Ornithological and other Notes, by Andrew Brotherston. 175 



three feet high, with a broken top, has on it 



' A Walter Scott 



La douce lampe 



de nos veillees 



s'est eteinte.' 

 I have put the words in the same order exactly as they are on 

 the pillar. 



" I have no doubt in my own mind that the lady who erected 

 this stone, and the one to whom he addressed the verses, was in 

 reality the same person. A. M. E. S." 



The reading of the MS. is certainly the " Countess Wollen- 

 luss," but very probably Sir Walter in his extreme illness and 

 weakness had mistaken, or half forgotten the name. Signore T. 

 Catalini, the present Italian Secretary to the Court of St. 

 James, thus writes, July 30th, 1880, " There is in Eome, a Villa 

 Wolkonsky near ' S. Giovanni in Laterano.' I suppose that the 

 Countess Wollenluss was no other than the Countess Wolkonsky, 

 who belonged to a well-known family, I believe of Polish ex- 

 traction." S. Catalini promises to make further inquiries. 



Ornithological and other Notes, 1879-1880. By Mr Andrew 

 Brotherston, Shedden Park Koad, Kelso. 



Peregrine Falcon {Faleo peregrinus), Tunstall. — In spite of 

 game-preservers, this fine bird — owing to the difficulty of trap- 

 ping it — is still keeping its ground on the Borders. An adult 

 female was shot near Leitholm, on May 10th, 1879, when making 

 a swoop at a stuffed wood-pigeon, which was used as a decoy, 

 and another, a young male, was shot by T. Taylor, Esq., at 

 Hendersyde Park, January 15th, 1880. 



Hobby {Falco suhbuteo), Linn. — A very fine female specimen of 

 this rare and beautiful Palcon was shot at Kelso Bridge, by Mr 

 A. Steel, June 23, 1879. It frequented the district for about a 

 week, during which time it was frequently seen, fljdng up and 

 down the river, for a short distance above and below the bridge, 

 hawking for insects, in much the same manner as the Swallow ; 

 when it came to the bridge, instead of rising above it, it usually 

 darted through one of the arches. A few weeks later, Capt. 

 Taylor told me that he saw another at the same place. As he is 



