ig8 Alexander Goodman More. [i867 



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. 



(January 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 : 



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

 summer ; 



- for the birds which are less numerous in winter ; 



