EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 353 



natives armed with guns, and coming from both the Transvaal and 

 Portuguese territory during all the long months when the withdrawal 

 of all Europeans from the hunting grounds gave them the field to 

 themselves." 



The following extracts are taken from the Annual Eeport by the 

 Police Committee of the Commissioners of the River Tweed : — 



"Shooting of Cormorants. — The Committee have received a 

 very interesting report from Mr. E. Herbert Dodds on the shooting 

 of Cormorants in the lower reaches. The number of these destructive 

 birds shot and delivered was 125, as compared with 53 last year, and 

 it is evident that they are gradually finding their way higher up the 

 river, as one of the cormorants killed was shot at Kelso Mill, a few 

 hundred yards above Kelso Bridge, near the junction of Tweed and 

 Teviot, while another was got at Sprouston, and two at Carham. 

 Two were reported as far inland as Innerleithen, but were not 

 secured, and one was shot on the Whitadder. Mr. Dodds reports, 

 as the heaviest bird taken, one shot on January 20th at Gainslaw. 

 It weighed 10| lb., and was found to contain in its gullet a sea trout 

 kelt of If lb., leaving the net weight of the bird 8| lb. Mr. Dodds 

 believes the weight to be a record one for the species. Other 

 cormorants killed and cut open also contained trout and small fry. 

 It may be mentioned that the killing of cormorants at sea has not 

 been encouraged, as it was for birds frequenting the river itself that 

 a reward was primarily offered. At the same time the Committee 

 feel that far the most effective way in which to reduce the number 

 of cormorants to a reasonable limit would be by destroying the eggs 

 of the birds at their nearest nesting haunts. The Committee are 

 renewing their request that the eggs of cormorants should be 

 destroyed at the Fame Islands. 



"Reducing the Number op Coarse Fish. — A determined effort 

 has been made during the present summer to reduce the number of 

 grayling and other coarse fish in the river. The operations were 

 placed by the sub-committee in charge of the matter in the hands of 

 Mr. Smith, the superintendent of the River Tweed Police, by whom 

 a crew of water bailiffs, accustomed to the use of the net, was formed ; 

 and, with the ready consent and co-operation of the proprietors of 

 the various waters fished, this crew has netted the Tweed for gray- 

 ling from Ashiestiel, in Selkirkshire, to Horncliffe, near Norham, 

 and its tributary, the Teviot, from Monteviot to Roxburgh Castle. 

 Operations were begun on April 7th, and concluded on August 9th. 

 Zool. 4th ser. vol. XVII., September, 1913. 2 e 



