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Ornithological Notes. By Robert Gray, F.R.S.E. 



Peregrine Falcon. — (Falco peregrinus.) During the winter 

 months the Peregrine Falcon is still met with occasionally in Ber- 

 wickshire and the Lothians. It formerly had its eyrie on the 

 cliffs at Fast Castle and St. Abb's Head. I have driven the birds 

 from their nests in both localities. I still regard Fast Castle as a 

 breeding place, though it is possible that the other eyrie has been 

 deserted since the lighthouse was erected. Two beautiful Pere- 

 grines were shot near North Berwick, in December, 1875. They 

 were male and female, and were supposed to have been reared on 

 the Bass Bock. I have been indebted to Mr Small, of this city, 

 for an opportunity of seeing the birds. 



Rough-legged Buzzard. — (Buteo lagopus.) Unusual numbers 

 of this bird have occurred in the eastern counties of Scotland 

 during the present winter, I have a record of upwards of thirty 

 specimens taken in various Scotch localities in the months of 

 November and December last. The Buzzards reached our coasts 

 during the severe north-easterly gales which prevailed in the end 

 of October and the early part of November, and appear to have 

 been first seen in Forfarshire, whence they spread rapidly south- 

 wards. Two, a male and a female, were shot near Selkirk, on 

 26th October; one, a male, at Coldin^ham about the same time ; 

 a fourth, a female, was trapped near Haddington, on 6th Novem- 

 ber, and on the 28th of that month other two occurred in Sel- 

 kirkshire. Later still, two, both males, were shot in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Kelso. All these birds I had an opportunity of ex- 

 amining, besides many more taken in the counties of Fife, Mid 

 Lothian, Roxburgh, and Dumfries. It is a noteworthy fact in 

 connection with the late invasion that the flight of the Buzzards 

 was diverted westwards by the trending of the Tay and Forth ; 

 in the one case the birds were found in greater numbers in the 

 neighbourhood of Dundee and the Carse of Gowrie, where thir- 

 teen were trapped or shot ; while in the other they would appear 

 to have gathered in some numbers in the county of Stirling — ten 

 specimens having been taken on one estate alone. Those which 

 came south of the Forth, were, for the most part, found to the 

 east of Edinburgh, Peebles, and Dumfries — only three having 

 been, so far as I am aware, obtained in Kirkcudbright and Wig- 

 townshires. These Buzzards — undoubtedly of Scandinavian 

 origin — were all in excellent plumage, some of them indeed being 

 almost perfect. 



Short-eared Owl. — (Otus hrachyotos.) Has occurred in great 

 numbers in Berwickshire and the Lothians within the last three 

 months. I examined twenty-seven specimens which had been 

 sent to Edinburgh almost entirely from these counties, for pre- 



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