138 



BIRDS. 



In that account I have already traced the steps of its advance 

 through Scotland generally ; and it seems unnecessary to do more 

 here than to go over the salient points after it had passed through the 

 faunal areas of Forth and Clyde to Tay. 



In Fife, Mr. John Fowlis, who had been at that time (1896) forty 

 years gamekeeper on Scotscraig propert}^, and whose memory ought 

 to be kept ever green as having successfully introduced and increased 

 Eed Grouse on the, at that time, barren sandhills of the Tents 

 Muir (see under species) — Mr. Fowlis gives us the best idea of the 

 early appearance there of the Starling, which I may epitomise as 

 follows, but referring my readers for the fuller details to my original 

 article. 1 



Between 1856 and 1861 the Starling was considered a rarity, and 

 at that time only appearing in summer. "But," says Mr. Fowlis 

 when relating his experiences to my friend Mr. William Berry, to 

 whom I was indebted for the collected notes, "four or five years ago 

 (say 1890) they were in thousands, but in the following year there 

 were few." Mr. Berry adds: "Personally, I have observed little 

 change in their numbers, to the west of Scotscraig." He continues : 

 "When I first began to collect eggs, about 1871, Starlings' eggs were 

 easily obtained, but not in quantities, and these words are perfectly 

 true at the present time," i.e. 1890. "Their numbers Vv'ere not 

 excessive." 



On the other side of the Tay, in the Carse of Gowrie, Dr. 

 Robert Robertson, of Fairbank, Errol, reports upon the extraordinary 

 increase there, and goes on to say: "Fifty years ago (say 1840), 

 only rarely could a pair or two be seen in the district. At present 

 (1890) they are in thousands, and have increased steadily since the 

 earlier date till now." He thinks that the first nest was found 

 between 1832 and 1842. The greatest increase took place within the 

 ten years 1881 to 1891. They roost in ^millions' among the tall 

 reeds of the river Tay about half a mile from Errol, and gather in 

 thousands on the village church spire." 



Col. Drummond Hay gives exactly similar evidence as to their 

 increase at Seggieden, on the south slopes of the Sidlaw Hills. They 

 began to show evidence of increase about 1882. Thousands frequent 

 Mugdrum Island, etc. 



^ " The Starling in Scotland, its Increase and Distribution " [Annals Scot. Nat. Hisf., 

 Jan. 1895), with the map accompanying it. The said map is only intende>l to represent 

 the earlier dispersal, as it would now be vain to map its almost universal distribution 

 in Scotland. 



