Migration of Birds. By Dr Charles Stuart. 239 



has whitened the petals of the tenderer flowers ; no rain, and drought con- 

 siderable. No hawthorn in bloom, but a rare tuft here and there. I have 

 seen more on the 10th of May. 7th, Strong east wind with heavy clouds. 

 9th, Frosty, cold, and unseasonable till the 21st. The drought towards the 

 end of the month became excessive. The Swedish Turnip crop in Ber- 

 wickshire must be a very poor one this season, principally owing to the 

 action of the frost on the young braird. Gentle rain in Northumberland 

 on the 26th, when the Club visited Cragside ; but Berwickshire only got a 

 sprinkling, although it rained from 5 a.m. till 4 p.m. heavily in Nor- 

 thumberland. 29th, A fine shower this morning, but much too little to 

 reach the roots of the plants. However the leaf is refreshed. A Black- 

 headed Gull has again taken up its abode at Allanton bridge, and is to be 

 seen fishing there every day. There are two of them, and very likely they 

 will be nesting among the rushes in Broomdykes haughs. The Garden 

 Warbler has built its nest among the rough stems of the ivy at Blackadder 

 gate, Allanton. It is a very shy bird ; but I have had many opportunities 

 of watching it, both on and off its nest. The Corn-bunting is now con- 

 stantly with us near some stacks at Harelaw. They must have nested ; 

 for later in the year, in coming down the long hill at the back of Chirnside, 

 I came on a large colony of them near the hedge row. Mr Clapham, 

 Broomhouse, informs me that about the 20th June, out of a chink in 

 the stone, in one of the upper windows there, he saw 207 bats emerge one 

 evening. There were more, but he got tired counting them. So small and 

 narrow was the space they came through, that they seemed to wriggle out 

 three and four at a time. Of course their quarters inside must have been 

 of considerable size, between the lath and plaster. The Starlings here 

 have waged an effectual war on the Sparrows which build in the roans of 

 the house. Eggs with their contents sucked out are quite common, pitched 

 over; and constant fighting seems to go on. Pigeon keepers here are well 

 aware who are the depredators in their dove cots, as on several occasions 

 the Starlings have been caught in the act of sucking the eggs. 



July 2, We are suffering greatly from drought. There has not been such 

 a dry spell since 1868 ; the consequence is, there will be a poor crop of 

 Turnips over the Merse. " Bed Land," where Turnips should be, was the 

 rule till the end of August. This is all very serious in these bad times. 

 3rd, When returning from Foulden Hagg by Edington hill, at the saw- 

 mill, saw a most beautiful Pied House Swallow ; which, on stopping the 

 conveyance, came close past me at least a dozen of times. The wings were 

 pure white, with patches of white on the back and belly ; the head and 

 neck were black. 10th, Heard the Curlew high in the air last night, while 

 in the garden. This bird was in the habit of nesting every year in the 

 bogs at Blackburn-in-the-Mire, in this parish. Draining lias to some extent 

 interfered with the operations of these birds : still, I believe it was a bird 

 from that quarter taking its evening flight, whose note I heard. On the 

 30th June my groom saw a covey of newly hatched Partridges on the road 

 leading from Foulden Hagg to Burnbank : on the 5th July I saw another 

 covey between Edington hill and the Hagg, and another at Coachford Brae, 



