REPORT ON SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGY IN 1 92 I 77 



and two young ones were seen in the second week of 

 June in Glenburnie, and the latter may have been bred in 

 the district, from which they have been absent for some 

 time. On i8th July traces of Hawfinches were seen in the 

 garden at Guthrie Castle, Forfarshire, where the peas were 

 found damaged as if by the powerful bill of this species. 

 A Skylark's nest at Beith had the lightest coloured eggs our 

 correspondent there has ever seen, and in the nest was a 

 Cuckoo's &%^, smaller and rather darker — the first time he 

 has found a Cuckoo's q^^ in a Skylark's nest. Seven 

 Crested Tits were seen in a fir-wood at Cullen, on 7th July, 

 where, previously, they have only been seen in winter ; our 

 correspondent adds, " it now seems possible that they may 

 breed here." 



Garden - warblers, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and 

 Great Crested Grebes are reported in July and August 

 in the neighbourhood of Dunkeld (2. xv. 239, 240, and 241). 

 These species have long been known to nest there, but it 

 is interesting to hear of their continued presence. Red- 

 starts bred in some numbers in the Arisaig district, and they 

 are said to be " quite common birds" in Glen Garry, Ross 

 {Fields 30th July 1921), while Great Spotted Woodpeckers 

 nested in Berwickshire, both at the Hirsel and Lauder. On 

 20th May, Wigeon and Pochard were seen on Loch Awe, 

 where it is pretty safe to assume that they nested, and 

 during summer we have notes of Goldeneye on several 

 Scottish lochs ; we would urge our correspondents to keep 

 a sharp look-out for an authenticated instance of their 

 breeding with us. A flock of 200 Merganser was seen off 

 Whitecross Point, Nairn, on 22nd June ; six Great Crested 

 Grebes were on Balgray Dam, Renfrewshire, on 19th August, 

 and Fulmars are reported as nesting at many of their old 

 haunts, while Dunlin again bred on the Lammermuirs. 



An interesting note on the nesting of the Red-necked 

 Phalarope (2 xv. 90) shows that the species is breeding 

 in the Hebrides as in former years. Gulls robbed all the 

 Eiders' nests on Out Skerries, Shetland, this year, except 

 those close to the Tower. " The Ducks appeared to know 

 that they were safest near the Tower, as there were seventeen 



