230 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



year. 21st. Found a Dipper's nest with young ones fully half-grown. 

 24th. To-day brings records of frost varying from sixteen and twenty- 

 four degrees. This must tell very severely on eggs that are lying 

 about. 25th. Walked to-day from Turnberry to Girvan (Ayrshire) 

 along the shore. Saw a single Great Grey Shrike. 29th. Sandpiper 

 appears. This is the same date as last year. 30th. One Swallow in 

 the morning and nine in the evening. More Sandpipers. Cuckoo 

 heard several times to-day. A friend reports hearing it on the 27th. 



May 1st. Swallows now in full numbers. Eeed Buntings nume- 

 rous. A Mallard's nest with ten eggs. 4th. Cuckoo now calling 

 from every quarter. 6th. Water-Kail's nest with six eggs. 7th. 

 Corn-Crake heard. Found a Eed Grouse's nest with nine eggs, and 

 one Curlew's nest. 9th. Saw the Wheatear, Yellow and Grey Wag- 

 tails, three nests of the Curlew, and one each of Teal and Eed Grouse. 

 10th. Sedge-Warbler. 11th. Whitethroat. 15th. Whinchat. 18th. 

 Spotted Flycatcher this morning, also nest of the Eedshank and Eed 

 Grouse. 22nd. Visited the Gullery on the island in Harelaw Dam. 

 Found one or two nests w T ith four eggs each, one of which at least 

 seemed all the product of the one bird (Black-headed Gull). One 

 clutch of three eggs was taken which were not any larger than Tern's 

 eggs. 23rd. Several young Curlews about. 31st. A Eobin's nest in 

 a tin can ; my tin cans have been a great success with the Eobins. 



June 24th. Heard the Cuckoo for the last time. 



July 6th. Nest of the Tree-Pipit, and young Whitethroats. 13th. 

 Saw a nest of Whinchat. 14th. Two Coots are still sitting on their 

 nests. 25th. Yellow Bunting in song. 27th. The last date on which 

 I heard the Corn-Crake. 31st. Sedge- Warbler in song. 



August 2nd. The Corn-Crake reported as being heard to-day. 

 6th. Six Herons at the loch to-day. 7th. A friend reports a very large 

 flock of Starlings, about five thousand in number, flying from east to 

 west. 8th. Told to-day of a pair of Bullfinches feeding four young. 

 24th. A large number of House-Martins and Swallows. 30th. Willow- 

 Wren to-day. 



September 4th. House-Martins are all gone. 12th. Ice this 

 morning for the first time this autumn. 20. Put up forty-four Com- 

 mon Snipe at Loch Libo. 21st. Heard a Blackbird in fine song. 23rd. 

 Still a few Swallows flying about. 27th. A Willow- Warbler flitting 

 about amongst the raspberry bushes. 



October 6th. About twenty Swallows reported flying around to- 

 day. 13th. Pochards returned to the loch, this being their first ap- 

 pearance since the spring. 18th. Visited Loch Libo this morning 



