Curious Nestiny Place of the Great Tit. 245 



regularly in the Blue braes, near Huttouliall ; but they have not been seen 

 on the Wkitadder for many years. From 1864 to 1868, at Earnsheugh, 

 near St Abb's Head, the highest roek precipice between Leith and London, 

 they nested every year. They became a perfect nuisance on Northfield, to 

 the sheep on that farm, occupied by the late Mr Herriot. No sooner did 

 a ewe roll over on her back, and fail to right herself, than she was pounced 

 upon by the Ravens, who picked out her eyes. Ever on the alert, they 

 never missed a chance, and many a poor sheep and lamb suffered from 

 their audacity. The patience of the shepherds could stand their behaviour 

 no longer; and Andrew Weatherston, the head man, hit upon a plan which 

 effectually put a stop to their depredations. Having obtained a tar barrel 

 and attached a chain and long rope to it, he went to Earnsheugh at night. 

 He had previously made himself acquainted with the exact situation of 

 their nest, in the inaccessible cliffs ; and getting his tar barrel lighted, 

 he hoisted it over the rocks to the nest, destroying the young and frighten- 

 ing the old birds from the coast entirely for some time. They now frequent 

 the rocks near St Abbs, but for long they were non est inventus. 



I may relate a circumstance worth recording, and which is authentic, 

 and moreover a most remarkable instance of instinct in such a stupid 

 animal as the sheep, or rather lamb. A ewe who had her eyes picked out 

 by the Ravens, and therefore completely blind, recovered from the 

 injuries, and had twin lambs twice. The mother from her blindness was 

 constantly getting into dangerous places. Her twins showed great solici- 

 tude in guiding her ; and whenever she got near a steep precipitous part of 

 the braes, they immediately got in front of their mother, and wore her off to 

 safe ground. This was often observed by the shepherds, especially when 

 they with their dogs were counting their sheep ; and I believe it is one of the 

 most touching instances on record, of a case where the mother from her 

 blindness being unable to take care of herself, was tended by her offspring. 



Curious Nesting Place of the Great Tit. Communicated by 

 Miss C. H. Greet, Birch Hill, Norham. 



A letter box is fastened to the gate of the garden at Norham Castle. 

 Its size is about 15 inches high, and 9 inches square at the bottom. Last 

 year about the nesting season the gardener, Mr Gilchrist, found moss and 

 wool in the box every morning, which he thought were put there by the boys. 

 One morning he stood behind an adjoining wall to watch the boys, but 

 instead of mischievous urchins he saw two Great Tits (Parus major) fly 

 into the letter box with full beaks. They made their nest and deposited 

 their eggs in the box, but before the eggs were hatched some person 

 destroyed the nest. This year the birds again built their nest in the letter 

 box, and have hatched eight young ones. The nest entirely fills the bottom 

 of the box, which is eight inches square inside. When the old bird was 

 hatching the eggs, it was sometimes covered up with seven or eight letters 

 and pamphlets, and it "faffed" like a cat at intruders. 



