Effects of the Winter of 1878-9, by James Hardy. 135 



7th April. When driving to-day between the Pistol Plantings and Cross- 

 rig, in the Parish of Hutton, I saw a cuckoo, which had evidently just 

 arrived. It took short flights, alighting again and again on the hedge bank 

 alongside the road. I was within two yards of it on several occasions ; and 

 it seemed tired, and unwUling to rise. It could hardly have come in a more 

 dreary day ; for a more soaking persistent day of rain we have not seen for 

 some time. 



May 3rd. The swallows, sand and house martins appeared at Allanton 

 Bridge in flocks, on the 25th April, nine days later than last year. None 

 have been seen since that day. The Sylvia trochilus, I observed at Hutton 

 Bridge on the 28th in fvdl song. Mr Evans from Scremerston visited me on 

 the 21st April. He came to inspect the heronry at Pistol Planting. He 

 found 50 nests in a colony, full of young birds ; the old ones carrying large - 

 sized fish to them for food— the young emitting a peculiar grunting cry of 

 satisfaction. He watched their operations for three hours. The cold 

 weather does not seem to have affected the nesting of the hardy birds. He 

 got the young of the tawny owl, and young dippers in Cheviot, a few days 

 before he was here. He was close to the peregrine nest in the Henshole. 

 End of May. The sand-martins appeared on the 16th AprU at Whitadder 

 Bridge, Allanton. The cuckoo was heard on 1st May at Swinton House 

 woods. The swifts were first seen on 5th May ; the redstart on 2nd May ; 

 and the corn-crake on the 20th May. 



May 3, the frost has fatally damaged Araucarias and Wellingtonias in 

 many places. Garrya elliptica and Berberis Barwinii are in instances killed, 

 never having been previously tried by a severe season. Laurels, Portugal 

 laurels, and the common whins are killed to their roots in many places. 



At Broadmeadows, Hutton, where there is the finest collection of roses in 

 the county, aU the plants budded on the dog-rose— short and tall standards — are 

 MUed. Those budded low on the Manettii stock are safe. I was there yes- 

 terday, and Mr Macbraire showed me the damage. He has lost 300 plants of 

 rare quality. At one time he thought there would be 600 kUled. 



At NineweUs the frost was very severe, and the same may be stated of the 

 roses there, as at Broadmeadows ; also the evergreens. I lost few roses, 

 mine being dwarfs on the Manettii. You are right about the scarcity of 

 smaU birds that are insect and grub feeders. 



July 2, when at Fishwiek Mains, on Monday, my second son and I ob- 

 served the blasted condition of several oak trees, not a single green leaf, nor 

 appearance of any. We came to the conclusion that the frost of last winter 

 could alone have been the cause. The laurels and evergreens generally at 

 Ninewells are completely killed to the ground. The Mahonias seem to have 

 escaped, but Berberis Barwinii is completely killed where it grew as a shrub. 

 (Jn the wall it is aU right. It is a pretty shrub. Garrya elliptica, which has 

 stood the winter for twenty years, is quite killed, but sprouting from the 

 root. Fuchsia Riccartoni, which has stood the winter for twenty years, is 

 killed to the ground, but is coming from the root. I also notice the common 

 privet very much blighted, the leaves coming in a blighted form. 



