166 BIRDS OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



in the recent Act for the preservation of sea-fowl, it would appear 

 to have excited sympathy in its favour, and the protection it now 

 enjoys may ultimately, it is hoped, restore the declining strength 

 of its numbers in such localities throughout Scotland. 



I have been lately favoured, through Mr David Douglas of 

 Edinburgh, with some very interesting notes on this bird, written 

 by his friend, Mr A. Irvine Robertson, who had many opportunities 

 of remarking the habits of the species in the neighbourhood of 

 Portpatrick, in Wigtownshire. Mr Robertson states that he and 

 his brother have seen as many as six together, but not more, near 

 that village, and that he has also seen them occasionally as far 

 south as Drumore and at the north extremity of Broad sea Bay. 

 "They are most plentiful, however," continues my informant, 

 " within five miles of Portpatrick, on either side of the village. 

 We found five broods on the cliffs to the south, and two to the 

 north, and very probably there were more. One of the nests 

 between Cairngarroch and Port-a-yew, was built in a narrow hole 

 above the centre of the arch at the mouth of a cave. We were 

 told that for many years the birds had built a few yards to the 

 side of the arch, but the Portpatrick boys having managed to 

 reach the nest and rob it, the Choughs, after several vain attempts 

 to rear a brood in the old place, knowingly moved their quarters 

 to the present impregnable position. It is as good a place for 

 watching their habits as one could wish for; the nest is about 

 twenty feet from the ground, and the young ones can be heard 

 distinctly, and when well grown can be seen occasionally looking 

 over the edge and getting fed by the old birds. Another nest 

 found by my brother was placed in a slit in the face of the cliff, 

 about thirty feet from the ground ; it contained two eggs, which 

 were taken. In about three weeks a boy from the Port visited the 

 nest and found that the birds had again bred and hatched a pair of 

 young ones; these were, in colour, exactly the same as full grown 

 birds, and nad red beaks and legs, though, perhaps, a shade less 

 decided. For a week they throve well and ate worms greedily, 

 but unfortunately at the end of the week he tried them with 

 oatmeal and water the first dose of which they did not long 

 survive." 



