790 The Zoologist— June, 1867. 



has been for years urging us to discard all American and other wanderers from our 

 lists, and I think that the Editor of the 'Zoologist' has maintained the same views. — 

 C. R. Bree; Colchester, May 2, 1867. 



[I have to apologize to my readers for allowing the communication from "B.T.S." 

 to appear without authentication. It did not come to this office, as so repeatedly 

 requested, but was left at Mr. Van Voorst's, and reached my hands only just in time 

 for arrangement with other short communications. I quite supposed that some other 

 communication had accompanied it, but do not fiud any, and I have no knowledge 

 whatever of the writer. The subject is unquestionably a suitable one for discussion, 

 supposing it to have been properly introduced, aud supposing also that anything can be 

 said to elucidate the question. My own opinion of the practice of introducing stragglers 

 has been expressed in the ' Dictionary of British Birds.' I scarcely suppose any reader 

 is without that book, but in case ihere is such au ODe I will repeal it here, " Notwith- 

 standing the pains I have taken to collect and incorporate these various records (of ihe 

 occurrence of stragglers) I am bound in fairness to state that I regard a great number 

 of the species now added, as well as of those described by Montagu, as not having the 

 slightest claim to the title of British birds. I confess this seems something like building 

 a house of cards and blowing it down again. My duty, however, seems to me very 

 plain. Like my great predecessor I have collected and arranged these records, and 

 like him I express my opinion that in a scientific point of vino they are utterly worth- 

 less. The time seems to have arrived when the conscientious compiler must eliminate 

 all such interlopers." To this opinion I still adhere. — Edward Newman']. 



Nesting of the Peregrine in Stirlingshire. — In the 'Zoologist' for April (S. S. 702) 

 you published a few remarks of mine in reference to the nesting of the peregrine falcon 

 in inland situations in Scotland. I now send you the result of my observations of this 

 spring on the same snivel. I wrote to a friend in Stirling, in the beginning of April, 

 to inquire whether the falcons had made their appearance this spring in the hilly dis- 

 tricts that lie to the south of the villages of Hipper) and Gurgunuock, in Stirlingshire, 

 a locality at least thirty miles in any direction from the sea. In a few days I received 

 a reply, to the effect that he had seen a pair of peregrine falcons sailing around a pre- 

 cipitous mountain-side, from which, in 1857, I had taken a nest. Begging him to 

 watch carefully for the nesting-places, and to get ready a sufficient amount of rope, 

 I waited till the 26th of April, and then went to Stirling. The morning of the 27th saw 

 us at early dawn at the base of the precipice, and I immediately — directed by his 

 barking note — descried the tiercel sailing high overhead : my companion pointed out a 

 spot where he thought he had marked the nest, but, after a severe climb, there was no 

 hole or trace of a nest to be found. Rather disappointed, but still hoping that the 

 female was sitting close somewhere in the rock, I walked along the base of the crag, 

 shouting out, and every j)ow and then striking some rock with my slick : suddenly from 

 behind me the female bird started forth from the rock with a wild cry, and began 

 circling round our heads, apparently in great anger. Not having discovered the exact 

 situation of the nest, we withdrew aboul a quarter of a mile, and hid ourselves behind 

 a boulder rock, watching every movement of the falcons through a glass: as soon as we 

 were out of sight the female began wheeling around that portion of the cliff where 

 evidently the nest was. The tiercel came down and joined her, both sailing backwards 

 and forwards across the face of the cliff, with a flight not unlike that of swifts. In a 

 quarter of an hour or so the female bird alighted on a small projection of the rock, 



