I risif to a Bird Sanctuary 
gained by having kept the dainty Httle Diinhn in an aviary, we 
were able to identify a whirring, wheezy whistle as the breeding 
note of this bird. On the lochs the Great Black-backed, the 
Black-headed, and the Herring Gulls were seen, and the gaunt 
Heron frequently flapped his stately way over their waters. 
When fishing in a rocky gorge we had the rather unusual 
experience of seeing one of these birds which appeared suddenly 
round a corner, disgorge three sizeable trout, in the panic caused 
by the unexpected presence of a fellow fisher. Unfortunately 
they could not be retrieved, to eke out an all too scanty basket ! 
Coots and Waterhens, Teal Duck and Mallard, frequented the 
reedy shallows of Loch Veimacher. A pair of Swans was 
found nesting on a beautiful wooded isle, but perhaps this semi- 
doniesticated bird should not find a place in the catalogue. On 
the far-famed Lanrick Alead a rather unusual visitor to these 
parts — the Corncrake — was heard uttering his rasping note, 
harsh to the human ear, Init no doubt sweet music to his nesting 
mate. A few Pheasants, the descendants of a number artificially 
reared years ago, were also seen. Last on the list came the 
star ttirn, of no inconsiderable magnitude to a Scottish observer ! 
In a beautiful wooded glen an unfamiliar note — " pick 
pick " — arrested the attention, and glimpses were got of the 
wavering flight of two boldly marked black and white birds 
among the trees. It was an exciting moment when a Great 
Spotted Woodpecker was seen to clap on to the headless trunk 
of an old birch tree and disappear into a hole about ten feet from 
the ground. This was a find indeed, as this bird, though 
formerly nesting as far north as the Moray basin, was extinct 
as a Scottish breeding species for many years. Recently it has 
been extending its range again from the south, and it was a 
pleasure to add one to the few records of its nesting in 'Perth- 
shire. Now it is said to have even reached Argyllshire. Has 
the extensive cutting of woodlands hastened the movement ? 
A convenient tree was situated about twelve yards from the nest, 
and a long vigil at its foot eventually yielded an excellent view 
o: both birds, and even a tiny photograph — perhaps the first 
Scottish one — of one of them. The excited chirps of the young 
wen. plainly heard on the approach of the parents, whose visits 
were frequent, once their alarm at the strange protuberance at 
the foot of the adjoining tree had subsided, All the same, it 
