2534 The Zoologist — April, 1871. 



blown by the winter's gales. The nest is never placed near the 

 extremity of a branch : I cannot call to mind one instance in which 

 it has not been close against, and partly surrounding, the trunk. 

 Two eggs are usually laid, often six, but seldom four. I observe 

 that those of the second set are nearly always of a rounder form 

 and more sparingly marked than those of the first. The sitting 

 bird will sometimes allow itself to be stroked with the hand, but 

 the slightest jar against the branch is the cause of instant flight. 

 As a rule, those nests which are built in trees and bushes are much 

 larger than others, often twice the size, at least, the greatest 

 difference being at the lowest part. The bottom of one taken from 

 an elder, and now in my possession, is just four inches iu thickness, 

 while that of one found under a clod in a ploughed field is so thin 

 that in some parts the lining was in contact with the bare ground, 

 the outer part of the nest consisting of a mere ring of twigs and 

 fibrous roots. In lining the nest, it is the habit of the twite 

 com])letely to fill the cavity with hair and roots before commencing 

 to work the mass into shape: the feathers are fixed into their 

 places singly as thoy are brought. Both male and female take an 

 equal share in the task of carryiug the materials. 



Redshank. — 1 have mentioned elsewhere that the redshank occa- 

 sionally breeds with us. Several pairs were noticed among the 

 rocks and upon marshy ground near the sea during the month of 

 June. 



Common Sandpiper. — The question whether the common sand- 

 piper breeds with us is now decided, though it is to be regretted 

 that the information was only obtained by the destruction of a pair 

 of the birds during the breeding season. On the 2nd of July a lad 

 told me that he had just shot two birds resembling small " plover 

 pages" (dunlins) near the loch of ClifT, and that on going to pick 

 them up he discovered among the long grass four young birds, 

 which, though still covered with down, ran so fast, and led him into 

 such soft ground, that he was compelled to give up his attempt to 

 capture them. He brought the two birds to me next day, when I 

 immediately recognized them as common sandpipers. In previous 

 summers I had often heard the notes of this species in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the loch, and had on rare occasions seen the bird, but 

 my attempts to discover a nest were always unsuccessful. 



Puffin. — Puffins left about the second week in August. They 

 arrive early in February. No matter what may be the state of 



