ig8 Alexander Goodman More. 



tour ended with a hurried visit in October to the Isle of 

 Wight. 



In the winter of 1867-8 began his correspondence with 

 Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown. In a letter containing some in- 

 quiries for the purposes of his contemplated " Birds of Stir- 

 lingshire," Mr. Harvie-Brown mentioned, among other 

 ornithological items, a peculiarly interesting discovery of 

 his own, i. e. of a Woodlark's nest (the first ever known in 

 Scotland), found in Torwood Forest. During the whole 

 remaining period of his correspondence with Mr. More 

 (27 years) he never found another; but Mr. More mean- 

 while had almost equally curious experience of the capri- 

 ciousness of the same bird in Ireland. " A list to be 

 marked," in accordance with his usual practice, accom- 

 panied his reply to Mr. Harvie-Brown's letter. 



(Jamiary 8th, 1868.} Your letter has just been forwarded to me 

 from the Isle of Wight, and I hasten to thank you for the very interest- 

 ing items of information which you have so kindly communicated. The 

 discovery of the Woodlark breeding in Scotland is a most important 

 fact ; and I do not doubt that your continued observations on the birds 

 of Stirlingshire will lead to a most interesting publication. At the 

 same time, will you pardon my expressing a hope that you will not 

 print quite yet, if you have the prospect of future opportunities of con- 

 tinuing your observations. For my own part, when writing on the birds 

 of the Isle of Wight, I found that a very few seasons brought in a great 

 deal of information which I much regretted came too late. I am sure 

 that a good county Fauna from any part of Scotland will be a very 

 useful and interesting contribution to Science, and I hope that you will 

 be able to carry out your design. ... If you have sufficient leisure, I 

 should feel extremely obliged if you will kindly consent to help me in a 

 scheme which I have been for some time planning. I am trying to 

 obtain some data on the migration (or partial migration) of birds within 

 Great Britain ; and I expect some interesting results if I can obtain a 

 sufficient number of lists from different counties. I should feel extremely 

 obliged if you will kindly be my authority for your county of Stirling, 

 and I hope that you will not find it too much trouble to mark the enclosed 

 blank list on the following plan . 



Please, first, to underline the names of all the birds which breed in 

 the county. 



Next, after the name of each of these please to add one of the 

 signs : 



4- for birds more numerous in winter (i. e. about mid-winter) than in 

 summer ; 



- for the birds which are less numerous in winter ; 



