134 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 
Nesting of Great Spotted Woodpecker.—/x Argylishire.— 
This year the Great Spotted Woodpecker has nested in Glenfinart, 
Ardentinny, and at Castle Lachlan, Strachur, Loch Fyne. We 
knew of two nests at the former place, one of which contained 
young birds. In addition to these two pairs there were, I think, 
two others. We did not locate their nests, but as they could be 
heard working in places far removed from the ones we knew of, 
I don’t think they were the same. At the Castle Lachlan locality 
one nest was seen, and this contained young birds in the second 
week of June.—Joun H. P. Lescuaas, Ardentinny. 
In Perthshire.—I have the pleasure to add to the records of the 
nesting of the above bird in Perthshire. A pair were noticed in 
a wood in the Trossachs in the closing days of May this year. 
Attention was first attracted by the unfamiliar note, ‘ pick,” ‘ pick,” 
and the birds were eventually seen passing back and forward among 
the trees, their wavering flight and appearance rather reminding one 
of a Magpie with a short tail. The nest was soon betrayed, being 
situated in a hole about ten to twelve feet from the ground in the 
headless trunk of a large birch. Though they were under close 
observation for about three hours, during which they foraged 
actively for insects up and down the tree trunks, the birds were 
not once heard or seen to tap. The chirps of a young brood were 
plainly heard when the old birds entered the hole. I do not know 
whether it is a fact that the Woodpeckers abstain from unnecessary 
noise when rearing young. Though they usually clung to the bark 
in the accepted attitude, the Woodpeckers sometimes perched on 
branches like other birds.—M. R. Tomuinson, Inveresk. 
Six Eggs in an Oystercatcher’s Nest.—On 17th May of 
this year on one of the Clyde shores amongst stones I found six 
eggs of the Oystercatcher in one nest. It seems likely that these 
eggs were laid by two birds, although no distinction in the colour 
or marking of the eggs could be traced that would indicate that 
they were laid by different birds. ‘The scoop in the gravel was 
first noticed on 7th May, so that all the eggs had been laid in 
ten days. Nine paces from the Oystercatcher’s nest, amongst 
smaller stones, was a Ringed Plover’s nest, with its usual four 
eggs. The ground colour of these Plover’s and Oystercatcher’s eggs 
was very much alike, a grey stone colour, whereas other Oyster- 
catchers’ eggs I have seen were more yellowish.—T. MALLocu, 
Johnstone. 
