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daily disturbed duck pond, or larger and perhaps well wooded islets 
in a lako arc excellent spots for preserving many species of wild 
birds during the breeding season. 
The strips of pebbly beach which aro exposed in the shape of 
islands in summer time in some of the highland rivers, are favourite 
nesting places for the Oystercatchor and other birds, although they 
are perhaps many miles away from the sea. 
In the Perthshire lochs, the little islets covered with evergreen 
Blaeborry, and Rhododendron, and two or three Scotch Pines or 
Birch trees, are frequently chosen by the Woodcock, which 
appears to have two broods in the highlands ; the lirst brood is said 
to fly by the 1st of March. 
The Crossbills are equally early, and so arc the Longeared Owls 
oven in Norfolk. This latter bird has a habit of laying its seven 
eggs on the outside of the Squirrel's deserted drey ; the birds both 
sitting at once. In May, 1873, Mr. Overman told me that his 
attention was once called by a woodcutter to a lot of Horned Owls, 
all perched on one Scotch Pine at Stratton Strawless ; he was much 
astonished at seeing so many together and determined to try and 
count them. Not being able to count them as they sat, he tried in 
vain to make them leave the tree by knocking it or throwing tilings 
up at them ; at last the woodcutter went away and fetched a gun 
which was fired under the tree. My friend was then still more 
astonished at the sight of about fifty Owls on the wing, but he 
was unable to count them. I should be glad to know if anyone 
else has ever seen more than a single family of Owls in one tree. 
The Short-eared Owl migrates, but is I believe, generally flushed 
from the ground. 
The late Mr. Smith, owner of the Scilly Isles, was so successful 
in preserving the interesting fauna of his property, that the Green 
Cormorants, which on the neighbouring coasts of Dorsetshire, 
Devonshire, and the most frequented parts (i.e. the southern coast) 
of Cornwall are about the shyest of all sea fowl, on the Isle of Rose 
Vere allowed me to take them by their necks from the ledge on 
Avhich they sat like so many claret bottles, the others still remain- 
ing as if they were too lazy to fly or dive without help. The old 
and the full sized youug ones seemed equally tame, but they used 
their beaks with such painful effect, that after carrying three at once 
to the water to see them dive, I left the others in peace. 
s 
