118 



BIRDS. 



Fordouii district. Col. Campbell saj^s: ''Not yet been observed in 

 Perthshire." (His paper refers only to the birds of the county.) 



Dr. Dewar speaks of it as "very doubtful" in the Arbroath 

 district by 1904. 



In the Fife portion, however, as early as 1859, there Avas evidence 

 of a colony inhabiting some tall fir-trees at a homestead of 

 " Mitchells " near Leuchars, and the late Mr. J. Keddie saw them 

 there some years previous to that date. AVhen I was last there, some 

 years ago, I thought at the time the position seemed still a very 

 likely one for the species. Mr. AV. Evans tells me that he found 

 one specimen amongst the ruins of Lindores Abbey on 26th Decem- 

 ber 1886. (Xotes in i\IS. obligingly placed at my disposal for 

 purposes of this work. — December 1904.) 



Mr. W. Evans has also been enabled to record the continuity of 

 the species near Stonehaven, where he saw Tree-Sparrows in June 

 1887 {vide ante Col. Drummond Hay's observations in 1880). 



It does not appear to be known in the Guthrie district to 

 Mr. M'Connochie. 



Besides the large colony near Crail (Forth), Mr. Godfrey saw a 

 single bird, associating with the Common House-Sparrows, at Craig- 

 head Farm, Fife Xess (on the border of Forth and Tay), on Septem- 

 ber 21, 1905, and another on the road between Crail and St. Andre^vs 

 (also Forth), "near the blacksmith's shop," on September 15. 



Fringilla coelebs, L. Chaffinch. 



Resident. Yery common. Breeds. " Flocks " in winter. Solitary in 

 summer. 



Perhaps of all our small birds the most abundant in all suitable 

 localities — Rannoch, Glen Ogle, valley of Tay, and everywhere 

 through the area in plains and glens and woods, and around the 

 farms, and even not uncommon in the smaller towns, etc. etc. 



It might almost be said — as has been said before of the Willow- 

 Warbler — wherever a small clump of vegetation occurs there also 

 will be found at least a pair of the homely " Shifa." 



Fringilla montifringilla, L, Brambling. 



Winter visitant. Breeding instances inconclusive. Not truly gre- 

 garious. 



Especially abundant about Moncreiffe, Methven, Dupplin, 

 when beech-mast is plentiful. Col. Drummond Hay mentions the 

 single recorded occurrence of its breeding in Glen Lyon, first on 



