( 29 ) 
SOME NOTES ON THE BREEDING-HABITS OF 
THE MERLIN. 
BY 
E. RICHMOND PATON. 
THE following extracts from my diary concerning some 
Merlins (Falco c. wsalon) which I watched in 1916 on a moor 
in Ayrshire, may be of interest. 
April 29th. Merlin on the moor. 
May 25th. Cock Merlin rose from deep heather on the 
high, flat ground. On walking up I found two fresh eggs by 
the side of a turf drain on a dry hag. The cock was not 
incubating, but was guarding the nest and sat close. The 
eggs were quite cold. The female was not seen at all. The 
bird flew straight away, low over the moss and never uttered 
a cry, settling on a wire fence two-hundred yards away where 
it remained until I was half a mile distant. The moor is 
open and any one approaching can be seen for one mile in 
all directions from the nest. 
May 27th. Fine. Female Merlin rose off three eggs when 
I was ten to fifteen yards away, not appearing again and not 
uttering a note. Cock not seen. 
June Ist. Very wet till 6 p.m. Female Merlin sitting 
very closely on three eggs, which must be the full clutch. She 
rose off flying low and uttered no sound. 
June 9th. Wet. Female Merlin sitting closely. I made 
a point of being noisy as I approached the nest, but she did 
not rise, as usual, until I was within ten yards. Fifty yards 
distant from the nest I-found a feeding knoll on which were 
feathers of small birds. 
June 23rd. Visited Merlin. Male sitting now. The eggs 
are now very brown in colour and should be hatched in a 
day or so. 
June 26th. Young hatched. Hen bird sitting, male away 
nowhere to be seen. One young bird is smaller than the 
other two. The eyes of the young are pitch black. 
June 30th. Neither parent present, but the female appeared 
at once, calling sharply and later the male arrived, calling 
also I believe. 
July 9th. Parent birds were away,-but turned up later. 
The young were calling like the old birds and were feeding 
themselves, their beaks being covered with blood. 
July 12th. Parents not seen at all to-day. 
July 15th. Young are now black-faced and brown-eyed. 
The wing-feathers are starting. 
