318 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



ing eggs, but one young one just born died as the keeper shot the 

 female. The tiercel then disappeared, but was back again in two 

 days with a fresh partner. I saw these two fine birds. The question 

 is : Where do the Falcons go for their second partners ? The local 

 people say Ireland, as they seem to think the Kintyre birds have 

 communication with the Irish. The second pair I saw were wild, 

 and had not then commenced to nest. No Peregrine nested at the 

 Mull this year, although two did last year. The keeper could not 

 get at them, but he adopted this very effectual means of frightening 

 them away : he put a dummy man on a pole and hung it over the 

 nest. The birds deserted. The Merlin is now rare, or compara- 

 tively so, in this district. I know of two pairs which were destroyed. 

 One had six young, which also paid the penalty. We have two 

 Terneries close by. The graceful little birds can be seen flying about 

 and diving in Campbeltown Loch and at Machrihanish throughout 

 the summer. An Osprey was seen flying over Castlehill Loch here 

 last spring, and managed to escape, and two years ago a Hen-Harrier 

 in the brown plumage was trapped on the Laggan, just above Machri- 

 hanish Golf Links.— H. P. 0. Cleave (Campbeltown, N.B.). 



Notes on Nest-Boxes.— We have had during the past year in our 

 nest-boxes, &c., the Great Tit, Blue Tit (several of each)_, Coal Tit 

 (one). Nuthatch (one), Tree-Sparrow (many), House- Sparrow, Star- 

 ling, Tawny Owl, and Stock-Dove (several). The first nest of the 

 Nuthatch was spoiled by Tree- Sparrows after the first egg was laid, 

 but the birds built again in another box. The Tawny Owls returned 

 to the church-tower for the fifth year in succession, but only two 

 eggs were laid, of which one was addled. i\fter the owlet had gone 

 I found a Mole in the nest. Another pair used a nest-box close to 

 the house, and reared a brood of three. One of the owlets after 

 leaving the box sat for a whole day almost motionless on a low bough 

 of an adjoining yew. I have not seen a Eedstart or heard a Wryneck 

 this year, but Nightingales have been very abundant. Other summer 

 migrants have returned in about their usual numbers. On July 12th 

 I put up a Nightjar from the sand near South wold, not more than a 

 hundred yai'ds from high-water mark, and found two half-grown 

 young. There are many acres of bracken, &c., close by, and it is, I 

 suppose, possible that the bird may have been disturbed, and moved 

 either her eggs or small young to another place. On this subject 

 Mr. Norgate has some interesting remarks in a Nightjar article in 

 ' The Zoologist ' for 1884 (p. 89). The only Cuckoo's egg I have seen 

 this year was one I found with no other egg in a Robin's nest in an 



