The Scottish Naturalist, 
107 
is, no doubt, due to the care with which it is often concealed, and 
its hkeness to its surroundings ; as there is no reason to doubt 
the fact that the majority of the individuals seen are breeding. 
Grreat Tit {Farus major). Very common. 
Coal Tit {Farus britannicus). In most places this is the most 
abundant member of the genus, and it is certainly one of the 
characteristic birds of these parts. Nidification takes place ex- 
tremely early, and it is possible to find young birds in a consider- 
ably advanced stage quite early in May, or even in April in for- 
ward seasons. Most of the birds breed either in holes in 
the ground or in stumps very near it, but many nests are placed 
under the tiles or in the rough thatch of sheds. But the holes 
must be dry. 
Marsh Tit {Farus palusiris). This bird is hardly so plentiful 
as might be expected from the nature of the woodlands. It does 
not by any means find the proximity of water necessary, nor yet 
does it favour marshes. I have known it breed in the lower Tweed 
valley, and in the flat country between this and the hills, while 
the bird may also be found in the hill regions of the Cheviots 
and on the Jed, near Jedburgh. The nest is generally in rotten 
stumps, often very small, a rather higher position being chosen 
than by the Coal Tit. 
Blue Tit {Farus cceruleus). Very common everywhere. 
Nuthatch {Sitta ccesia). A nest is said by the late A. Brother- 
ston of Kelso to have been built in " a narrow strip of plantation 
between Houndridge and Harpertoun, near Ednam," about 1850, 
" in a hole in the decaying stump of an oak." Mr. Brotherston, 
<luoting from the late R. Gray's Birds of the West of Scotland, 
says that in March, 1857, a specimen was taken at Duns; and on 
January i8th, 1877, a female was captured at Jedburgh. [See 
Hist. Ber. Nat. Club, vii., p. 503 ; viii., p. 157.] 
Wren {Troglodytes parvulus). Common everywhere, reaching 
to the head of the hill valleys. 
White Wagtail {Motacilla alba). Not observed nearer than 
the border between Berwickshire and Haddington. 
Pied Wagtail (Motacilla lugubris). Common on all the 
streams, though often found at some distance from them, breed- 
ing in ivy-covered walls or on stony banks. 
Grey Wagtail {Motacilla melanope). One of the most 
noticeable species of the district, where it is very plentiful, especi- 
