BIRDS. 



303 



By 1905, I think, the patent increase of this species became even 

 more pronounced. Situations utterly deserted for many years, or at 

 least never yielding even single returns of individual birds, but 

 which localities were formerly known as the haunts of the small 

 migratory flights in spring, again were revisited. Instances are not 

 isolated (see Annals Scot. Nat. Hist, for October 1905). Besides, 

 other evidence came up before me whilst I was " on survey " in Tay 

 and Strathmore in this season of 1905, which satisfied me of the 

 correctness of information which I had gathered from other quarters 

 previously. And there can be no reasonable doubt about the 

 extension of the breeding range to much further south localities 

 where the experienced eye tells distinctly that the contours of the 

 hills are suitable to the requirements of the birds. 



I have other notes on the distribution of these birds both on 

 migi'ation in spring and autumn, both inside and outside the present 

 area, and also recent details of their increased dispersal as a breed- 

 ing species, but I have said enough in this place. 



I will only refer to one or two more facts which have come to 

 my knowledge since I wrote the above. Never before have I been 

 able to record a specimen of the Dotterel in Stirlingshire ; but on 

 May 13, 1905, one was brought to me which (evidence proved) had 

 been killed by a barbed wire fence, the flesh having been ripped with a 

 longitudinal gash under the wing. It was picked up at the side of a 

 barbed wire fence, and brought to me by a miner of the name of 

 Duncan the same day it was found, and I have had it preserved by 

 Mr. Knight, of Glasgow. Another was obtained under somewhat 

 similar circumstances near Edinburgh by Mr. Tomlinson, and brought 

 to Mr. Eagle Clarke. Both are recorded in the Annals Scot. Nat. Hist. 

 for October 1905. It may indeed be worthy of remark that the 

 occurrence of the (female) bird in Stirlingshire and the birds of the 

 more southern localities may have been in intimate relation. I do 

 not lose sight of a very old record of the species having been known 

 to frequent certain slopes of the Campsie ranges of the central hills 

 of Stirlingshire. Possibly here history may be found repeating itself. 



And yet another fact is that the wire fence which was in process 

 of erection, in May-June 1905, to separate the adjoining properties of 

 Sir Neil Menzies and Drumouchter Forest, is stated locally to have 

 banished the Dotterels from the hill of which I give here an illus- 

 tration as a " Typical Dotterel Mountain." This is easily under- 

 stood by any one who is acquainted with the habit of these birds 

 of flying low over the ground at only an elevation of a few feet 

 above the plateaus which are their favourite haunts among our 



