The Zoologist— September, 1867. 899 



Golden Plover. — Immense flocks repair to the mud-flats at the coast 

 in autumn, in company with lapwings : in flying with the latter, how- 

 ever, they always keep themselves distinct. The golden plover is not 

 nearly so wild a bird as is supposed generally. The lapwiugs 

 invariably give the first alarm and warning of danger. The golden 

 plover breds on all our high grounds, and even in August are not 

 infrequent on the hills. 



Sanclerling. — The sanderling is occasionally seen in small flocks or 

 single birds on the coast, but is not by any means a plentiful species. 

 "They are seen on Loch Lomond side as late as June." — Mr. R. 

 Gray. 



Peewit. — A very numerous species, both in spring and autumn, but 

 comparatively few are seen in the middle of winter. I once found a 

 broken specimen of a lapwing's egg, and I find it thus described in 

 my journal: "general colour rather lighter than that of a starling, 

 greenish blue and all spotted over, though mostly at the large end, 

 with minute spots and small blotches of black and chocolate-brown." 

 It was not quite so pyriform as most eggs of the lapwing. It was 

 lying on the bare ground beside a heap or " bing " of stones. 



Turnstone. — Has been shot on the banks of Loch Lomond, and I 

 ;have no doubt has also been observed on the coast near Grangemouth, 

 .though the coast here is not quite suited to their habits. 



Oyslercatcher. — Not a plentiful species on our coast, it not being 

 suited to its habits; they are shot occasionally, however, between 

 Grangemouth and Avonmouth, where there is a deep bed of shells. My 

 ■friend Mr. J. H. Belfrage shot a couple there about two years ago. 



Heron. — Local name, " craiget heron." Is always with us in more 

 or less numbers. I once shot one in the act of swallowing a good- 

 sized water vole, and when I picked it up the tail of the latter was 

 protruding from its bill. There was many years ago a considerable 

 heronry at the mansion house of Meiklewood, in the parish of 

 Garqunnock, but the ' New Statistical Account of the County' (1842) 

 says that since the new house was built they have taken their depar- 

 ture. Mr. Thompson writes as follows : — " They (herons) used to 

 breed on the large beech-trees near the church (Dunmore village), but 

 the rooks have banished them. They never bred here in any numbers, 

 but there would be three or four nests in a season. There was one 

 nest last season (1866), but whenever the eggs were laid the rooks took 

 them." Captain A. G. Spiers writes from Culcreuch, " We have plenty 

 of herons here." 



