NOTES AND QUERIES. 231 
then preening its feathers. Its mate sat silently watching the per- 
formance till its completion, when both flew down the stream. 
17th.—Pair of Goosanders on the loch. 
18th.—A male Golden-eye on the loch. 
20th.—Thirty-five Pochards are on the loch. Blue Tits are very 
plentiful. 
24th.—Snow falls to-day, followed by frost. 
February 13th.—Storm still holds on. 
16th.—Snow and ice gone. Saw a solitary Brambling. Song- 
Thrush singing for the first time. 
17th.—Heard the Mistle-Thrush this afternoon. 
21st.—Saw five Bramblings this morning. There were twenty- 
seven Pochards, four Mallards, and five Tufted Ducks—four males 
and one female. The latter was behaving in a most excited manner, 
standing up and beating the water with her wings, while the males 
did not seem to pay any attention. This continued all the time I 
watched them. 
23rd.—Lapwings are now plentiful. 
25th.—Heard the Blackbird sing to-day. 
26th.—Chaffinch and Greenfinch in song. Walking home in the 
moonlight, about 10 p.m., I heard the ‘‘drumming”’ of the Snipe. 
The Tawny Owls were very noisy. 
27th.—Sky-Lark sings to-day. 
28th.—First spring call of the Lapwing to-day. 
March 2nd.—Saw the Yellow Bunting this morning, and heard 
the Redshank for the first time this spring. 
*  3rd.—Curlews have returned to-day to their nesting qwentions, 
6th.—About one hundred and twenty Pochards on the loch, also 
Tufted Duck and Mallard. 
7th.—Saw a Heron flying low over the loch to-day, when a 
Pochard rose with extended wing as if to strike it. The Heron evi- 
dently thought so, as it immediately rose higher in the air. 
8th.—Saw a Rook standing on the head of a sheep as it lay 
peaceably. 
10th.—Four inches of snow this morning. Heard the Goldcrest 
to-day. 
16th.— Two pairs of Golden-eye on the loch. Dipper’s nest 
to-day with four eggs. 
23rd.—About thirty Fieldfares flew overhead. 
25th.—Grey Wagtails have returned. Saw a Water-Rail to-day, 
Great Crested Grebe has returned. 
29th.—Three Goosanders on the loch. 
