31 
or twelve hundred feet on the hills surrounding the moorlands of 
Ayrshire. It lives in colonies sometimes numbering twenty or 
thirty pairs, but is often found in single pairs in small quarries 
and abrupt river banks in retired places. We have seen their 
occupied burrows on the summit of Mulloch Hill and elsewhere, 
in the face of the little cuttings made by the road makers, and 
have watched them during our intervals of rest while exploring 
these places for Silurian fossils. In these upland haunts we have 
never found more than one pair inhabiting a quarry. 
On the banks of the Water of Girvan, near Drumrannie, a 
numerous colony existed some years ago. Dr Anderson carefully 
examined upwards of a dozen of their burrows, most of which he 
found occupied by two pairs of birds, each passage branching into 
two about a foot from the outside. This particular bend of the 
river was frequented by the martins regularly for years, although 
every winter large masses of the banks were carried away by the 
floods. A few pairs still remain, and may be seen disputing the 
occupancy of the holes with a colony of impudent sparrows who 
lately took possession of them before the martins arrived. 
Mr Gray has seen an albino of this species in the possession of 
Mr John Jamieson, Ardrossan. 
The Common Swift (Cypselus opus). 
Extremely abundant. Towards the close of summer very large 
numbers congregate in the south of Wigtownshire, before finally 
quitting our shores. 
The numerous old castles whose ruined towers are so conspicu¬ 
ous throughout Ayrshire, are all frequented by numbers of swifts, 
and occupied as nurseries during their brief summer stay. From 
these ancient ruins the birds take long excursions, especially in 
dull weather, returning to their cold and eerie quarters at night¬ 
fall. The eggs of this species are very difficult to procure, the 
nest being almost invariably placed in holes and crevices with an 
extremely small entrance. We have found a long tobacco pipe 
useful for extracting them from these cracks and fissures, but even 
with such an instrument there is always a risk of breakage, unless 
the eggs can be seen. 
CAPRIMULGIDsE. 
The Nightjar (Caprimulgus Europceus). 
Sparingly distributed, but nowhere numerous. It is, however, 
