36 BIRDS OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



at all difficult to rear. A few years ago, a pair which were taken 

 near Girvan, fed freely upon small trout, which they seemed to 

 prefer, when supplied with these and small birds at the same time. 

 After getting their liberty, when able to fly, they returned to 

 their cage at night; and during the day-time, if I happened to be 

 fishing in the stream close to the house, they would come and 

 perch on a paling near at hand, and anxiously wait for any small 

 fry that were hooked. Sometimes one of them, tired of waiting, 

 would strike down a linnet and begin eating it on the footpath, 

 but it relinquished its prey at once on being offered a fish. 



Mr Graham tells me that he has seen the Kestrel hawking for 

 worms over a newly ploughed field in Argyleshire, alighting to 

 devour one, and then resuming its search, hovering a few yards 

 above the ground very perseveringly. 



I am inclined to think that, in some districts at least, the 

 Kestrel is partly nocturnal in its flight, having observed it on the 

 heugh-heads, near Dunbar, about nightfall, snatching at ghost- 

 moths and large beetles as they hovered above some grassy 

 patches near the edge of the cliffs. 



I find from Don's Fauna of Forfarshire, that this bird in his day 

 was, not inappropriately, called " Willie whip the wind." 



THE GOSHAWK. 



ASTUR PALUMBARIUS. 



As a Scottish species, the Goshawk is now, in common with 

 other conspicuous birds of prey, very rarely met with. In the 

 western districts, it has never indeed come under my observation, 

 either alive or recently captured. I am indebted, however, to my 

 obliging correspondent, the Eev. Alex. Stewart of Ballachulish, for 

 a record of its occurrence in Argyleshire over a period of twenty 

 years. Two were seen by that gentleman thirteen years ago in 

 Glasgow; they were newly stuffed, and had been shot on the 

 Lochbuy estate in Mull. Another was killed in Glenorchy in 

 1848, and was in the possession of Dr Aldcroft of Oban. A third 

 specimen, a female, was shot in the district of Appin a few years 

 ago, and belonged to the late Captain Sutherland of Invercoe, 

 Glencoe. Mr Stewart also states that he saw a living specimen 

 of the Goshawk in August, 1 866, on board the yacht " Chloe," 



