110 ELGIN. 



April 19th. I see in the rapid gravelly streams of the 

 burn a great many lampreys (five inches in length), collected 

 in groups of six or eight, and apparently very busily employed in 

 carrying about small stones about the size of a sweet pea. 



The river and burn are smaller than I ever saw them, owing 

 to the long continued want of rain. 



April 25th. Bright and clear, but cold east wind. The 

 little willow wren is now in the garden. Great want of rain. 

 The farmers complain of their grass being entirely burnt up. 



April 27th. Peewits are hatched. 



April 28th. Young blackbirds and robins flying. Warm 

 rain for an hour. 



April 29th. I saw a large flock of fieldfares to-day. They 

 are very late. I shot one that there might be no mistake. 



In Spynie I found one egg of the black-headed gull. They 

 have built plenty of nests, but have not laid any eggs yet. 



April 30th. In the evening we went to the Wood of Plus- 

 carden. The badgers were making a great noise late in the 

 evening, apparently frightened. 



Vast numbers of wood-pigeons breed in the woods, but I think 

 that very few eggs are hatched owing to the crows taking them. 



May 5th. I looked for the nest of the peregrine to-day, and 

 found that it is placed not, as usual, on a ledge of rock, but quite 

 within a small hole in a place apparently more suited for a jack- 

 daw to build in. Below the nest at the foot of the cliff we 

 found a drake teal partly eaten, but quite fresh. The falcon 

 must have carried it about three miles. 



In the woods the badgers and foxes make a great noise now 

 at night, barking, howling, etc. 



On the 2nd the black-headed gulls have their nests in 

 Spynie, principally with only one egg, few with three, their 

 whole number. 



May 10th. We heard the land-rail, and saw swifts and fly- 

 catchers for the first time. We took a nest of shovellers' eggs 

 (10) in Spynie. Also a good many black-headed gulls' eggs. 

 I saw several wild ducks' nests, and also a brood or two of young 



