6 fEESlDENTLil, ABDEESS, 



A SrEciAL Meeting was held at Cornliill and its neighbour- 

 hood on the 1 7th and 1 8th of July. Heavy rain prevented the 

 programme for the 19th being carried out. On the morning of 

 the 17th the party of about fifteen drove from Cornhill by way 

 of Pallinsburn and Ford to a spot near Eoughting Linn. On ap- 

 proaching the lofty grey sandstone ridges near Ford Moss the 

 conveyances were left, and a walk of three miles taken over the 

 rough moorland. On the road a halt was made at Pallinsburn 

 to visit that well-known resort of the Black-headed GruU for 

 breeding purposes. The members were greatly surprised to find 

 this almost classic spot close to the highway, and only separated 

 from it a few yards by a low railing convenient for anyone to 

 cross, and a little wicket gate led from the road to a walk along 

 the side of this ''large pond," for it scarcely attained the dimen- 

 sions of a lake. The ponds and bogs of this district are accumu- 

 lations of water, etc., from the elevated irregular mounds of drift 

 covering the south side of the Tweed, without any well-marked 

 outlet such as Learmouth Bog — now, alas, perfectly drained, and 

 a few other bogs and ponds hard by. The gamekeeper met us 

 as we entered the wicket, and enabled us by his presence to ap- 

 proach closer to the pond or lake than otherwise we should have 

 ventured. About two hundred Black-headed GruUs, young and 

 old, were making a terrible noise overhead as we approached to 

 the margin, no doubt some of their young being still unable to 

 fly. Seven or eight broods of "Wild Ducks, now well feathered, 

 swam complacently across the far side of the lake, showing them- 

 selves occasionally along the little lanes of water that led to 

 their retreats. Numberless Bald Coot came almost close to us, 

 busy diving down to the bottom, and bringing up water plants 

 to eat at the surface. A few little islets in the centre, and the 

 margins all round this remarkable pond were covered with true 

 Bulrush, Veronica anagallis and other interesting water plants. 

 We were informed by the gamekeeper that the Black-headed 

 Gulls had deserted this, their favourite breeding place, for a few 

 years, on account of the abundance of water, which had covered 

 their usual breeding ground ; but they had happily now returned. 



