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mature herring) with its crop, etc. quite full of turnip. I never 

 before knew that any gulls eat these plants. Very cold wind, W. 



February 8th. The birds (thrushes and chaffinches) sing 

 very much now in the garden. The large-headed field-mice, 

 which are very destructive to many plants, such as pinks, car- 

 nations, cabbage plants, stocks, French beans, young sweet peas, 

 etc., do not seem to come out of their holes in the walls much in 

 wet weather. These mice also peel the ash branches, the young 

 pink thorns, etc. which grow on the old walls. The best bait for 

 them seems to be pieces of apple, as they appear to be quite 

 vegetable eaters. 



February 14A A water-ouzel in the Lossie was singing 

 this morning, and chasing another bird of the same kind, 

 apparently a female, not being so black as the one that was 

 singing. They frequently both dropped into the water, arid 

 dived for a short time. The song is very musical and pleasing, 

 though short. 



February 24th. Fine. Great numbers of duck, wigeon, teal, 

 and one goose (I think a white-fronted goose) in the swamp 

 at Lochinvar. 



I heard the wood-pigeon coo for the first time this year to-day. 



March 23rd. Warm and gentle rain. I see a wren building 

 in the garden. Several pairs of wood-pigeons -close to the house. 



April *7th. I see the eels beginning to show in the dead 

 pools^up the river. 



A hawk to-day attacked the birds in the cages which were 

 outside the window, killing two birds and tearing the wing 

 off' a poor bullfinch, so that we were obliged to kill it. 



April I Oth. A water- ouzel's nest in the burn has two eggs. 

 It was built in a broken bank. 



The bats fly about now round the buildings and garden. 

 Geese have been seen aboitt for some days, but do riot seem 

 to feed near this. 



April 13th. C. took the water-ouzel's nest an immense 

 building for the size of the bird, the whole being fully as large as 

 a pail, made of moss outwardly and lined with dry grass, etc. 



