BTRUS OP LAUDERDALE 319 



close to the door. They come every sprmg, and for months 

 their pleasant cooing, less mournful than the note of the 

 Ring-Dove, more like that of the House Pigeon, is never long 

 silent. The Heron frequents most of our streams, a large 

 heronry being located further down the Leader at Carolside. 

 Rooks are far too plentiful for the farmer. Here we have 

 difficulty every spring in preventing them from nesting in most 

 of the trees round the house. The Grey Crow I have not 

 yet seen in the dale, but Carrion Crows rear their broods, 

 where allowed, in remote patclies of wood or single trees 

 among the hills. The Jay never visits us, and the Magpie 

 is almost extinct, though a bird or two may still be met with 

 at intervals on the Threepwood road. The last Magpie I noted 

 was a specimen in a gamekeeper's uuiseum. Towards the end of 

 May one or more pairs of Goatsuckers take up their summer 

 quarters along the East Water. Auiong the Tits both Marsh 

 and Longtailed are very rare birds witli us. There is abundance 

 of most of the commoner Finches. Bullfinches always hold 

 their own, in spite of the gardener's dislike to them, and the 

 fact that many are shot or taken in trap-cages every year. 

 The Goldfinch occasionally visits us. Once I have met with 

 two, both brightly coloured males, feeding on seeds by the 

 roadside ; and others speak of having seen them. The rare 

 Hawfinch must nest somewliere neai-. Two seasons ago two 

 birds frequented my garden for weeks, and last year again 

 the pea rows showed only too evident traces of anotlier series 

 of visits. Probably but for a young bird calling impatiently 

 for food in a tree near the garden, we should never have 

 attributed the unusual destruction of peas to such uncommon 

 and wary birds. Though never seen nor heard by myself 

 the Crossbill is another occasional visitor, and has been met 

 with in the woods of Edgarhope and Spottiswoode. Redpolls 

 are fairly common, but Siskins have only once or twice been 

 recorded, though they too may haunt the alder trees by the 

 riverside in winter oftener than is suspected. Tree-Pipits and 

 Wood- Wrens are distributed over our woods in about equal 

 numbers, several pairs of both birds coming every summer, 

 and being easily localised by their notes. I.,ast year I heard 

 the sibilant song of the latter in six different places, 



