CHAP. vi.J ATTEMPTS TO BREED. 323 



mills for the rest of the year. [That distinguished 

 Ornithologist repeatedly visited the Gull, and also the 

 Heron here spoken of.] On one occasion I had the 

 opportunity of remarking that, when the Gull and the 

 Heron first met in my garden, after the absence of the 

 former for some months, they evinced no shyness, but 

 on the contrary rather indicated by their motions that 

 they mutually recognised each other. 



" Early in the spring of 1828, the late Mr. Allan, 

 of Lauriston Castle, sent me a female Heron, which 

 had been slightly hurt, and blown into his grounds at 

 the sea-side during a violent gale, and caught by his 

 gardener. It was tied -by the leg ; but I immediately 

 removed the ligature, shortened the quill-feathers of 

 one wing, and placed her at large near the other bird. 

 After a few cautious approaches, they soon associated, 

 and the new comer showed no inclination to escape. 

 Somewhat to my surprise I observed that they paired 

 in the following season. They formed a very rude 

 nest on the top of my garden wall, the base of which 

 was, at that time, washed by Canonmills Loch (now 

 drained by a railway company). The hen laid either 

 three or four eggs, I am not sure which. By some 

 strong wind or other accident the nest and eggs were 

 swept into the loch. % The hen then laid three other 

 eggs, in a shrubbery border, in a rough nest of sticks 

 which they had collected. It was very near a door 

 which opened from the garden into the loch, and was 

 placed close by the box edging of the walk. When 

 the gardener was drawing water from the lock, the hen 

 never moved ; but when strangers happened to approach 

 incautiously, she suddenly flitted off the eggs, and in 

 this way t\vo of the eggs were broken. We then put 



Y 2 



