194 



BIRDS. 



The bird above mentioned as having been killed at Kemback 

 may possibly exist in a collection in St. Andrews which is known to 

 Mr. Berwick, and may yet be heard more of. "It was," says Mr. 

 Berwick, "winged, and afterwards found in Kemback Wood, then 

 kept alive in an old parrot's cage for several weeks ; but the cage 

 being too small, it broke its feathers, and the party gave it away " 

 (Mr. Berwick in lit., 11th August 1905). Bruce, however, mentions 

 under Goshawk "a big white hawk " (op. cit., p. 94), which was obtained 

 at Dura Den, about six miles from St. Andrews, in that year (1842), 

 which may refer to the same spoken of by my correspondent, 

 Mr. Berwick. 



Astur atricapillus {Wilson). American-Goshawk. 



Mr. Robert Gray mentions one of this rare visitor which was got on the 

 flanks of Schiehallion, apparently paying attention to a flock of Snow- 

 Buntings {Birds of the West of Scotland, p. 39). Mr. Gray procured 

 the specimen in a comparatively fresh condition, and had it mounted, 

 and I can well remember seeing it several times in Mr. Gray's posses- 

 sion, both when he resided in Glasgow and after he removed to 

 Edinburgh. This bird was got in 1870, some short time before 

 Mr. Gray found it in a recently skinned condition, along with some 

 Snow-Buntings from the same locality {loo. cit.). 



Accipiter nisus {L.). Sparrow-Hawk. 

 Common. Resident. Breeds. 



Although regularly persecuted as destructive vermin, still holds 

 its own fairly well. So said Col. Drummond Hay in 1880, and the 

 same may be said to be the case still in 1904. I have no exact 

 accounts of the numbers destroyed annually, as the Sparrow-Hawk 

 is only included under the general column for " Hawks " in all the 

 vermin lists I have received. 



As long ago as 1473 this courageous little Hawk was valued for 

 purposes of falconry, as may be shown by the entry : " Item, 

 11th September 1473. Given to a man of Dauid Oguiluy's of Inch- 

 martyne, that brocht a spar-haw^k to the King, iiij." (Accounts of the 

 Lm'd High Treasurer of Scotland, vol. i. p. 45). 



A few years previous to 1901 a Perth bird-stufFer sold a white 

 specimen of the Sparrow-Hawk to Mr. Marsden, Bristol ; and Mr. 

 Marsden told me that he sold this same bird to the Tring Museum 

 authorities, 20th November 1897. Mr. Marsden informed me 

 that it is scarcely a true albino, but was of a pale cream colour, in 

 fact, practically white, but the head and back grey. It was shot at 



