Notes on the Birds of Stobo. By John Thomson. 555 



were attracted to the feast, but in numbers quite inadequate to make any 

 appreciable lightening of the laden brandies. The Redwings on their 

 arrival in the middle of October fared sumptuously on the Rowan berries 

 which then still hung in clusters, and one day I witnessed the rather novel 

 sight of about a dozen of these birds being kept at bay by a solitary Missel 

 Thrush, who wished to preserve a particular Rowan Tree all to himself. 

 He was much beset, yet by energetic action, and by vehemently vociferat- 

 ing with his harsh voice in order to intimidate the besiegers, succeeded, so 

 long as I remained, in warding them off." Among other birds that are 

 drawn to the Gean Trees already particularly referred to, are the Rook, 

 Ring Ouzel, Thrush, and Blackbird, but their collective number was quite 

 insignificant when compared with the large body of Missel Thrushes who 

 used to frequent them. 



The Fieldfare and Ricnvvixu now visit us in much smaller numbers than 

 in byegone years. While the former is exceedingly shy and suspicious, and 

 generally at all times shuns the dwellings of man, the latter often alights 

 on trees near houses, and has trust enough to sit on the top of a tree until 

 a person approaches its base. The Redwing occasionally accompanies large 

 assemblages of Fieldfares, but 1 have never seen any of the latter attracted 

 to large flocks of Redwings : the meaner or smaller bird is usually the 

 follower, common examples of which here are, — the Starling following the 

 Rook and Peewit, and the Jackdaw following the Rook. 



The number of minute insects and particles of food which a Hedge 

 Sparrow gathers in a day must be prodigious, at least one would so infer 

 from its almost incessant picking when proceeding along the ground. It 

 partakes of half -rotten potatoes with great gusto, returning to the same 

 one day after day. 



The Redstart may be noted several times in a day's ramble. It gen- 

 erally arrives in the last week of April. Being rather distrustful, the 

 strikingly-contrasted plumage of the male only at rare intervals arrests 

 the eye of the casual observer, who concludes that an object so remarkable, 

 which has so long escaped his notice, must be of great rarity. 



Much less frequent than the Redstart are the Wheatear and Whixciiat. 

 The lower part of a rocky and stony hillside is one favourite haunt of the 

 Wheatear. The closety-verdured hills of Stobo do not therefore particularly 

 attract it, but the hills in the adjacent parish of Drummelzier suddenly 

 assume the former aspect, and there the bird is quite common. 



The Blackcap is rare. The only one I have ever seen was eating the 

 berries of a Honeysuckle hedge as late as the 4th of October. 



The Garden Warbler is more frequent, and finds a congenial habitat 

 amongst the beautiful evergreen shrubs around Stobo Castle. 



The Wood Warbler is common. It comes more prominently into notice 

 when it leaves its breeding-haunts — here chiefly in the outskirts of woods 

 of tall Scotch Firs — and repairs with its young broods to the more open 

 parts, and particularly to gardens, about the end of July. It then mani- 

 fests a most meddlesome disposition — darting after mostly every small bird 

 that flies close past it, and I have even seen it chase a Blackbird. The 



