsden, of Arden, who resides in that 

 neighbourhood, and to whom I applied, is unable to add any 

 late information as to this locality. Mr George Black, of 

 Greenock, tells me that a pair were seen at Cothouse, near 

 Kilmun, a few years ago, by Mr Thomas Struthers, now 

 Curator of the Greenock Museum ; and it is believed to breed 

 in that neighbourhood. 



I am not aware that this bird has been observed on the 

 west coast, to the north of the Clyde, until the last two 

 summers, when I have been fortunate enough to find it, to 

 the number of possibly twenty pairs, at Kilchoan, in the 

 western end of Ardnamurchan, in north-west Argyllshire, 

 opposite Tobermory, in the island of Mull. I w\as first struck 

 by their smaller and neater appearance, and habits less 



