236 BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 
Jardine wrote in 1832 that the Bittern once frequented 
the parish of Applegarth and Sibbaldbie, " but has not been 
fbserS of late yefrs. It is stiU found, however, m Loch- 
Sel and Johnstone."* It was thus recorded from Lang- 
hoto in 1835 : " Among the more rare birds may be noticed 
theBittern which has been seen in this parish,"! and con- 
SmSianeously from Westerkirk thus : " though rarely 
TsSmes seen."J From Mouswald it wa. descnbed 
I iZ Z "abund:nt,"§ but Mr. R. Service has aheady 
poii ed out that as the account of this P^-l^ ; -^.^^X 
L by a probationer in temporary charge, and not by the 
minister, a blunder of this kind may be jxcused. 1| If. 
however there was one spot in the county where tje Bit -n 
might be expected to hnger longer ^^^f « .f l^^^^^'^^' ,^ 
Z!t would be the Lochar Moss, though ,t is doubtful if 
there was justification for describing the species as 
'^abunZt" in this parish at that time, especially as in 
the s^e year the Bittern was recorded as only occasionally 
found in Lochar Moss.^ , , . • +^r. 
John Shaw wrote to Sir WiUiam Jardine that m the wm er 
of 1841-1842 he shot a Bittern at his experimental hsh- 
ponds near Drumlanrig. Thomas Maxwell told Dr Grierson 
Lat about 1848 he had obtained a Bittern at Black^^^^^^ 
(Keir) The bird was then (1862) m his possession he had 
£ver seen another, but some had beenkiUed m t^e d^^^^^^^^^^ 
A specimen in the Royal Scottish Museum Ed^^^^ 
is labelled "Dumfriesshire, December, 1849. A corre 
is laoeiieu u r "Dnrnfries " wrote to the 
QnoTident sisning himselt tr. uumirieb w^w 
sponaent s^gn g ^ beautiful bird promises soon 
Naturalist m 18o» . -Lnib uco,^ r n-u^^^ 
to be among our extinct species ft ; while W. G. Gibson 
* New Stat. Acct. Scot., Vol. IV., p. 181. 
t Op. cit.. Vol. IV., p. 418. 
% Op. cit.. Vol. IV., p. 431. 
§ Op. cit.. Vol. IV., p. 444. 
11 Kirkcudbright Advertiser, December 19th, 1902. 
^ Dumfries Courier, March 2nd, 1836. 
** Grierson's MS. Notes, October 17th, 1862. 
tt Naturalist, 1858, Vol. VIII., p. 66. 
