viii PREFACE. 



brawling rivers enlivened by the presence of many interesting 

 birds long since driven from the meres and sunburnt plains of the 

 south. 



In addition to local advantages of this nature, I have had the 

 satisfaction of seeing and examining the greater number of the 

 collections, public and private, in Scotland a privilege which 

 while it has enabled me to trace the distribution of some of the 

 less common species, gives me an opportunity of estimating the 

 correctness of previous records of their occurrence. Thus the 

 Grey Shrike, Great Spotted Woodpecker, and Shore Lark, formerly 

 represented as rare, are now found to be almost regular winter 

 visitants in considerable numbers, and scattered over a large tract 

 of country, although making their first appearance in the north- 

 eastern districts of Scotland; while the Hobby, Wryneck, Tree 

 Sparrow, and some other species formerly looked upon as mere 

 stragglers into Scotland, are now known to occupy breeding 

 stations even in the western counties. 



I have also carefully looked into the records of the older Scottish 

 writers, scientific and otherwise, from some of which it is evident 

 that birds recently announced as new to Scotland were long ago 

 found in different localities north of the Tweed. In Don's 'Fauna 

 of Forfarshire/ for example, several species such as the Red-backed 

 Shrike, Nuthatch, etc., are catalogued as having occurred in that 

 county as far back as the beginning of the present century 

 records which appear to have been entirely overlooked by those 

 writers who have of late years alluded to the distribution of 

 species in the British islands. 



In acknowledging how much is due to my numerous friends 

 and correspondents for their valuable co-operation during the 

 progress of this work, I have to express my obligation to Sir 

 William Jardine, Bart., for notices of several rare birds that 

 have occurred in various Scottish localities; to Sir James Mathe- 

 son, Bart., of Stornoway Castle, for many interesting notes on the 

 birds of Lewis ; to the Earl of Haddington, for very full and care- 

 fully prepared lists of the more interesting species frequenting 

 East Lothian and Berwickshire; to Henry J. Elwes, Esq., late 



