ELGIN. 117 



April *7th. A pair of wood-pigeons looking for a resting- 

 place in the garden. 



April 1 Oth. As yet 1 have not seen a single spring bird of 

 passage, such as the wheatear, etc., which I generally see a week 

 before this. Every bird is late this year. On the 19th of April 

 in a former season I had found a wild duck's nest with thirteen 

 eggs, apparently within a week of hatching. This season I do 

 not think that they have eggs yet. 



April 1 5th. Soft west wind. Fished to Lossiemouth and 

 caught a few white trout. 



April 16th. On Monaghty Hill killed a mountain hare. I 

 found a wild duck's nest with eleven eggs. The old bird sitting. 



A sparrow-hawk took a hen blackbird off her nest in the 

 garden to-day. 



April 24:th. Wild duck in the garden beginning to sit. 



April 26th I found the peregrine's nest at Hopeman in 

 exactly the same hole that she used last year. I saw three 

 sand-martins to-day. 



May 5th. Gulls have great numbers of eggs in Spynie. 

 Many of the nests have their full number and are sitting. 



The sedge-warblers are in the reeds, etc. about the loch. 



Young wild ducks hatched on the 3rd. 



May 9th. At Spynie saw swifts and heard the cuckoo, 

 both for the first time this year. I heard the sedge-warblers in 

 the reeds. The gulls (black-headed) are more numerous than 

 ever. Very few ducks appear to have nests. Three pairs 

 of shovellers (at least) flying about. Cold wind and sleet. 



Sedge-warblers singing. 



May 10th. The herring-gulls have eggs. 



May llth. The common white butterfly flying about. 



May llth. Found a merlin's nest with three eggs. The 

 old birds appear to watch near it by turns to keep off the hooded 

 crows from their eggs till they begin to sit. 



C. found the shoveller's nest (eleven eggs) at Spynie. 



We went to the rocks near Covesea to look for peregrines' 

 nests. For some time the old birds did not show, and although 



