302 BIRDS OF ARRAN. 



SAND MARTIN (llirundo riparia). Common arriving 

 much earlier than the other swallows. 



SWIFT (Cypsdus apus). Very common. 



NIGHTJAR (Caprimulgus Europceus). Very common, 

 breeding in many of the moorlands. Mr. Alston writes to 

 me, that having been told of the goshawk breeding annually 

 near Laggan, he had taken the trouble to apply to Mr. 

 Halliday for further information, and had found that the 

 nightjar goes by that name in Arran. 



126. RASORES. 



WOOD PIGEON (Columba palumbus). This bird is becom- 

 ing very numerous on all the wooded islands included in the 

 county of Bute. In Arran especially it is rapidly increas- 

 ing ; and I have noticed the same increase in Cumbrae during 

 the last twelve or fourteen years. 



ROCK DOVE (Columba lima). Very numerous in the sea 

 caves. The breed, however, is much mixed in some places. 

 Mr. Duncan C. Brown informs me that he has frequently 

 seen these birds perched on leafless trees, in the neighbour- 

 hood of their haunts, in Arran. 



PHEASANT (Phasianus colchicus). Was introduced into the 

 island of Arran about thirty-five years ago, and is now mul- 

 tiplying satisfactorily. 



CAPERCAILZIE (Tetrao urogallus). In 1847, when Dr. 

 Landsborough wrote his work on Arran, capercailzies had for 

 some time been re-introduced into the island, but were then 

 kept in an enclosure made for their reception near Brodick 

 Castle. Since that time they have had their full liberty, and 

 are now tolerably numerous in that part of the island, 

 breeding freely in the open grounds, where the woods afford 

 them a ready shelter. Mr. Halliday informs me that he 

 often sees from thirty to forty capercailzies in the course of a 

 day's walk, and that he can always calculate on finding about 

 twenty nests in a season. 



BLACK GROUSE (Tetrao tetrix). Most abundant It has 



