THE J O URNAL O F THE
NATURAL HISTO RY S O C IETY O F GLASG O W
( includ ing th e Transa c tions a nd Proceeding s of
th e S oc iety , Th ird Series) .
Volume V.
EDIT ED BY
D. A. BO YD AND JO HN PATERSO N.
19 18
G LASG O W JO HN SM ITH S O N (G LASG O W ) LIMITED ,
OW
um
C O N T E N T S.
Ix MEMORIAM m e s
Rev . David Landsborough , LL .D . ,
Peter Cameron ,
Peter Ewing ,
PAPERSThe Flora of the Gulbin Sands. Peter Ewing , F .L.S. ,
Dytiscus lapponicus, Gyll. , in Arran . Anderson Fergusson,Notes on Yew Trees (Tamas ba cca ta ,
L ) in the Clyde Area
(Plate John Renwick , 19-33
Table of Measurements of Yew -Trees in Clyde Drainage Area .
John Renwick and Richard M ‘Kay ,
The Birds of Fossil Marsh (Plate 11) W illiam Rennie,Basking Shark (Cetorh inus max imus) stranded on the Little
C umbrae. Richd . Elmhirst, F .L.S. ,
Mosses from Vice-County 10 1 . James M ‘Andrew,
The Return of Summer Birds to the Clyde Area in 1913 . JohnPaterson, 81-89
Notes towards a Knowledge of Clyde Myriapoda. RichardS. Bagnall, 89-92
Some Additional Records of Micro -Fungi for the Clyde Area.
A . Boyd , 93-95
O bservations on two tame Ravens and other Birds . J O hnstoneMacfie , M .D. , 1 17 - 1 19
Some Recent Additions to the British Fungus -Flora. D. A
Bo'yd ,
PROCEED ING S O F THE SO CIETY
Septorz'
a, Chrysanthemella ,Sacc . ,
a Fungus new to Scotland ,
from G lengonnar ,
Psylla bux i, from Benmore,Annual G eneral Meeting , Report of Council, and Election of
O ffice -Bearers . 38-39
Sisym’
nchium a nceps , Bab . , from G arukirk , and Apera
Spica -venti , Beauv . , from Scotstoun. Exhibit by R . S.
W ishart, M .A. ,
v i 0 O NTENTS.
PAG E
PRO CEED INGS—Conti nued.
Flowering Plan ts from various localities. Exhibit by PeterEwing ,
f r'm ndim
'
a crnetosa , Fr . , on Polystictus versicolor ,a t Caldwell,
Fmger-and-Toe
”Disea se (Pla smodiophora bra ssicce , W or. )
on Cauliflower Roots. Exh ibit by R . S. W ishart, M .A . ,
The G rey Squirrel from Cardross and Luss, with Notes on itsspread in Dumbartonsh ire,
New Records of Hepaticae. Peter Ewing , F.L.S.,
Gromia dnja rdiniz’
fromMillport. Exhibit by R ichd . Elmhirst,
Bar -tailed Godwit in Summer -Plumage from Ayrshire inDecember,
Tetra bothr ium cylindra ceum,a Worm new to
“ Clyde fromPossilMarsh
,
A Hemipteron (Strongylocor is Zeucocephalus) new to Clyde.Exhibit by J . J . F. X . King ,
Egg of Sandwich Tern (Sterna ca ntia ca ) taken in Clyde in 1912.
Exhibit by T . Thornton Ma cKeith ,
A Fly ( J/erodon eonestr is) new to Clyde . Exhibit bv Alex.
Ross,
Rare Scottish Mosses . Exhibit b y James Stirton ,M .D. ,
Scrophula r ia ver nalis from Kilmacolm. Exhibit by L. \Vatt ,A Rare Freshwa ter Alga (Desmonema W rmmeh
’
i ) from LochLomond. Exhibit by G eo. Lunam
MeteorologicalNotes, &c .,for 1912. J ames t itton , 125 -6
Excnnsxoxs
Rawy a rds House and Rosemount,
Bla ntyre Priory,
Loudoun Castle Policies,
Swinlees G len , Dalry,
Lugton to Beith,O rchard Country, LanarkTarbet and Luss ,G len Douglas to W histlefield
,
Abington , Lanarkshire ,G len Masson (Lists of Tipulidae, Mosses,Balmaha ,
G len Falloch (Notes on G eology) ,Dunure to Ayr (Freshwater Algae) ,G a reloch (Trees , Mosses, Fungi , Birds ) .G alston
,
The O rchard Country (Flowering Plants , Trees,Douglas (Trees, Birds, Diptera , Fungi,
CONTENTS .
Cricket - batWillow in cultivation in Argyllshire . H . B . W'
at tBotanical Records , compiled by Peter Ewi ng ,
The American G rey Squirrel (Sc z'
urus c z'
nereus) . Hugh Boyd\Vatt,
G reenland W hea tear (Sau’
cola tena nt/re lcucorrhoa ) in Ayrshire .R . W. S. “
v
ilson,Blac k G uillemot ( Ur ia. grylrc) , Storm Petrel (Procella r ia
pdagica ) , and Manx Shearwater (Pufiinus a nglorum) O ff the
Ayrshire Coas t . J . M ‘Crindle in The Even ing Times
G rea t Skua (Mega leatr is cataw hucrcs) in Bute . Chas . Kirk,
Bewick’s Swan (Cg/nus B ewicki) in Ayrshire . R . “7 . S. \Vilson ,
W’ hite-headed Chafiinch (F r ingilla cwlebs) ,
A prolific Blackbird (Turdus meruia ) ,Death of a well-known Taxi dermist ,Larch Canker. D . A. BoydPhaeangella empetri (PhiL) Bond .
The Turtle Dove ( Ta rta r com-mum'
s) in Ren i rew . R .
Wood-Sandpiper ( Teta nus gla reola ) in Renf rew. JohnRobertson,
Spotted Redshank ( Tota nus fuscws) in E . c i rew . JohnRobertson,
REVIEWS
The Home-Life of the Terns or Sea Swallows,Bullet in of the British O rni thologists
’
Club,Vol. XXX
A Dictionary of English and Folk-names of Brit i sh Birds,
INDEX ,
vi i
PAG E
45
79-80
80
80
106-107
107 - 108
108- 109
132 - 142
Elie (Blasgow NaturalistThe Journal of the NATURAL HISTO RY Soc iETY
O F G LASG O W
(Including the Transactions and Proceedings of the Society, T hird Series) .
Vol. V. , No. l . ] [November , 1912.
In Memoriam.
R EV. DAVID LANDSBOROUGH,LL D.
THE announcement of the death of D r. Landsborough,which
took place on 22ud November, has been rec eived wi th deep
regret by a very wide c ircle of friends, both at home and abroad ,by whom he was held in the highes t esteem
,alik e for his scientific
atta inments, public services, professional labours, and personal
worth .
Born in 1826, at the Manse of Stem nston,in Ayrshire
,hi s
early years were spent under condit ions well fitted to foster and
develop the keen love of nature whi ch was one of his most
marked charac teristics throughout the whole cour se of a long and
ac tive life . His father—the Rev . David Landsborough,D .D .
,
parish minis ter of Stevenstonflattained cons iderable eminence
as a successful worker in various fields of research,part icularly
in z oology, botany, geology, palaeontology, and archaeology .
Among the best known of hi s numerous publications may be
mentioned the Popular History of B r itish Z oophytes, Popula rHistory of Bri tish Seaweeds, and Na twra l History of Ar ran .
He also contributed to the New Sta tistical Accoun t of Scotla ndan elaborate description of the Parish of Stevenston
,which
contains much valuable and interesting information regarding the
natura l history and antiqui ties of tha t district . Under such
home influences, it is not surprising that the development of
young Landsborough’
s tas tes should have been so directed as torender him an enthusiastic and helpful colleague to hi s father .
THE GLASG O W NATUR ALIST.
Together they made long excursions in search of rare plants and
fossil s,explored the wooded glens and rocky headlands of the
Ayrshire coast, cl imbed the lofty mounta in peaks of A rran , and
dredged many hidden treasures from the depths of the sea. This
loving companionsh ip was only broken by the death of the elder
Landsborough in the year 1854.
As an independent worker, young Landsborough bestowed
much attention on marine zoology, especially the nudibranch
mollusca and zoophytes . His discoveries were so numerous and
important as to bring him under the notice of the leading British
naturalists of the time, who gladly availed themselves of hi s
assistance,and repeatedly acknowledged their indebtedness for
services rendered by him. In further testimony of their
appreciation of his work,a nudibranch (Eolis Landsburgii) was
named after h im by Messrs . Forbes and Hanley. During the
course of a long ministry at Kilmarnock , begun in 1851 and
extending over half-a century, hi s intervals of leisure were largely
devoted to scientific pursuits. His great love for Arran—a
notable characteristic inherited from his father—led him to turnhis attention to the effects produced by the genial climate of that
island on foreign species O f trees, shrubs, and plants when grown
in the Open air. Under his direction many Australian and other
species were experimentally cultivated , and his observationsthereon formed the subj ect of a series of papers communicated tothe Botani cal Society of Edinburgh. For many years he was
accustomed frequently to contribute popular articles on botany,geology, local history, folk - lore
,and kindred subj ects, to the
columns of the Ki lmarnock Standa rd. These were largely
instrumental in creating among the people a taste for the
pursuits in which he himself found delight,and on which he
di scoursed so pleasantly. His interest in the moral and intel
lectual welfare of the working classes induced him to take aleading part in the institution of the Kilmarnock G lenfield
Ramblers’
Society, of which he was the first and only HonoraryPresident . The remarkable success of that Society has been duein great measure to his individual efforts and influence.Among the most important of his li teraryproductions was a
book entitled Arrafn its Topography, Na tur a l History, and
An tiquities, published in 1875. This consisted of a revised
IN MEMORIAM . 3
edition of his father ’s work on A rran . to whi ch was added a
memoir of Dr . Landsborough senior, and several ex tra chapte rs .
He also published in the Anna ls of the Glenf telcl Rambler s’
Societytwo notable papers on the Botany of Ayrshire, whi ch have
proved very helDful to loca l workers . His other published
papers ex tended over a wide range of subj ec ts, and are too
numerous to be ment ioned . Many of them appea red in the
Transac tions of the Botani cal Soc iety of Edinburgh,G eologica l
Soc iety of G lasgow, Soc iety of Antiquaries of Scotland,and
G lenfield Ramblers’ Soc iety . He was elected a Corresponding
Member of the Natural Histo ry Society of G lasgow in 1887 , and
several of his communications have appeared in the Society’s
Proceedings and Transac tions .
Dr . La ndsborough was predeceased by hi s wif e, but is survived
by a family of five sons and two daughters,to whom must be
tendered the sympathy of the Members of the Society in the
grea t loss which they have susta ined .
The figure in Plate 1. of thi s volume is the subj ect of this
notice.
PETER CAMERON.
WH ILE much regret at the death of this well-known entomologist
will be felt in scientific c ircles all over the world, the c lose O f his
di stinguished career must be especially lamented by his former
friends and associates in our own Societv wi th whi ch he was so
long and intimately conn ected .
Mr . Cameron was born in G lasgow about six ty-five yea rs ago .W hile a young man he entered the employment of Messrs . James
Black 6: CO .,ca lico printers , in whose G lasgow Ofli ce he remained
for a considerable period, but was a fterwards transferred to their
establishment in Manches ter . Wh ile resident in our c ity he
devoted h is spare time to the pur sui t of natural history, into
wh ich he entered wi th charac teristi c earnestness . Having a t
fir st been attracted to the study of plants, he became a member
of the Glas gow Botanica l Society , and made the acquaintance Of
the late Mr . R oger Hennedy, lecturer on botany in the Ander
sonian U niversity,and author of the Clydesda le Flora , with
4 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
whom he afterwards remained on terms of close friendship . At
this period he developed a taste for entomology, which ultimatelybecame his exclusive subj ect of study . After turning his
attention to various orders of insects, he finally concentrated his
work on the Hymenoptera, which up till that time had been
neglected by local natur ali sts. Through his influence the
Botanical Society was induced to extend the range of its
Operations so as to include entomology . It accordingly became
known as “ The G lasgow Society of F ield Naturalists,
un til
amalgamated with the Natural History Society in 1879. He
was admi tted a member of the latter institution in 1871, and
continued while resident in G lasgow to take an active interest in
the various departments of the Society’s work . As an othee
bearer he rendered many important services, which are gratefully
remembered by his former colleagues in the Council . He also
frequently took part in the business of the meetings as an
exhibitor of specimens or author of papers . Numerous com
munications from his pen have appeared in the Proceedings and
Transactions of the Society. He also contributed a List of
Hymenoptera (in two parts) to a series of publications on theFauna of Scotland, formerly issued by the Society . To the
Handbook on the Faun a and Flora O f the West of Scotland,
prepared in connection with the visit of the British Association
to G lasgow in 1876, be contributed an art icle on the Entomology
of Clydesdale, as well as lists of the species of Cynipidae and
Tenthredinidae occurring in the district .About the year 1873, he commenced to collect materials for
hi s great work on the British Phytophagous Hymenoptera .
This was published in four volumes by the R ay Soc iety, and
continues to be the standard British tex t-book on the subj ect towhich it relates . Many descriptions of species of Hymenoptera
from Japan and other foreign countries have also been written
by h im and published in various scientific j ournals andtransactions .
Besides his local connections,Mr. Cameron was a member Of
the Entomological Society of London,the Société Entomologique
de F rance, the Deutsche Entomologische G esellschaft, and many
other learn ed societies, as well as in constant correspondence with
the foremost entomologists throughout Europe.
EWING .— FLORA O F THE C O LB IN SANDS . 5
O n his removal to Manchester about twenty-five yea rs ago, he
was elected a Corresponding Member of our society . For a
considerable time, however, the impaired state of his hea lth has
gradually led to the abandonment of his more active pursui ts .
His death took place on 1st December, at New Mills, Derby
shire,where
, for some years he had been livi ng in retirement.
The Flora of the Gulbin Sands
By PETER EWING,E.L.S.
[Read 28th May,
No doubt to many the mythology of the Culbin Sands would
be much more interesting than its flora ; but although that is
not the side which appeals_to me, there are certain matters
connected more or less remotely therewith whi ch require to be
touched upon in any paper bearing on the subj ect .
Tradi tion sets forth that this enormous mass of sand was laid
down on very'
fine arable land by two fierce hurricanes, one in
the forenoon and the other in the afternoon Of an autumn day in
the year 1694, and so rapidly did the sand accumulate that the
workers in the fields had to fly for their lives . It is further
asserted that in quite recent times the mansion-house of Culbin ,
farming implements,and even the skeletons of human beings who
were overtaken by the storm,have been laid bare by the shi ftin g
sands .The house of Culbin was connected in far-away times with the
great houses of Sutherland, Atholl, and, through the marriage Of
one of its scions,
_
with the Old keep of Bothwell by the Clyde .”
For about two hundred years, or until the yea r 1400, the lands of
Culbin were in the possession of R ichard de Moravi a (otherwise
MOray) but upon the failure of the male line , they passed , by
the marriage Of Egidia de Moravia with Thomas Kinnaird of
Kinnaird,into the possession of the Kin naird family, with whom
they remained until the end of the seventeenth century . I t has
THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
been said that the estate was for generations known as the
Garden and G ranary of Moray . The soil has been described
as a “ deep loam mixed with a fine silt, brought down by the
F indhorn for generations .” There were, it is stated, included in
the factor ’s inventory, sixteen good -sized farms as well as numerous
crofts and cottars’ houses . The annual rental was about
sterling,including crops, value Of salmon fishing, etc . In the
centre of this estate was the mansion-house of Gulbin,and
gathered around were the quarters of the Baron’s retainers, the
church dedicated to St. Ninian, and a meal-mill at a part of the
estate known as Dalpottie. This is the picture presented by
tradition of Gulbin in the year 1694, when , it is asserted, a
hurricane broke upon the doomed domain, rendering a tract of
three thousand six hundred acres Of arable land permanently
useless . The laird and tenantry were compelled to flee for their
lives 5and on their return a few days later , when the worst of the
storm was over, they found, instead O f the stately mansion-house,
trim cottages, and bein farms they had left, this waste of driving
and dr iven sand . Such is the legendary lore O f the district
In support of this account, we find, embodied in the archives of
the country, records to the effect that in 1695 an appeal was
made by the holder of the estate to the Scottish Parliament,pleading for the remission of certain taxes
,his plea being that
by an inevitable fatality which had no parallel in Scotland, the
best three parts of my estate, with the manor-house, yards,orchard, and mains . are quite destroyed by vast heaps of sand
which have over-blown the same,so that not a vestige is now to
be seen of that which within the past twenty years were as
considerable as many in the county of Moray . In witness whereof
this certificate produced under the hands of thirty of the most
worthy gentlemen of the shires of Moray, Nairn, and Inverness .”
Not only was this petition granted,but as a direct result an act
of parliament was passed prohibiting,under severe penalties, the
pulling or cutting of bent,juniper or broom at Gulbin, or else
where along any sandy sea- shore round the country.
”
That some such devastating calamity did occur at the time
referred to may probably be true, but that this desert was formed
as the result of one day’s storm is quite beyond reasonable belief.
That loose sand may be lying on ground that might be cultivated
EWING — FLORA or THE C O LB IN SANDS . 7
is possible, but that all the ground now covered was formerly
cultivated is just as absurd a belief as that Gulbin house was
exposed to view after having been buried . In the museums at
Na im and Forres, and also in the Antiquarian Museum in
Edi nburgh,there are many relics of the stone age which were
found among these sands . These clearly point to a time when
the ex tensive fiat patches of groun d among the surrounding dunes
formed site s for the huts of the ancient Britons whose means of
subsistance was confined to hunt ing and fishing . No more
desirable situation than thi s could be found for such tribes . Here
they would be hid from their enemies and sheltered from the
winds salt and fresh-water fish would be abundant and within
easy reach and as the immediately surrounding coun try was flat
and well watered,game would likewise occur in plenty .
“ Middens have also been di scovered, lending support to
thi s view .
The sands are of irregular shape,their gr eatest length being
about three miles by about one mile and—a—quarter broad, althoughthe land area rendered incapable of cultivation through the action
of the drif ting sand may be said to extend to about eight square
mi les. According to the O rdnance Survey Map,the highest
sand-hi ll, which is at th e western extremity, attains an altitude
of 99 feet above sea level ; and at the north -east corner another
reaches 62 feet above sea level 3 but changes are continually taking
place, and some lately measured were found to be about 120 fee t .
When we stand on one of the Gulbin heights near the shore,and try to form some idea regarding their formation , we see
clearly that the sand has been brought in from the sea,not in
one day, but during the course of countless y ears ; and that in
the shallow water in front there is as much sand left c lose to the
shore as would a ff ord material for making the dunes many times
over also that it has all been laid down or piled uphere by the
action of north-westerly gales . It is likewise quite apparent
that these winds are carrying it into the R iver F indh orn andF indhorn Bay, from whence it is carried out to sea
,just to be
brought back again to the shore by the action of the winds and
tides, and there to be dried and again blown over the dunes—and
so on ad infin itum . Its nutritive value when dry must be low 3but when moist, a considerable quantity of decaying matter, also
THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
blown about by the wind, is superimposed or mixed with it and
so a humus is formed on which some plants grow well . It might
have been comparatively easy to accoun t for the formation of
heights where vegetation, however sparse existed, as that is
supposed to stop the drift of the sand and cause it to pile up.
The reverse,however
,seems to be the case here. The mounds
entirely destitute of vegetation are those whi ch rise to the
greatest heights, whereas, where there is any vegetation, the wind
seems to create the greatest destruction, because whenever the
surface is broken the wind hollows out the sand . To judge by
the statements of some experts, this is not usually the case . Here
the height of the white dunes seems to be entirely due to the
c liff or barachan formation . An ything may cause a beginning, but
thi s being accomplished, the dunes go on accumulating so long as
the sea shore supplies sand to the wind ; therefore if the sea
is receding the sand dunes must be rising, and this, according to
hi story,is what is taking place .
The Maviston Sand Hills—two large heaps of sand situatedabout two miles di stant—show the effect of wind action in covering upmore clearly than can be observed at Gulbin . They are
exposed to winds from a' westerly direction, but are to a great
extent sheltered from easterly winds by planted trees,so that the
sands are moving eastward and covering up the trees .
If, while standing on Gulbin heights, we turn our back towards
the sea and look landward,we can easily persuade ourselves that
an enormous tract of land in our vic inity has quite recently
geologically speaking) been reclaimed from the sea by blown sandforming dunes along the shore . This sand, drifting landward
over the old salt—marshes,has formed
,along with much land
suitable for cultivation,small fresh-water lakes, marshes, bogg
land , and sand-heath covered with planted pines . The heather,heath, and gorse, in great stretches by the sea-shore, suggest a
resemblance to an English chalk-down . All the vegetation is
psammophilous for many miles around,as appears from J un cus
ba lticus being found ten miles inland . Even among the CulbinSands proper we find the same mixed conditions prevailing—poolsof fresh water, patches of peaty-lookin g soil, and gravel beds,surrounded by enormous masses of blown sand mostly devoid of
vegetation . There are no rocks or hills near enough to account
10 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
the flats among the dunes . Those of the kind usually observedelsewhere on the sandy sea-shore are not visible here, owing
doubtless to the absence of plants capable of forming them. An
attempt may be seen in the case of Carex arenaria,or better
perhaps in the case of a plant of J un cus ba lticus. These only
half stop the sand , and the streamers formed are never of.
any
grea t height. We should expect such plants as Atr iplex , Suceda ,
Sa lsola ,Poten tilla An ser in a , and Convolvulus a r t’ensis, to be
plentiful in these places, but they are entirely absent. The want
of salt may account for the absence of the three first mentioned,which are halophy tic in habit, but not for the last two, seeingthat Convolvulus arven sis especially is a common east—country plantand often found covering railway-banks .
The sand travels across a gravel-bed at the same speed as over
the stationary sand, only the stones seem to make it rise higher.
When the sand - stream comes into contact with water or solid
vegetation it appears to stop or change its course, thus creating
a confused impression which makes us feel that we would require
to cover the whole surface of the sand with small flags to
make sure that it was not movin g round in a circ le . The body
of sand seen in violent mot ion is so great,that one is apt to
conclude that a few days and nights of continuous westerly wind,aided by the action of the R iver Findhorn
,would suffice to put
the whole mass into th e sea.
Much is said about rich loam forming the agricultural land
under and around the sands, but of this there is little appearance.
What one does see in many places,however
,is the evidence of
former boggy land produced by fresh-water plants being decom
posed and blended with sand . Many acres of the same c lass
of soil, undergoing similar transition, are observable now.
A great amount of pine has been planted in the district
surrounding the sands, but what effect these trees have had on the
shifting sands it is difficult to determine . At Maviston the sand
has drifted up on the trees and killed them ; while at Gulbin
rather the reverse process seems to have taken place —the windblowing away the sand and causing the trees to fall. Among the
trees which are at all sheltered,even at the edge of the sand
,the
heather is 20 inches high,and often more . I t is worthy of note
that wire -netting screens about ten feet h igh are used to preven t
sand—drifting and seem to be eff ective .
EWING —FLORA or THE GULB IN SANDS . 11
Among the dunes themselves there are patches of fresh water,some of which at times must be comparatively large, and , as will
be seen from the lis t of plant s given, thi s water mus t be pretty
constant . G reat stre tches offlat sands with carices and junoi
scattered over them also occur . O ne fa irly large patch of sandy
peat has the appea rance of having been cultivated a t one time, at
least it has the apparent “ laz y bed markings qui te di stinct 3 but
as wi ll be seen from the lis t of plants found there,it must
formerly have stood not less than onefoot higher than its present
position in relation to the surrounding sand .
In the centre of the whi te dunes is an enormous gravel-bed that
must have been thr own up by the action of the sea , as the siz e
and variety of the stones and the height of the bed are too
cons iderable for the ma s s to have been deposited by the R iver
From an ecological point of vi ew these dunes are intens ely
interesting. They are so near the sea that a halophilous or sa line
flora might be expected to predominate 3 but although the orders
of plants belonging to that f ormation are represented , the spec ies
usual to such situations are rare. The shores of the F indhorn
yield a few 3 but the sea- shore all along the north side for mile s
is entirely barren,and consists of pure sand , the t ide coming right
up to the base of the whi te dunes .
Where so much dry sand is drift ing about, one would expect a
ma rked x erophy tic or dry-soil flora vet the sands are poor in
plants that may be said to belong to that formation , as is
apparent from the lis t submitted , but they are rich in mesophytic
plants,i .e.
,plant s whose requi rements are intermediate in
character as to soil and water .
O n the apparently stat ionary or grey dunes, as well as among
and around the whi te dunes,and on the dun e heath
,dry
,sand
fields, dune bush - land and dune plantations,we find hydrophytes,
helophyte s halophytes,psammophyte s
,and mesophy tes , but not
the species we might expect to meet with when the usual edaphic
factors are considered . The plants ac tually found , however, are
more interesting, as the law of adaptation is manif est on so large
a scale . Under the shelter of the pines,the halophytic influences
of the sea,combined with the dry nature of the climate , have
resulted in Ca lluna. vulga ris and Er ica cin erea growing profusely 5
12 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
but the maj ority of the plants are protected from rapid trans
pira tion by a dense covering of pubescence which sometimes
makes them appear quite lanate. All plants which are slightly
hairy under ordinary conditions become densely hairy here. This
is well seen in Veron ica ofi cina lis, which assumes what is
no doubt the state described by Hopkirk, in his“ F lora
G lottiana,”
(page 9) as V. hirsuta from Ayr . O n the outskirts of
the dunes the normal is the prevalent form,but the nearer the
plant approaches to the white dunes themore hirsute does it
become. Plants with large leaves are also common, markedly in
the case of Viola Rivin iana . Sedum acre was the only succulent
leaved plant noted 3 it was very vigorous with stems about six
inches high. The absence of the common sea -side plants - from
the Culbin list shows that something more than sand and.
sea
breezes is required for their ex istence andmaintenance . The entire
want of fragments of sea-weed and shells may accoun t for this to
some extent ; but there can be little doubt that the comparative
freedom from saline properties in the drifting sand from the shore
(as evidenced by the presence of fungi among the grey dunes) isnot the least important factor we have to consider in endeavour
ing to account for the absence of such plant s . I append a list of
species seen between Gulbin and Nairn to show that halophytes
are common in the neighbourhood .
The white dunes proper are great masses of dry sand , the
surface of which seems to be constant ly on the move . Any vege
tation that does exist on them appears to be entirely dependent
on the rains and dews for its moisture,and consequently it forms
a growth of so limited a nature that the colour of the sand can
be seen through it . The dominant plant is Ammophila arenar ia
Link,the closely- rolled leaves and hard cuticle of which apparently
enable it to withstand the eff ects of the wind 3while the softerand broader leaves of Agropyrum jun ceum Beauv . and Elymusarenarius L. are neither able to resist the force of the wind nor
withstand the action of the sand—grains impelled by it,and so are
prevented from gaining a foothold,with the result that they are
confined to the more shel tered places which have been hollowed
out by the wind . In the deeper hollows, Viola Curtisii Forst ,
Cerastium semidecana’rum L .
, Senecio J a cobaea L . ,F ilago min ima
Fr Sambucus n igra L. , Betula tomentosa Reith . ,and Ca rex
EWING .—FLORA or THE CULBIN SANDS . 13
arena fr ia L. , complete the flora of these dun es . Certain plants
are looked upon as dune -builders, and the sea-marram may possibly
assist in the process by preventing the lighter breezes from
moving the sand about , but this is not very obvious . O ne thing,however
,is certain : if the wind is supplied with dry sand , it i s
quite capable of building dunes without the help of plants .
As the land becomes more sheltered by the increased size and
number of the white dunes along the shore, general vegetation
begins to develop . F irst come Ammophila , Elymus, or Agropyrum
all attenuated in habit and sparse in numbers, but gradually
becoming stronger and denser ; then mosses, such as Tortula ,Polytrichum,
and Cera lodon ,seem to fill upthe bare spaces among
the grasses ; and finally theflowering-plant s creep in , till at last,by the law of the survival of the fittest (the origi nal grasses having
been choked out by the weaker- looking but more adaptable
festucas and other plants), the ground is carpeted by a varied
vegetation and a grey dune is formed .
Between the village of F indhorn and the town of Nairn—a
distance of about eleven miles—we have one of the best tracts ofland I know of in Scotland for the study of a psammophy te
formation . G rey sand -dune,Sand-h elds Dune-heath
,Dune bush
land , and Dune- forest are all to be found here on a verv
ex tensive scale, and to a large ex tent under natural conditions .
It is not my intention a t the present time to discuss this
formation : the subject is far toocomprehensive,however interesting
itmay be . I have touched on it merely in a general way, so as in
some measure to find a reason for the very extensive flora ex isting
among the Culbin Sands . I made a catalogue of the plants form
ing the grey-dune flora which creeps up on the white dunes 3but
I refrain from giving it,as I feel that it would be misleading,
and does not form a necessary adjunct to the subj ect which has
occupied my attention more particularlv . The following l ist of
plant s, as I have already stated, is compiled entirely from sand
fields completely surrounded by the white sand dunes .
Ranunculus a cr is L . Cerastium vulga tum L .
R . Flammula L . C'. semidecand’
rum L.
Viola -Rivin iana Reichb . C . tetrandrum Curt .
V. palustr is L . Arenaria peploides L .
Polyga la vulgar is L. Sagina subula ta Presl.
14 THE G LASG O W
S . procumbens L.
Radiola linoides R oth .
Ulex europceus L .
Cytisus scopar ius Link .
Trifolium repens L.
Lotus corn icula tus L .
Vicia angustifolia L.
Poten tilla erecta Hampe .
Rosa can in a L .
Sealam acre L.
Drosera rotundif olia L .
Peplis Por tula L.
Epilobium obscurum Schreber.
E . palustre L.
Hydrocotyle vulgaris L .
Ga lium hercyn icam Weig .
G . pa lustre L.
G . verum L.
B ellis perenn is L.
Filago min ima Fr .
Gnaphalium sylva ticum L.
Sen ecio J a cobcea L.
Cirsium lanceola tum Scop .
C'. a rvense Scop .
Crepis mollis Aschers .
C . pa ludosa Moench .
C . capillar is W allr.
Leontodon hispidus L .
Ca lluna vulgar is Hull .
Myosotis eoespitosa Schultz .
Veron ica scutella ta L .
V. Chamcealrys L.
V. ofiicina lis L .
NATURALIST .
Prun ella vulgaris L .
Plan tago Coronopus L.
Littorella uniflora A sch .
Rumex Acetosella L.
B etula tomen tosa R eith .
Sa lim aurita L.
S . repens L.
O rchis la tifolia L.
0 . macula ta L .
J un cus conglomera tus L.
ef usus L.
ba lticus Willd .
ar ticula tus L .
bulbosus L.
bujon ius L.
squarrosus L
Eleocharis pa lustr is Br.Scirpus ccespi tosus L.
S. setaceus L.
S. filiformis Savi .Er iophorum angustifolium
R oth .
Carex infla ta Huds .C . Goodenowi i Gav .
C . lepor ina L.
C . aren aria L.
Agrostis a lba L .
A. tenuis Sibth .
Aira pr cecoac L.
Holcus mollis L .
H. lana tus L.
Poa annua L.
Festuca rubra L.
s
a
s
s
a
s
The following halophytic plants were noted on'
the shore
between Gulbin and Nairn, in addition to those included in theforegoing list .
Cakile mar i tima Scop.
Silene mar itima With .
Arenar ia peploides L.
Rosa spinosissima L.
FERGUSSO N.—Dvr lscus LAPPO NICUS, GYLL.
,IN ARRAN . 15
Ma tr icar ia mari tima L . Atr iplex hasta ta L.
Sta tice ma ri tima M 11. A. B abington ii Woods .
Glaux mar itima L. Sa lsola Ka li L.
Pneuma r ia ma r itima Hill . Tr iglochin ma r itimum L .
Chen opodium rubrum L. Scirpus ruf us Schrad .
B IBL IOGRAPHY .
James Barclay Murdoch . Trans . G eol . Soc . G lasgow,
1888-92.
Fauna of the Moray Basin , Vol. I . p . 89.
Eng. Warmin g . O ecology of Plants . 1909.
R obert Thomson, in Lin. 1910 .
F . O . Bower . Plant Life on Land . 1911 .
Dytiscus lapponicus, Gy11. , in Arran.
By ANDERSON F ERGUSSON .
[Read 26th November,
Dytiscus lappon icus, one of our largecarnivorous water-beetles,has been recorded in the British Isles from Inverness E . (Strathglass) , Inverness W . (Ben Nevis) , North Ebudes (Rum,
Skye,
and E igg) , Mid Ebudes (Mull ), the Clyde faunal area, and
Donegal . The C lyde record is contained in D r. Sharp’s Coleoptera
of Scotland,
* but in conversation with him regard ing the
occurrence of the beetle in Clyde, he informed me that he had
certainly not taken it in the area himself, nor could he remember
from whom he had received the note of its capture .i
O wing to
the indefinite nature of the Clyde record , I have always been
part icularly anxious to turn up the insect in the area, and
having arranged to spend some time in Arran and Kintyre during
September of this year, an opportunity occurred of t ry ing for it
on ground which seemed likely to suit i t . As there are several
The Scottish Naturalist, II . p. 96.
16 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
interesting features in connection with the habits of lapporgicus
which have been dealt with by most of the writers who have
noted its occurrence in Britain it seems desirable for purposes of
comparison, to put on record the circumstances under which it
occurred in Arran, where after considerable work I was ultimately
successful in finding it .
During the few days I spent in Kintyre, in the begining of
September, the weather was so unfavourable that only one
potential Dytiscus loch was visited and I failed to find the insect
in it.In Arran I visited six lochs altogether . O f these I found that
two were practically dried upand the beetle did not occur in other
three . It was only on my last available collecting day on the
island,that I visited the six th and last loch in which I found
lappon icus. This loch is situated at an elevation of about 800
feet,on the top of a ridge, and the ground dips abruptly on either
side of it. It is only about 100 yards in length, with an extreme
breadth of about 60 yards, and I do not th ink that anywhere it will
exceed 25 feet in depth . No stream flows in to or out of it, a point
characteristic of all the lochs in which the insect has been taken in
Britain . The bottom is a hard one composed of fine granite sand
with stones of various siz es scattered all over it . The only vegetar
tion I could detect in it was a hepatic clinging to the s tones on the
bottom,which Mr . J . R . Lee has kindly identified for me as a
form of Alicularia compressa Nees b ut round the margins clumps
of Sphagnum descended here and there into the water from theadj oining ground . In almost all part iculars the loch Seems
identical with Lochan-na-Beinn Buidhe in E igg, in which Mr;Balfour-Browne* took the beetle in September, 1910, and
in regard to which he remarked that from hi sprevi ous experience
it was a most unlikely place in which to find the species .All the other recorded stat ions for the beetle are deep lochs,which perhaps become shallow towards one end .
The usual and most successful method of taking the beetle isto turn over the large stones lying on the bottom, under which
the creatures apparently lie,and secure them as they swim away.
The Aquatic Coleoptera of the North Ebudes. Arm. Scot. Na t. Hist. ,1911, p. 149.
18 THE GLASG O W NATURALIS'
I .
The commonest beetle in the loch was Agabus arcticus, which
swarmed in the net after every sweep .
With regard to the proportion of males to females in lappon icus,it is
,perhaps
,hardly right to take my result. working with the
net alone,as accurate , but so far as it goes it agrees with Mr .
Balfour-Browne ’s experience in Skye and E igg in September,1910, when he found in two cases that the females were more
common than the males .* Prior to that the collectors of the
insect in Scotland and Ireland had for the most part noted the
fact that the males were more plentiful than the females . In a
paper read before this Soc iety, the Rev . J . E . Somerville ? stated
that his experience of the insect in Mull and Donegal was that
the males were commoner than the females in the proportion of
rather more than five males to every female 3 and he suggested
as a possible explanation that th is might be due to the close
resemblance of the male while in the water to the leaf of Pot
amogeton when in a half-withered condition . He pointed
out that the females were not so favoured as the males in this
respect, and probably would be more liable to attack from their
natural enemies and consequent depletion of their numbers.
O ne would expect that the most successful Operation of this
protective resemblance in favour of the males would occur in
lochs in which Potamogeton grew,and Mr. Somerville noted
that the plant was present in the Donegal loch . No Pota
mogeton occurred in the Arran loch , and it also appears to have
been absent from Lochan-na-Beinn Buidhe in Eigg, where Mr .
Balfour-Browne found the females more frequent than the
males 3 but, on the other hand , in the loch in Skye, where the
same sex predominated,he notes that Potamogeton did occur
Mr. Balfour-Browne ’s suggestion,if it be right, that the
female is Shortlived,while the male survives more than a
season, is likely to explain why collectors in the early summer
months should find the males predominating . My experience in
Arran would appear to bear this out, as the only beetle
The Aquatic Coleoptera of the North Ebudes—Ami . Scot. Na t. Hist. ,191 1 , p. 149.
"tNotes on Dytiscus lapponicus collected in Ireland during the presentautumn .
—Proc. Na t. Hist. Soc. of Gla sgow,I . , p. 231.
RENWICK .—Y EW TREES IN THE CLYDE AREA. 19
which was fully mature was one of the males . All the
females and the male which I found upon the bank were
distinctly immature . The fact seems c learly established that
the imagines hatch out in the autumn , and the time of year
that the male was found to be more common was just in each
case before the emergence of the new brood,because it was
usually noted that full-grown larvae were numerous . In E igg
Mr. Balfour—Browne only noted one larva which was full-grown,and in Ar ran there were no larvae to be seen .
A point which still seems to be without adequate explanation
is that females should preponderate in some lochs in Skye and
E igg in 1910,and in A rran in 1912 3 but that this might
possibly have been abnormal is indicated by the fact that,in
September of this year, Professor Hudson Beare and Mr. Black
found the sexes practically equal and all quite immature in
Lochan-na-Beinn Buidh e in E igg .
Notes on YewTrees (Taxus ba ccata, L. ) in the Clyde Area.
By JO HN RENW I CK .
[Read 25th June, 1912 3 revised November,
RENFREw SH IRE YEW s .
THE largest yew tree—
in the Clyde Area , and probably inScotland , i s one at Cr a igends Castle , Renfrewshi re , on the si de
of the r iver G ryfe . The trunk is very short . It begins to
div i de at about 3 feet up,into 13 or 14 great l imbs , one of the
largest of which i s 8 feet 4 inches in gi rth at the base . At 10
feet from the ground there are about 30 stems . It i s not
possible to take the tape stra ight round the trunk , but at the
nar rowest p art the gi rth i s 22 feet 8 inches on an i r regular
l ine at an average of 2 feet up. The d i ameter of the sp read of
20 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST .
the branches i s 91 feet,on a line par allel to the r iver , and
82 feet at r ight angles thereto . The fol i age thus extends in
nearly a c i rc le,and covers an area of about square
feet,or over an eighth of an acre . The height of the tree is
44 feet . The gi rth has increased 17 7} inches since 1889, or atan average r ate of ‘
75 of an inch annually . This i s large for
a yew,but i s l ikely to be accounted for by the swell ing under
the divi sions of the trunk and by the swell ing of the roots .
The tree i s ev i dently very healthy and v igorous , and in 1896
we were told that it always p roduced plenty of pollen .
At the mansion - house of Duchal there i s a large yew . It
begins to divide at the base, the br anches going off almost
hor iz ontally , and lying on the ground . It is thus impossible
to measure it straight round , but at the narrowest point it
i s not less than 16 feet 6 inches in gi rth , height 42 feet .There are two very interesting yews at Cra igbet , a small
estate which at one t ime formed part of the l ands of Duch al.
They are said to have been planted to commemorate a mar r i age
in the Porterfield fami ly , about 1620 . If so,they are now
290 years old . O n 1st January,1912
,they measured
,
respectively , at 2 feet up—male tree , girth 8 feet 1% inches ,height 40 feet
,sp read 59 feet
,bole 13 feet 3 female tree , gi rth
7 feet 1 inch,height 43 feet
,spread 61 feet
,bole 7g. feet .
The male tree is thus a good bit greater in gi rth . Taking
the age as 290 years , the annual average inc rease in gi rth has
been,in the male tree
,
‘
33 inch , and in the female“
29. But
dur ing the last twelve year s the female tree has grown at amuch higher rate than the male , and than the average for thesupposed li fe
,namely
,
'
48 inch yearly,while the male tree
has grown much slower,say
,
‘
17 inch . The slow rate in thelatter Is probably owing to an l l
‘
oll band round its trunk .
The trees may, however , not be so old as 1620 . The estate at
that time does not seem to have been in the possession of thePorterfield fam i ly . In Mur ray ’ s K ilma colm
,a Pa rish
History it i s stated that in 1681 John Porterfield
of Duch al purchased the lands[
of Cra igba it and Carsemeadowfrom the Sinclai rs of Cra igba it . He died in 1690
,and was
succeeded by his grandson,Alexander
,who in 1694 mar r ied
Cather ine Boyd , daughter of the‘
Earl‘
of‘
Ki lmarnock , and
RENW ICK .—YEW TREES IN THE CLYDE AREA . 21
granddaughter of the n inth Ear l of G lencai rn . Such a sp lendi d
marr i age for an impover i shed la i r d may well have been com
memorated by marr i age trees,
” as these are called . If 1694
be the correct date,the aver age annual g i rth increase has
been—male tree,
“
45 inch ; fema le ,'
39 inch ; rates which
correspond with that of the former inch) dur ing the last12 years .At Finlaystone House, which formerly belonged to the E ar ls
Of G lencai rn , one of whom was a fr i end of John Knox , there
i s what rema ins of an old yew under which the Reformer i s
sai d to have p reached in 1556 . W hen the house was enlarged
by the late Mr . G eorge J . K idston , thi s tree was car efullymoved about 100 yards r ather than have it cut down . It i s
not in very good condit ion . The house stands on the top
of the old sea-cl iff which forms so consp icuous a featur e all
round the F i rth of Clyde . Lower down on the 25- foot ra i sed
beach i s a group of three fine yews , about 40 feet h igh ,and gi rth ing respectively in 1907 9 feet 73 inches, 9 feet5% inches , and 8 feet 5 inches , with holes of only 4 feet .
The largest and the smallest are male trees . The largest h as
grown dur ing the p receding fourteen year s at a much greater
rate than the others ,‘
64 inch annually ; smallest,‘
36 3
female,
‘
33 . They may , however , be of the same age . Com
par ing the smallest of the three with the smaller Cra igbet one,and assuming that 1620 was the actua l date of planting of the
latter , the age would come out as 345 years in 1907 , and
comp ar ing the largest with the larger Cra igbet tree, i t would
be 344 years . As 351 years had elapsed since 1556, one might
imagine that i f the custom had p revai led then,the Reformer
might have commemorated his v i sit by planting these trees .
But as the p lace where they grow i s called Par adise,
” i t
would be a more l ikely guess that they were planted by some
eccles iast i cal p redecessor s of Knox . If 1694 be the date of
planting the Cra igbet trees , and i f these at Finlayston have
grown at a s imilar r ate , they would not be more than 260 years
Old .
A tree which has obta ined some notice recently i s the
W allace Yew ,at the farmh ouse of E ldersl ie , which ,
according to John 0 . Mitchell , in The Two Elderslies
22 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
occupies the site of the old tower and manor-place, an old
decayed house early in the 18th century . He says : A
venerable yew grows in the garden , s ingular ly thr iving , with
soli d trunk , and thick and shapely head .
” In Apr i l of th is
year it had a spread of 50 feet, and a girth of 11 feet at
4 feet and at 1 foot up, an increase at the former height
of 8% inches since 1891 , or at the rate of‘
40 inch year ly . It
is popular ly supposed to be at least 600 years old , but i f it has
grown all its l i fe at the same rate as in the last 21 years
it i s only 330 years of age . As the yew grows faster when
young , it may be only about 300 years, and thus instead of
hav ing been planted by , or of commemor ating the execution
of , the Protector of Scotland in London , in 1305, i t may date
from the time,about three centur ies later , when the King of
Scotland entered the same c ity as monarch of the whole island .
Ramsay,in Views in Renfr ewshir e p . 124
, says
The name of W all ace ’ s Yew has been assigned to it
p robably for no other reason than because it stands at a. spot
hallowed by his name .
”
G lasgow, in its public park at the Rouken G len , possesses
a number of examples of the ordin ary form of yew, and about
fifty of the Ir ish or fastigi ate (var . fastigia ta ) . Many of
these th is year p roduced fruit in great abundance .
A once famous yew grew at Crookston Castle, under whose
shade Queen Mary and Darnley were popular ly, but ev i dently
er roneously , supposed to have spent p art of thei r courtship
or honeymoon . W. Semple, in 1782, wr ites The trunk,for
about seven feet h igh , i s about ten feet in c i rcumference . ”
It was also said to be a very high and wide - sp reading tree,
v is ible a long way off . Mr . Robert Guy, in h i s h istory of
Crookston gives two v iews of it, one as in 1 764,the
other as it appeared just before it was cut down in May, 1816 ,
and states There was planted in the garden at Pollok House
a descendant of the anc ient yew, reared from a cutting .
A tree from a cutting taken in 1789 was sent to the old
Botanic G ardens in G lasgow in 1817 , and removed to the
present G ardens in 1822. W hen the ra i lway was formed under
the G ardens , in 1896, i t had to be transplanted, and
unfortunately died . The one at Pollok House i s sti ll alive,
RENWICK .—YEw TREES IN CLYDE AREA . 23
but has recently been growing r ather more slowly than a
young t ree ought to grow . In 1904 i t had a gi rth of 3 feet
1 1 inches at 1 foot up,an increase dur ing the six p receding
years of one inch , an aver age of'
1 7 inch annually . I f it
date s from 1816 its average r ate to 1899 has been ‘
55 inch
y early,i f from 1 789 it has been '
42 inch .
Another yew at Pollok House seems to show a simi lar
slacken ing of growth in r ecent year s . It i s supposed to have
been plante d about 1 746 , had a gi rth of 6 f eet 171 inches
in 1892, 6 feet 24 inches in 1899, and the same in 1904. I f
1 746 i s the corr ect date, its average r ate for 146 year s to
1892 was exactly half - an - inch a year , but for the next seven
years only “
14 inch , and thereafte r the growth seems to have
stopped . NO doubt the recent slow r ates are owing to the
increasing amoun t of smoke in the ai r , as the c ity and the
neighbour ing town s,Pa i sley and Barrhead
,exp and . Mr .
W h itton , Super intendent of Parks , G lasgow, informs me that
the yews in the var ious p arks in the c ity are fai l ing . They
are very imp at ient of asmoky atmosphere .
LANARs IR E YEws .
The ‘ largest yew tree that I kn ow of in the Coun ty of
Lanark i s at Dalser f House . In May thi s year it measured
14 feet 1 1 inches in gi rth at the nar rowest p art of the trunk
at about 1 foot up. It d iv i des into five or six stems at about
2 feet from the groun d , and cannot be measured stra ight
round . It has a height of 38 feet , and a sp read of 665» feet .
In the G len at Dalz ell House are many yews much longer in
the trunk ( at least 20 to 25 feet) than trees which grow in the
open . There are a number of yews at Cr a ignethan Castle .
Doubtless Sir Walter Scott noted them when he v is ited theplace , hence it came that Goose G ibbie was smuggled out of
Tillietudlem Castle from a certain window be longing to a
certa in pantry and communicat ing with a certa in yew tree ,
and that Cuddie Headrigg got up into the yew tree and was
treated to a pot of hot ka i l-brose about h is lugs (O ldMor tality. )
24 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST .
AY'R SHIRE YEW s
The late Dr . D . Landsborough , in his Con tr ibutions to Local
History (Kilmarnock) , states that the most famous yew treein the enti re distr ict
,and in th i s case it may be sai d to include
all Ayrsh i re, i s the old yew tree of Loudoun (Plate and
quotes the (new) Statistical Account . which says it“ i s of
unknown antiquity . It i s sai d that one of the fami ly charters
was signed under it in the time of Will i am the L ion
( 1 165 O ne of the Articles of the Union with England ,it is also said , was subscr ibed by Lord Hugh , under its deep
shade . When Lord James went into voluntary banishment toHoll and (dur ing the times of persecution) , he addressed hisletters (being afr aid of detection) for h i s lady To the
Gudewife at the Auldton [ a few houses half - a -m i le di stant]at the old yew tree of Loudoun , Scotland ,
’ and they always
reached thei r intended destination in safety . In 1911 i t had
a girth of 13 feet 9—5 inches at the narrowest p art of the
trunk,2 feet up,
and in 1899 a height of 45 feet and a.
sp read
of 78 feet,which
,according to Mr . John G loag , had increased
to 81 feet in 1911 . The first large br anch goes off at 6 feet,
but the trunk may be said to be 20 feet high . The average
annual increase of girth for 22 years— 1890 - 1911—was “
36
inch . If it had steadily grown at this r ate its age would now
be 460 years . Dr . D . Chr isti son , in the Tran sa ctions of the
Botan ica l Society of Edin burgh , March , 1895 (Sess . L IX . ,
p , writes Measurements taken by Mr . Landsborough
in 1864 and 1894 show that the tree, dur ing that per iod , was
still increasing in gi rth at the annual rate of a thi rd of an
inch . Now,even i f no greater rate had been maintained for
its whole l i fe,the age would only be 510 years . But it i s well
ascertained that the r ate of yews , l ike that of other trees ,i s much greater in early l i fe than subsequently .
” He con
cludes four centur ies may be assumed as a very probable
age for the Loudoun Castle Yew .
” It may thus date from
between 1450 and 1490 , and the histor ical assoc i ations with
the kill ing times of the Covenanters (an te and the
Union of the two Kingdoms ( 1707) are l ikely quite reli able .
26 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
hav ing ev i dently been r aised 2 feet . They are about 33 feet
high . The eastern tree has a gi rth of 11 feet 8 inches at the
ground , and a di ameter of spread of 42 feet 5 the western tree
a gi rth of 1 1 feet 45 inches and a sp read of 45 feet . But these
girths would be less i f the trunk below the swell of the br anchescould be reached . Therefore the apparent girth- increase can
not be used for the purposes of compar ison . Loudon
p . 2066) says All the plants of thi s var iety in cult iva
tion are of the female sex .
” Dr . A. Henry, in Tr ees ofGrea t Br i ta in and Ireland, Vol. I . ,
p . 1 10 (E lwes and Henry)wr ites As the or iginal tree was a female, and the var ietyi s p ropagated by cuttings , all Ir i sh ‘Yews are of the same
sex . No true male Ir ish Yew has ever been met
with . As both of these yews are male trees , I sent to Dr .Henry specimens , and, later , photographs , and refer red tothe descr iption in Loudon
,p . 2067 . He points out that the
leaves are arr anged in pectinate fashion in one plane, as in
the ordinary form of yew, whereas in the Ir i sh yew the leaves
spread radi ally in all di rections round the vertical branchlets.
They are common yews, with more ascending branches than
usual , owing to the fact that they were pollarded . They were
er roneously called Ir i sh,” because being pollarded they shot
out a great number of stems that grew more or less vertically
or ascending , and assumed a pecul iar habit in consequence .
A fastig i ate tree i s one which has all the branches vertica l
naturally,and is a sport ; leaves , fruit, &c . , are all affected ,
in fact, the whole plant i s abnormal . These yews are
interesting cultur ally , but are not a var iety . Dr . D .
Landsborough (Con tr i butions to Local History) g ives the girthof Ir ish yew at Netherplace m 1879 as 9 feet 55 inches at base .
Refer r ing to the fact that the Ir ish yew was discovered in1780 he says The Netherplace yew is so large that it cannot
have sp rung from the ‘ Ir ish yew .
’ This Scottish Ir i sh
yew must have been before the Ir ish Ir i sh yew .
’ There
can be no doubt that yews which were 8 feet and 9 feet in gi rth
in 1837 or 1838 are much older than 1780 . The propr ietor
of Netherplace, Col. W . K . Hamilton -Campbell, writes me
I expect they would be planted in the garden subsequent to
RENW ICK .—‘
YEW TREES IN THE CLYDE AREA, 27
the old house being bui lt , which dates back to 1620 . A girth
increase of half an inch a year in the larger tree would br ing
it to about 1622, and in the smaller to 1646 . O pposite the
entrance to the old house i s a fine wide- sp read ing typ ical tree .
t was much damaged by the severe storm on 5th November ,1911
,and had to be rel i eved of three big l imbs on the south
si de,ha lf way up,
which were broken at the trunk . In August
thi s year it had a height of 38 feet , a d iameter of sp read of
fol iage of over 65 feet, and a gi rth of 8 feet 8 inches at
5 feet up,an increase of 4 inches s ince 1900 , or an aver age
of‘
32 inch annua lly . A ste ady growth all its l i fe at th i s r ate
would make it 325 year s old , but a llowing for faster growth
whenyoung , we may surmi se that its age i s about 250 year s ,or perhaps a l ittle more
,and that p robably a ll three trees are
about the same age .
There are a number of fine yews at Kelburne Castle , the
anc ient seat of the E ar ls of G lasgow . The largest are,thi s
year
G irth, 12 ft . 75 in. height,42 ft. spread
,55 ft.
12 ft. 45 in . 5 44 ft. 62-1 ft.
They show an exceptionally high rate of gi rth- increase dur ing
the last 3 years , n amely, one inch per annum .
O ther large yews in Ayrshi re ar % Thornton House , 13 feet
3 inches , and 10 feet 5 inches ; Rowallan Castle , 12 feet ;Rennox 10 feet 5 inches by 48 feet h igh and 57 feet sp read .
Near the ruins of the ivy-mantled Castle of Dalquharran ,
bear ing date 1679, in the G i rvan Valley , are two groups of
yews,three trees in each . The larger trees in the finer group
measured , in 1900 , 8 feet 3 inches and 7 feet 15 inches by48 feet high . The Rev . R . Lawson , wr iting in 1896 ; stated
that there was a yew on the lawn opposite the entrance toBla irquh an Castle , bel ieved to be the l argest in Ayrshi re ,but as he gave no figures, there are no means of compar ison .
He also stated that there i s an avenue of yews on the church
walk , ev i dently very old. This refers , I presume, to Stra iton
church .
THE GLASGO W NATURALIST .
DUMBARTO NSHIRE YEws .
Professor John Walker,in hi s Essays on Na tura l History,
publi shed 1812, but wr itten before 1803, records a yew at
Bonhill,Dumbartonshire . It stands between the house and
the r iver Leven,was about 30 feet high in September , 1 784,
and measured,9 feet 4 inches at 4 feet . In March , 1900 , it
measured 11 feet 05 inches at 4 feet , an increase of 205 inchesin 115 years , an average r ate of
‘
17 inch annually . In June,1911, i t was 37 feet high and 11 feet 3 inches in gi rth , an
i ncrease of 22 inches in a little over 11 years , a r ate of2 4 inch . It i s therefore growing faster now than it has done
in the p rev ious century of its l i fe . Mr . Turnbull , whose
fami ly l ived in Bonhill Place for many years , informed us in
1900 that the tree was decaying about 1784, that in 1806 i t
seemed to be dying , when about 6 feet was cut off the top , and
thereafter it slowly recovered .
Dr . Walker (loc . ci t. ) wr ites A yew in the island of Inch
Lonach , in Loch Lomond , measured , 3rd August , 1770 , 10 feet
7 inches , about 40 feet high , but another tree which was the
largest on the island , though not so tall , measured 13 feet in
gi rth . O n the i sland , he says , there i s an extensive natural
wood of yew, which consi sts enti rely of old trees,as the herd
of deer which has long been kept on it p revents any young
trees from getting up. Many of these yews,when they have
begun to dec ay , have sent up shoots from the root, c lose to theold trunk . A number of these coalesce, and form at last a
compleat (sic) new trunk , at the side of which the old treecontinues to decay . In this way the tree comes to be
regener ated from the root . He quotes from the Stati stical
Account a yew at the house of Rossdoe, in Dumbartonshi re ,1795, at 25 feet above ground , 12 feet 6 inches .The Rev . Dav id Ure, in Agr icultur e of Dumba r ton shire
p . 85, wr ites Amongst the n atural wood in the
county is the yew and the holly . They are mostly confined
to the woods of Luss and Arroquhar . Inch Lonachan ,an
island in Loch Lomond , contains several thousand large yewsa plantationof that kind of wood unequalled , perhaps, inEurope . It i s not known whether they are natural or planted
,
RENWICK .—Y EW TREES IN THE CLYDE AREA 29
but most probably the latter , and were intended for making
bows before the invention of gunpowder . The
largest yew i s at Rossdoe . It measures twelve and a - quarter
feet in c i rcumference,and i s very high .
”
W hite and Macfarlane,in a book on Agr iculture of the
Coun ty of Dumba r ton wr ite Yew trees are not
unfrequent in the woods on the banks of Loch Lomond . O n the
i sland of Inch Lon a ig there are said to be severa l thousands
of them , all of considerable siz e . A yew at Rossdoe measures
upwards of 12 feet in c i rcumference , and i s very high . A
sti lli
more extr ao rdin ary tree of the same kind grows at
Stuckentibbert, in the p ar i sh of Arroquh ar . The trunk ,though very short , i s no less than 28 feet in c i rcumference ,and the top sp reading in proport ion , but the whole i s in a
state of rap id and hopeless decay .
”
Joseph Irv ing , in The B ook of Dumbar ton shire, 1879,states Inch Lona ig i s thought to be i dentical with the
i sland granted about 1225 by Maldowen ,E arl of Lennox
,to
G ilmychel of Bandry . To furn i sh the Lennox men with trusty
bows,thi s i sland was planted with yew trees on the adv ice
i
of
King Robert Bruce .
”W hat foundation there i s for thi s state
ment 1 do not know . Sir Thomas D ick Lauder , in hi s ed itionof G i lp in ’ s For est Scenery wr ites The Yew Tree
Island in Loch Lomond , furn ished 300 yews for the'
axe at one
cutting some 15 or 20 year s ago , and there are st i ll a number
of fine spec imens of thi s tree on it . Mr . John Paterson
(Annals of the Andersonian Na tura lists’
Society, 1893) saysThe collectionsuffered from fire , but the western
'
end of the
i sland,which was bare of trees , was p arti ally replanted by
the late Sir James Colquhoun .
” Wh en thi s Soc iety v i s itedInch Lona ig i n 1909, the best yews which I saw measured
12 feet 3 inches , 11 feet 25 inches , and 10 feet 1 inch in gi rth .
There are not now several thousands on the i sland , but
enough remain to give a spec i al tone to the scenery: In few
places outside thechalk downs , I should imagine , do yews form
such a distinct ive feature in the aspect of the country as on
Inch Lonaig .
The yew tree at the old chapel near Rossdhu House , which
was erected about the 12th century , and i s now used as the
30 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
burying-place of the Colquhoun fami ly , girthed 13 feet
25 inches at 5 feet in 1905, an increase of 3 inches since 1890 ,an average of
‘
20 inch yearly . Unfortunately , our measure
ments were not taken at the same height as the one in 1795,otherwise an interesting compar i son could have been made .
The eponym of the Yew-tree Lodge, in G len E inlas ,had , in 1905
,a height of 38 feet and a gi rth of 13 feet
65 inches at 2 feet 8 inches from the top of a mound sur
rounding it , or 7 feet 8 inches from the ground , an increase
of 45 inches since 1893 , or at the annual r ate of‘
39 inch,
nearly double the one at the old chapel . It was , until last
June,the largest yew known to us 1n the County of Dum
barton , but I was then informed by Mr . John Moff at , forester
on the Luss estate , that there was sti ll a vew at Stuckentibbert,on the banks of Loch Lomond
,about two and a -half miles south
of Tarbet . It grows on a knoll at the north end of a cai rn
l ike heap of stones on the edge of a low cl iff . The roots clasp
huge blocks of schist , while smaller stones l i e on the ground
to the south . It divides into five stems about 2 feet from the
highest p art of the sur rounding cai rn . At the n ar rowest
p art o f the trunk , between the swell of the roots and the
offshoot of the stems , the girth i s fully 19 feet . It i s not high ,under 30 feet . There does not seem to be any imp robabil ity
in supposing that thi s 19 foot tree i s part of the old 28 foot
tree which was in a state of decay a century ago , regenerated
in the manner descr ibed by Prof . W alker .
* The n ame of the
place i s spelt in the O rdnance Survey Map Stuc an
t’iobairt,
” and has been translated as meaning the place, or
cl iff , where sacr ifice was made That human sacr ifices were
commonly offered by the ancestors of the c iv i li z ed races of
Northern Europe , Celts , Teutons , and Slavs , i s certa in,
”
writes Prof . J . G . F raz er (The Golden Bough . ) The yew isindigenous in Br itain and has been found in England in
pre-glaci al and in Scotland in Neolithic deposits (ClementRei d) . Thus it was known to the Neol ithic people and to
* The immense y ew at Fortingall, 52 feet in girth in 1769, is
perpetuated by a growth of branches 12 to 15 feet high when I saw them20 years ago, but I do not think there is any coalescence with part of theold stem.
RENW I CK .—YEW TREES IN THE CLYDE AR EA . 31
the Celts . The latter have n amed many p laces after it in
England , Scotland , and espec ia lly Ireland . Glenure, in
Argyllsh i re,
_
i s the y ew glen , and I have been info rmed that
there are still nat ive y ews in it . Loch Iubh a ir , the lower p art
of Loch Dochart , in Perthshi re , i s the y ew loch , and 1 under
stand that there are y ews on the i sland in Loch Dochart .
Cr aignure , in Mul l , i s the rock of the y ew ; Palnure , in
G alloway,the pool or pond of the y ew ; Dunure , i n Ay rsh i r e ,
the yew fort ; and Tomn ahur ich , at Inverness (G ael ic Tom na
h - Iubhra ich) knoll of the yew wood (W. J . W atson , LL .D . ,
in li t .I .
Th e y ew was a sacred tree among the Celts . Walter Johnson ,in By-u'
ays in Bri tish Ar chaeology ( 1912) wr ites (p . 406)The y ew appear s to have been held in supe rst it ious respect
dur ing the bronz e age , and , it i s poss ible , in the p receding
neol ithic per iod .
” The combinat ion of the yew on the cl iff,the i deas Connected with the tree , and the supposed cliff of
sacr ifice , suggested that thi s m ight have been a place of human
sacr ifice . I wr ote to D r . W . J . Watson , author of a work on
the p lace—names of Ross - sh ir e , ask ing whether the name wouldl ikely come from G ael ic Ioba r t, a sacr ifice , or from an old
G aelic word tioba r t, a well . He k indly rep li ed Stucken
t ibbert certa in ly means the height of the well. Iobart , a
sacr ifice, does occur in some place-names , but i t would beimpossible to account for the t of tibber t on the supposit ion
that the n ame comes from iobar t . Thus , unless the well
was a holy one , of which there does not seem to be any
ev i dence , the n ame does not car ry us back to p rehi stor ic times .
Ther e i s , however , a legend which takes us to the dark days
in Scotti sh history when Robert Bruce , crowned King at Scone ,in March , 1306, and disastrously defeated nea r Methven
,
19th June , was a wanderer with only about 200 followers .
O n the i r way to Canti r e they came,in the beginn ing of
winter , to the eastern shor es of Loch Lomond , and bivouacked
for the n ight in the caves of Craigrostan . Afte r long search
next day , says Barbour , James of Douglas at the last Fand
ane litill sonk in bot . Bot i t sa litill was that it Micht our thewatir bot threesum fl it . In thi s way
, by two at a time
(one rowing and two p assengers in the boat) and some
32 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
sw1mm1ng ,the company crossed the loch in a night and a day.
Dur ing thi s tedious fer ry , the King , who , with Douglas , had
crossed first,mer r i ly Red to them that war h im by
Romanis of worthy Ferambras .
” According to the legend ,the King slept under this yew tree . It i s not at all unlikely
that the bivouac on the'
western shore . and the romance
reading,took place at thi s local ity , and under the old yew
tree . A yew 28 feet in c i rcumference , and decaying in 1811 ,must have stopped growing for some time
,and i s quite l ikely
to have been of a
_
fa ir si z e in 1306 Mr . Johnson , to whom
I wrote on the subj ect,replies There i s nothing wildly
improbable in the story that Bruce (say 600 years ago roughly)slept under the tree —though it may not have been very old .
These tr aditions are not always without a sl ight basi s of
real ity,but I suspect that Bruce may have other such trees
dotted here and there .
The celebrated tr iple avenue at the Clachan House ,Rosneath
,contains 23 yews , the highest r i sing from 45 to
about 55 feet , and the largest‘gi rth ing 1 1 feet 1 15 inches
and 12 feet 4.
inches at the narrowest . The latter , which has
a trunk of 10 feet before giv ing off branches,shows an
increase of 12 inches dur ing the last 21 years , or an aver age
of '56 inch annually , r ather larger than usual in holes of thi s
si z e,a nd suggesting that these may have been fast growers and
consequently not so old as thei’
rfgirth'
would seem to indicate .
The house i s Said to have been bui lt and the trees planted
by the Hon .
”
John Campbell of Mamore , second son of the 9th
Earl of Argyll . I f so , they are about 200 years old . There
is a.
tradition that a monaste ry once exi sted on the spot,
and therefore it i s not improbable that they may be even
older,and that they may form part of a succession that dates
back to pagan times . Dr . W . J . Watson informs me that
Rosneath means the wood or point of the Nemeton .
” Mr .
W C . Maughan , in Rosnea th Pa st and Pr esen t,states
The park near which the new school -house stands i s Tom
a mhoid,’ the field of justice .
” The Nemeton ,
”or con
secrated place , the knoll or.
field of judgment near the yew tree
avenue , may ind icate that here the anc ient Celts and:thei r
Neol ithic p redecessors had one of their sacred places in the
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THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
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38 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
Proceeding s of the Society.
THE first meeting of the sixty-second session took place in the
Society ’s Rooms, on 2oth September, 1912, Mr . W. R . Bax ter,
Vice-president,in the chair .
R eports of the Society’s excursions to Abington, Mauchline,
Balmaha,and G len Massan were read. Mr . D . A . Boyd
reported that at the Abington excursion, while in Glengonnar
policies, he collected some 24 Species of micro-fungi, 12 of which
were new to Lanarkshire—the most notable being Septor ia
chrysan themella,Saoe .
,new to Scotland and only once previously
recorded for England . At the G len Massan excursion an
interesting capture was made by Mr . J . J . F . X . King,
a
'
number of specimens of Psylla busci, Lin .,being taken from
some box Shrubs growing near the entrance to Benmore Estate .In the British A ssociation Handbook on the Fauna
,&c ., of
Clyde, this insect is noted as got from various garden plants, butcertainly not from box .
Mr . Thos . Anderson exhibited a four-year-old branch of the
Black Wattle Tree (Aca cia pycn an tha ,bearing a large
excrescence weighing about 1 lb . 13 oz s. The specimen was from
Natal,where the tree is ex tensively grown for its bark .
Mr . Anderson also exhibited the mud nest of a Natal hornet.
Mr. Jas . Whitton sent a note on an abnormality in a Kitten
( see Vol. IV. ,pp . 136
Mr. John Paterson read a paper by Messrs . Matthew Barr (it
John Craig,on “ The Birds of the Parish of Beith
,di e.
"
(seeVol. IV., pp . 97
The sixty-first Annual G eneral Meeting took place on 29th
O ctober, 1912, Mr. J ohn R . Lee, president, in the chair. The
president,before beginning the business of the evening
,drew
attention to the death of Mr. Adrian K idston, who had been a
member Since 1895.
The R eport of the Council which was read showed that during
the year two Life and ten O rdinary Members were added to the
Society’s R oll . The obituary for the year contained the names
of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, who was an Honorary Member,and five O rdinary Members —Sir James King, Bart ,
Miss C.
PROCEED INGS . 39
Henderson,Dr. Thos . B . Henderson ( see Vol. IV.
,p .
Colonel Harington Stuart,and Colonel Mure of Caldwell. The
membership at the end of Session 1911- 1912 was as follows
Honorary Members ,Corresponding Members
,
Life Members,
O rdinary Members,
There were 4 Assoc iates .
The Hon . Treasurer’s R eport was adopted . A statement of
accounts appears on page
The following othee-bearers were elected —Mr. John R obertson,
as Vice -President and Messrs . J . R . Thomson,T . Thornton
Mackeith , J . G . R obertson,and Professor L . A . L . Ki ng , M .A .
,
as Members of Counc il .Mr. W m . Mure
,Hall of Caldwell
,R enfrewshire, was elected
as an O rdinary Member .Mr . John R enwick reported on an excursion to C rianlarich
and A rdlui.
Mr. R . Sf W ishart, M .A .,exhibited the following plants
Sisyr in chium an ceps, Bab . , found near G arnkirk by Mr. Hugh
A . Ai tken , Chryston ; Apera Spicamen ti , Beauv , found by a
G lasgow H igh School pupil at Scotstoun Impa tien s Noli
tangere, L ., Cerastium arvense, L .
,and the variety Andrewsii ,
Syme, of that species, all from Montrose .
Mr . Peter Ewing,
exhibited an interesting series of
plants , inc luding E rophila vulga ris, D .C . ,var . gla brescen s, Jord . ,
from Craig-an-Lochain Gn apha lium sylva ticum, L.,var . a lpestre,
Druce, from Ca irnwell ; Rhinan thus mon ticola (Stem ) Druce,from Beinn Laoigh ; B . stenophyllus (Stern . ) Druce, fromCanlochan and the following
,all from Ardrishaig z—Scutellaria
ga ler icula ta , L , a form ; Plan tago mar itima,L .
,var . pygmoea
(Kjellm. ) O rchis macula ta L .,var. er icetorum (Linton) ;
Habenaria bifolia , Br . ; Carex Horn schuchian a , Hoppe C .
Hornschuchiana lepidocarpa ; C .flaoa x Horn schuchian a
and C . remota,L . He also Showed Potamogeton pusillus, L. , var .
40 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Sturrochii (G roves) L. E . Salmon, from Loch Schechernich , N.E .
Perthshire . A long with these were submi tted spec imens of alliedforms for comparison .
Mr. John Main, F .G .S. ,
showed some lantern slides of generalnatural h istory subj ects .
The third meeting of the Sixty-second session took place on
26th November, 1912, Mr . John R . Lee, president, in the chair .
Before the business commenced,Mr . D . A . Boyd made
appropriate reference to the loss the Society had sustained in the
death of the Rev . Dr . David Landsborough (see pp . 1 A
report on fungus-forays to Caldwell House and Craigton Woods
in the present autumn under Mr. R . B . Johnstone’s leadership
was submitted . The larger fungi,it appeared from the report
,
were very scarce, the most notable species obtained being
Grandin ia crustosa, Fr .
,which covered the porous side of a
small cluster of Polystictus versicolor found at Caldwell.
Mr. R . S. Wishart,M .A .
,Showed from Stepps cauliflower
roots attacked by “ finger- and - toe
” disease— due to a parasitic
fungus,Plasmodiophora brassicce, W or .
Specimens of the G rey Squirrel were exhibited by Mr . Chas.Kirk (from Cardross) and Mr . John R enwick (from Luss) .R eference may be made to the record of the first appearance or
introduction of th is species to C lyde (Vol. IV.,p . From
Mr. Kirk ’s records it appears that the first that reached h im from
this district were one from Arrochar and another from Tarbet,
both in 1903. The next came from Luss (Rossdhu Deer Park) ,in 1904, which i s earlier than the date of its first supposed
appearance there as indicated in our last number ( loc. cit ) .O thers that have reached h im came from the Muirland School ,Luss, in 1904, Inverbeg, 1906, G arelochhead , 1907 , Arnburn at
Luss, 1908,A lexa ndria (Tullichewan) , two in O ctober and
November respectively, 1912, Cardross, November, 1912, and
Camiseskan , between Cardross and Helensburgh also in
November, 1912. It may further be stated that accordingto Miss Wadsworth
, Ardenconnel, Row,it was first seen
there in the present autumn , three having been seen
together,and Mr . Dalgarno
,the gardener, tells her that five have
been killed in the neighbourhood of Row. A ltogether fifteen
42 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
New Records from the same source.-Polyga la
serpylla cea , Weihe, var . vincoides, Chodat.—Ben Lawers .
Sta tice (Armeria ) lin ear ifolia , Lat—Ben Lawers .
Botanical Notes from current Literature—Plan tagoa lpina , L .
, on Ben Voirlich , Dumbarton .—R . M . Cardew, E .L.S.
and E . G . Baker,
in J ourn a l of B otan y, February, 1912,page 59, where reference is made to F . B . W hite ’s record .
Ca reac helvola ,i
Blytt, on Ben Lawers .—A. Bennett, in
The Scottish Botan ica l Review,January
, 1912, page 41 .
Scottish Forms of Spa rgan ium.—A . Bennett, in The
Scottish Botan ica l Review, April, 1912, page 94.
Philonotis r igida , Brid. , at Aberfoyle . —R . H . Meldrum in The
Scottish Botanical Review, April, 1912, page 117 .
Records from the Report for 1912 of the MossExchange Club .
— Tr ichostomum tenuirostre var . Holtii ,
Braithw.—Arran .
Bryum erythrocarpum, Schwaeg.—Brodick .
Eurhyn chium rusciforme var. a tlan ticum, Brid .—Arran .
Hypnum cupressi/orme var . tectorum,Brid .
—Blackwaterfoot,Arran .
—P. Ewing .
The American Grey Squirrel (Sciurus cinereus) .—This isthe Species now at large in the R egent’s Park, London, and
elsewhere in England,and probably the specimens from Dumbar
tonshire reported and being shown to the Natural History Society
of G lasgow are the same . It would be interesting to learn if it
occurs wild elsewhere in Scodand. In a recent and well
informed article on “ Squirrels in Scotland ”
(Harwood Brierly,Glasgow W eekly Herald, 24th February, 1912) only the common
or brown species (S . vulgar is) i s mentioned .
The familiarity of the grey squirrels in the R egent’s Park
perhaps gives a false impression as to their abundance in the
L ondon district. Their introduction is due to the propinquity ofthe Z oological Gardens, where a number were purposely set at
liberty some six years ago,with a request from the Z oological
Society that visitors should not molest them. The plea was not
NOTES . 43
in vain,and the little animals now frequent the most crowded
part of the Park (the Broad Walk ) , and have become such pets withchildren and others as to come and take food at their hands . I
do not know that the species Occurs in other London Parks ;Squirrels which I have seen in St. James ’s Park and Kew
G ardens were the common kind . In Bushey Park five grey
squi rrels were turned out SO far back as 1890,but nothing seems
to have come of thi s,although it is conj ectured that one seen in
1909 on the other Side O f the Thames near there,may have been
their descendant (The Field—16th January, At Hamp
stead this summer,I found a solitary grey squirrel l iving in an
Old garden and in another garden walnuts were being destroy ed
by squirrels, which from the gardener’s description seemed to be
the grey kind . Beyond the London district, this spec ies i s
established in the woods of Woburn Abbey (Bedfordshire) ,whence the R egent’s Park S tock came and at Leonardslee
(Sussex ) , but altogether its distribution seems to be so
circumscribed as not to justify any apprehensions—a t present
anyway—Hugh Boyd Watt, 24th November , 1912.
'Greenland W h eatear (Saxicola oen an the leucor rhoa ) in
Ayrshire.—Cm 30th Sep tember, 1912, I Observed a con
spicuously large Wheatear on the shore at Hunterston ,F a i r l ie
,
and on shooting the bi r d 1 found it to be, as expected , anexample of the G reenland Wh eatear . It i s an adult male
,
just changing to the bufi plumage of autumn , and i s a very
large bi rd even for a G reenland ,” measur ing 165 mm . ,
with a wing of 109 mm . Thi s large form of W h eatear has not
hitherto been recorded for Ayrshi re . In Lan arksh i re one
was p rocured at Carmunnock by my fr iend Mr . H. Duncan
(Ann . of Scot . Na t . Hist . ,1911
, p . and Mr . Nicol
Hopkins, of Darvel , bel ieves he saw two at D rumclog on 24th
O ctober, 1908 (Kilmarnock G lenfield Ramblers’ Anna ls,
part 6,p . 68, where thi s record i s er roneously given as
pertain ing to Ayrshi re) . —Robert W . S . W i lson .
Black Guillemot (Ur ia grylle) , Storm-Petrel (Procella ria
pelagica ) , and Manx Shearwater (Pufitnus anglorum) , O ff the
Ayrsh ire Coast —O ne Of our members, Mr. John M‘Crindle,
44 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Dunure,sends an interesting letter , dated 2lst November ,
1912,to the Even ing Times
,from wh ich we make the following
extracts z—W ould you al low me to dr aw the attention of your
readers to the presence in the Clyde area of certain bi rds thatare supposed to be r ather uncommon . Among these , in point
of numbers,I should place the Black Gui llemot first .
According to the author ities these b i rds are reported to be very
rare , though the late Charles Berry , of Lendal, cla imed it as
a breeding speci es on the Ayrshi re“
coast south O f Ballantr ae .
I may say, however , 1 know the coast l ine fai r ly well , and have
no knowledge of it b reeding there . Dur ing the sp r ing of this
year , with strong breezes of north-east wind,the b i r d was very
numerous from off the Heads of Ayr , through Ayr Bay, past
Lady Isle, and into Irv ine Bay . 1 saw at least 50 birds in
one day . Dur ing the month O f Apr il , while p assing Ai lsa
Craig , a pa i r rose at the foot Of the cl iff s at the Loups . Since
the bi rd is becoming very numerous, it might breed there at
some future date . The birds are beginning to appear for the
winter and sp r ing , and by compar ison Of thei r pretty pepper
and - salt plumage O f winter , look rather dingy with thei r sooty
black colour , with the consp icuous white wing bar of theb reeding season . I have heard the bi rd called Dr ink-a
Penny locally .
The Stormy Petrel, of more in terest to your readers because
of its name, may now be said to be fairly common . During
the whole Of the p ast summer this bi rd could be seen fl itting
about, wh i le one day we saw about twenty Sitting on the
water . It i s a fasc inating study to watch these seemingly
ti reless bir ds fl it h ither and thither in search Of food , and the
minute p articles of fatty matter from the herr ing pumped
from the boats seem to afford an app rec i ated banquet . They
are generally more numerous in the immedi ate local ity of
herr ing,and
,for the first time to my knowledge , i t was a
common custom Of the fishermen to watch for the Her r ing
Bird as an indication of her r ing .
Another bi rd c redited with be ing rare , but now better
known,i s the Manx Shearwater . This bird i s seldom seen
dur ing the winter , but i s very numerous dur ing the sp r ing
and early summer .
R EV IEWS . 45
Great Skua (Mega lestr is ca tarrha ctes) in Bute.-O n 13th
November,1912
,I received for p reservati on a G reat Skua
which had been secured in the neighbourhood of Rothesay , and
is destined for the museum of that town . Thi s occur rence i s
of interest , as I understand only one has been secured pre
v iously in Clyde ( at Inverar ay) , and sever al have beenseen O ff the coast O f Ayrshi re .
- Chas . Kirk .
Reviews .
The Home Life of the Terns or Sea Swallows—By W .
B I O KERTO N, W itherby CO .,London ( 6S .
net) . -This new number Of the Home -Li fe Ser ies published
by Messrs . W itherby i s quite up to the standar d set in
p rev ious volumes . Apart from its cl aims in . that way,how
ever , it can stand on its mer i ts,which are consider able .
In
some 88 pages of pr inted matter an engrossing n ar r ative i s
given Of the author ’ s exper iences in a ser ies O f br ief hol i days
in the haunts of the Sandwich , Common , Lesser , Roseate , and
Arctic Terns . Students will find set down her e exactly those
full p articulars fo r which in some cases they look in va in .
The author ’ s fountain pen must have been busy in the intervals
that his photogr aphic work allowed h im . Following the letter
p ress ar e 32 plates , which for interest and beauty leavenoth ing to be desi red . Terns , by v i rtue of the elegance of
thei r l ines and the pur ity of the masses of white in thei r
p lumage , are very spec i ally adapted for giv ing attract ive
p ictures to the photogr apher . To thi s extent the author ’ s
choice Of subj ect matter has given h im an advantage . Pr ai se
of some of the p ictures to be adequate would seem extr avagant .
Those of our reader s who are interested shoul d make a point
Of seeing them for themselves . All concerned in the p roduction
of this volume are to be congratul ated .
46 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Bulletin of the British O rnithologists’
Club .Vol. XXX .
(W itherby CO . , London , Th i s volume contains the
report on the immigrations of summer residents in the
sp r ing O f 1911 , also notes on the migratory movements and
records received from l ighthouses and l ight vessels dur ing the
autumn O f 1910 . It i s by a committee appointed by the
Br iti sh O rn ithologi sts ’,Club , and Mr . W . R . O gilv i e G r ant
continues as editor . The report i s on l ines fami l iar fromour exper ience of p revious volumes . It grows v i sibly in size
from year to year,in sp ite O f the efforts which have been
made to condense the matter .
” Not all the data collected will
admit of correlation, but one may hope that when a digest
comes to be made even the chaff will be found to contain some
wheat . Attention i s again drawn to the extreme scarc ity
of the Land -Ra i l in the south - east of England . A few year s
ago it was comparatively common in many Of the eastern
counties , where it i s now no longer recorded or only noted
as a passing straggler .
”As the Land -Rai l i s one Of the three
spec ies O f summer residents ( its companions being the R ing
ouzel and Pied F lycatcher) arriving solely on the western half
of the south coast , we may hope that in south -west Scotland
we may - long escape the exper ience of the people Of south -east
England . The Land -Ra i l ’ s near relative , the W ater -Rail ,seems to have met with bad fortune in the sp r ing Of 1911 .
Thus at Bardsey Light (Carnarvon) three were k illed on27/28th March , s ixty seen and thi rty ki lled 29/30th ,
fifty
seen and thi rty killed 30/3lst, thi rty seen and twelve k illed1/2nd Apr il . Though well distr ibuted , we do not recogn isethe W ater -Rail as a common bi rd , and we are led to think
that i f the Bardsey Light exper iences were repeated in other
years in the same or other local iti es , the eff ect on its numbers
in this country‘
would be ser ious . There are, of course,
throughout the Report , many such pathetic details in the case
of other spec ies . The in formation from Scotland in thi s
Report i s meagre , and the conclusions based on it mi sleading .
For instance , we find it stated regarding the swallow that
first ar r ivals were noted from Scotland on the 18th and
19th ”
[April]. R eaders of this j ournal know that in 1911 it
appeared at Possil on the 7th ,Dalmui r 14th
,and in nine
R EVIEWS . 47
other local ities between the 17th and 22nd (Vol. III . ,p .
The ma in body of the common Sandp iper d id not begin to
ar r ive in England,according to the Report , unti l the 17th
Ap r il,but in our distr ict it was seen on the 18th at Dalmui r ,
Fossi l,and Carmyle, and on the 19th at Beith and on the
Endr ick and Clyde , being common by that date on the streams
mentioned (loc . cit . , pp . 93 , Such cases could be
mult ip li ed . Scotland might be better left out Of the p icture
altogether than come in to the Report as it does . W e notice
the Pied F lycatcher entered as appear ing in Argyll on the
16th Ap r i l . Thi s is the first we have hear d of that spec i es in
Argyll , and the fact , i f such it be , would be interesting could
we feel it to be rel i able.
THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .48
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O F G LASG O W
(Including the Transac tions and Proceedings of theSoc iety , T hird Series) .
Vol. V. , NO . [Februarv 1913.
The Birds of Fossil Marsh .
By W ILL IAM R ENNIE .
[Read 26th November,
O n 30th May,187 1, Mr . James S. D ixon read a paper to thi s
Society on the birds frequent ing Possil Marsh,dealing chiefly
with the rarer and nesting species . 1 “ Th e Marsh,
” which is, it
must be remembered, wi thin three miles of the R oval Exchange,G lasgow, has certainly been much encroached upon
,but many
and varied though the changes have been Since D ixon ’s time,stil l the bird lif e seems to have remained pretty much the same .
The limited area ,to which for the present purpose I have
confin ed myself , is bounded on the south by the Canal, and on
the other ca rdinal points by Balmore R oad and the face Of the
field Of Lochfaulds. Here one has something more Drecise to
work on than Possil. a term which covers a much larger area .
In concluding his remarks “ O n the Birds of G lasgow and itsVic ini ty,
”R obert G ray
,in 1876 2 , referred to the great changes
that were comin g over the bird nurseries around the C ity, and
expressed the fea r that in another thirty years all would be gone .
Alas , it i s only too true wi th regard to some of them, but
fortunately for the naturalists of to—day,Fossil Marsh (Plate II . )
still remains their happy hunting ground as of yore,although it
has been encroached upon from time to time from the Canal side .
1 Proc . Nat. Hist . Soc . G lasgow, II . , p. 160 .
2 Fauna and Flora of W est of Scot. , 1876 .
D
50 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
The Marsh and the surrounding district as an Observation
station for migrants,well repays the observer . Many early
records O f arrivals Of our summer-migrants in “ C lyde ” have
come from the Marsh and district. A perusal of Mr . John
Paterson’s annual lists in this j ournal will confirm this statement .
When once the migrants begin to arrive there is a continuous
distribution of species around the district, some of them being
very partial to certain places . Again when the southward
j ourney commences,many interesting congregations may be met
with,some indeed lingering on till the middle O f O ctober. Nor
does the interest cease wi th the departure of the Swallow, for the
autumn migrants then begin to arrive . Although these may be
said to be somewhat late in becoming common about the district,their assoc iation is retained till well on in spring
,when we may
meet with both summer and winter migrants in the course of a
day ’s Observations . I look upon the Marsh as coming under one
of theflight-lines of the migrants . For some years,it has been
my good fortune time and again, under favourable climatic
conditions, to Observe not only fairly large flocks, but continuous
treks of small birds, going southwards, high up, their presence
only being revealed by the aid of a binocular or telescope . O n
other occasions autumn movements have been quite visible to the
naked eye . The wanton destruction among birds’ nests which is
wrought by children and grown -ups is increasing yearly . This
year ( 1912) the depredations during the nesting season werescandalous . The result has been that at a time when numbers of
young should have been populating the place, hardly any were to
be found . Th is is no new state of affairs, for I find that as far
back as 1874, this society was moved to do something for the pro
tection O f the Ma rsh l,but in the interval since, their labour has
been lost. Drastic steps must be taken if we want to retain the
association of the birds and plants of this classic place . I have
often thought that the Fathers of the City, seeing that they are
endeavouring to cater for the recreations Of all classes,should be
asked to secure the preservation of the Marsh for naturalists .
The following are the results Of several years’ observations. 1
take this opportunity O f thanking all those who have helped me.
1 Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc . , Glasgow, II. , p. 253.
RENNIE .—THE B IRDS or PO SSIL MARSH . 51
O f the five spec ies of thrushes formerly recorded,al l are still to
be found frequenting the Marsh . The SONG-THRUSH and
BLACKB IRD are Often seen and heard, whilst I have on several
occasions found nests of both , but it i s very questionable if any
O f the broods get c lear away,for if th e eggs are not taken
,
the nest is earmarked for a future dav . The M ISTLE -THRUSH has
ceased to breed here ; the Marsh now-a -day s is perhaps not to its
liking,but it still nests in the vicinity
,and is occasionally seen in
the autumn . During the ea rlv spring it is sometimes seen alongwith the R EDWINGS and F I ELDFARES which visit us regularly. It
is usually the F ieldfare that is first noted on arri val here in
autumn . This may at first seem a little strange,as the R edwing
arrives about a fortnight or three weeks before the F ieldfare,but
SO long as the weather'
rema in s mild,the R edwings continue
amongst the stubble fields . Seldom have I found them coming
into the Marsh to roost before the middle of November . Both
have been noted here at the end of April,whilst they are
occasionally seen in the distric t as late as the middle of May.
Being gregarious,they are usually found in greater or less
numbers foraging in the fields or amongst the willows. During
their stay here,one is almost sure to find them returning to the
willows just after sunset,or leaving again a t day break . I have
noticed within recent years that thev are deserting the Marsh as
a roosting plac e . Hundreds pass the night within Gadder\Vildern ess.
The WHEATEAR is still a regular visitor, and is usually amongst
the firs t of the summer-migrants seen . This bird,which arrives
about the first week in April,frequents the cultivated field along
side the Marsh for a few days , and is usually not seen again until
the return southwards in the autumn unless a pair should take
up their abode near the Marsh . In the second week of August
this year,I Observed a flock of at least thirty Wheatears scattered
over the fields at Lochfaulds from the Marsh to CadderWilderness .I never before witnessed as many at once in this district . I
have seen the Wheatear hear in the second week of O ctober .
Such late Wheatears would likely be G REENLAND WHEATEARS .
Some years the WHEATEAR is seen frequently in the district
nesting in the dry-stone dykes and old bings . The WH INCHAT
is occasionally seen during its season, as it nests in the district,
52 THE G LASG O W NATURALIST .
Fami ly groups are not uncommon at times in ' the;
autumn,but
it is usually about its time of arrival and departure, that is, about
the first week of May and again about the end of September,
that we see most of it an odd one has been seen in O ctober .The STONECHAT has never come under my notice yet,
'
although it
has been recorded from the district . Much should I like to see
this lovely bird again frequenting the Marsh .
Many years ago the R EDSTART was a regular nesting species,but like some others i t has deserted us here . It is still to be
found nesting in the district,where it arrives about the begining
of May . The only Redstarts I have seen on the Marsh were two
on the 11th of August this year. They were evidently from a small
flock which I noticed at three diff erent places on Lochfaulds,
there being about a dozen altogether . The R O BIN is frequently
seen from autumn to spring, but rarely in summer. . The
WHITETHROAT is a regular nesting Visitor. The number of birds
varies greatly each year . They are to be found from the middle
of May till the end of August . I only once saw a G OLDCREST (onthe 20th November amongst the Willows . The weather at
that time was very severe . The CHIFFCHAFF seems to have
completely deserted the place . Like the Wood-wren it is inserted
in the list appended on the strength of what Dixon says (loc . cit ) .The district is ill- suited for either. The WILLOW-WREN is very
common from the beginning of April till the end of August, being
amongst the first of the migrants to come and almost the last to
go . Very little of its song is heard after the beginning of July
till near the closing days of its stay . Several nests are seen each
season . I have never found the WOOD-WREN at the Marsh,but
it i s still found in the Gadder district. The SEDGE -WARBLER is
common, its numbers fluctuating greatly each season, but one
could scarcely visit the Marsh (Plate II . ) during its stay here,without at least hearing i t. The Sedge-Warbler usually arrives
about the beginning of May. I t begins to get scarce by the end of
July, but an occasional one may be met with into the opening days
of September . I saw two on the 15th September th is year . I
have already given fuller details of this species for this district,which need not be repeated here l .
1 Vol. 1 -6.
RENNIE.
—THE BIRDS or FOSS IL MARSH . 53
HEDGE-SPARR'
OWS are not uncommon from autumn to spring .
Seldom i s one seen during summer . They do not nest here now .
The Marsh is certainly not the most likely place to look for the
DIPPER, but I saw one here on the 2otb November, 1911, during
severe weather .The TITMOUSES form an interesting group of birds at all
seasons,but it i s chi efly from autumn to spring that they
frequent the Marsh . I have not yet met the Long- tailed Tit,but small groups have been seen frequently in the district, so
perhaps at a future date it may be recorded again from the
Marsh . The COAL-TIT is somewhat rare, although fairly common
at Gadder,where it is known to nest . The G REAT T ITMOUSE a t
times is fairly plentiful . Mr . Samuel M ‘O ulloch informs me that
many years ago the MARSH-TIT,no doubt the W ILLOW-TITMOU SE ,
used to be fairly common as a nesting species . The BLUE
T ITMOUSE is very common in winter. If the weather is at all
severe,one is almost sure to find Blue Titmouses amongst the
willows or reeds,especially on the flower heads of Typha. The
WREN is not uncommon . I have found several unlined nests,
but never any with eggs . Many years ago the TREE-CREEPER
used to be found nesting in the strip of t rees which formerly
grew alongside the Balmore R oad,on our boundary line . The
TREE -CREEPER is still seen occasionally in the near neighbourhood .
The PIED WAGTA IL is often seen,as it nests in the vicinity, but
it is during the winter and spring months that one sees it almost
daily . Numbers of them are usually seen passing during the
spring migration . The WH ITE WAGTAIL is occasionally seen in
the Spring whilst passing northwards to its summer quarters, and
again in the autumn . O nly since Mr . John Paterson drew
attention to i t in 1895,has it been distinguished in the district.
The G REY WAGTAIL being a bird of the running brook is but
seldom seen at the Marsh,although common enough in the
district. The YELLOW WAGTAIL is s till a regular visitor . From
early in May, it is frequently found in varying numbers . at and
around the Marsh . The largest number I have yet seen was
fourteen on the 25th May this y ear . For several years a pair
has nested in the adj oining field,and have always been success
ful in bringing off their brood,which adds interest to observation
at a time when bird liveliness here is somewhat at a di scount.
54 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
In the autumn they again congregate in the district before theirdeparture .
I have never found the TREE-PIP IT at the Marsh, although it is
not uncommon further east. The MEADOW-PIPIT is plentiful except
during winter. An occassional one is to be found all the year
round . O n the drier part several nests are found each year, but
they seem always to be destroyed .
SWALLOWS are very common at times during the season,especially in the fore part of the day or in the evening, when
they are to be seen gracefully skimming over the surface of the
Marsh, uttering that twitter which expresses their own delight,and is so delightful to those that hear it. If haymaking is going
on, then naturally, few will be seen till the evening. They are
to be found nesting at all the farms around the district. The
Swallows usually arrive about the middle of April, although an
occasional early bird may be seen at the beginning of the month .
but it is not until the beginning of June that they become
common . They begin to congregate during the early days of
August . Sometimes fair numbers are seen,bnt many small lots
are often observed migrating southwards, from the middle of
August till about the middle of September. After this only a
very few will be seen about the Marsh,although I have seen
birds in the second week of O ctober. I have seen many Swallows
here at dusk in the autumn,but never the Sights that have been
witnessed by others,years ago
,of hundreds c linging to the reeds,
&c ., to roost over the night, before taking their departure
southwards.
The HOUSE -MART IN is the scarcest of the Swallows visiting the
Marsh,which
,however
,in the matter of House-Martins , compares
very favourably with other places in the district. Seldom does
one find it at the Marsh before the beginning of May,although
it may be seen in the district for some days previously . Very
few are to be seen during some seasons . O wing to the un
certainty of its visits to the Marsh,its departure is not noticeable,
but it may be met with here and there in the district till the
beginning of September. The SAND-MART IN is common, although
not so plentiful as one would expect to find it,seeing that there
are several breeding places not so very far away, and that it nests
in fair numbers . It seems to prefer the Canal and K elvin to the
56 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
feeding on the seeds of the Knapweed (Centaurea m’
yra) . TheTWITE is another of our occasional visitors during winter . There
are several records from places around the district,whilst an odd
one has been taken at the Marsh . During the cold spell at the
beginning of this year,I came on aflock of between seventy and
eighty Twites on 3rd February in a field near the Marsh . I have
never met the BULLF INCH here,although some years ago I saw a
fine male captive that had been taken at the Marsh . It has also
been seen by others in the district .
Small flocks of CORN -BUNTINGS are to be met with durino'
autumn and spring, and sometimes an odd bird during winter.A flock of anything from fi fty to a hundred
,was seen at the
beginning of this year by Messrs . R . W . Baxter and Hill .
Being common in the district, they are often seen during summer .The Corn -Bunting was successful in bringing off broods both lastyear and this . Th e YELLOW-BUNT ING is fairly common at times
and occasionally nests . The R EED -BUNT ING as its name implies,
is a frequenter of marshy ground,and is here the commonest of
the buntings . It is to be met with all the year round . During
winter several are to be found coming and going between the
Marsh and Lochfaulds farm. In the breeding season several
nests are to be found built amongst the reeds and coarse grasses .
O ver ten years ago, two SNOW -BUNT INGS,were killed from a small
flock . At the beginning of this year, they were noted at different
places around G lasgow . In a note which I received from Mr.
John Paterson at the beginning of the year,he says A small
flock of Snow-Buntings,with their characteristic silver-bell tinkle,
passed overhead on Sunday (4th February) , just as we had leftLambhill bridge, going north . The birds were passing over the
field across the road from Possil, but high up. They were in
sunshine .”—This is just outside the limit of the Marsh .
STARLINGS are common 5 small flocks are often seen passing in
the early evening . O ver forty years ago they used to roost here
in hundreds, but they do not do so now .
The MAGP IE nests in Gadder and I have seen it a few times
within recent years at the Marsh . JACKDAWS are very scarce,but at occasional times odd ones are found congregating with the
B ooks in the field . They are more plentiful a little further east .
The fresh carcase of a CARR ION-O ROW was picked up on 17th
RENNIE .—THE BIRDS or PO SSIL MARSH . 57
April, 1910 . This bird doubtless had met its fate through being
driven into unwelcome quarters, during the severe wintry weather
that prevailed at the time . Thi s Species is not common in the
district. B O O KS are common, and many are to be seen during the
nesting period,passing to and fro . The nearest rookery is at
K enmuir House which is near by . O n the 23rd March this y ear,before the nesting season was at its height
,I counted 135 nests
there .
SKYLARKS are common all the year round, and smal l flocks are
often seen from autumn to spring . In winter they are to be
found in numbers on the fields of Lochfaulds and district. The
SWIFTS are not very plentiful on their arrival here about the
middle of May,which is usually a few days later than in other
districts, but during their Short stay, they become very common ,more especially towards their departure at the end of August .
Family groups have always been an interesting sight towards
sun'
set,when their labours seem to begin in earnest. I have
counted over fif ty flying about on the eve of their departure .
During the winter of 1864,the K INGF ISHER was seen several
times by Mr. D ix on. I have never seen nor heard of it at the
Marsh since then,but one may be fortunate at times to get a
glimpse of i t farther eastwards,where it is still able to hold its
own . A lthough I have never seen the CUCKOO here, i ts wellknown notes are often heard after its arrival in the district
,about
the beginning of May.
Many years ago the BARN-O W L used to be very common,but
it is now rarely seen in the district. The LONG-EARED O W L has
been seen a few times, but apparently not within recent years .
I have only heard of one bird having been shot . A SHORT-EARED
O W L was shot by Mr. F. Burnett D ick about seventeen years ago .
1
The TAWNY O W L, which nest s in Gadder, has been seen several
times, although not by myself. Mr . Ai tkenhead of Lochfaulds
tells me i t is often heard about the farm. The SPARROW 'HAWKis not uncommon, although the KESTREL is the spec ies we see
most of, especially during the early summer, and again in the
autumn, when the harvest-fields are ripe . During the cold snap
in the Spring of -1908, I saw a pair of PEREG R INE FALCONS on the
1 Vol. II . , page 51 .
58 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
29th April . The MERLIN was seen occasionally by Mr. D ixon.I have not heard of this Spec ies being seen at the Marsh sincethen . The CORMORANT was seen in 1894 by Mr. F . Burnett D ick , 1
The HERON, although very erratic in its Visits, is often seen
throughout the year, usually in the early part of the morning, asthey arrive after sunset . Sometimes they remain during the
whole day. I have noticed that there is one part of the Marsh
they seem very partial to. I t is usually solitary birds that grace
the margin but as many as four have been seen at one t ime .
Dr. Dewar exhibited to this Society, on January 26th , 1864, a
B ITTERN that had been shot at the Marsh, 2 whilst G ray in his
B irds of the W est of Scotland, mentions that it had been seen once
or twice of late years .
I am indebted to Mr. Paterson ’s G lasgow List 3 for a notice of
G REY G EESE , a gaggle of 75 passing northwards at a low eleva tion
over the Marsh on 3rd May, 1895, whilst they have been seen by
others about Possil. I am further indebted to the same list'
for
mention of B EW ICK ’
S SWAN, also to Mr. Hugh Wilson for infor
mation regarding four which he observed at the Marsh on
12th September, 1911 . We are
'
never without a pair of MUTE
SWANS . During the winter months the numbers of this species are
augmented by birds from other districts. A few winters ago as
many as twenty frequented the place for weeks . The non-resident
birds always depart on the approach of Spring. For some years
two pairs used to nest, but latterly this has been reduced to one
pair,which occasionally is successful in bringing off a brood
,
which varies in number. This year they brought forth five
cygnets . During the nesting season the Swan is the most
pugnacious bird on the Marsh . Should any of its own species
attempt a landing there is a battle royal immediately, and theintruder is forced to take wing again . The number of ducks
frequenting the Marsh of late years seems to be greatly reduced .
In winter they seldom arrive until after sunset,and are away
again by daybreak . If the weather be open,a few remain during
the day,lurking amongst the reeds, well beyond range, for there
are always gunners about to give them a warm reception. In the
1 Vol. IL , p. 52. Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc . Glasgow, I . , page 82.
3 Vol. II . , page 52.
RENNIE.—THE BIRDS or PO SSIL MARSH. 59
spring they become more conspicuous on the water . There is
always a coming and going amongst them so that there is great
uncerta inty of seeing them. A SHELD-DUCK was shot hereabout thirty y ears ago by a Mr . Cross . Th e MALLARD may
be sa id to be the only resident duck , although sometimes
it may not be seen for weeks on end . O ne or two pairs
occasionally nest. I have seen late broods the ducklings on
the first of August being only a few days old,disappear
under the cloak of sport ! The SHOVELER in some years is seen
pretty frequently during the summer months,often a pair.
They are occasionally shot in the winter, and are known to
the gunners as spoon-bills, from the formation of the mandibles .
AS it is now known to be a breeding species at Bishop Loch , we
may y et find it nesting a t the Marsh . The TEAL,perhaps from
its nature to keep under cover, is seldom seen on the open water,but i t is common enough for all that, and in the Spring, flocks of
twenty and upwards occasionally come into the Marsh after
sunset. Seldom have I seen the Teal during the summer months,nor have I yet found it nesting . W IGEON and POCHARD appear
in small groups towards the end of winter . A few hang on until
the spring is well advanced before going nor thwards . I have
seen a pair of Pochard at the end of May . At the time of Mr .
D ixon’s paper the TUFTED DUCK seems to have been a rare
visitor,as his authority was Mr . G ray, who informed h im that
a Tufted Duck had been shot there within a few years . I find
from Mr. Harvie Brown ’s paper on the Tufted Duck in Scotland l ,that the first hint of its nesting at Possil Marsh was obtained by
Mr. John Paterson, who had seen a pair on the Marsh , on the l 6th
May,1895, and suspected they would be breeding . This was
prac tically confi rmed by Mr. Robert Wilson who vi sited the
Marsh on 20th July,and saw a female with six young . The
Tufted Duck seems to have remained in small numbers,a
regular visitor from autumn till Spring,an occasional pair staying
to nest,until a few years ago when they dwindled away . O n
the evening of 4th May,this year, I saw four Tufted Ducks
(3 5—1 Q ) . They were gone the following morning . This is
the first I have seen or heard of it since 29th April,1909.
1 Annals Scot . Na t. Hist , vol. V. , page 7.
60 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
A G OLDENEYE was Shot about fifteen years ago by Mr . Cameron ,and the bird has also been seen by
‘ Mr . Samuel M ‘Gulloch .
R ING-DOVES are occasionally seen frequenting the stubble
fields, sometimes close down to the Marsh, and on the wing.
The PHEASANT has only come undermy notice once . A finemale
was seen early one morning in autumn, a few years ago , feeding
in the stubble field . O ne of the greatest changes in the vegeta
tion of the Marsh is to be seen at the north-east corner. Years
ago this used to be covered with heather . O nlv a very few plants
Of heather now remain,bents and cotton grasses having gradually
ousted the rest . Here the PARTR IDG E used to nest regularly.
It is still to be found to-day frequenting the same part of the
Marsh for feeding . Sometimes one flushes it during the day and
it is often heard at dusk . I have twice flushed a covey of
Six from this same corner,whilst I haveflushed them in
the field,where they are still found nesting, Mr. Aitkenhead
informs me. I have only found the CORN -CRAKE once at theMarsh
,although it is often enough heard from the surrounding
fields,from the beginning of May until about the end of August.
A flock of about thirty Corncrakes was seen one back-end many
years ago by Mr . C ross . The following rather interesting inc ident
took place four years ago - I was standing at sunset amongst
the coarse grasses that grow between the Marsh and the canal,when a Cornc rake landed a few feet from me
,and commenced to
c rake. I stepped forward with the intention of lifting the bird,but it took to the wing and crossed to the field on the other side
of the canal . I stood for a few minutes, when the bird again
returned to where I was standing, and it was not until it hadrepeated the coming and going four times that I lost trace of it
in the darkness . The SPOTTED CRAKE appeared at Possil inSeptember, Messrs . Robert and Hugh Wilson believe they
saw one here in a recent year . Mr. Dixon, in his notes, says,“ The WATER-RAIL bred here to my knowledge in the summer
of 1863, and I believe is to be found regularly every season .
”
A t a meeting of this Society on 27 th April, 1872, Mr. G ray
exh ibited two eggs of the Water-Rail taken from a nest of seven
1 The Scot. Jour. of Na t. Hist I . , p. 133 ; The Z oologist, 3rd Sen ,
Vol. XIII . O ct. , 1889.
RENNIE .—THE B IRDS or PO SSIL MARSH. 6 1
found the previous month , 1 and D r. Dewar exhibited eggs of theWater-Rail from Possil Marsh at the meeting on 28th April ,1874. It seems to have remained a breeding species for a
number of years following,as I find from the Anna ls of Scottish
Na tura l History that eggs and birds were obtained in 1889 and
1897 . The Water-Rail is now the rarest of the resident birds .
A few years ago,in conversation with one of the gunners, I was
told that it had often been Shot during winter . However,it was
not until the 1 7 th Ma r,1908, that I first became acquainted
with the Water-Rail here . From this time onwards I have often
seen it,at various times of the year
,either singly or a pair
,
usually in the quiet of the early morning. I have never yet
foun d young birds .The MOORHEN and O O OT are common in the spring , especially
the latter. I have seen as many as a dozen Moorhens during
summer. D ixon records as many as twen ty nests in a day .
What a contrast with the present time, as very few nest now.
In winter there is alway s an occasional one to be found lurking
amongst the reeds . The Coot are all but absent during winter ,but return again g radually from the beginning of March . Th e
numbers fluctuate greatly each year. There are usually about a
score in the spring,although in 1909 I saw about fifty. A fter
the pairing the numbers gradually decrease, and by July lots of
young Moorhens and Coots are to be seen , but with the arrival
of August, the Coot becomes almost a thing of the past. Both
birds suffer greatly during the breeding period , as several of their
nests are destroyed . The Marsh is not the most suitable place
for waders,as it lacks a t all seasons the mudfla ts sometimes seen
at other inland waters around the c ity,yet it is never without
waders of some description, although no rarity has turned up for
some years . The D OTTEREL was observed during D ixon ’s time ,whilst G ray, in B irds of the W est of Scotland (page says“ Mr . Struthers, of Larkhall, has mentioned to me that two
specimens were shot some years ago by Mr . G raham, on the farm
of High Possil.” This,again
,i s just on the other Side of our
boundary line . From autumn till early spring small flocks of
G OLDEN PLOVER are often seen on the wing, passing, sometimes
1 Prev. Nat . Hist. Soc . , G lasgow, IL , p. 186.
62 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
along with Lapwings . It is not often they rest here, but they
are found plent ifully in the fields beyond . I noted a very early flock
on the 16th July this year, when twenty-one passed over in asoutherly direction before 4 a m. Both the nesting and winter notes
were heard,as it was by their notes that my attention was attracted
to them. The LAPW ING is fairly common although not numerous,
from the early spring until they begin to flock about June,when fair
numbers are sometimes seen, for example on 15th and 20th Julythis year flocks of as many as 150 to 170 were noted . Their
usual line of flight is over High Possil. They are seen frequently
during autumn and winter. The Lapwing has nested several
times at the Marsh . They seem to be very partial to certain
spots for feeding and for preening themselves . The BLACKWINGED ST ILT was observed by Mr. R obert G ray in 1867 . It is
doubtless this bird he refers to in his Birds of the W est ofScotland (page 304)—
“ A Black-winged Stilt was seen a t Possil
Marsh,it frequented the place for three or four days and was
distinctly observed by diff erent persons . Notwithstanding
repeated attempts on its life the bird luckily escaped .
” The
COMMON SNIPE is often met with throughout the year, but never
in anything like its former numbers . From early Spring and
during the nesting period it is often heard drumming. I have
known four pairs bring off their broods in one season,but now I
think there is not more than one nest. The JACK SNIPE used
to be very plentiful during autumn and winter over forty years
ago . There seems to have been a regular dwindling away from
about this time for a number of years following,until it has
become a thing of the past. So far as I can learn none has been
seen or killed Since 1887 . The COMMON SANDPIPER used to be
regularly seen during the summer and has nested , but within
recent years I have only found it occasionally on its arrival here
about the third week of April, seldom during its stay, and it
appears again about the beginning of August when it is returning
southwards . Until recently one could scarcely visit the Marsh
without either seeing or hearing the R EDSHANK. It cannot be
called common, although I have seen up to about a dozen in the
Spring of the'
year . U sually at least one nest is brought ofl’,
although I have known of three broods being brought off in one
season . No flocks of Redshanks are seen here in winter
64 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Mr. M ‘Culloch informs me that the PUFF IN has been Shot
here within the last forty years . The-R ED THROATED DIVER has
been recorded by Dixon . The GREAT CRESTED G REBE has been
seen within recent years, but never by myself. I have long
watched for it,and it has often been seen on the waters not far
from here. The SLAVONIAN G REB E was seen here in 1874, by
Mr. Samuel M 'Culloch . The LITTLE G REB E is still a resident ,
being oftener heard than seen. In the spring of 1909 seven
birds were seen at once . A lthough a regular nester,I have
never known of more than two pairs nest ing in the same season .
Things are a bit changed now from Mr. D ixon’s time,when he
was able to find about a dozen nests in one day. The following,from G ray ’s B irds of the W est of Scotla nd (page is of more
than passing interest ' “ In the neighbourhood of G lasgow the
Little G rebe is found nesting in Possil Marsh,and also at
Hogganfield Loch . Six teen nests were found in the first
mentioned locality in the breeding season of 1868, many of them
by my friends Messrs .'
W . Lorrain and J. S. D ixon, whose per
severing skill has been the means of revealing the comparative
number of birds breeding in that now rapidly-decreasing marsh .
”
The Spotted F lycatcher, Woodcock , G reat Snipe, and Smew are
said to have occurred, but upon no sure authority. Probably
the sand trippers, “ with black legs,” reported to me were
Dunlins,but I have not been fortunate enough to see this
species .
LIST O F THE B IRD S O F F OSS I L MARSH.
Mistle-Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) . W illow-W ren (P. trochilus) .
Song-Thrush (T. musicus) . Wood-W ren (P .
Redwing (T. ilia cus) . Sedge-warbler (Acrocepha lusphra gFieldfare ( T. pila r is) . mitis) .
Blackbird (T . merula ) . Hedge-Sparrow (Accentor modu
Wheatear (Sax icola cena nthe) . la ris) .
G reenland W heatear (S. cenanthe Dipper (Cinclus a qua ticus) .leucorrhoa ) . Long-Tailed Titmouse (Acredula
VVhinchat (Pra tincola rubetra . ) ca uda ta ) .
Stonechat (P . rubicola ) . G reat Titmouse (Pa rus major ) .
Redstart (Ruticilla phwnicurus) , Coal-Titmouse (P. a ter ) .
Redbreast (Er itha cus r ubecula ). W illow-Titmouse (P. a rtr icapilius
Whitethroat (Sylvia cinerea ) . kleinschmidti) .
Goldcrest (Regulus cr ista tus) . Blue -Titmouse (P. cceruleus) .
Chifl'chaff (Phylloscopus ruflts). W ren (Troglodytesparvulus) .
RENNIE .—THE B IRDS or FOSS IL MARSH. 65
Tree-Creeper (Certhia f amilia r is) .PiedWagtail (Mota cilla lugubr is) .
W'hiteWagtail (M . a lba ) .
G reyWagta il (M . mela nopc) .
YellowWagtail (M . r a ii ) .
Tree-Pipit (Anthus trivia lis) .Meadow-Pipit (A. pra tensis) .
Swallow (Hirundo rustica ) .
House-Martin (Chelidon urbica ) .Sand-Martin (Cotile ripa ria ) .G reenfinch (Ligur inus chlor as) .
Goldfinch (Ca rduelis elegans ) .Siskin (C. spinus) .
House~Sparrow (Pa sser domesticus) .
Chafiinch (Fring illa coelebs) .
Brambling (F . montifr ingilla ) .
Linnet (Linota canna bina ) .
Mealy Redpoll (L . lina r ia ) .
Lesser Redpoll ( L. ruf escens) .
Twite ( L. fia virostr is) .
Bullfinch (Pyrrhula europcea ) .
Corn -Bunting (Ember i z a milia ria ) .Yellow-Bunting (E . c itrinella ) .
Reed-Bunting (E. schceniclus) .
Snow-Bunting (Plectrophenax
n iva lis) .
Starling (Sturnus vulgar is) .Magpie (Pica rustica ) .
Jackdaw (Cor vus monedula ) .
Carrion -Crow (C. corone) .
Rook (C. f rugilegus) .
Skylark (Alauda a rvensis) .
Swift (Cy-pselus apus) .Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida ) .Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus ) .Barn-O wl (Str isrflammea ) .Long-eared O wl (Asio otus) .
Short-cared O wl (A . a ccipitr inus) .
Tawny O wl (Syrnium a luco) .
Sparrow-hawk (Accipiter nisus) .
Peregrine Falcon (Falcoperegr inus) .Merlin (F. cesalon ) .
Kestrel (F. tinnunculus) .
Cormorant (Pha la crocorax ca rbo) .
Heron (Ardea cinerea ) .
Bittern (Botaurus stellar is) .Grey G eese (spp.
Bewiek’s Swan (Cygnus bewicki) .
Mute Swan (0 . olor ) .
Common Sheld-Duck (Tadorna cornuta ) .
Mallard (Ana s boscas) .
Shoveler (Spa tula clypea ta ) .
Teal (Ncitian crocca ) .
Wigeon (Ma reca penelope) .
Pochard (Fuligula ferina ) .Tufted Duck (F . cr ista ta ) .
Goldeneye (Cla ngula glaucion ) .Ring -Dove (Columba pa lumbus ) .Pheasant (Phasia nus colch icus) .Partridge (Perdix cinerea ) .
Corn-Crake (Crest pra tensis) .Spotted Crake (P orz ana ma ruetta ) .
Water-Rail (Ra llus a qua ticus) .
Moor-Hen (Gallinula chloropus) .
Coot (Fulica a tra ) .
Dotterel (Eudromias mor inellus) .G oldenPlover (Cha radr iusplzwia lis) .Lapwing Va nellus vulgaris) .
Black-winged Stilt (H imantopus
ca ndidus) .
Common Snipe (Gallinago coelestis ‘
Jack Snipe (G . ga llinula ) .
Common Sandpiper (Totanus hypoleucus) .
Common Redshank ( T. calidris) .
G reenshank (T. canescens) .
Curlew (Numenius a rqua ta ) .Black Tern (Hydrochelidon nigra ) .
Common Tern (Sternafluvia tilisl.Black-headed G ull (La rus r idi
ba ndits) .
Common Gull (L . canus ) .
Herring-Gull (L. a rgenta tus) .
Lesser Black -backedGull L .f usca s) .
G reater Black -backed Gull (L .
ma rinas) .
Puffin (Fra tercula a rctica ) .
Red-throated Diver (Colymbus sep
tentriona lis) .
G reat-crested G rebe (Podic ipes
cr ista tus) .
Slavonian G rebe (P. aur itus) .
Little G rebe (P . fluvia tzlis).
E
66 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Basking Shark—Cetorhinus max/mus (Gunn)
Stranded on the Little Cumbrae.
By R ICHARD ELMHIRST, F .L.S.
[Read 28th January,
Basking Sharks do not often visit the Clyde area, if we may
judge by the existing records. The Clyde Fauna and Flora ,
1901, records one 8-ft. Specimen from near Turnberry . But
th e numerous records of “ sail-fish ” received from yachtsmen
and others probably refer to this Species . The present specimen
is a large female whose tail has been cut ofi’
; the part stranded
on the Little Cumbrae was about 20 feet long, and I estimate
the total length to have been 28 feet . I have.
been unable to
ascertain definitely how this fish lost its tail . Its colour was
almost black, dorsally Shading down to a slatey grey below, with
an irregular mid-ventral white streak .
The following measurements were made
G irth,
Nose to posterior gill aperture,anterior origin“
of I. dorsal fin,posterior I .
anterior II.
pectoral fin,posterior
Anterior border of pectoral to anteri or border
of ventral, 10 1
Anterior border of pectoral to posterior border
of ventral,
1 1 8
Anterior border of pectoral to anterior border
of anal,
The five gill-slits measured—3 ft. 3 in . 3
Tip of nose to mouth , 1 ft. 1 in .
Length of lower jaw,2 ft.
M ‘ANDREW .—MOSSES FROM VICE-COUNTY 10 1 . 67
Day, in his Fishes of Great Britiam and Ireland, records a
Specimen,28 ft . 10 in .
,from the Isle of W ight . O ur fin measure
ments compare thus
Pectoral fin,
Ventral
Anal
I . dorsal
I I .
These marked diff erences
specimen being much frayed ,fins being worn off .
Mosses from Vice-County 101.
By JAMES M ‘ANDREW,Edinburgh .
[Read 27th December,
In addition to the Mosses from V.C . 10 1 (Cantire south of the
Crinan Canal ) recorded in the Census Catalogue of British
Mosses published in 1907 , during a holiday at Lochgilphead in
1911 I gathered the following, all immediately South of
Ardrishaig and the Crinan Canal —Polytr ichum a lpinum L . ;
Dicranowewi a ci rr a ta Lindb . ; Campy lopus pyr iformis Brid . ;
Grimmia apocarpa Hedw . ,var . r ivular is W . and M . ;
Rhacomitr ium can escens Brid .
,var . er icoides B . and S. Pottia
trun ca tula Lindb . Tor tula laévipila Schwaeg. B arbula topha cea
Mitt. Ba rbu la r igidula Lindb . ; Ba rbula cylindr ica Sehp .
B arbula revoluta Brid . ; B arbula convoluta Hedw. W eisia
vir idula Hedw . O r thotr ichum leiocarpum B . and S. ; O r th .
stramin eum Hornsch . O r th . tenellum’ Bruch Funaria er icetoruin
D ixon ; Bryum bimum Schreb . Mn ium subglobosum B . and S.
Fon tina lis an tipyretica L. Nechera complana ta H iibn . Nechera
crispa Hedw. ; Pterygophyllum lucens Brid . Heterocladium
heter Opterum B. and S. ; Bra chg/ fhecium r ivulare B . and S.
B rachytheciumpopuleum B . and S. B ra chythecium purum D ixon
Eurhyn chium str ia tum B . and S. Eurhyn ch ium conf ertum Milde
Isle ofWight. Little Cumbrae.
In .F t. In . F t.
5 6 3 10
2 9 2 2
1 3 0 11
4 0 3 3
1 4 0 1 1
are due to the Little Cumbrae
about quarter of the length of the
68 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Plagiothecium den ticula tum B . and S. Amblystegium serpen s
B . and S. Hypnum stella tum Schreb ., var. protensum R Ohl ;
Hyp. revolvens Swartz ; H . in termedium Lindb . H. cupressif orme
L .
,var . er icetorum B . and S. H . gigan teum Sehp . H. sa rmentosum
Wahl . H . brevirostre B. and S.
In addition to the above, I gathered the following from the
neighbourhood of Tarbert, Loch Fyne, also in v . c . 101 z—Sphagnumr igidum Sehp .
,vars . compa ctum Sehp . and squa rrosum Russ .
S . subsecundum Nees, var . con tor tum Sehp . S. a cutifolium Ehrh
var . rubellum Russ . 3 S . Girgen sohn ii Russ var . xerophyllum
Russ . Campylopus breuipilus B . and S. Rha comitr ium
sudeticum B . and S. Barbula recurvif olia Sehp . B a rbula
uinea lis Brid . W eisia microstoma C . M . 5 Tr ichostomum
tenuirostre Lindb . O rthotr ichum Lyellii Hook . and Tayl.
Sola chnum ampulla ceum L ; Funar ia Templeton i Sm. ; B ryum
a tropurpureum W . and M . 3 An titr ichia cur tipendula Brid.
Thuidium recogn itum Lindb . B rachythecium a lbicans B . and S.
Eurhyn chium cra ssinervium B . and Eurhyn chium Swartz i i
Hobk . Hypnum ca llichroum Brid .
Though none of the above Mosses are rare, yet they may be ofinterest as new records for Vice-County 10 1 . I am sure that
Mr . P. Ewing could add a number more to the above list.
Proceeding s of the Society.
The fourth meeting of the sixty-second session took place in
the Society’s Rooms, Bath Street, on 27th December, 1912—Mr.
John R . Lee, president, in the chair.
Mr. J . R . Jack, gave a lantern exhibit of photo
graphs in colour, chiefly alpine and lowland plants and landscapes .Mr. R obert M . Fortune also showed some slides . The exhibition
was greatly admired . Mr. James M ‘Andrew contributed a
paper entit led Mosses from Vice-County, containing a
list of new records for that district.
The fifth meeting took place on 28th January, l913—Mr. John
R . Lee, president, in the chair .
Mr. Nicol Hopkins, 4 Campbell Street, Darvel, was elected an
ordinary member.
PROCEED INGS . 69
Mr . R obert W . S. W ilson exhibited a G reater Wheatea r
(Sax icola cenan the leucorrlwa ) from Fairli e (p .
Mr. Peter Ewing, exhibited the following hepatics,which are all new records for the Vice-Coun ties to which they
refer —R iccia bifur ca Hoffm Clova (v .c . 90) J/a rsupella
Sulliva n tii (De Not. ) Evans Canlochan (v . c . Lophoz ia
longifolia (Nees) Schi ffn .,C lova (v .c . R egarding the last
spec ies,Mr. S. M . Macvicar, in his handbook on Hepatics issued
last year,refers to this plant as not yet found in Brita in , but likely
to occur on some of our mountains . It was d iscovered in a wood
near Ki llin in April,1911, and Mr . Ewing picked it upon the Side
of a burn in Clova, in September. 1912. O ther spec ies exhibited
were Plagiochila puncta ta Tayl . , var . minuta Breb .,Ben Voirli ch
(v .c . 99) B a z z a nia tr icrena ta (Wahl . ) Pears var. tr i angular isSchl , Ben Voirlich (v . c . 99) 5 Lepidoz ia setacea ( IVeb . ) M itt ,
var . ser tular ioides (Huben . ) Cooke, Loch-naa mane (v . c .
Scapania suba lpin a (Nees) Dum. var . undulifolia Nees,Ben
Voirlich (v .c . 99) S. obliqua (Arnell ) Schi fiin,Canlochan
(v.c .
Mr. W m. M . Pettigrew exhibited some beautiful autochrome
slides of landscapes and plant studi es .
Mr . R obt. Brown,M .D .
, read a paper entit led “ Mont
Ceni s and its A lpine F lora, whi ch was illustrated by many
plants collected in July, 1912.
Mr . R ichard Elmhirst, gave an accoun t of a Basking
Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) , which was found stranded on the
Little Cumbrae (pp . 66 Mr . Elmh irst also Showed specimens
of Gromia duja rdin ii (Schaudinn), one of the foramenif era , whichhe had found fair ly abundant on rocks near the Biological
Station,Millport .
The Sixth meeting of the session, 1912- 1913, took place on
25th February, 1913—Mr . John R . Lee, president, in the chair.
Before the formal business, appropriate reference was made byMr. A . Hill to the loss to the Society through the dea th of
ex-Deacon-Convener James G oldie, who had been a member
since 1895.
Mr. Chas . A . Allan, B roekeridge, Irvine R oad, Kilmarnock
and Mr. Thos . W . W ilson, 31 Rannoch Street, Langside, were
elected ordinary members .
70 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Mr. J . J. F . X. King, F . E.S.,exhibited a collection of British
Chrysididae. O n behalf of Mr . Chas . Kirk , Mr. John Paterson
exhibited a Bar—tailed G odwit (Limosa lappon ica ) , a male in full
summer plumage,wh ich Mr. Kirk had received in December
from G irvan (Ayr) for preservation .
Mr. T. Thornton Mackeith exhibited a series of beautiful Slides
of natural his tory subj ects, chiefly ornithological .Mr. G eo. Herriot showed some lantern Slides illustrating the
recent serious land -Slide at G lencroe.
The President, Mr . Lee, made some remarks on the moss-genus
Thuidium,Sehp .
,and exhibited examples of the Scottish species
of that genus .
Mr . R ichard Elmhirst, sent the following note on
Tetrabothr ium cylindra ceum,Rudolphi In O ctober
,1912,
Mr. W m. R ennie sent me some worms from a young Black-headed
Gull (Larus r idibundus) from Possil Marsh . The bird was‘ gorged with potatoes
,a this year’s bird .
’ The worms proved to
be T. cylindra ceum (r ide Diesing, Systema Helmin thum,vol I .
p . 600, which species is known as a parasite of the above
and several other species of gulls . The Specimens in question
were ripe,the eggs being extremely large, 0 3 mm.
” This worm
has not previously been recorded for the Clyde Area.
Excursions.
RAW YARDS HOUSE AND R OSEMOUNT,1st July
,1911—Con
ductor, Mr. A . B . Motherwell .—Detraining at A irdrie, the smallparty representing the Society on this occasion
,walked to Gartlea
Hill,from wh ich a great stretch of country was v isible, the
poin ts of interest in the landscape being pointed out by Mr .
Motherwell . A t Rawyards House (John Motherwell, Esq . )Esca llon ia macran tha was seen growing luxuriant ly
' on the
house front . The plant was upwards of five feet in height and
in full flower. Long regarded by some of those present as a
plant partial to the neighbourhood of the sea, it came as a
surprise to see it so healthy so far inland, at about 600 feet
above sea-level . At Mr. A . B .
’
Motherwell’
s own residence,Rosemount, very many indigenous phanerogams and many
exotics, arranged according to their Natural O rders, form'
a
72 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
Upon specimens of this tree being submitted to Dr. Henry, he
pronounced them undoubtedly Ulmus glabm Miller. Another
large Elm,of apparently the same species, stood in the Stony
causey Park but was blown down in the winter of 1909-10 .
Measured in 1908, it had a girth of 16 feet 4 inches at 6 feet,bole 20 feet
,height 105 feet. Details regarding the celebrated
Yew Tree at Loudoun Castle will be found in Mr. R enwick ’s
article on the Yew Trees of the C lyde Area (see page A
Poplar (Populus serotina ) , near the gate to the castle on the
G lasgow R oad, has a girth of 9 feet 5g inches at 5 feet. A
Beech at W aterside Farm, which was measured at the Society’s
excursion on 2oth May and found to have a c ircumference of
trunk of 16 feet 15 inches at 5 feet, with a much fluted and
partially decayed trunk has since then been blown down . It was
the largest beech on the Loudoun Estate . A Scots Fir at the old
Kirk of Loudoun had a girth of 11 feet 1 inch at 5 feet,bole
40 feet.SW INLEES G LEN
,DALRY, 2oth April, 1912.
—Conductor,Mr .
Archd . Shanks . The route taken on this occasionwas by Toftsand Ryesholm, crossing over the Rye Water . Drums of boulder
c lay are conspicuous in the landscape here, the town of
Dalry being buil t on the largest one,which is at least
eighty feet thick . Near Hagsthorn the main road was left and
the bed of the Pitcon Burn taken . This stream divides the
parishes of Dalry and Kilbirnie, and is stated by the writer of theNew Statistical Account of the latter parish to intersect a vein of
graphite or blacklead, but the place where this is said to occur is
still unknown to those interested in mineralogy . The G len has
been mostly formed out of sandstone and the blaes associated
with ironstone . Blackband ironstone was at one time worked
here, and the spot is stil l kept in memory by the flow of
water highly charged with iron . The Clayband ironstone, which
has been so extensively mined in the district, is very well exposed,and measures about thirteen inches, wh ich was the full thickness
of the bed . This section may probably have helped to
attract ironmasters to the loca lity. It is believed that theblackband ironstone was discovered in boring for the clay
band which occurs below it. Few flowers were observed, but
Chrysosplen ium a lternt’
folium was quite common and Senecio
ExcunsroNs. 73
sarmcén icus was seen in two places . Though a rare spec ies in
Britain the latter is common in the G arnock valley . The only
moss noticed worthy of mention was O rthotr ichum r iun lare. O f a
total of twenty- seven species of birds seen, perhaps most interest
attached to the newly-arrived summer visitors,which included
nine Willow-W rens (Phylloscopus trochilus) , two Common Sandpipers (Totanus hypoleucus) , and the Swallow (Hirundo rustica ) .
Swinlees G len was much admired . Prominent , a short
distance from the road,is Caerwinning Hill, once strongly
fortified, where Copper mining was carried on about the year 1846.
At Blairock Hill, a few hundred yards farther north , the trap rock
is quarried for repairing the roads . The mineral Pectolite occurs
in the form of amygdules several pounds in weight .
LUGTON TO BE ITH,4th May
, 1912.- Conductor, Mr . D . A .
Boyd .-Although not often visited at excursions of the Society,
the district around Beith presents features sufliciently attractiveand interesting to merit more frequent attention. Radiating
outwards from the town are many roads,bypaths
,and rights of
way,which intersect the neighbouring country, and stretch
towards Dalry, Ki lwinning , Dunlop, Neilston , Lochwinnoch , and
other adj acent parishes . Some of these roads pass along breezy
uplands, and command ex tensive v iews over many miles of
country, to where the line of v ision is bounded by ranges of blue
hills in the far distance . Looked at from a botanist ’s standpoint,
the roadsides around Beith are by no means destitute of interest.
The walls are often formed of limestone,on which grow in
unusual abundance various spec ies of O r thotr ickum and other
mosses that occur less frequently in neighbouring parishes where
the prevailing rocks are sandstone and trap . Another character
istic feature of the Beith district is the unusual number of alien
plants which grow on the roadsides . In the course of a six or
seven-mi le walk from Lugton to Beith , by way of B igfoot and
the Lochlands Road,one may observe patches of O rpine
,
Solomon ’s Seal,Masterwort, Tansy, Leopard
’s B ane,Heart- leaved
Valerian,and Yellow Moneywort or Creeping Jenny . It was
mainly with the view of exploring part of the eastern portion of
the parish,that an excursion from Beith to Lugton was arranged
for the afternoon of Saturday, 4th May . A fter leaving the
Lugton Station, the Beith R oad was followed, which skirted for
74 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
a short distance the Caldwell Woods,where the bright
'
tints of
the young foliage formed a picture at once pleasant and refreshing
to the eye. At this point attention was directed to patches ofO rpine and Solomon ’s Seal
,which grew on a roadside bank,
while, in an adj oining meadow, thousands of cups of the Marsh
Marigold spread their golden sepals to the sunshine . In a small
wayside copse were obtained the conspicuous whi te racemes of the
Hagberry or Bird Cherry . At Blaelochhead the leaves of theEarthwort were much affected with Puccin ia bum
’
i,a parasitic
fungus belonging to the U redin eae or rusts . Just beyond the
farm,a view was obtained of the Blae Loch
,a small sheet of
water situated a few hundred yards from the roadside . Accord
ing to Timothy Pont, who wrote in the beginning of the 17th
century,Blae Loch is so named “ because when the firmament i s
most serene and clear, then it is pallid and dead-coloured,con
trair to all other uncorrupt and sweet waters .” The dull-hued
waters of the little lake,however
,are relieved by a graceful
fringe of tall growing reeds, while the spotless blossoms of white
water- lilies glisten on its calm surface . The wet margin of the
loch is carpeted with a luxuriant growth of mosses,abundant in
quantity,and possibly sufficiently varied in quality to be worthy
of examination by our esteemed President .
About half-a-mile beyond Blaelochhead, the party turned into
a byway which led to the picturesquely situated Mill of
Hessilhead. O n the way thither, the abundance and variety
at the wild -flowers attracted notice . Pink blossoms of Wood
Sorrel, red bells of Blaeberry, blue flowers of Wood-Violet and
Wild Hyacinth,and white stars of Wood-Anemone
,occurred in
rich profusion . O n the banks of the stream at the Mill,tall
plants of Sweet C icely luxuriated in the prevail ing moisture.O n rising ground near by, surrounded with old trees
,stands the
ruined mansion of Hessilhead,long the residence of a branch of
the Mon tgomerie family , and the home in the latter part of the16th century of the poet A lexander Montgomerie, author of
The Cherrie and the Slae .” From this point onward,
particularly in the neighbourhood of the en trances to the modern
mansions of Trearne and Hessilhead, the road was pleasantly
wooded,and its margins were covered with a grassy carpet of
soft green. Having rej oined the main road, the party _ passed
p
ExcuRsroxs. 45
through the little village of G ateside, and reached Beith .
A lthough unproductive of any important results, the ex cursion
was nevertheless enj oy able on account of the fresh beauty of the
young foliage and ea rly flowers,and the rural attractions of the
district passed through in the cour se of the aftern oon ’s walk .
O RCHARD COUNTRY , LANARK , 18th May, 1912.—Conductor,
Mr. W . M . Pettigrew. F rom Dalserf,the route followed was
towards the C lyde, when G arrion Bridge was crossed and the
path through the orchards was taken . The C ly de was reached
again nea r Milton Lockhart and the right bank followed
till Crossford was reached . In an ordinary year,the orchard
trees in C lydesdale would have been in full blossom about this
date , but on this occasion the glory had departed . Some com
pensation was found, however, in the wea lth of blossom on the
Hawthorn and in the beauty of the Wild Hy acin ths . The
most inte resting plants noted were the Bird ’s-Nest O rchi s
(Neottia Nidus-avis) , observed in Jock’
s G ill and again nearer
the Clyde ; the Whi te Meadow-Saxif rage (Saxifi'
aga gra nula ta )and the Hairy R ock-Cress (Arabis hirsuta ) on the bank near
Crossford and the Broad- leaved G roundsel (Senecio sar rar en icus)and House-Leek (Semper zn
’
vum tectom m) , which were got on thej ourn ey from Crossford to Braidwood . Among other plants
seen were Ga lium bor ea le, F edia olitm'ia,Dor om
'
cum Pa r
da lianches,Epipactis la ttf olia, and Distera ova ta . Among the
fl ies captured were Dicm n omyia chorea,Mg , D . dumetorum
,
Mg ,Rhipidia macula ta
,Mg ,
An tocha opa li z ans, O -Sack ,Moloplz ilus bifila tus, Vern ,
E r ioptem tr ivialis Mg Tipula
varipenn is, Mg . ,T . verna lis
,Mg ,
B ibio ma rci,L , Pla ticherus
discimanus,Liv .
,P. a lbimanus
,F .
,Melanostomum mellinum
,
L . , Syrphus r ibesti,L. and S. cor ollaa, F . Some 34 species of
birds were noted,including the Blackcap (Sylvia a tr icapilla )
hea rd once, the G arden Warbler (S. hor ten sis) and Wood Wren
(Phylloscopus sibila trix) , both frequent, and the Yellow Wagtail
(Motacilla ra ii) . A blackbird ’s nest buil t on a plant of the
Purple Comfrey was regarded as a curiosity . No Gull was seen
during the day, which is very unusual in any part of“ Clyde . ”
THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
TARB ET AND Luss,23rd May
,1912.—Conductor, Mr. John R.
Lee. A party of about 30 travelled by train from the CentralLow Level Station
,at a m
,to Balloch Pier , thence by
steamer to Tarbet,arriving shortly after mid—day. The weather
conditions were excellent, and, as at this season of the year the
Q ueen of the Scottish Lochs is perhaps a t its best, the beautyof the scenery was keenly enj oyed by the members of the party.
After leaving Balloch,and before passing into the channel to the
south of Inchmurrin, a grand view of the lake is obtained from
the steamer by looking directly northward . The grouping of the
hills around the upper end of the loch is especially fine as seen
from this point . O n the eastern side the imposing mass of BenLomond is seen to great advantage
,the great shoulders of the
mountain, formed by the Ptarmigan on the west and .Ben U rid
to the south-east,combining to lend a sense of sublimity to the
scene . The western side of the loch is flanked by the picturesque
group of the G len Luss Hills,from which a lofty ridge, with well
wooded sides, runs northwards to the Tarbet valley, where thelow hill of Cruach-Tarbet fills up the middle distance . Immedi
ately behind this the lofty ridges of Ben Vorlich form an
appropriate background to what is perhaps one of the best v iews
obtainable of this magnificent loch . The weather being very
clear, the View from this point also included the graceful cone of
Ben O ss filling up the gap in the centre behind G len Falloch .
A fter passing the Island of Inchmurrin, a view was also obtained
of the peak of Ben Laoigh , appearing over the eastern shoulder
of Ben Vorlieb , and patches of snow were observed on the
sides of both these more distant mountains .
O n arriving at Tarbet,a fine view of the rugged peaks of Ben
Narna in and Ben A rthur was obtained, the deep corries near
their summits being very distinctly visible in the clear atmos
phere.
The party nex t proceeded by road towards Luss, the route
lying along the western shore of the loch a distance of some 85miles . For about a mile below Tarbet the road lies through a
deeply wooded tract,emerging upon the edge of the lake below
the mansion house of Stuckgown . In front of the latter the
attention of the party was at tracted by two magnificent azalea
bushes in full bloom.
Excrmsroxs. 77
The house is beautifully situated at the foot of a deep glen ,the lower portion of which is thickly planted with a variety of
coni ferous trees, and from its sheltered position affords favourable
condi tions for a luxuriant growth of exotic shrubs . The wall in
front of Stuckgown is covered by a large quantity of the Black
Spleenwort fern (Asplen ium Tr ichoma fnes) and on the wall top
were found growing a number of stray plants of Saxifmga Geum .
The dominant tree in the woods along the side of the loch is
the O ak, but many other species are mixed with it, the principal
being Birch, A lder, Hazel, Ash, Rowan, and Holly . The Wild
Hyac inth (Scilla nutan s) was seen to perfection in the woods all
along Loch Lomond side . the glorious blue of this much - loved
member of our flora being part icularly well devel oped just at the
date of our visit.
F rom a point about four miles below Tarbet a detour wasmade
to visit the Fairies ’ Lake, a small pool in a hollow on the
mountain side , about three- quarters of a mile above the road , at
an altitude of 600 feet above . sea level . The spot is a very
beautiful secluded hollow, densely shaded with trees, and the
lake itself is rich in aquatic flowering plants and mosses . It is
very deep in the middle, various estimates of its depth being put
forward by members of the party, some of whom thought twelve
feet an exaggeration, whilst others were not satisfied with twice
that estimate . The water is remarkably clear, and an ex tra
ordinary colourati'
on appears in its deepest part,patches of the
bottom having a curious blue-green appearance, which also
extends to obj ects such as sticks, &c .,lying in the water .
Legend attributes this curious phenomenon to the action of a
race of beneficent fairies who formerly inhabited the spot ; butscience, whilst dec lining to accept the old—time explanation, has
not yet found another. O n leaving the Fairies ’ Lake the road
was continued to Inverbeg, at the foot of G len Douglas, where a
halt was made for tea, after which the remaining three miles to
Luss were leisurely traversed .
During the day thirty-two species of birds were noted
including half-a -dozen Tufted Ducks (Fuligula. cr ista ta ) , a pair ofRed-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serra tor) , two Guillemots (Ur iatrofle), and a Red-throated Diver (Colymbus septen tr iona lis) .
78 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
G LEN DOUGLAS to W HISTLEF IELD, 15th June , 1 912.—Conductor,
Mr. John R . Lee . A party, numbering nine members, left bytrain from Queen Street for G len Douglas, where by spec ial
arrangement,the train was stopped at the passing-place . From
that point the road was followed down to Gorten on Long Long,
where it j oins the main road from Arrochar to Helensburgh,which latter was then followed to W histlefield.
The weather was at first somewhat unsettled but with the ex
ception Of a smart shower lasting about ten minutes, the after
noon proved fine, and the walk was keenly enj oyed . F ine views
of the mountains of Arrochar and Ardgoil were’
obtained,and
the beauty of the roadway itself was sufficient to make the outing
an exceedingly pleasant one . Near the railway bank at the head
O f G len Douglas a remarkable hepatic drew the attention of the
botanists present. The plant was growing in several dense tufts,of a light glaucous green colour
,with thick but rather brittle
stems,and curious undulated and deeply- lobed leaves . The spec ies
proved on examination to be Lophoz ia in cisa Dum.= Junger
mann ia incisa Schrad . )The moors and banks above Loch Long are very rich in mosses
and hepatics,and some time was spent here by the members
interested in these plants . Among the principal species noted
were W eisia ver ticilla ta Brid .,Leptodon tiumflexifolium Hampe ,
W ebera annotin a Schwg .
,and Neckera pumila Hedw . A remark
ably Slender form Of the common Amblystegium filicinum,
De Not. was observed and spec imens were also gathered of
Hypnum callichroum Brid ., a species formerly thought to be
rather uncommon, but now known to be fairly frequent in this
part O f the dis trict . Near F innart House a large quantity of the
beautiful Mn ium undula tum L . was Observed growing at the
foot of the wall by the roadside, and a closer search revealed thesporogonia in fine condition, an unusual occurrence in Clydesdale.The freshwater algae were O f a varied and interesting nature.
Several members O f the Conjugatae, Spirogyras and Z ygnemas,were got
, but none showingzygospores. Tetra spora gela tinosa was
fairly abundant and Often associated with it was Drwparna ldia
glomera ta . A fine mass of B otrydina. vulgaris Bréb . was got.This is noted for area G . in the B rit. Assoc. Handbook ( 190 1)List of Fresh-water Algae
,but is really a very simple lichen with
80 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
I saw three Swans crossing Fairlie R oads, coming from the south
end of the Li ttle Cumbrae and flying in the teeth of a S trong
north -easterly breeze . They crossed Little Brigaird Point within
eighty yards of where I was concealed, and thus gave me a perfect
view of the coloration of their bills and I had no difliculty inmaking them out to be Bewick’
s Swans. They continued on
their way up the shore line towards Fairlie, evidently making for
one of the sheltered bays below that village but we failed to find
them there later on in . the day . Wild Swans are very infrequent
visitors to this part of the coast, and during the last twelve years
I only know O f one instance, namely, on lst January, 1907, when
three Swans were seen by others as well as myself, but not identi
fied (Trans. Na t. Hist. Soc G las . , Vol. VIII . ,new series
,page
1 78) and none of the local fowlers whom I have consulted on thesubj ect knows of any other occurrence . Previous to 1869 when
G rav and Anderson ’s paper On the B irds of Ayrshire and
W igtownshire was published , Bewick’
s Swan was known as an
occasional visitor, in severe weather, to lochs and ponds in these
counties (Proceedings Na t. H ist. Soc .,Glas. ,
Vol. I . ,page
Since then it has not been recorded as having actually been seen
in Ayrshire, although on 3 l st December, 1906
,Mr. T.
Thornton M ‘K eith Observed in R enfrewshire, twelve miles south
of G lasgow,thirteen birds of this species flying south-west into
Ayrshire (Ann . Scot. Na t. Hist. , 1907, page —R obert W.
S. Wilson, Cathcart .
W h ite-headed Chafiinch (Fr ingilla ccelebs) .—O n ChristmasDay
,1912
,at W illiamwood (E . R enfrew) , I saw a cock Chaflinch
with a pure white head and neck—a handsome bird—JohnPaterson .
A prolific Blackb ird (Turdus merula ) .—In 1912 I saw aBlackbird
'
s nest with young ones which were successfully reared .
The hen then laid a clutch of eggs in an old nest which was
robbed . She then went back to the first nest,and laid another
c lutch of eggs, and successfully reared the young ones. She then
laid a third clutch in the same nest,and again successfully reared
the y oung. That was four c lutches Of eggs the bird laid,and
three of these were hatched and the young ones successfullv
reared—John Craig, Beith .
( the C lasgow maturalistThe Journal of the NATURAL HISTO RY SO CIETY
O F G LASG O W
(Including the Transactions and Proceedings of the Society , T hird Series) .
Vol. V. , NO . [May, 1913.
Th e Return of Summer-Birds to the Clyde Area in 1913 .
By JOHN PATERSON .
DUR ING the spring of 1912 we were favoured with cont inuous
fine weather, and it was pointed out in the report on the return
of our summer-visitors for that year, that to that fact was
probably to be attributed the early appearances then recorded .
If there has been cause for complaint about the weather durin g
the same season in 1913,it has not been SO bad as to a ct as a
deterrent to the birds and in consequence the fir st arrivals,
on the whole, in thi s year’s li st, will be found to be rather earli er
than in 1912. The present year, indeed, to judge by the returns,had the advantage of a better start . The annual immigration O f
WHEATEARS was very widely observed in A rran, R enfrew,and
Lanark on the 29th of March, whi le among hi rundines SAND
MARTENS and SWALLOWS were well in advance of their usual time
Of appearance, being seen in many loca li ties in the first and
second weeks of April . The most striking event,however
,at
any rate that one most easily Observ ed,i s the appearance of the
W ILLOW-WREN,as it comes in vast numbers
,and makes the air
vocal with its song for a few days wherever there are trees . In
1913 the main body of thi s spec ies appeared a few days later
than in the previous vea r .
LIST O F ARR IVALS O F SUMMER-B IRDS IN THE O RDER O F
THE IR APPEARANCE IN 1913 .
LESSER BLACK-BACKRD G ULL (Larus f uscus)—three,Dalmuir
(W . Renn ie) , also E rskine Ferry (T . Malloch ) , 19th March ;Broomielaw (W . R . Baxter) , 22nd Pollok Castle (D . M ‘Donald)
F
82 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST .
23rd G reenock, many (Malloch) , 24th ; Erskine, eleven (Malloch) ,28th ; flocks on ploughed fields between O ld Kilpatrick andDalmuir (R enni e) , 28th .
WH ITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla a lba )—Gadder, one (A . R oss), 2 l st
March ; Stepps MOSS, one 5 (Ross) , 28th ; Caldercuilt on Kelvin ,one 27th G iff
'
nock, one (J . R obertson) , 30thSummerston, three (R ennie) , 6th April ; Possil, three (Rennie),14th .
WHEATEAR (Saxicola oen an the)—Kildonan , two (Dr. Fullarton),24th March ; Kilmacolm, three (T. Thornton M ‘Keith) , Monie
more, Lamlash , numerous (Fullarton) , Possil to Cadder, fourteen
(R ennie) , Mearns, one (J . R obertson) , Foxbar (C . S. Bine
R enshaw) , JO hnstone to G reenock , seven (Malloch )—all on 29th .
Mr. R enni e makes the Observation that on the ground which
yielded him fourteen on 29th he could see but two on 30th .
SAND -MART IN (Cotile ripar ia )—Kelvin, two 27th
March ; same locality, eight l st April ; Summer
ston,half-a -dozen (R ennie and W ilsons) , 6th Rouken G len
,two
(Robertson) , 6th ; Summerston, thirty 13th ; Beith
(J . Craig) , 17th ; G ryfe, five (Malloch ), 19th .
R ING—O UZ EL (Turdus torqua tus)—Mistylaw,one 3 (Malloch) ,
29th March ; Cart at C larkston, one (H. W. and R . W. S.
Wilson) , 13th April .
SWALLOW (Hir i mdo rustica )—Rouken G len, three, evidently 3
(Robertson), 6th April, and Cadder , three (Rennie), same date ;Darnley G len (T . W. W ilson) , 12th Possil
,two (R ennie), 13th ,
and Summerston ,two with forty Sand-Martins
,
same date ; Whiting Bay, numerous (Fullarton) , Endrick Water,
(W . L . Chadwick) , and Rouken, three (R obertson)—all on 19thDarvel (Hopkins ) , 20th Craigends, three (Malloch) , 22nd
Netherlee, one (W ilsons) , 23rd ; Possil Marsh , arrived
sunset 25th . Mr . R ennie writes regarding this movement as
follows z—“ About sunset my attention was attracted to what
appeared a wriggling mass high in the clouds . O n fixing the
glass on them I saw they were small birds . They gradually
began to descend,when I saw they were swallows . W hen they
had descended to a height at which they could be distinguishedindividually with the naked eye, their antics were very interesting .
PATERSO N.—THE R ETURN O F SUMMER-B IRDS . 83
F irst, they seemed to gather themselves into one bunch , then
Open out into a wi de crescent . gradually lowering themselves, and
then coming together would pass like a flash and ri se up into a
mass again . I watched them for about twenty minutes, when
I lost them in the darkness . Thev seemed to me to be all females,with the exception of a few males . SO promi nen t were they in
the sky,and their behaviour so ex traordinary
,that the men at
the R ows ’ Opposite the Marsh seemed to become thoroughly
engrossed in following them .
”
O n the 3rd of April,in the
evening,Mr . R enni e saw,
again at F oss il , aflock Of over twohundred which appeared suddenly, and after flying aroun d and
over the surface of the Marsh . went O ff in a northerly direction .
W ILLOW-WREN (Phylloscopus troch ilzts)—Lagg, several (Fullarton) , 7 th April ; E ldersli e, one (Malloch) , 15th April, but not
again noticed there till 24th Rouken G len (T. W. Wilson) , l 6thBeith
,one (3
‘
(Craig) , 1 7th W illiamwood,one
,Muirend
,one
(R obertson) 20th Kilmacolm Darvel (Hopkins) ,G arscadden (Baxter)— all on 2oth ; Possil (R ennie) , satisfied not
more than two Possil (Rennie) , several, 2lst . and Cadder, com
mon ,22nd April—the first appearance of numbers ; Cadder
Bridge and Wilderness,four 23rd ful l numbers
,
evening of 25th , at Merrylee Wood , accordin g to Mr. J . R obert
son , who foun d a nest of this species with seven eggs there on
20th May .
COMMON SANDP IPER (Totanus hypoleuczts)—Summerston , one
8th April ; Kelvin, one (Renni e) , 13th ; Muirend.
one heard on 15th at pm. while half a gale was blowing
from S.W . accompani ed by very heavy rain (Robertson) ; John
stone, two (Malloch) , 16th ; Beith (Craig) , and Kilmacolm,one
17th ; Endr ick Water (Chadwick) , 19th Darvel
(Hopkins ) , 20th G ifl'n ock, between 9pm. and pm ,heard
passing three times, 22nd (R obertson) Foxbar (Bine R enshaw) ,24th .
CHIFFCHAFF (Phylloscopus r zgfus)—Whiting Bay and Lamlash(Fullarton) 9th , 17th , and 22nd April ; Rouken G len (T . W.
Wilson) , 16th ; Beith (Craig) , one 6 , 19th ; Darvel (Hopkins) ,25th .
TREE-PIP IT (An thus trivialis)—O bserved and heard by Nicol
84 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
Hopkins at Darvel on 13th April, the day on which it was heard
at Craigends last year by Mr. Malloch Garscadden (Bax ter) ,2oth Milliken (Malloch) , 22nd W illiamwood, one (R obertson ),27th very common at all usual haunts in Cadder on 3rd May
,
and widely reported throughout Ayr, Renfrew,Lanark
,and
Dumbarton on 4th and 5th .
HOUSE-MART IN (Chelidon urbica ) —Fossil (R ennie) , two, 17thApril ; Endrick (Chadwick) , 19th G arscadden (Bax ter) , 20th ;Cra igends, two (Malloch) , 22nd Beith (Craig), one 5 , 27th
Kilmacolm 3oth ; Darvel (Hopkins) , 4th May.
YELLOW WAGTAIL (Motacilla ra ii )—Beith (Craig) , two, 20thApril ; Summerston, six 23rd Milliken
, one
(Malloch), 23rd ; Possil, about Six passed over (Rennie) , 25th ;Muirend (Robertson) , one, same date ; Kirkton Dam,
Neilston
(Wilsons and R obertson) , 26th ; Darvel (Hopkins) , 27th . At
Possil Marsh , on l st May, Mr . R ennie Observed thirty- two
( 5 and 9 and immediately after, he writes, “ a flock of
anything from forty to Six ty were to be seen flying about for a
few minutes, but they suddenly disappeared , and I was unable
to see more than half-a—dozen in the reeds.” At Kilmacolm on
3rd May, Mr. M‘K eith Observed three . Yellow Wagtails have
been pretty much “ in the picture ” during this year ’s spring
migration, and I was gratified to see a dozen on haughs on the
right bank of the C lyde between Milton Lockhart and Waygate
shaw,on the 17th O f May. I have no recollection Of seeing this
species further up the river than Crossford, which is just a mile
above the place here referred to.
CUCKOO (Cuculus canora s)—Dullatur 20th April
Lagg,seen and calling (Fullarton) , 22nd Beith, one (3
‘
(Craig) ,22nd W h istlefield, Gareloch 23rd Darvel (Hopkins ),28th ; Howwood, one (Malloch) , 30th Inchtavannach , two
(W ilsons) , 4th May .
CORNCRAKE (Urea: pra tensis)—Muirend (Robertson) , 23rd
April ; Lochfaulds, Possil (R ennie) , 25th Beith , one 3 (Craig) ,28th ; Darvel (Hopkins) , 29th ; Muirend (Wilsons), 30th ; Craigends
,one (Malloch) , l st May ; in East R enfrew, from Cathcart
to Darnley, quite up to average numbers of recent years by 4th
May (R obertson) .
PATERSO N.—THE R ETURN O F SUMMER-BIRDS .
WH INCHAT (Pra tincola ra betra )—Bardowie, one (Macdonald ) ,25th April ; Linwood, two (Malloch) , 3oth on 3rd May, at
Beith (Craig) , Possil and Gadder, two pairs and two single birds
(Rennie, G alloway, and Cumming) , and Darvel (Hopkins) on
4th May,on Mearns Moor
,three (Wilsons) , and Muirend and
Gifl'nock,several (R obertson ) .
R EDSTART (Ra ticillaphaen icurus) —Cra igends (Malloch ) , one 525th April ; Cadder (Renn ie) , 27 th G arscadden (Bax ter) ,27th Inchtavanna ch (Wilsons), a pair, 3rd Ma y ; Cochno, one
5th .
SWIFT (Cypselus apus)—.
Beith (Craig), one, 27th April ; Kilma
colm,three 3rd May ; G ifl'nock (R obertson) , l0th ;
Possil,two (R ennie) , and Rouken G len, three (R obertson) , 11th
K ih acolm,eight (Malloch) , 12th ; JO hns tone (Malloch) , none
seen till 2 l st Darvel (Hopkins) , 23rd,“ very late .
”
SEDGE-WARBLER (Acrocepha lusphragmitis)—G ryfeWater, one,
(Malloch ) , 30th April ; Possil, one (Rennie) , same date ; Possilagain (R ennie) , on lst May, five ; Beith (Craig) , one 5 ,
2nd ;
on same date not less than ten at Fossil,
“ lots O f song ”
(R enni e)again on same date at Caldercuilt-on -Kelvin
,two (M
‘Dona ld)Darvel (Hopk ins) , 3rd ; New ton Mearns (M
‘Donald) , Rouken
G len, one, and Darnley G len , one (Robertson)—all on 4th .
COMMON WH ITETHROAT (Sylvia cin erea ) - F irst Observed at
Clippens on 3oth April,by Mr . Malloch
,it was widely observed
between 3rd and 5th May, as the following will make plain
Cathcart, one (Robertson) , 3rd G iflnock, three (R obertson) ,Darvel (Hopkins) , Beith (Craig) , on 4th ; Cochno (Macdonald ) ,Inchtavannach , one (Wilsons) , on 5th , being heard before sunrise
in latter case and not being traceable in the island the previous
day. Mr. Matthew Barr, formerly of Beith , used to declare that
this species began buildin g immediately upon arrival , as he could
usually find the beginnings O f a nest as soon as he saw the bird .
In the present year Mr . J ohn R obertson found,at Merrylee
Wood,a nest with four eggs on 2oth May
,which illustrates the
haste w i th whi ch the Common W hi tethroat plunges into domesticbusiness upon its arrival .
WOOD -WREN (Phylloscopus sibila tr ix)— Inchtavannach , three 5(Wilsons) , 3rd May ; Rouken G len , one (R obertson) , 4th G are
lochhead (A . Douglas M‘Call) , 4th ; Darvel (Hopkins) , 6th .
86 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
GARDEN W ARBLER ( Sylvia hortensis)—Rouken G len,two
(Robertson) , 4th May ; Darvel (Hopkins) 12th .
SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (fif uscicapa grisola ) - O ld Mearns,one
(Wilson) , 1 1th May ; Darvel (Hopkins), 12th ; Rouken G len,
three (Robertson) , 20th .
COMMON TERN ( Stern afluoiatilis)—FO SSII one (Rennie), 11thMay .
Mr. John R obertson writes that “on 4th May, between
Muirend and Rouken G len, I noted fifteen species of summer
birds. I think I have never had as big a number on one day at
a similar date before, showing that the species were well repre
sented though they were not all in force .”
From what precedes, it will be seen that the compiler of this
report has received very cordial support from many observers,to
all of whom he gives hearty thanks .
This j ournal now contains detailed reports on the appearance
of our summer bird-visitors for the y ears 1908- 1913 inclusive,and I have prepared a Table, based on the information con
tained therein, which is appended . In addition to the dates
of earliest appearance, I have added , in another column,the
average date,in the case of all species widely distributed and
regularly observed and reported on at the vernal migration . For
the usual March arrivals the average dates are based on the six
years’ Observations,but it may be remembered tha t migration
was almost at a standstill during April, 1908, and the un
precedentedly late dates in that month that year are consequently
excluded for the Swallow and following species .
To test the accuracy O f the average dates, I have gone over a
like period anterior to 1908- 1913, for which I have data in my
possession , and have found that, speaking roughly, in the case
of half the species the average dates have come out exactly the
same ; for the third quarter of the species one day either earlier
or later and the exceptions worth drawing attention to are the
Willow-Wren, which came out two to three days earlier, Whinchat
six days later, Swift a week later. Leaving untouched those
average dates which have been completely confirmed and those
showing a negligible variation as a result of extending the
comparison to an earlier period, and splitting the diff erences
emerging-
in the cases of the Willow-W ren,Whinchat, and Swift,
88 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla ra ii) ,Tree-Pipit (An thus tr ivia lis) ,Cuckoo ( Cuculus -canora s) ,Corncrake ( Crewpra ten sis) ,Whinchat (Pra tin cola rubetra ) ,Sedge-Warbler (Acrocepha lus phragmilis) ,Swift ( Cypselus apus) ,Whitethroat ( Sylvia cinerea ) ,Spotted F lycatcher (Muscicapa gr isola ),Garden W arbler (Sylvia hor tensis) ,
TABLE O F F IRST APPEARANCES O F SUMMER-B IRDS IN THE CLYDE
AREA,1908- 1913 .
1908 1909 1910 1911 1912
Lesser B lack-backed Gull,W hite W agtail,W h eatear, 18/3 27/3 23/3Sand-Martin ,
Ring- O uz el,
Chiff chaff , 20/4 3/4
Swallow,
Common Sandpiper,W illow-W
’
ren ,
House-Martin,
Tree- l’ipit,Yellow W agtail,Cuckoo,Corncrake,
Redstart,
W h inchat,Swift,Sedge
-W arbler,
W hitethroat,G rasshopper
-W arbler,
W ood-W ren ,
Blackcap,
1 Main body end of month .
2 Main bodyfirst days of May.
3 Nowhere common
till 21st. 4 Common days later.
5 Not common till 26th .
6 Abundant, 2oth .
7 Main body, 24th/25th .
8 Average date of main body, 23rd/24th April. 9 For
four years:1 0 For four years.
1 1 l 4th May before several appeared.
‘ 2 Common ,
12th/l4th May.
1 “ Increased steadily for twelve days.
1 4 Not in force till 10th
May. An exceptiona l appearance excluded in calculating average.
18th/19th April20th
20th
2lst
27th
l st May
l st
lst
8th/9thl0th
1913 1908-13
Average
BAGNALL.—NOTES O N CLYDE MYR IAPODA. 89
1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1908-13Avera g eFive
Garden -W a rbler, years
Nightjar,Five
Spotted Flycatcher, 1 l/5{ years8
Common Tern ,
In the above table it h as not been though t of any interest to work out the
averages in th e case of species whi ch a re not common ,or whi ch are not so
dis tributed a s to be easily O bserved by those upon whose work th e figures in the
table are based.
Notes towards a Knowledg e of the Clyde Myriapoda .
By R ICHARD S. BAGNALL , F .E .S.
(Hope Department of Z oology, Un iversity Museum, O xford) .
[READ 25th March,
I HAVE never made any systematic attempt to collect the
Myriapods in the C lyde area ,but as only thirteen species are
recorded in the British Association Handbook of the Faun a of
that A rea, I th ink my few records should be published, and
perhaps others will tak e up the special study of these creatures .
Most of my material was taken dur ing a short holiday
at R othesay, including a day a t O rmidale and another a t
Brodick, and in the spring of 1912, a week-end at Ardlui added
some interesting species, notably Lithobius borea lis Mein .,and a
recently described species O f Scolopen a’rella . That much work
remains to be done in the Myriapods of thi s coun try is beyond
doubt . In litt le more than a sea son ’s collecting in the North
umberland and Durham district, I brought to light over s ix ty
species, including more than twenty additions to the Bri tish
fauna . These results were largely due to a special study of the
two Obscure groups, the Pauropoda and the Symphyla , but a t the
same t ime, notable captures amongst the larger forms were also
made, such as B ra chychceleum'
a bagna lli Verhoefl', the type of a
90 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
new family,Titanosoma jura ssicum Verh .
,in numbers ;
Cra spedosoma simile Isoba tes va r icorn is C .L .K . Poly
desma s cor ia ceus Porat,&c .
,&c . I have received much help in
the identification of the Ch ilopoda and Diplopoda proper (groups
that I cannot pretend to have studied c losely) , from Mr . Ed .
Ellingsen,of K ragerO , and Professor Verhoeff, of Munich .
Thirty - four forms are noted below . Those marked with an
asterisk are not recorded in Mr. Boyd ’s Clyde list,whilst his list
includes J ulus pusillus Leach , Cr a spea’osoma rawlinsii Leach
,
Atr a ctosoma polydesmoides Leach (perhaps the Polymicrodon
recorded below, ) and Sligma logaster sublerraneus Leach,not
recorded by me.
O rder Chilopoda .
LITHO B IIDJE .
Li thobius f orfica tus, L .—O rmidale, one young ; R othesay
,
common Lochgoilhead , A rdlui, &c .
Lithobius var iega tus, Leach —O ne 5 and one 9 Rothesay .
*Lithobius glabra tus, C .L.K . (L. melanops Newp.) —Underloose bark of fir stumps, O rmidale and Lochgoilhead .
*Lithobius cra ssipes, C .L .K .—Common
,two 5 8 one 52, one
young,R othesay ; four 5 s
,two 9S, one young, Ardlui ;
Lochgoilhead .
*Lithobius borea lis, Meinert. —O ne 9 near summit of Ben
Vorlieb .
*Hen icops1"a lvicorn is, Meinert.—O ne young, R othesay .
SCO LO PENDRIDZE .
*Cryptops horten sis, Leach — In the Botanic G ardens, G lasgow.
G E O PHILIDZE .
Geophilus longicorn is, Leach . (G .flavus De. G ) . -NO doubt
common , R othesay and A rdlui .*Geophilusprox imus, C .L.K .
—Near O rmidale, a few examples .*Geophilus carpophaga s, Leach —Several examples from
92 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
O rder Diplopoda .
G LO MER IDJE .
Glomer is margina ta , Vill .—I have noticed this species in manyClyde localities .
*Glomer is margin a ta var . perplexa .—O ne example
,O rmidale.
This distinct little form,recently recorded by myself from
Durham,is referred bv Verhoefl' to the var . perplexa of G .
ma rgin a ta ,whilst another authority refers it to G . connexa C .L .K .
It agrees very well in colour pattern with connexa,but is only
about one-third the size of examples in my collection . It is also
very much smaller than typical ma rg ina ta .
PO LYDESMIDZE .
Polydesmus complana tus, L .—Not uncommon . Though I have
only bottled a few specimens ( 2 5 S from R othesay), I have seenthe spec ies in many localities .
*Polydesmus den ticula tus, C .L .K Two 5 S and young,R othesay ; one 5 one 9 and young, Ben Vorlich .
*0 r thomorpha gra cilis, C .L .K .—In hothouses very common,
G lasgow .
a"B ra chyolesmus superus, Latz el.—Ardlui
,several examples
under holly bark two 5 S, two 9s, and young, R othesay .
CHO RDEUMIDZE .
*Polymicroclon la tz eli , Verh .— O ne example from R othesay .
J UL IDE .
J ulus sabulosus, L .—Near Ayr, R othesay, Ardlui . &c.
J ulus a lbipes, C .L .K .—Common .
J ulus pun cla tus, Leach (J . silva ram Mein . ) —Also common .
*J ulusf a llax, Meinert. —O ne 9, Rothesay .
B lanjulus guttula tus, (Bosc . )—Common , Shandon, R othesay,G lasgow
,Ayr, !Si c .
*B lanjulusj uscus, Am. Stein—Seven 9s, Ardlui.*Bla njulus pulchellus, Koch —S everal specimens from the
Botanic G ardens,G lasgow
,are almost certainly referable to
this form .
BO YD—RECORDS or M ICROFUNG I F O R THE CLYDE AREA. 93
Some Additional Records of Microfung i for the
Clyde Area .
By D . A . BOYD .
[Read 25th March,
DUR ING the summer and autumn of 1912 the amoun t Of
sunshine experienced in the W est of Scotland was considerably
below the average,and for many weeks the temperature remained
abnormally low for that period of the year . A s a result of the
unfavourable weather,the larger fungi were reported in most
locali ties to be ve ry scarce,even in pla ces where in autumn they
are usually to be found in abundance . The m inute forms,
however are in general much less readilv aff ected by varying
degrees of warmth and moisture . and it can scarcel y be said that
in the Clyde A rea any corresponding dimi nution in their
numbers was perceptible . Since 25th J une, 1912, when my last
report was submi tted,
* 56 species have been added to the li st for
that regi on . O f that number,27 are known to have already
occurred in o ther parts of Britain ; whi l e other 22 spec ies have
not been previously reported for Britain , and 7 others are
beli eved to be new to science . As a description of the various
species new to science or to Britain will appear in the forthcoming
part of the Tran sa ctions of the B r itish Mycologica l Society for
1912,further reference to them may be postponed until a later
period in the session .
The following 27 British species have been added to the list
for the Clyde Ar ea during the period mentioned, and have a llcome under my own notice . The sign i
“ is prefix ed to namesof localities where records were Obtained at ex cursions of the
An dersonian Naturali st s ’ Society ; and thanks are due to Mr .R . B . Johnstone
,Hon . Secretary Of that Society, for permission
to include these records in this report . I have also to express
my grateful thanks to Miss A . Lorrain Smith,
and
Mr. J . Ramsbottom , B .A .
,for kind aid in the identification of
many of the above-mentioned species . The sign“
1”is prefixed to
names of localities where specimens certified by them were obtained.
G la sgowNa tura list, iv. , 124.
94 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Protomyces menyan this De Bary.—Forming small
,scattered ,
slightly convex patches of a reddish colour,on living leaves of
Menyan thes tr ifolia ta A shgrove Loch, near Stevenston , and at
Blae Loch , parish of Beith (Avrshire) .
En torrhi z a Ascherson iana De Toni—Forming white gall- likegrowths attached to living roots of J un cus bufon ius ; locally
abundant on shores of TLoch Fad (Kirk Dam) , R othesay .
Mollisia epitha llin a Phil . (SE Plow—O u thallus of Peltigera
(Jan ina ; Kilwinning .
Dasyscypha hyalina (Pers . ) Mass — Common on damp fir-wood,
inner surface of loose bark , !he . Stevenston , West Kilbride , &c .
Hercospora tilice (Fr .) Tul. —O n dead bark of Ti lia ; Beith
(Ayrshire ) , and near Abington (Lanarkshire) .
Eutypa Za ta (Pers . ) Tul. —Forming a thin black crust, often
many inches in extent, on dead branches of Acer,&c . West
Kilbride,Kilbirnie
,!lac .
Leptospora spermoides Fckl. —Common on rottenstumps , where the crowded perithecia often form a broad crust ;\Vest Kilbride, Dalry, (Ste .
Didymella superflua (Eckl ) Sacc .—O n dead stems of
Campanula la tifolia ,
‘
lDalry.
Phyllosticta ulmi West—O n living leaves of Ulmus ; W estKilbride
,Dalry
, IBeith ,Lochwinnoch .
Ph . destructiva Desm.—Tn withered spots on living leaves of
Menyan thes tr ifolia ta ; West Kilbride, and near iBeith.
Ph . scrophular ice Saco .—O u fading leaves of Scrophular ia
nodosa ; near tStevenston .
Ascochyta armora cioe Fckl. —O u living leaves of Cochlearia
Armora cia ; West Kilbride .
Septor ia menyan this Desm.—O n living leaves of Menyan thes
trif olia ta ; W est Kilbride, Stevenston, iBeith (Ayrshire) , and at
IJ ohnstone Loch , G artcosh (Lanarkshire )S. cercosporoia
’es Trail . l iving leaves of Chrysan themum
maximum ; iHunterston, near West Kilbride.
S. calystegioe W est .—O n fading leaves of Calystegia sepium ;
fDalry.
96 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST .
attended by a party fairly representative of our most active
workers, i t would enable much information to be obtained
regarding a part of our di strict which has as yet been only very
imperfectly investigated .
G LEN MASSON, 14th September, 1912.—Conductor, Mr. Alex
ander Ross—The weather,which began badly
,was still
unfavourable as the steamer sailed up the Holy Loch . The hills
around were clad in a mantle of mist,which was apparently
rolling downward and making the outlook rather gloomy .
However, even under these conditions the beauty of the scenery
could not be hidden,and occasional gleams of sunshine
brought out a play of colour that only our Highland glens can
show . By the time the party arrived at the G len Masson road
all fear of a drenching had passed, and during the remainder of
the day the conditions gradually grew better, till blue sky and
bright sunshine prevailed .
Landing at Ardanadam the party proceeded along the shore of
the Holy Loch , turned in to the G len Masson road, and followed
this as far as the falls . O n the homeward j ourney the road past
the Cot House was taken , the bridge over the Echa ig crossed,
and the shores of the Holy Loch traversed to Kilmun,where the
steamer was caught for home.
The ground covered is familiar to most members of the society,and the physical features of the district are well known and
already recorded in our transactions,so that there is no need for
any description here .
The entomologists were fairly successful for the time of the
year,and among the captures were the following Tipulidae °
Dixa macula ta,Mg ,
1 5 Limnobia n ebeculosa,Mg ,
a few ;D icranomyia modesta , Mg ,
several ; D. stigma tica , Mg ,1 5 ;
Rhipidia ma cula ta , Mg , 5 and 9 Goniomyia sp.
,dark variety
,
I 5 ; Molophilus appendicula ta s, Staeg ,several ; Rhypholophus
linea tus, Mg ,several ; R .
fva’r ius
,Mg ,
in c louds ; Er i Optera
tcen ionota , Mg ,several ; E . tr ivia lis, Mg ,
several ; Limnophi la
f er ruginea , Mg , 1 9; L . n emor a lis, Mg ,several ; Trichocera
annula ta , Mg ,1 9 T . hiema lis Mg ,
several ; T.
fregela tion is,
L .
,2 5 5 Ama lopis imma cula ta
,Mg ,
3 5 5 and 2 9 Q and
Tipula conf usa , V. dc W ulp. , 5 and S2
Excus srons. 97
Hovering fl ies were scarce , only a female Pla tuchirus
discima nus,Fah .
,and a male and female Syrphus ba ltea tus
,
Deg,being taken .
Mr . King collected a fine series of Phi laenus spuma rius, L inn
showing almost endless variations . In the B r itish Associa tion
Handbook,1901
,this species i s recorded as “ abundant in many
parts of R enf rew ,
”I t can be taken abundantly almost
anywhere in the Clyde area .
An interesting capture in Psylla f usci, Linn ,was made near
the entrance to Benmore Estate . where the insect was taken
from some shrubs of box . In the Brit ish Association Handbook,
it is nored as being got from‘ various garden plants, but
certainly not box,
The ground passed over has on former occasions yielded quite
a number of Tipul idae which have rarely been cap tured elsewhere
in the’ Clyde area,but during this excursion none of these w ere
seen .
Among the plants noted were the gipsy -wort,Lycopus europceus,
L,and the great yellow loosestrife
,Lysima chia vu lga r is L .
Both of these were growing in a swampy bottom off the G len
Masson road,about half-a -mile from the shore of the Holy Loch .
Mr. J . G . R obertson reports that the district should be a good
one for mosses and other cryptogamic plants, but that time was
too limited to make a thorough search in the G len,where by far
the best ground is . The list,therefore
,is not really a represem
ta tive one . Perhaps the best species noted are O rthotr icham
diaphanum ,Schrad .
,at Sandbank on old walls
,and Hyocomiumflagella re B . d: S.
,in G len Masson .
The following is the list —Polytr ichum a loides,Hedw .
,P .
piliferum,Schreb . ,
Ditrichum homoma llum,Hampe D icra nella
varia,Schp. ,
D . squar i'
osa,Sehp .
,D icra num majus, Turn .
,
Rha com itr ium protensum,Braun , R . a cicula re
,Brid .
,R . lanugin
osum,Brid .
,Gr immia apocarpa ,
Hedw .,var . r ivula r is
,W . M .
,
G’. pulvina ta , Sm.
, O rthotr ichium Luellii,H . d: T .
, 0 . diaphanum ,
Schrad 0 . leioca rpum,B . S. Ulota cr ispa , Brid .
,U. phyliau tha ,
Brid . , En ca lypta streptoca rpa , Hedw.
,W ehera elonga ta ,
Schwgr .
,
W . nutans,Hedw. ,
B ryum a lpinum,Huds .
,a ium hornum
,L .
,
M . pun cta tum,L. , Hyocomiumflagella re, B . d: S.
,JVeclazra
complana ta ,Hiibn .
,P terogophyllum lucen s
,Brid .
,Bra chg/thecium
G
98 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
plumosum, B . S.,B . r ivula re, B . S.
,B . rutabulum
,B . (St S.
,
E uryn chium myosuroides, Sehp .,E . p
fr cetongum,B . S. , E .
Swar tz ii,Hob .
,Amblystegium filicinum,
De Not ,Hypnum
stella tum, Schreb . , H. revolvens, SW . ,H. Schreber i
,Willd . , E yio
comium squa rrosum,B . !St S.
,H . loreum
,B . At S. , H. splenden s,
B . !St S. , H. brevi'rostre,B . (St S.
,Thuidium tama r iscinum,
B . dz S. ,
T. recogn itum,Lindb .
BALMAHA,24th August
,1912.
—Conductor,Mr . J . R . Jack
,
—Tu the narrow road from the pier to the Pass ofBalmaha
,where the way had been blocked b v the trees blown
down in the great gale of November last,one of the oak -trunks
showed a fine crop of Bulgar ia polymorpha (CEd. ) Wett. The
commoner fungi, such as Russula cyanoxan tha (Schaeff . ) Fr .,
Paxillus involutus (Batsch) F r. ,&c .
,were fairly numerous
,and
one specimen was observed of I thypha llus impudica s (Linn . )F isch . It was remarked that on the oak trees the younger leaves
were badly attacked by mildew . In the Pass itself,a plentiful
crop of seasonable W ild flowers was noticed,but none of special
rarity. Few mosses were seen ; and no trace could be found of
the beautiful B ryum roseum although its former station
was thoroughly searched . A fine mass of Coryda lis olavicula ta
DC . attracted attention , its delicate flowers and foliage con
trasting gracefully with the brambles over which it ran . Having
followed the road towards R owardennan,the party reached
Cashell , where measurements of a large yew- tree were taken .
The tree, which is well situated in an open field,girthed over
12 feet at a height of 5 feet from the ground . The only
noteworthy plant observed on the way back was the G reater
Loosestrife (Lysima chia vulgar is found on the shore of
Loch Lomond .
G LEN FALLO CH, 30th September,1912.
—Conductor,Mr. John
R enwick—The village of Crianlarich is in Strath F illan, in theTay Area ; but in less than a mile the valley of the R iver Falloch
is reached, which runs into the head of Loch Lomond, and is
consequently in “ Clyde .
”The head waters of the Falloch come
from a fine glen surrounded by hills,rising in Cruach Ardran
to feet,in Ben-a
’-Chroin to and to in
An Ca isteal three-quarters of a mile north-west of the latter
100 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
largest having a girth of 1 1 feet 6 inches at 5 feet 3 inches , a
height of 88 feet, and a bole of 40 feet .At Inverarnan the stream has almost reached the level of
Loch Lomond . and instead of deepening i ts channel is now filling
it up. It has brought down material that has cut off a small
sheet of water known as the G eal or Wh ite Loch . All along the
valley from Inverarnan to Ardlui are great heaps of sand , gravel,and boulders large and small, the terminal moraines of the
glacier that once filled G lenfalloch , laid down on its gradual
retreat as the climate moderated .
A stream comes in on the west,about a mile above Ardlui .
The ascent to its upper valley is at first very steep,up the side
of the main glen among moraine mounds,till a height of about
800 feet is reached . Thereafter, for nearly two miles, the valley
a comparatively broad one,as is indicated by the name of Stra th
(Strath Dubhuisge,“ the strath of the Black water —rises in
a south-westerly direction , very gently to a little over feet .
The tributaries on the southern side,come from the northern
slopes of Ben Voirlich . The main stream comes from Ben
Damhain on the north,through Loch G arabal
,draining part of a
locality well known to geologists as the site of a varied display
of plutonic rocks . O ne of these—a granite with largefleshcoloured crystals—is easily recognisable . Boulders of it have
been found as far away as G lasgow and Bridge-of—W eir, carriedthither by the ice during the period of its great extension .
Looking from the hillside below Loch G arabal,within 31 mile of
the head of Strath Dubhuisge, one cannot definitely distinguish
where the ground begins to fall into the Inveruglas or Loch Sloyvalley
,so nearly level is it . But one knows that after th is
plateau is left,and the valley has begun to curve to the south
east round the base of Ben Voirlich ,it i s of a different character
,
being narrower and much more fully worn down . The ideas
suggested are that the Inveruglas (or Douglas ) water was at one
time part of an east -flowing drainage . wh ich continued by G len
Arklet and Loch Katrine to the Forth Va llev ; and that it was
captured by the south -flowing stream whose course is indicated
by the Falloch , Loch Lomond , the Vale of Leven , the Loch
winnoch valley, and the G arnock, to the F irth of C lyde, where
i t was j oined by other aggressive rivers from Loch Long and
EXCURS IONS . 10 1
Loch Fyn e, and c ontinued away southwards by St. G eorge’s
Channel,or perhaps westwards to the North of Ireland . The
level of the land while these changes were in progress was very
diff erent from what it is now—probably from 800 to feet
higher, and perhaps more .
CALDWELL HOUSE,12th O ctober . 1912 and CRAIGTON WOOD,
lgth O ctober,1912.
—Conductor, Mr. R . B . JO hnstone.— O f
these two fungus forays,arranged j ointly wi th the Anderson ian
Naturalists ’ Society, there is nothing spec ial to be reported ,excep t that fungi were very scarce and it is surprising to recall
the amount of labour that was entailed in ge tting together even
the short lis t of fifty- four species . Probablv the coldness of the
ground,owing to the somewhat sunless season , may have had
a large share in retarding the growth . But although better
weather conditions have prevailed during the previous four or
five years,the quantity of fungi then seen was not much larger .
This may perhaps be explained by the suggestion that themycelium
germinates in cyc les of fat and lean years and that we are at
present passing through the lat ter series . The rarest spec ies
on the list i s Grandin ia crustosa Fr .,which covered with its
small granular papillae the porous side of a small c luster of
Polystictus versicolor in the Caldwell woods . Among the other
species found at Caldwell were Tr icholoma resplenden s Fr .
,hlyoen a
rubro-ma rgin a ta Fr . ,P leurotus serotinus Schrad .
,Hypholoma
dispersam R 0 . B r .,Pan ceolus campa nula tus (Linn ) Fr .
,Russula
rubra (DC . ) Fr ., B . a luta cea (Pers . ) Fr .
,Phlebia vaga Fr .
,and
Ph . mer ismoides Fr. ; and at Craigton , Clitocybe bruma lis Fr . ,
rlfycena capilla r is Schum.,Claudopus va riabilis (Pers . ) “
7. G . Sm .
,
Inocybe mutabilis Schaeff . . Hebeloma glutin osum (Lindg. ) Fr .,&c .
DUNURE TO AYR ,24th March
,1913—Conductor
,Mr . William
R ennie—This excursion was made j ointly with the Anderson ian
Naturalists’ Society , was attended by a party of eighteen, and
took place during very favourable weather . O n arrival at
Dunure the party were met by Mr . John M ‘Crindle who a ccom
panied them for some distance along the shore and pointed out
many of the most interesting h istorical and physical features of
the district . O n one of the c liff s a pair of R avens had taken
up their abode and both parent birds were seen leaving the
102 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
nest, while they uttered their characteristic croak , and awaited
the W ithdrawal of the unwelcome intruders . O wing to the backwardness of the season
,and the comparatively early date of the
visit, only a few flowering plants were seen in b loom,and these
included the moschatel and primrose . The beautiful blossoms of
the latter, however, were very scarce even in the more sheltered
spots where they are usually abundant at this period of the year .
During the early part of the walk few shore birds were noted ,and the species seen included the O yster-catcher, Turnstone, aRed-breasted Merganser
,and a pair of Stonechats. By the time
G reenan Castle had been reached,however
,the ebbing tide had
laid bare the flats at the mouth of the R iver Doon, and bird life
appeared to be fairly plentiful . The spec ies observed consistedchiefly of Gulls
,with several O yster-catchers, a few R ing Plovers ,
and some Dunlins and R edshanks,all busily feeding on the
shore, while over a score Of Mallards were disporting themselves
in the water further out. Throughout the day thirty -seven spec ies
of birds were noted, but the number included none of our summer
migrants . Some attention was devoted by Mr . G eorge Lunam to
the fresh water Algae seen in the course of the walk . He has
reported that several filamentous Conjugatae were collected ,but none showing zygospores
,while only one small species of
E dogon ium was Obtained . In a dark moist Opening in the rocks ,a large bed of Chan transia showing monospore formation was
found . In the following record of species, those marked with an
asterisk are not included in the 1901 l ist z—Vaucher ia sessilis
(Vauch . ) DC .,in fruit ; V. gemin a ta (Vauch . ) DC . , in fruit ;
Closterium a cerosum (Schrank ) Ehrenb . , Cosmarium pa chy
dermum Lund . , Pediastrum B orya num Turp .,Scenedesmus quad
r icauda Cooke, O ocystis solita r ia W ittr.
,Tr ibonema bombycinum
forma minor (Wille) W . G . S. W .
,
*Dichothr ix orsin iana (K ii tz . )Born . et F lah .
GARELO CH,l0th May
,1913—Conductor, Mr. W . R . Bax ter .
The party left the steamer at Rahane Ferry, and Visited Aiken
shaw,where they were received by Mr . Turnbull and conduc ted
over the grounds . Thev afterwards visited the house, and were
kindly afforded an opportunity of inspecting Mr . Turnbull ’s
extensive collection of antiquities,curiosit ies, &c . Among the
many interesting obj ects shown was a c inerary urn—one of a
104 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
comiam loreum B . (St S.
, and H. squarrosum B . d: S. (fertile) . As
regards the fungi noted at the excursion, Mr. D . A . Boyd has
reported that the only Hymenomycete recorded was Polyporusbruma lis (Pers . ) Fr .
,of which several specimens were Obtained
on a fallen trunk of Ash at Mambeg Among the D iscomycetes
observed was Mitrula pha lloides (Bull ) Saco. , the beautiful yellowclubs of which occurred in hundreds on decaying vegetation in
roadside ditches near Mambeg. In the same locality some fin especimens of Vibrissea truneorum Fr .
,attached to fallen twigs ,
were Obtained in the moist woods between the road and the loch .
A considerable amount of other material was Obtained,but has
not yet been examined microscopically .
GALSTON, 20th May, l9l3 .- Conductor, Mr . John G loag .
This excursion was arranged j ointly with the Anderson ian
Naturalists’ Society, and took place during rather broken
weather. O n arrival at G alston,a visit was paid to the “ Boss
Tree,a venerable E lm
,which
,according to tradition
,once gave
shelter to Wallace when pursued by his enemies . O n the way to
Polba ith G len the small hamlet of Loudoun Kirk,with its O ld
graveyard in which stand the ruins of the original Kirk of
Loudoun ( founded was passed ; after wh ich the path lay
through grassy meadows , with successive views O f beds of boulde r
clay, an upthrow of limestone, and the site of a supposed British
fort. In the G len itself, the walk proved somewhat trying but
the rich woodland scenery , profusion of wild -flowers. and musicof feathered songsters, made ample amends for any discomfort
suffered . In the shelving rocks wh ich form the bed of the
stream near the head O f the glen are many remarkable pot-holes .
O n reaching the G lasgow R oad, the course was directed to A lton, ,
where the site of a prehistoric fort was examined, and afterwards
to Loudoun Castle and its polic ies . Attention was given to the
old and historic Yew- tree growing on the south side of the Castle .
The age of this tree has been supposed to be from 800 to
years ; but Mr . John Renwick , judging from its average growth
for a period of 22 years , has computed it to be only 460 years old .
*
Thirty-eight spec ies of birds were noted, including eleven
migrants,viz . , the Wh itethroat, Willow-Wren, Wood-Wren,
G la sgow Naturalist, v. , 24 .
EXCURS IONS . 105
Sedge-Warbler,Tree-Pipit
,Swallow
,Sand-Martin
,Sw ift
,House
Mart in, Cuckoo, and Corncrake . O wing to the want of sunshine
and prevalence of moisture, no important entomological captures
were reported . A notable fea ture during the ex cursion was the
profusion of bloom on the Marsh Marigold (Ca ltha pa lustr is
Linn . ) and Primrose (Pr imula vulga r is, Among the
other F lowering-plant s Observed,the most important were
Acon itum Napellus Linn. , Chrysosplen ium a ltern if olium L inn .,
Arum ma cula tum Linn .
,Habenar ia bif olia Br . ,
and Polygona tum
multiflorum All.
THE O RCHARD COUNTRY,24th May
,1913 —Conductor
,Mr .
W . M . Pettigrew.—Th is excursion was attended by a company
of six t een,including four members of the Ai rdrieNatural H istory
Soc iety . Having detrained at Tillietudlem . the party took the
path leading to Cra ignethan Castle,where the botani sts spent
some t ime searching for the numerous floral treasures for whi ch
the locality has long been famous . O n the ruined walls of the
Castle, the bright flowers of Cheiran thus cheir i Linn . made a
brilliant display ; while Che lidon ium majus Linn .
, O riganum
vulga re Linn .,Verbascum thapsus Linn .
,and Arum ma cula tum
Linn . , were found to be stil l growing in their old sites . An
unsuccessful s earch , however, was made for Pa r ietar ia ofi cina lis
Linn .
, formerly known to grow on these ruins . The largest of
the three Y ew-trees a t the Castle was measured by Mr R enwick
and found to girth 10 feet 62 inches a t 5 feet,with a bole of
7 feet . From the Castle, the path along the R iver Nethan was
followed to Crossford . O ur vi sit to the district was rather late
in the season to enable the blossom in the O rchards to be seen at
its best, but the apple and plum trees were still in bloom A
‘
Poplar tree a t'
Crossford was measured , wh ich girthed 7 feet
75 inches at a height of about 5 feet . A fter c ross ing the C ly de
at C rossford,the party divided . The orni thologists chose the
main road through Cosy G len,in the hope of hearing the notes
of the Black -cap (Sylvia a tr icapilla ) , and were rewarded by
listening to its song in the woods at G ills Burn . The remainder
of the party took the path through the O rchards along the righ tbank of the C lyde, where the great profusion of Sisymbr iumAllia r ia Scop . exc ited comment. Beside this path grows three
106 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
Poplars (Populus n igra ) , of which the following measurements
were made
( 1) Bole, 35 feet ; girth, 9 feet at 5 feet on side next river,being an increase of 2 inches in three years .
(2) Bole, 45 feet ; girth , 1 1 feet 2 inches at 4 feet 3 incheson side down river
,say 5 feet on side next river, being
an increase of 25 inches in three years .
(3) Bole, 45 feet ; girth , 13 feet 912» inches at 5 feet on side
nex t field , being an increase of 3 inches in three years .
Mr . R enwick remarks that “ these trees had their leaves much
more fully developed on 7th May, 1910 than they were on 24th
May, 1913 . They have all lost branches during the last three
years, and in this respect there are other Poplars along the river
side that are even in a worse state . In May, 1910 , there was a
fine Lombardy Poplar further up the road to Cosy G len , on
O rchard estate,with a height of 93 feet
,and a girth of 10 feet
6 inches at 5 feet but it was blown down in the severe storm ofNovember
,191 1—the same storm which blew down the large
O riental Plane at G arrion Tower,and damaged the large G rey
Poplars at Mauldslie Castle. Both sections of the par ty having
again met at G ills,east of W ayga teshaw House
,the main road
was followed to Carluke Railway Station .
With reference to the ornithology of the locality, Mr . John
Paterson reports that the district is a good one for sylvan birds .
Several G arden-Warblers were heard in song,and the Blackcap
only once,as before stated . No Gulls were seen during the day
,
which is rather an unusual experience in any part of “ C lyde .
”
In addition to the F lowering-plants already noticed,reference
may be made to B erberis vulga ris Linn ., Ca rdamine amara Linn .
,
Drabis hirsuta B r . ,and La thyrus ma crorrhiz us Wimm . ,
as also
observed during the course of the day .
Notes.
Death of a well-known Taxidermist. —O u 23rd January,1913
,the death occurred, at the age of sixty- four, of Henry
M ‘Culloch , the proprietor for about forty years of the business of
M ‘Culloch Son ,Sauch iehall Street, G lasgow . Mr. M ‘Culloch
108 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
as the mycelium spreads in the tissues,and starts new wounds at
some distance from the original points of infection . O wing tothe greater thickness and toughness O f their bark , older trees are
not so liable to infection as are young ones .* For information
regarding the best methods of prevention and cure, referencemay be made to the two sources c ited . It may suffice to say
that every care should be taken to avoid injury to the bark eitherof larch seedlings or of Older trees ; that the plantation wherethe young trees grow should as far as possible be kept free from
rank—growing weeds whi ch tend to keep the bark in a state of
moisture ; that during winter the trees should be sprayed with
paraffin emulsion,so as to destroy the aph ides when in their
resting state ; and that t rees badly diseased should be removed
and destroyed . It may further be Observed that Dasgscypha
oa lycin a has been known to attack not only Larch , but Scots Fir,Silver Fir
,and Japanese Larch . The fungus is a very pret ty
one. producing little orange or yellow- centered caps, which
externally are pure wh ite and minutely downy, and vary ln S iz e
from 2 to 5 mm. Besides this species, there are several others
which are scarcely to be distinguished from it by external
characteristics . These are respectively D . resin ar ia parasitic on
Spruce,Larch , and Bhotan Pine, with very minute subglobose
sporesmeasuring '003 x '002 0 025 mm . D . subtilissima parasitic
on Silver Fir and Larch , with spores measuring°008 0 10 x 0 02
mm . ; and D . abietis parasitic on bark Of Spruce, wit-h spores
measuring °0 12 0 14 x 00 3 mm . The spores of D . ca lgcin a
measure °0 18 ‘025x‘005 0 06 mm . ; and those of Mr . R oss’s
specimens which I examined averaged about '023 mm . in length .
—D . A . Boyd .
Phaeangella empetri (Phil ) Bond— Tu the summer of 1908
I gathered on fading leaves of C rowberry (Empetrum n igrum) ,on the hi lls above Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, some specimens of a
minute Discomvcete unknown to me. A fter various transmis
sions,the spec imens were finally submi tted to M . Emile Boudier,
the eminent French my cologist, who pronounced the species
apparently new to sc ience . and described it under the name of
See Leaflet No. 155 issued by the Board of Agriculture and F isheriesalso Massee
’
s Disea ses of Cultiva ted Plants and Trees pp. 280 -284.
R EV IEW . 109
Pseudophac ia’ium Smithia num .
* The fungus was afterwards
reported from many other localities throughout Scot land, ranging
from Dumf riesshi re,Lanarkshire, and Midlothian, to lVest R oss
shire . From addi tional specimens subsequently sent to him bv
Mr. Crossland,in which the fully -matured spores were seen to be
coloured blacki sh -olive and distinct ly uniseptate, M . Boudier found
it necessary to transfer the species from Pseudopha ciclium to the
genus Phoeangella of Sa cca rdofi It has now been pointed out,
however,that the original descript ion of the fungus corresponds
very closely to the diagnosis of a D iscomy cete which was found
by Professor Trail in O rkney in 1888,and was described by the
late Mr . William Phillips , under the name of “ Cenangium
empetr i n . sp.
”
1‘
As has been remarked by Miss A . Lorrain
Smith,
the specimens on which Phillips based his de
t ermination seem to have been immature . as he placed the species
in a genus wi th colourless and simple spores . An examination
of the original spec imens,however
,as preserved in Phillips
’
s
herbarium in the British Museum has revealed the existence
amongst them of examples wi th the brown septate spores
characte ristic of Phreangella ; and these facts havin g been
brought under M . Boudi er’
s notice . he has authorised the altera
tion of the name O f the species to Phreangella empetr i, § under
which local records will in future be reported —D . A . Boyd .
Review.
A Dictionary of Eng lish and Folk-Names of BritishBirds. —H . K IRKE SWANN
,W itherb y A: Co.
,London ( 10/ net ) .
This compilation must have involved much labour,and students O f
bi rd—l i fe wi ll examine its contents with avid ity . A d icti onarymay not appeal to a big public as a means of enterta inment
,
but the orn ithologi st wil l fin d few dul l p ages in thi s one . The
identificati on of sp ec i es with popula r names i s Often beset with
difli culties, which are not l ikely , in all cases,at any t ime
,to be
completely overcome,but they have been wrestled with in thi s
Transac timis of the B r itish Alycological Soc iety,iii . , p. 81 , pl. 4.
1' O p. c it, p. 324.
1 Scottish Na turalis t, April 1891 , p. 91 .
Transa ctio ns of the B r it ish Mycologica l Society,vol. iv .
, p. 74.
110 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
work with great success . Such a comp i lation is in a sense a
h istory of orn ithology. Progress could not be made without
names , and these have sp rung up in detached areas in thecountry , at a time when inter - communication was very d ithcult. The colours , forms , acti ons , songs , call- notes , or what
ever else seemed to mark out one bi rd from another,have been
used at d ifferent times and places to enable bi rds to be d istinguished from each other and to be recogn ised . In some
cases one feature has been fixed upon with surp r i sing
uniformity , wh i le in others quite a puz z l ing var iety of features
has been the basi s O f popular selecti on . Mistakes have been
made in fasten ing upon an aspect supposed to be particular to
a bi rd,which a wider acquaintance shows to be shared by
others , and it i s p art of the business of the comp i ler of such a
publication as th i s to d isentangle the confusion which has
ar isen .
A valuable feature of thi s work i s that it inc ludes the
English book-names from past authors,giving the hi story
and first usage of the accepted names of species . ” Manv book
names have achieved deserved popularity, but they have not all
been successful,as
,for example
,M ‘G illivray
’
s“ G reen -headed
Quake—tail,” for Ray’s Wagtail
,which I have heard an Ayrshire
game-keeper call the “ yellow shepherdess . ” This work is, by
the way,by no means confined to English names desp ite its
t itle,as very many W elsh , Gael ic and lowland Scotti sh names
are included . Some of the W elsh and G ael ic names are just
as attractive as one would expect f rom the imaginative peoples
using those id ioms . For example , one learns on page 2 (to go
no farther) that in Welsh the Lapwing is the horned c reature
of the rushes,” the Linnet “ the hemp-bird , the Bittern
“ the
boom bi rd,
” and the Nightj ar the sp inn ing -wheel bi rd .
In the matter of popula r names cur rent , or that have been
in use in Scotland , the author , perforce , has had to be con
tent with the mater i al he has found ready to hand in the
l iterature of the subj ect , and i s not to blame i f he has not been
able to extend the range of the use of names beyond the areas
for wh ich he has found author ity in books . O ne result of th i s
lack O f personal kn owledge i s that the Scotti sh Borders , and
1 12 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
explanation i s added that gleg sign ifies quick - eyed .
This i s cor rect as far as it goes,but i t should be borne in mind
that gleg applies to all the senses and even a blind person
may be gey gleg in the uptak,
” which being rendered in
Engli sh i s very apt in taking matters up.
”The name
wheetie-why -bi rd which was well known in Ayrshi re for
the Wh itethroat,i s
,according to the work under notice
,the
“ W heety Wheybeard” because “ its light-coloured head and
neck feathers stand out so thickly .
” Th i s i s set down as a
matter of course,but smells to us of the lamp . We always
understood the wheetie-why-bi rd to be the bi rd that in
querulous and scold ing fashion goes on saying wheetie-why .
”
Hav ing said so much about matters of Scotti sh interest , we
will conclude with a suggesti on relating to a common Engli sh
b i rd -name . W e have consulted many English d iction ar ies
besides this one and Newton ’ s Dictionary of Birds, without
having seen a meaning for the word thrush . We suggest that
thrush i s an onomatopoetic word,der ived from the cal l of
the large and noi sy Mistle-Th rush . Surely those who know
this bi rd in the field wi ll admit that it says thrush (A.S.
thrysce) , as plainly as a Pi p it says p ip it ,” or a Curlew says
curlew.
” That the larger spec ies with thi s call - note should
impose its name on its lesser relative , i s not a matter for sur
p r ise. The wr iter drew attention to this in an article entitled
WhyThrush l” published in the Even ing Times,G lasgow
,on 27th
January,1912
,and did not then know that Turner ( 1544) gives
Thrushe as the p articular name of the Mistle-Thrush , and
Turner ’ s work may be said to contain the earliest ser ies of
Eng l i sh names of Br itish bi rds
The work i s remarkably free f rom er rors , but B eccafigo
of the Italians (p . 87 ) will not pass muster for beccafico.
Che Chlasgow Maturalist
The Journal of the NATURAL HISTO RY SO CIETY
O F G LASG O W
VO L V. , No. [September, 1913.
Peter Ewing .
THE death of Mr. Peter Ewing, which took place on 3rd August,removes from our midst one of the best known figures amon g st
Scottish botani sts and one whose loss will be felt throughout
the country . Amongst his many friends and associates in our
Soc iety he was held in high esteem, not only for his extensive
kn owledge and large experience as a field botanist . but more
especially because of his readiness at all times to impart the
results of that experience to others, and of the valuable con
tributions which he made to the Society ’s work .
Born at K inr oss in 1849,of humble parentage
,and accustomed
to hard work from an early age , Mr. Ewing had few advantages
with whi ch to embark upon the career of a scientific botani st
but his passionate love for his subj ect,and his determination to
overcome obstacles—at all t imes a characteristic of the man
enabled him to rise to an eminence attained by few amateur
workers in modern science . He left school a t the age of nine,
and was at that early period accustomed to walk regularly to
Rumbling Bridge—a distance of s ix teen miles—to sell photo
graphs for his father, who carried on a stat ionery business in
Kinross . Later on, a branch business was opened in Callander,where young Peter got his first sight
,as he himself phrased it
, of
a.“ real mountain .
”
F rom that time onwards to the end of his
l ife, his passion for the hills never abated, and it is perhaps in
connection with his int imate knowledge of the Scottish A lpine
H
114 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
F lora that he will best be remembered . The whole range of theBreadalbane Mountains was familiar ground to him,
and he was
fond of referring to the remote habitats of some of the rarer
plants of that favoured locality,as places which had become as
well -known to him as his own home .
It was during his first visit to Callander that the accidental
finding of a collection of ferns,apparently dropped by some
person from a passing coach , led him to take up the study of
that attractive group, and by this means his life-long interest in
plants was begun .
In his eighteenth year he was apprenticed to the j oiner trade,
and it was while engaged in making himself proficient in his
calling by attendance at evening classes in G lasgow,that he
took up the study of botany as a relaxation . A chance meeting
with a party of naturalists in Inverkip G len, while engaged in
searching for ferns, led to the beginning of his connection with
the G lasgow F ield Naturalists’ Society, which was afterwards
incorporated with this Socie ty. At a later date he entered the fire
insurance profession. becoming a surveyor of the Phoenix F ire
A ssurance Company, of which he was afterwards appointed thelocal secretary, a position he held until a few months before his
death . During his whole business career, his not too ex tensive
leisure was devoted to the study of botany, all classes of plants
with the exception of the fungi—occupying his attention . He
possessed,in an eminent degree, the critical faculty which
enables a scientific observer to detect differences of importance,and to distinguish these from mere superficial divergences
,and
hence was able to attack with success many of the more difficult
groups—such as the willows, grasses, and sedges . His work in
these,and other branches, brought him into c lose touch with
many of the best known authorities, both in Britain and on the
Continent . The subj ect of topographical botany, too, was one in
which he took a great interest, and his knowledge of plant
distribution- especially as regards the alpine forms—was bothcomprehensive and wonderfully intimate. He was greatly
interested in the new science of oecology, his accurate knowledge of
plant habitats enabling h im to see and appreciate the difficulties
of the subj ect, as well as the importance of finding a solution of
those difficulties ,
116 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
6 . A Contribution to the Topographical Botany of the W est of
10 .
11 .
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17 .
18.
19.
20.
21 .
Scotland—Mid,pp . 309-321 .
Second and third Contributions to the Topographical Botany
of the West of Scotland—0p. cit , III ., 1889-90, pp . 159
165.
O n J uncus tenn is, W illdenow,as a Scottish Plant.—Ibid, pp .
166- 169.
Alchemilla vulgar is, Linn ., and A l lied Forms—0p. cit , IV.,
1892-94, pp. 40-43.
O n some Forms of Ranun culus F lammula,Linn—Anna ls of
Scot. Na t. Hist , 1894, p . 235.
Contribution to the Topograph ical Botany of the W est of
Scotland—Trans. Na t. Hist. Soc. of Glasgow,IV. (New
Series) 1894-95, pp. 199-214.
R emarks on “ The London Catalogue of British Plants,Ninth Edition
,1895.
—Mid,pp . 324-330 .
R eport on the State of the A lpine F lora in Breadalbane
during the last week of July, 1892—0p. cit , VI . (New
Series) , 1901-2, pp . 330 -332.
Sagina n ivalis (Lindbl. ) Fr.—Annals of Scot. Na t Hist ,
l902, p. 29.
Hepat icae of the Breadalbane R ange—0p. cit , 1903, p . 235,
and 1904,p . 181.
Remarks on a list of Hepatics of the Clyde Area —Trans.
Na t. Hist. Soc. of Glasgow,VI I . (New Series) , 1902-3
,
pp . 52-58.
An ( Ecological Problem.—Ibid, 1904-5
,pp . 225-235.
O n two new forms of Caren—Op cit , VIII . (New Series) ,1906-8, pp . 237 -238.
O n some Scottish A lpine forms of Carex .—Annals of Scot
Na t. Hist , 1910 , p . 174.
The Summit F lora of the Breadalbane R ange—The GlasgowNa turalist, IV. , 1911-12, pp . 48-62.
The F lora of the Culbin Sands—0p cit,V.
,1912-13
,
pp. 5-15.
MACFIE .-O BSERVAT IONS O N Two TAME RAVENS, (Ste . 117
O bservations on two Tame Ravens and other Birds .
By JO HNSTO NE MACF IE , M.D .
[Read 27th May,
Since my boyhood I have been specially interested in birds,and tame specimens have been my pets at di fferent times. A
pair of Bantams were my first love, but although having more
charac ter,and being, therefore, more int eresting than the ordin ary
barndoor fowl, still when compared with other birds they seem
to lack what we might call the intelligence that is quite
observable in ducks and geese . Indeed, if we exclude the dog,geese have the most character and smartness of the living
crea tures aroun d a farm. The alertness of geese has of course
been proverbial, at least since the early R oman days and it was
long ago drawn attent ion to by C . St. John ( in his W ild Sports ofthe Highlan ds) that one might drive over a dog, a cat, or an oldwoman, but he defies anyone to drive over a goose . It seems
strange and worthy of remark that man,in his unwisdom
,has
picked out the donk ey and the goose as typical examples of
stupidity and foolishn es s, while in rea lity, if well treated , these
and the dog are the most intell igent of domest ic creatures .With regard to the G oldfinch , when a boy in the Highlands
where the goldie was formerly qui te a common bird,I took a
very young nestling and placed it in a nest of young Canaries,with the remarkable result that the G oldfin ch , in all probability
being a day or so older than the rightful occupants, acted very
much as the young Cuckoo does in s imilar circumstances . Very
soon the young Canaries without exception were crowded out of
the nest and found dead or dying on the outside, the inte rloper
securing the full and devoted attention of the old birds . The
young G oldfinch rear ed in thi s way became a very handsome bird ;and
,curiously enough, turned out to be what the bird-ca tchers
call a Chuffier ,” and prize very highly .
The “ Chuffler is distinguished from an ordinary cock G oldfinchby having a pure white band passing downward just below the
lower mandible . The men say that these “ Chutfiers” are usually
good singers ; but that was not the case with the one the Canaries
118 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
reared . He never became a fin e singer,probably because he had
not an older bird to teach h im .
Perhaps of the many birds kept the two Ravens have been the
most interesting,firstly, because of their cleverness and powers of
speech ; secondly , because from the difficulty of getting a young
bird and their thieving propensities they are seldom tamed and
seen about a house . They are easily f ed, eating almost any
scraps in the way of food, and, if pinioned or one wing clipped to
keep them from wandering, are easily tamed and taught like a
parrot to say all kinds of Short phrases . They, however, are
superior to the parrot in this way, that while you can generally
tell from the tone that a parrot is Speaking, the Raven gets the
exact tone of voice of the person that has taught h im the phrase .
Thus these Ravens not only barked like a dog, but so exactly
was the bark reproduced, that you could name the dog he was
imitating. In thi s way he has deceived the gamekeeper and
others many times . The first R aven I had , died when about two
years old, and in looking back I am inc lined to think we gave
him too little flesh-meat. He was called “ Jock , and was just
as good at talking as his successor Corax . Their own names,and the names of the dogs about the house, and such phrases as“ Poor boy ! ” " Come away ! ” were in constant use. In this
connection it is of interest to note that the larynx is, as might
be expected, a very specialized organ , and has a distinct affinity
to that of the Nightingale . The gular pouch is large, and is
constantly made use of in carrying food , as well as all sorts of
odds and ends that take the fancy of the bird . As with the
other crows—the Jackdaw for instance—the Raven is attracted bybright obj ects, and will carry about and play for hours with a
glass bead or even a white or peculiarly coloured stone. If he
has several of those at one time, he will often arrange them in
rows and talk, using such phrases as Hey ! Hey ! Come away,come away.
” I have known Corax hide a blue glass bead for
months,and then bring it forth and lay it on the doorstep
,as if
to show you that he had it still .
In a recent article in The Glasgow Herald on Rocks, the
writer seemed to have some doubt as to the peculiar misshapen
appearance of a Rock’
s head at this season of the year . R eally
that appearance is caused by the bulging of the throat below the
120 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
Some Recent Additions to the British Fungus-Flora .
By D . A . BOYD .
[Read 24th June,
IN supplement of a paper read at a meeting of the Society on25th March last,* I have now to submit the following list of 29species of Microfungi which have occurred in various localities
within the C lyde Area,as after mentioned . Prior to the time of
occurrence within our bounds, none of these spec ies had been
reported from any other part of Britain . The specimens on
which the first records are based were all submitted to Miss ALorrain Smi th
,and Mr. J . R amsbottom
,B .A .
,British
Museum (Natural History) , London, who identified them,and
have recently published a description of each species in a paper
entitled “ New or Rare Microfungi.”T My warmest thanks are
due to Miss Smith and Mr. Ramsbottom for their kind aid,
whi ch has enabled me to submi t to the Society the in formation
embodied in the present communication .
NEW To SC IENCE .
O rbilia Bogoli i A .L .Sm. (it Ramsb .—O n dead twigs of
Va ccin ium Myr tillus ; near Beith, Ayrshire ; J uly, 1912. This
species has also occurred in G len Falloch , and in Birkhead G len,near Dalry .
Phyllosticta a cetosellce A .L .Sm. (it R amsh .—In spots on fading
leaves of Ramex Acetosella G lengonnar, near Abington, Lanark
shi re,at an Excursion of the Natural History Society of
G lasgow ; June, 1912.
Ascochyta ar icola A .L .Sm. Ramsh .—In fading leaves of
Arum macula tum ; near G len foot, West Kilbride, Ayrshire ;June, 1912.
A. deutz ice A .L.Sm. R amsh .—In fallen leaves of Deutz ia
gra cilis Saltcoats, Ayrshire ; November, 1910 .
A. va lerianoe A .L .Sm. dz Ramsb .—In withered spots on living
leaves of Va leriana pyrena ica near Beith July, 1912.
GlasgowNaturalist, v . , 93.
"
l Transa ctions of the B r itish 111geologicalSociety, iv. , 165-185.
BO YD .—RECENT ADD IT IONS To BR IT ISH FUNGUS-FLORA. 121
Marsson ia oegopoa’ii A .L .Sm. !S: Ramsh.
—In wi thered spots onfading leaves of E gopoa
’ium Podagra r ia Burnside,near Largs,
Ayrshi re ; July, 191 1 . A lso near Rothesay,Bute
,at an
Excursion of the Andersoni an Naturalists’ Society July,1912.
AI . Zapper A LS m. Ramsb .—In spots on the upper surface
of living leaves of Arctium minus near Carradale,Can tyre
July,1911 .
NEW T O BR ITA IN .
Doassansia Ma rtianofi'
iana Sch roet .—Cm l iving leaves of
Potamogeton ,in a shallow ditch on peaty soil Knockewart Hill,
near A rdrossan , Ayrshire August,191 1 .
Gnomon ia lugubr is Karst—O n dead leaves of Poten tilla
pa lustr is ; in marshy ground at Loch Libo, parish of Neil ston ,R enf r ewshire August , 1912.
—Thi s species was originally
described by Karsten (Mycolog ia Fenn ica,ii ,
121) as havingsimple spores
,and was
,therefore . transferred by Saccardo
(Sylloge Fungorum,i . 415) to the new genus Gnomon iella ,
founded by him for the reception of species in which the spores
are undi vided . This arrangement was afterwards accepted by
Karsten (Revisio Monographica a tque Synopsis, In myspecimens
,however
,the spores are verv distinctly uniseptat e
but Mi ss Smi th and Mr . R amsbottom regard it as evidentlv the
same as that described by Karsten which may have been
immM ure at the time of collecting .
”They have
,accordingly,
withdrawn the spec ies from Gnomon iella . and restored it to the
genus Gn omon ia , as having uni septat e spores .
Phyllosticta cegopodii Allesch .—In spot s on living leaves of
£ g0podium Podagrar ia ; in a wood on the banks of the Rowbank
Burn , in the parish of Lochwinnoch,R enfrewshire July, 1912 .
Ph. carpa thica Allesch . Syd—In spots on l ivin g leaves of
Campanula persicif olia° Saltcoats August . 191 1 .
Ph . eupa tor ii Allesch .—In spots on l iving leaves of Eupator ium
Canna binum G ourockburn G len , near West Kilbride ; August ,191 1 .
Ph . ea‘imia Bubak .
—In dark spots on fading leaves of Cr epis
pa ludosa ; parish of Neilston ; July, 1912. I also found this
species on the same host-plant in Gourockburn G len , West
Kilbride,in August.
122 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Pk. umbilici B runaud.—O n faded leaves and stalks of
Cotyledon Umbilicus near Largs July, 1910 .
Ascochyta oloron ici Allesch .—In Spots on fading leaves of
Doron icum Perceton ,Ayrshire ; June, 1912 .
Septor ia a cetosoe O udem.—In spots on fading leaves of Rumex
Acetosa ; Loch Fad (Kirk Dam) near R othesay, at an Excursionof the Andersonian Naturalists Society ; July, 1912.
S. a sperulce Baumle r.—In fading leaves of Asperula odora ta
Gourockburn G len . West Kilbride ; September, 191 1. I have
also gathered this species in Hyndog G len,near Dalry ; and at
Excursions of the Andersonian Naturalists ’ Society to CampsieG len and Lanark .
S. bromi Sacc. var. bra cligpodii Sacc.- In elongated whitish
spots on leaves of Agrostis a lba ; near Corsenkell, Stevenston,Ayrshire ; August, 191 1.
S. crepidis Vestergren .—In brown spots on fading leaves of
Crepispa ludosa ; Blae Loch , near Beith ; August, 1912.
S. poeon ioe Westend . var . berolinen sis Allesch.—In yellowish
spots on living leaves of Paeon ia ; Burnside, Largs July, 1911 .
S. guevillensis. Sacc .—In small blackish-red spots on living
leaves of Spiraea Ulmar ia ; near Wes t Kilbride ; August, 1912.
Stagonospora tr ifolii Fautrey.—In dry whitish spots on living
leaves of Trifolium repens Gourockburn G len,West Kilbride
summer,191 1 .
Gloeospor ium curva tum Q adem .—O n living leaves of R ibes
n igrum ; Hunterston, near West Kilbride July, 1912.—When
examined under the m icroscope,this species is readily
dist inguishable from G . r ibis Lib . by the longer Spores
0 05-0 07 which are bent or curved,and are blunt at the
ends . O wing, however, to the superficial resemb lance betweenthe pustules produced by the two Species, it is probable that some
of the existing records of G . r ibis Should have been referred to
G . curva tum.
G . pruinosum Baumler.—O n fading leaves of Veron ica
B eccabunga ; near Nor th Biggart, Beith May, 1912. This hasalso occurred on the same host-plant in Gourockburn G len, W est
Kilbride. A remarkable species, notable for the thick pustules,resembling small brownish-grey warts, which are produced on the
the lower surface of the leaf. These have a somewhat pruinose
appearance, owing to the spores emerging in masses.
124 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
Mr. W m. R ennie read a report on an excursion to Dunure
( see pp . 101
Mr. A lex . R oss exhibited a fly, Merodon eguestr is Fab .,
which he had captured in the Botanic G ardens,G lasgow,
in June, 1912. The fly belongs to the group of hovering
fl ies, and has not been taken before in the W est of Scotland .
Mr . R oss traced the history of this fly from the time it was first
captured in the south O f England in 1869, when it is said to have
been introduced from the Continent of Europe with some Dutch
bulbs. At various periods the larvae have caused great destruo
tion in gardens where the Narcissus and allied plants were being
cultivated .
Mr . J . J . F . X . King, exhibited a series of lantern
slides by Mr. A . H . Hamm,Hope Museum
,O x ford, showing
various Lepidoptera at rest . Mr . King also read a paper, entitled“ A R eview of the O rders of Insects,
” which was illus trated by
many diagrams of high technical and artistic merit. The
diagrams had been prepared by Mr . King himself.
The ninth meeting of the sixty-second session took place on
27th May, 1913, Mr. John R . Lee, President, in the chair.
Mr. W m . B . Hamilton , 25 Highburgh Road,Dowanhill, was
elected as an O rdinary Member.
R eports on excursions made by the Society to the Ga reloch ,G alston, and the O rchard Country O f Lanark Were communicated
by Messrs . W . R . Baxter,John G loag
,and W . M . Pettigrew
respectively (see pp . 102
M r. James Stirton, M .D . , exhibited a number O f rare European
mosses. The Scottish specimens included Leucobryum a lbidum
Brid . ,from the O rkneys and from Plockton, R oss-shire
L . pumilum Mich .,from G airloch, Ross -shire B ryum a tlan ticum
Solms . , from Plockton and Amblgstegiumjura tz kanum Sch ., from
the Botanic G ardens, G lasgow .
Mr . D . A . Boyd exhibited specimens O f Dasyscypha calgcina
(Schum. ) Fckl. , which was found infesting Larches at Loudoun
Castle (see pp . 107 Mr . Boyd also showed specimens of
root-swellings on A lders from near Callander,and gave an
account of recent investigations of such root-nodules .
Mr . Laurence W att sent for exhibition specimens of Sara
phular ia verna lis L.,from near Kilmacolm and Mr. A lex.
PROCEED INGS. 1 25
G ilchrist sent specimens of a Poly anthus with markedly foliaceous
ca lyx from a garden at Newmiln s.
Mr. T . Thornton M ‘Keith exh ibit ed a number of fine lantern
slides, chi efly of birds’ nests and eggs Including a particularly
fine series of the Capercaillie .
Mr. JO hnstone Macfie,M .D .
,read some Observat ions on two
tame ravens and other birds (see pp . 1 17
Mr. John Paterson read a paper on “ The R eturn Of Summer
birds to the Clyde Ar ea in 1913 (see pp . 81
The tenth meeting of the six ty-second session took place on
24th June, 1913, Mr . John R . Lee ,President, in the chair . Mr .
D . A. Boyd read a report on the Soc iety ’s vi sit to Douglas,Lanarkshi re (see p .
Mr Thomas Anderson showed some West Indi an frui ts and
seeds .
Mr . G eorge Lunam exhibited specimens of the very rare
British fresh water-alga Desmonema W rangeli i (Ag . ) Bor . et Flah . ,
which had been found growing on the rocks near Rowardennan,
on the occasion of the Society ’s visit to that part of Loch
Lomond.
Mr . D . A . Boyd read a paper entitled “ Some R ecent Add itions
to the British Fungus-F lora ( see pp . 120
Dr . Jas . F . G emmill gave some “ Further Laboratory
Aquarium Notes,” dealing chiefly with the metamorphoses of
ova Of Solaster papposus Fab and Asterias Mulleri Sars . and
with attempts at rearing larvae of F or an ia pulvi llus C .L.M .
Mr. Ronald J . G rant read a paper on the brachiopod Cran iaanoma la (Miill ) .Mr . James W h itton ’
s paper, entitled “Meteorological Notes and
Remarks upon the Weather during 1912,with its general effects
upon Vegetation,
” was held as read. Comparing the rainfall for
the year with that of previous years, 1912 had a “ full average,
”
amounting to 38 98 inches . The wettest month was December
with the abnormally heavy rain fal l of 7 0 3 inches . June
followed with 46 4 inches, and August, November. March , and
O ctober were nex t in order in a descending series from 388
inches in the first named to in O ctober. The driest months
were April and May,with 15 8 and 1 1 4 inches respectively.
126 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Atmospheric pressure was somewhat low and narrow in range .
The highest reading of the barometer was 304 0 inches , this
occurring on 23rd April and 4th O ctober . The lowest
reading was 286 0 inches on 26th November The
easterly group of winds prevailed on 132 days ,and the westerly group on 230 days . With regard to
temperature while there were no prolonged periods of severe frost,there were no long periods of bright sunshine, and the averages
were somewhat low each month . The highest temperature in the
shade registered during the year was which was on 14th ,
15th,and l 6th July . Consequent on the well-ripened condition
of the growth on trees and shrubs,vegetation suff ering no check
developed rapidly,and growth was fully ten days earlier than
usual by the middle O f May . The development of growth and
flower afterwards was very satisfac tory. The blossom on most
of the ordinary hardy plants was above the average, Plums ,Cherries, Pears, Apples, Laburnums, Lilacs, Hawthorns , Flowering
Currants, Rhododendrons,&c . ,
being specially fine, though
somewhat short-lived on account of the dryness of the atmosphere
during the period Of bloom.
EXCURSIO N.
DOUGLAS, 14th June, 1913—Conductor, Mr . John Cairns .This excurs ion, which was arranged j ointly with the Edinburgh
F ield Naturalists’ and Microscopical Society, was attended by a
party numbering thirty—four, and took place during very fine
weather. O n arrival at Douglas railway station,the party
proceeded to the Castle policies, access to which had been kindly
granted by the Earl of Home. There they were met by the
gardener, who conducted them through the grounds,gardens,
and plant -houses, and pointed out the various objects of interest.It was Observed that several bushes of Rhododendron hirsutum
Linn ., in the grounds, had their leaves infected with Chrysomgxa
rhododendr i (DC . ) De Bary, a rare parasitic fungus which W asnot known to occur in this country when Plowright published
his Monograph of the B r itish Uredinece and Ustilagineoe in 1889,and does not appear to have since been recorded for Britain.
128 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
recovery of the Castle from the hands of the English have been
immortalised in history . Near the site of the old stronghold is
the modern Castle of Douglas,erected in the year 1762.
After leaving the castle and passing along the edge of a small
lake,the party reached the village O f Douglas . In the church
yard they inspected the remains O i the ancient kirk of St . Bride,founded in the thirteenth cen tury. The building is now repre
sented by a small Spire and by the choir, which latter was always
til l 1761 the burial-place O f the Douglas fami ly . Af ter having
long remained in a neglected condition,it underwent extensive
restoration about thirty- five years ago . Among the changes
then made were the removal and enlargement of the vault below
the High A ltar, and the removal of the old coflin s. In the new
vault are interred the remains of the late Earl and Countess.
The former is commemorated by a window of stained glass on the
east side O f the building, and his countess by a beautiful white
marble and alabaster monument which occupies the centre of the
floor of the choir. The main interest of the building, however ,l ies in the ancient monuments, which represent recumbent
figures of knights carved in relief, and mark the last resting
places of the eminent members O f the noble house O f Douglas,to whose memory they were raised . The sculptured memorial
of the good Sir James, a portion of which has unfortunately been
broken away, represents h im as having his legs crossed . Sir
W alter Scott has remarked that this monument, in its origina l
state,must have been in no way inferior to the best of the
same period in W estminster Abbey . The storv of Sir James’s
mission to the Holy Sepulchre with the heart of Bruce ; his
death when fighting aga ins t the Saracens in Spain ; and the
bringing to Scotland of his body, along with the casket containing
the heart O f his revered monarch , is too well known to need
repetition here. The partial demoli t ion O f the monuments has
been variously ascribed to the misguided zeal of sixteenth century
reformers ; the wanton desecrat ion of the church and its con
tents by a troop of Cromwell ’s soldiers , who are said to have
used the building as a stable for their horses ; and thoughtless
mischief perpetrated by school-boys more than a century ago,when the school was situated at the churchyard
,and the choir
of the old kirk was unprotected by a door.
EXCU RS ION . 129
Additiona l reports have been submitted by Messrs . A lexander
Ross and D . A . Boyd, who visited the district by an early train .
Mr . Ro ss sta tes that the following thi rty -seven species of birds
( includi ng seven summer migrants) were Observed durin g the
Course of the day , viz . , Mi stle Thrush, Song-Thrush , Blackbird ,Redbreast, Willow-Wren, Wood -Wren
,Hedge-Sparrow,
G reat
Tit,Blue Tit
,Wren . Pied Wagtail, G rey Wagta il , Tree-Pipit,
Mead ow-Pipit,Spot ted Flycatcher, Swallow
,House-Martin ,
G reenfinch , House-Sparrow, Cha ffinch , Starling, Jackdaw, R ook,Skylark
, Sparrow -Hawk,Common Heron
,Malla rd
,Tufted Duck ,
Pheasant, Moorhen, Lapwing, Common Snipe, Common Sand
piper, Redshank , Curlew, Black-headed Gull. Herring-Gull,and
Li ttle G rebe . The Heronry on an island in one of the smal l
sheets of water on the esta te was visited . According to the
gardener,the nests are fewer this season than usual but at least
half-a-dozen were not iced . The Mallard and Tufted Duck were
seen
'
on‘
one O f the lochs followed by youn g broods. In a patch
of planted heather in the garden in front of the Castle,"
a
pheasant ’s nest with eggs was pointed out . Notable omi ssions
from the list are the G oldcrest ,* Whitethroat
,and Yellow
Bunting, which , however, must certa inly occur about the estate .
As regards insect l ife, Mr . _
Ro ss remarks that the di strict
worked over during the excursion should prove entomologica lly
interest ing when thoroughly investigated . The followin g is a
1st of the D iptera taken, so far as identified z—Dilophusfemor a tus Mg ,
I/ imnobia nebeculosa Mg , L . jflwipes F .,L.
trigouncta ta F . ,Dicr anomyia modesta Mg ,
D . mor io F ., Bhipidia
maculam Mg ,Empeda nubila Schum.
,Gon iomg ia tenella Mg ,
Molophilus pr opinguus Egg ,M . bifila tus Verr. , B hgpholophus
nodulosus Mcq . , E rioptera tr ivialis Mg ,Limnophila lineolella
Vern ,L . nemora lis Mg , Ula pi losa Schum.
,Ama lopis immacula ta
Mg ,Tipula hortulana Mg ,
T. la teralis Mg T . mon tium Egg ,
B er is chalybea ta Forst .,Leptis scolopa cea Linn .
, Rhamphomyia
s ulca ta Empis stercor ea Linn . , E . tr igramma Mg , E .
bilinea ta Lw . , E . borea lis Hila ra maura F . , P ipunculus
3p ? Pla tychirus man ica tus Mg ,P. peltatus Mg , P . albimanus
F .,I’J scambus Staeg ,
P . clypea tus Mg , Mela nostoma mellinum
Linn .,
111 . sca la rs F Bor borus n iger Mg , B . gen icula tus Meq .
130 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
As regards the botany of the district, Mr. Boyd reports that
no F lowering-plants of any importance were observed . The
G ermander Speedwell (Veron ica chamcedrgs however,was
remarkable for the uncommonly large size and brilliant colour of
its blossoms, which were produced in great abundance . Among
the Mosses collected were O r thotrichum rupestre Schl,0 .
anomalum Hedw . var. saxa tile Milde,0 . Lyellii H. (St T.
, 0 . afi ne
Schrad ., Bryum in clina tum Bland , Nechera pumila Hedw. , and
Eurhyn chium mura le Milde, specimens of all which have been
identified by Mr. J ohn R . Lee. Besides Chrysomgxa rhodo
dendri , already referred to,the most interest ing Microfungi
Obtained were Peronospora rumicis Corda,on Rumex Acetosa
Puccin ia a egopodii (Schum. ) Mart ,on E gopodium Podagraria ,
Synchytr ium taraxaci De Bary Jr W or. , Protomyces pachydermus
Thiim. ,and Ramular ia taraacaci Karst. , all on Taraocacum
ofiicin a le ; Exoascus prun i Fckl. , on young fruit of Prunus
Padus ; and Ramularia heraclei Sacc . ,
“
on Heracleum
Sphondylium.
Notes.
The Turtle-Dove (Tur tur communis) in Renfrewsh ire.O n three occasions between the 5th and 18th June, 1913, I saw
a Turtle -Dove at W illiamwood, but I did not Obtain any evidence
Of its nesting, although the time of the year and the length of
its stay would suggest such a possibility . This species has once
before been recorded for the county,a bird having been shot at
Foxbar in June, 1911 (Glasgow Na tura list,Vol. II I , page 97R . W . S. W ilson
,Cathcart.
W ood-Sandpiper (Totanus glareola ) in East RenfrewO u 7th September, 1913, I saw a W ood-Sandpiper at BalgrayDam,
and on 14th September I saw it again atW aulkmill G len Dam.
O n 3lst August, Mr. Hugh W ilson had seen what was probably
the same bird at Balgray. It was a bird Of the year, and, in the
fine light in which I Observed it on 7th September, it appeared
quite light on the upper parts, owing to the size and number Of
Abies Douglasi , 127excelsa , 127
Acacia pycnantha, 38Accentor modularis, 64Accipiter nisus, 65ACCOUNTS , ABSTRACT O F, 48
Acer, 94Pseudo-platanus, 123, 127
Aconitum Napellus, 105
Acredula caudata , 64Acrocephalus phragmitis, 64, 85, 88Aegopodium Podagraria, 121, 130Agabus arc ticus, 17 , 18Agropyrum, 13
junceum, 12
Agrostis alba, 14, 122tenuis, 14
Aira praecox, 14Alauda arvensis , 65AlcedO iSpida , 65
Alchemilla vulgaris, 1 16var . acutidens, 41
ALDER, 77 , 99
ALGE,FRESHWATER , 102
Alicularia compressa, 16ALIEN PLANTS, 73ALLAN
, CHAS . A . , 69
Allopauropus gracilis, 191Alternaria brassiere, 95Amalopis immaculata, 96, 129Amblystegium filicinum, 78, 98
juratz kanum, 124
serpens, 68Ammophila, 31arenaria , 12
Anacsena globulus, 17Anas boscas, 65ANDERSON, THOMAS , 38ANEMONE
,WOOD , 74
Anthuspratensis, 65
trivialis, 65, 83, 88Antitrich ia curtipendula, 68
Antocha O paliz ans, 75
Apera Spica -venti, 39APPLES, 126AQUARIUM NOTES , FUR THER LABORATO RY ,
125
Arabis hirsuta , 75Arctium minus, 121
Ardea cinerea, 65Arenaria peploides, 13, 14ARRAN, DYT ISCUS LAPPO NICUS IN, 15-19
Arum maculatum,103, 105, 120 , 123
Ascochyta aricola , 120
armoracise, 94deutzias, 120doronici, 122valerianas, 120
ASH , 77 , 99, 120Asio accipitrinus, 65
otus, 65Asperula O dorata , 122Asplenium Trichomane s, 77Asterias Mulleri , 125Atractosoma polydesmoides, 90Atriplex Babingtonii, 15
hastata , 15AZ ALEA , 76
BACNALL , RICHD. S. , 89, 123
BANE , LEOPARD’S , 73Barbula convoluta , 67 , 103
cylindraca , 67recurvifolia, 67revoluta , 67rigidula , 67vinealis , 68
viridula, 67BARR, MATTHEW , 38
BAxTE R , W . R . , 38, 81 , 83, 84, 85, 102,123, 124
Buz z an ia tricrenata va r . triangularis, 69BEAM ,WHI TE, 127BEECH , 72, 95
Bellis perennis , 14Berberis vulgaris, 106Beris chalybeata ,
129
Betula alba, 123tomentosa, 12, 14
Bibio marci , 75B IRCH, 77 , 99B IRDS or BEITH, 38
O F PO SSIL MARSH, 41, 49-65
Bispora monilioides, 95BITTERN
, 58, 65, 1 10 , 1 11
BLACHB IRD , 51 , 64, 75, 80, 129
BLAEBERRY, 74
Blanjulus fusons , 92g uttulatus, 92
pulchellus, 92Borborus geniculatus, 129niger, 129
BOTANICAL EXCHANGE CLUB , NOTESFROM , 41 , 42
Bota '
urus stellaris, 65
Botrydina vulgaris , 78BOYD , D. A .
, 38, 40 , 73, 79. 93, 104 , 108,109, 120 , 123, 124, 125, 129, 130
Brachychaeteuma bagna lli , 89
B rachydesmus superus , 92Brachythec ium albicans , 68
plumosum, 98
purum, 67rivulare , 67 , 98
rutabulum , 98
BRAMBLING , 55, 65BROW N
,Dr. ROBT .
,69
Bryum atlanticum, 124
atropurpureum, 68
bimum, 67
inclina tum 130
erythroca rpum, 42
roseum, 98
Buddleia globosa , 7 1Bulgaria polymorpha , 98BULLH NCH , 56 , 65
BUNTING, CORN , 56 , 65
REE D , 56 , 65SNOW, 56 , 65
YELLOW, 56, 65, 129
CAIRNS,JOHN , 126
Cakile maritima, 14Calluna vulgaris, 11 , 14
va r . Erikae ,41
Caltha palustris, 105Calystegia sepium, 94
CAMERON, PETER , 3-5,Campanula latif olia , 94
persicif olia, 121Campylopus brevipilus, 68
pyriformis, 68CANARIES , 117CANKER , LARCH , 107Cardamine amara, 106Carduelis elegans , 65
Spinus , 65Carex arenaria, 12 , 14flava x Hornschuchiana , 39
G oodenowi i , 14
G rahami x saxa tilis z C Ewingii, 41
helvola , 42
Hornschuch iana, 39
lepidocarpa , 39
Carex inflata ,14
leporina, 14remota , 39
spiralis, 115Cas tanea sa t iva , 123
Cenang ium, 109
Ce rasti um alpinum x vulgatumSmyei . 41
arvense, 39,va r . Andrewsn , 39
semidecandrum, 12, 13
tetrandrum,13
triviale , 79vulgatum ,
13
Centaurea nigra , 56 , 79Ceratodon
,13
Certhia familiaris, 65Cetorhinus maximus , 66 -7 , 68
CHADWICK ,W . L. , 82 , 84
CHAE FINCH 55, 65 129
W H ITE -HEADED,80
Chantransia,102
Charadrius pluvialis 65
Cheiranthus cheir i, 105Chelidon urbica, 65, 84, 87Chelidonium majus , 105Chenopodium rubrum ,
15
Chermes lar iCIS 107CHERRIES , 126CHI PPCHAPP, 52, 64, 83, 88
Chilopoda , 90 , 91Choisya tern a ta , 7 1
Chormudidse , 92Chroococ cus turg idus, 79Chrysan themum Leucanthemum, 79
maximum , 94
Chrysomyxa rhododendri , 126 , 130
Chrysosplenium alternif olium, 72 . l
C ICELY , SW EET , 74Cinclus aqua t icus , 64Cirsium arvense, 14
lanceolatum, 14
palus tre, va r . ferox, 41Cladophora (glomerata 79
Cladosporium epiphyllum, 79
Clangula glauc ion , 65
Claudopus variab ilis , 10 1Claytonia ,
alsinoides , 103Clematis Vita lba, 99Clitocybe brumali s, 10 1Closterium acerosum, 102
Cni cus heterophyllus , 79
Cochlearia Armorac ia, 94, 95Columba palumbus, 65Colymbus septentrionalis, 60 , uCOMFREY , PURPLE , 75
COOT , 6 1 , 63, 65
CORMORANT, 58, 65, 103
Corvus corone, 65frugilegus, 65
monedula , 65Corydalis claviculata , 90Coryneum Kunz ei va r . castanesa
,123
Cosmarium pachydermum, 102
Cotile riparia , 65, 82, 87Cotoneaster, 7 1Cotyledon Umbilicus, 122CRAIG , JOHN, 38, 80CRAK E, CORN 60 , 65, 84, 88, 105
SPOTTED , 60 , 65Crania anomala, 125Craspedosma rawlinsii, 90
Simile, 90Crepis capillaris, 14
mollis, 14
paludosa, 14, 121 , 122CRESS , HAIRY ROCK , 75
Crex pratensis, 65, 84, 88CROWBERRY , 108CROW, CARRION , 56 , 65C ryptops hortensis, 90CUCKOO, 57 , 65, 84, 88, 103 , 105, 1 1Cuculus canoras, 65, 84, 88GULB IN SANDS , FLORA O F , 5-15
CURLEW , 63 , 65, 112, 129
CURRANTS , 126Cygnus bewicki , 65, 79
olor, 65Cypselus apus, 65, 85, 88Cytisus scoparius, 14
Dasyscypha abietis, 108
calyc ina , 107 , 108, 124
hyalina , 94resinaria , 108subtilissima , 108
Deronectes griseo-striatus, 17
Desmonema W rangelii, 125
Deutz ia gracxlis, 120Dichothrix orsiniana , 103
Dicranella varia ,Dicranomyia chorea, 75
dumetorum, 75modesta , 96 , 129morio, 129stigmatica, 96
Dicranoweisia cirrata, 67Dicranum majus, 97Didymella superflua , 94Dilophus femoratus, 129
Dinemasporium graminum, 95
Diplopoda, 92DIPPER, 53 , 64Ditrichum homomallum, 97DIVER, RED-THROATED , 64, 65
Dixa maculata, 96
Doassansia Martianofli ana , 121Doronicum, 122
Pardalianches , 75DOTTEREL, 61 , 65DOVE , R ING 60, 65
TURTLE IN E . RENPREw, 130Drabis hirsuta , 106Draparnaldia glomerata, 78Drosera rotundifolia
, 14
DUCK , SHELD 59, 65
TUFTED , 59, 65, 77 , 129DUNLINS , 64, 102Dytiscus lappon icus IN ARRAN , 15 -19,
EARTHW O RT, 74ELM , 7 1 , 72
ELMHIRST , RICHARD , 66 , 69. 70Eleocharis palustris, 14Elymus, 13
arenarius , 12Emberiz a c itrinella , 65
europoea , 65
miliaria, 65Empeda nubila, 129Empetrum n igrum, 108
Empis bilineata , 129
borealis , 129stercorea , 129
trigramma, 129Encalypta streptocarpa , 97Entorrh iz a Aschersoniana, 94Eolis Landsburgii, 2Epicoccum equiseti, 95Epilobium obscurum, 14
palustre, 14Epipactis latlfolia , 75Equisetum, 95
hyemale , 79limosum, 95
Erica cinerea , 11Eriophorum angustifolium, 14
Erioptera tmn ionota , 96trivialis, 75, 96 , 129
Erithacus rubecula , 64Erophila vulgaris, var . glabrescens, 39Escallonia macrantha , 70Eudromia s morinellus, 65Eupatorium Cannabinum
,121
Eurhynchium confertum, 67crassinervium, 68
murale,130
myosuroides, 98
praelongum, 98
rusciforme , va r . atlanticum, 42
striatum, 67Swartz ii , 68, 98
Gyrinus natator, 17 Ithyphallus impudicus, 98Ivv, 71
Habenaria bifolia, 39, 105HAMILTON
,W. B .
, 124
Hanseniella caldaria . 91
HAW K , SPARROW , 57 , 1 11 , 129HAWTHORN, 75HAZ EL , 77Hebeloma glutinosum, 101
HENDERSON, M ISS C . , 39
DR . THOS. B . , 39
ROBERT , 63Henicops fulvicornis , 90Heracleum Sphondylium, 130
HEPAT ICS , 69HerO O Spora tiliae, 94
HERRIOT , G E O . , 70HERON, 58, 65, 129
Heterocladium heteropterum, 67Hieracium orithales, 41
Hilara maura, 129HILL , A . , 69
Himantopus candidus, 65Hirundo rustica , 65, 72, 82, 87Holcus lanatus, 14
mollis, 14HOLLY , 77HOOKER, SIR JOSEPH D. , 38
HOPKINS , NICOL, 43 , 68, 82 -86
HYACINTH ,W ILD , 74, 75, 77
Hydrochelidon nigra , 65Hydrocotyle vulgaris, 14Hydroporus melanarius, 17
morio, 17pubescens , 17
Hylocomium brevirostre, 98loreum, 98, 103 -4flagellare , 97splendens, 98squarrosum, 98, 104
Hypholoma dispersum, 101
Hypnum brevirostre, 68callichroum, 68, 78
cupressiforme var . ericetorumvar . tectorum, 42
giganteum, 68
intermedium, 68
sarmentosum , 68
stellatum, 98
va r . protensum, 68
Schreberi, 98revolvens, 68, 98
Impatiens NO li-tangere, 39Inocybe mutabilis, 101Isobatea varicornis , 90
JACK , JAS. , 48
J. R . , 68, 98 .
J ACKDAw , 56 , 65, 118, 129
JENNY, CREEPING 73Julus albipes, 92
fallax, 92puncta tus, 92
pusillus, 92sabulosus
,92
Silvarum, 92
Juncus articulatus, 14balticus, 14bufonius, 14, 94bulbosus , 14conglomeratus, -14efl'usus , 14squarrosus , 14tennis, 116
Jungermannia incisa, 78
KESTREL , 57, 65K IDSTO N, ADRIAN , 38KINGF ISHER , 57 , 65KING , J . J . F. X . , 38, 70 , 97 ,
PROF . L. A . L. , 39
SIR JAS. , BART . , 38
KIRK , CHAS. , 40 , 41 , 45, 70KNAPWEED
, 56
KNOT,1 11
LABURNUM,126
Lamium album, 95
LANDSB O ROUGH , REV. DD . INMEM O RIAM ,
1 -3, 40
LAPWING , 62, 65, 110 , 129, 131
LARCH, 103, 107 , 108, 124APH IS , 107JAPANESE , 108 .
Larus argentatus, 65canus, 65
fuscus, 65, 81 , 87 -88
marinus , 65ridibundus, 65, 70
Lathyrus'
macrorrhiz us, 10 6
Laurus nobilis, 7 1
LEE, JOHN R . , 16 , 38, 40, 68, 70 , 76 , 78,
LEEK , HOUSE , 75Leontodon h ispidus, 14Lepidium Smithii, 79Lepidoz ia setacea var . sertularioides, 69
Leptis scolopacea , 129
Leptodontiumflexifolium, 78Leptospora Spermoides, 94Leucobryum albidum, 124
pumilum, 124
Libertella uhni suberosae, 123Ligurinus chloris, 65Lilacs, 126Limnobiaflav ipes, 129
nebeculosa , 96 , 129tripun ctata , 129
Limnophila ferruginea , 96lineolella , 129
nemoralis, 96 , 129Limosa lapponica, 70LINNET , 55, 65, 110Linota cannab ina, 65
fia virostris, 65
linaria, 65ruf escens, 65
Listera ‘ovata , 75Lithobiidae, 90Lithobius borealis, 89, 90
crassipes, 90forficatus, 90
glabratus, 90variegatus , 90
Littorella uniflora , 14LOOSESTRIFE, GREATER, 98Lophoz ia incisa, 78
longifolia, 69Lotus corniculatus, 14LUNAM , G EORGE , 102, 125Lutra vulgaris, 7 1Lychnis dioica, 95
Flos-cuculi, 95Lycopus europaeus, 97Lysimachia vulgaris, 97, 98
Macrosporium ignobile, 123MAGPIE , 56 , 65MAIN, JOHN, 40MALLARD , 59, 65, 102, 129Mareca penelope, 65MARIGOLD , MARSH , 74, 105Marsson ia aegopodi i , 121
betulae, 123
delastrei , 95
lappae , 121
Marsupella Sulliv antn , 69
MARTIN , HOUSE , 54, 65, 84, 87 ,105, 129
SAND , 54, 65, 81, 82MASTERWORT, 73Matricaria maritima , 15
Mecistocephalus carniolensis, 91
MEETING , ANNUAL , 38-39 O AK , 77 , 98, 99, 127Megalestris catar
'
rhactes, 45 TURKEY , 127
elampsora cerastu, 79Melanostoma mellinum
, 75, 129scalare, 129
Menyanthes trifoliata,MERGANSER, RED -BR EASTED , 77 , 10‘Mergus serrator, 77MERL IN , 58-65
Merodon equestris, 124
METEOROLOG ICAL NOTES FO R 1912 , 1Mitrula phalloides, 104Mnium hornum
, 97
pun ctatum, 97subglobosum, 67undulatum. 78
Mollisia epith allina , 94
Moloph Ilus appendiculatus, 96 , 129bifilatus
, 75, 129
propinquus , 129MoNEY W O RT
, YELLOW , 73MONT CENIS AND ITS ALPINE FLORAMOORHEN, 6 1 , 65, 129MOSSES FROM VICE -CO UNTY 101 , 67Motacilla alba, 65, 82 , 87 , 88
lugubris, 65
melanO pe, 65
ran, 65, 75, 84, 88
MOTHERWELL , A. B 70MUR E , COLONEL , 39
A . M . , 39
Muscicapa grisola . 86 , 88
Mycena capillaris, 101rubro-marginata 101
Myosotis caespitosa, 14MYRIAPODA , NOTES O N CLYDE , 89-9M ‘ANDREW
,JAMES , 67 , 68
M ‘CR INDLE ,JOHN
,43 , 101
M ‘CULLO CH , HENRY, 106-7MACDONALD , D. , 63 , 81-85
MACF IE , JO HNSTO NE , M .D. , 117 , 12;MACKE ITH , T . THORNTON , 39, 70 , 8'
84, 85, 123, 125
MACVICAR, S. M . , 69
Neckera complanata, 67 , 97crispa, 67pumila, 78, 130
Neottia Nidus-avis, 75
Nettion crecca , 65
NIGHT INGALE , 118NIGHTJ AR, 1 10Nostoc macrosporum, 79
microscopicum, 79
Numenius arquata, 65
( Edogonium, 102
O ocystis solitaria , 102O rbilia Boydii , 120O RCHIS , BIRD ’
s -NEST, 75
O rchis latifolia, 14maculata , 14
var . ericetorum, 39
O riganum vulgare, 105O RPINE , 73 , 74O rthomorpha gracilis, 92O rthotrichum affine, 130
anomalum va r . saxatile, 130diaphanum, 97leiocarpum, 67 , 97Lyelli, 68. 97 , 130rivulare , 73rupestre , 130stramineum , 67tenellum, 67 , 103
O TTER, 7 1O UZ EL, RING 82 , 88
O vularia decipiens, 95O W L , BARN, 57 , 65, 1 19
LONG -EARED, 57 , 65, 119SHORT-EARED, 57 , 65TAWNY, 57 , 65, 118-119
O YSTER CATCHER , 102
Paeonia , 122Panaeolus campanulatus, 101Parietaria officmalis, 105
PARTRIDGE, 60 , 65Parus ater, 64
atricapillus Kleinschmidti, 64cmruleus, 64
major , 64Passer domesticus, 65PATERSON,
JOHN, 38, 50, 53 , 56, 58, 59,
70 , 80 , 81, 106 , 125
Pauropoda , 91
Pauropodidae, 91
Paxillus involutus, 98PEARS , 126Pediastrum Boryanum,
102
Peltigera can ina , 94
Peplis Portula, 14Perdix cinerea, 65Peronospora rumic is 130
PETREL , STORM 43 , 44
PETTIG REw,WM . M. , 69, 75, 105, 124
Pheeangella , 109
empetri , 108. 109
Phalacrocorax carbo, 65, 103Phasianus, colch icus, 65PHEASANT , 60 , 65, 129Philadelphus, 7 1Philaenus spumarius, 97
Ph ilonotis rigida, 42Phlebia merismoides, 10 1vaga, 101
Phylloscopus rufus, 64, 83sibilatrix, 64, 75, 85trochilus , 64, 73, 83, 87
Phyllostic ta acetosellae, 120aegopodii, 121
carpathica , 121destructiva , 94eupatorii , 121
eximia , 121
scrophulariw, 94
ulmi, 94
umbilici, 122Pica rustica, 65PINE , BR OTAN, 108PIPIT , 1 12
MEADOW , 54, 65, 129
TREE, 54, 65, 83, 88, 103, 105, 129Pipunculus, 129
Plagiochila punctata var . minuta , 69Plagiothecium denticulatum, 68
PLANE , O RIENTAL, 106Plantago alpina , 42
Coronopus, 14maritima va r . pygmaea , 39
Plasmod iophora brassxcae , 40
Platychirus albimanus, 75, 129clypeatus, 129
di sc imanus, 75, 97man icatus , 129
peltatus, 129scambus, 129
Plectrophenax nivalis, 65Pleurotus serotinus, 101PLOVER, G OLDEN, 61 , 65, 111
G REY, 111R INGED , 102
PLUMS , 126Pneumaria marit ima, 15Poa annua , 14POCHARD , 59, 65Podicipes auritus, 65
cristatus, 65fluviatilis, 65Polyanthus , 125Polydesmidae, 92Polydesmus complanatus, 92
coriaceus, 90denticulatus, 92
Polygala vulgaris, 13serpyllacea va r . vincoides, 42
Polygonatum multiflorum, 105
Polygonum alpinum, 41
Polymicrodon latz eli, 92Polyporus brumalis, 104
Polystictus versicolor, 40 , 101
Salix caprea, 99repens, 14
Salsola Kali, 15Sambucus nigra. 12
SANDPIPER, COMMON, 62, 65, 73, 83,88, 103 , 129, 131
GREEN , 130WO OD , IN EAST RENFREW, 130 - 1
Saxicola oenan the, 64, 82, 87leucorrhoa , 43 , 64, 69
Saxifraga G eum , 77
granulata , 75SAX IFRAGE , WHITE MEADOW , 75
Scapania O bliqua , 69subalpina va r . undulifolia , 69
Scenedesmus quadricauda ,102
Schendyla nemorensis, 91Scilla nutans , 77Scirpus caespitosus, 14
filiformis, 14rufus, 15setaceus , 14
Sciurus cinereus, 42Scolecotrichum sticticum, 95
Scolioplanes maritima , 91
Scolopendrella , 89Scolopendrellidae, 91SCO IO pendrellopsis subnuda , 91
Scolopendridae, 90Scrophularia nodosa , 94vernalis , 124
Scutellaria galericulata , 39
Scutigerella biscutata , 91immaculata, 91
Sedum acre , 12, 14Sempervivum tectorum, 75
Sene’
c io Jacobaea, 12, 14, 79sarracenicus, 72 , 75v iscosus, 99
Septomyxa negundin is , 123
Septoria calystegiae, 94
cercosporoides, 94
chrysanthemella, 38, 79
menyanth is , 94acetosae, 122
asperulae, 122
bomi i ha r brachypodii , 12'
crepidls , 122
pseoniae va r . berolinenSIS 122
quev illensis , 122
torment lllee , 79
SHANKS, ARCHD ., 72
SHARK , BASKING , 66 -68
SHEARWATER , MANx,43 , 44
SHOVELER , 59, 65
Silene maritima ,14
Sisymbrium alliaria, 105Sisyrinchium anceps, 39
SISKIN , 55, 65
Skimmia japonica, 7 1SKUA , GREAT , 45SKYLARK , 57 , 64, 129SMEW , 64
SNIPE , COMMON , 62. 65 ,129
GREAT , 64
JACK , 62, 65
Solaster papposus, 125
SOLOMON’S SEAL , 73 , 74SOMMERVILLE , J OSEPH ,
48
SO RREI.,WOOD 74Sparoan ium, 42
SPARROW , HEDG E , 53 , 64, 129HOUSE , 55 , 65, 129
Spatula clypeata, 65SPEEDWELL , GERMANDER, 130Sphagnum acutifolium va r . rubellun
G irgensohni i , va r . xerophyllum,
rigidum va r . compactum, 68
va r . squarrosum, 68
subsecundum va r . contortum 62
Spiraea ulmaria,122
Splachnum ampullaceum, 68
SPLEENWORT , BLACK , 77SPRUCE , 108SQU IRREL , GREY , 40 , 42-3
Staganospora trifolii , 122
STARLING , 56, 65, 119, 129BLACK
, 111
GREY , 111Statice maritima, 15
linearifolia , 42Sterna cantia ca , 123fluviatilis, 65, 86Stigmatogaster subterraneus, 90
Stigonema turfaceum, 79
STILT , BLACK -WINGED , 62, 65STONECHAT , 52 , 64, 102Strix fiammea
, 65
Strongylocoris leucocephalus, 123
STUART , COLONEL HARINGTON , 39
Sturnus vulgaris, 65SUMMER -B IRDS’ , RETURN T O
“ CLYIN 1913, 81 -89, 125
SWALLOW , 54, 65, 73 , 81 , 82-3, 87 ,103, 105, 129
BROWN , 111
SWAN , BE W ICK’S , 58, 65, 79, 80
MUTE , 58, 65SWIFT , 57 , 65, 85, 88, 103SYCAMORE , 127Sylvia atricapilla , 75
cinerea , 64, 85, 88hortensis, 75, 86
Symphyla, 91Symphylella delicatula , 91vulgaris, 91
Turdus iliacus, 64merula
, 64musicus, 64
pilaris, 64torquatus , 82viscivorus, 64
TURNSTONE, 102
Turtur communis, 130TWITE, 56, 65
Ula pilosa, 129Ulex europaeus, 14Ulmus
, 94, 123campestris, 7 1glabra , 72major, 71montana, 7 1
Ulota crispa, 97phyllantha , 97
Uria grylle, 43troile
, 77
Vaccinium Myrtillus, 120VALERIAN , HEART -LEAVE DValeriana pyrenaica, 120Vanellus vulgaris, 65Vaucheria geminata, 102
sessilis, 102Verbascum thapsus, 105Veronica beccabunga, 122
chamaedrys, 14, 130hirsuta
, 12
ofli cinalis, 12, 14scutellata, 14
Vibrissea truncorum, 104
Vicia angustifolia, 14Viola curtisii
, 12
palustris, 13, 103R iviniana , 12, 13
VIOLET , MARSH 103
WOOD 74
WAGTAIL, GREY, 53, 65, 129PIED , 53 , 65, 129WHITE, 53 , 65, 82, 88YELLOW , 53, 65, 75 , 84, 88, 110
WARBLER, BLACKCAP , 75, 88, 105, 106GARDEN , 75, 86 -89
,106
SEDGE , 52, 64, 85, 88, 105WATT
, H. B . , 41 , 43LAURENCE , 124
Wehera annotina, 78
elongata, 97nutans
, 97Weigela , 7 1
W eisia microstoma , 68verticillata , 78viridula , 67
W HEATEAR, 51 , 64, 81 , 82, 87 , 88GREENLAND , 43, 51 , 64, 69
WHINCHAT , 51 , 64, 85, 88WH ITETHROAT , 52, 64, 85, 88, 103, 104,112, 129 .
W HITTON , J AS. , 38, 125
WIGEON, 59, 65W ILLOW, 79, 99
CRICKET-BAT , 41
WILSON, HUGH, 58, 60, 82 , 84, 85, 86
R . W . S. , 55, 59, 60 , 69, 82, 84, 85,86 , 130
THOS . W . , 69
W ISHART , R . S. , 39, 40
WOODCOCK , 64
W REN, 53, 64, 129
W ILLOW , 52 , 64, 73 , 81 , 83 , 87 ,103, 104, 129
WOOD , 52, 64, 75, 103, 104, 129
YEws, AYRSHIR E, 24 -27DUMBARTONSHIRE , 28-33LANARKSH IRE
,23
LOUDOUN,104
RENFREWSHIRE,19-23
ST IRLINGSHIRE, 33YEW -TREES
, 98, 105, 127in the Clyde area , 19-33, 72
measurements of, 34-37
Z ygodon viridissimus, 103
0 0
0 0
THE J O URNAL O F THE
NATURAL HISTO RY SO C IETY O F G LASG O W
( In c luding th e Transa c tions a nd Proceeding s of
th e Soc iety , Th ird Se ries) .
Volume VI .
EDIT ED BY
D. A. BO YD AND JO HN PATERSO N.
19 14 .
G LASG O W : JO HN SM ITH S O N (G LASG O W ) L IM ITED ,
19 R ENFIELD STR EET .
vi CONTENTS .
PROCEEDINGS—Continued. PAG E
Hypnum J ura tzkanum from Botanic G ardens, G lasgow, and
B arbula obtusula from Bridge of Allan (hitherto only foundin Sweden)—James Stirton , M .D
W e’
oera proligera from Drumchapel, new to Clyde and otherMosses—J . R . Lee,
MeteorologicalNotes for 1913—JamesWhitton ,
EXCURSIONSRowardennan (Birds, Microfungi , Fresh -water Algae) ,Rosemount (Microfungi) ,Colintraive (Microfungi) ,Duntreath (Microfungi) ,Dougalston (Fungus Foray) ,Kilkerran (see also pp. 48
Duntreath (Trees) ,Mauchline ,Cambusnethan (Trees andflowers, includingSquama r z
'
a ) ,
Millport Marine Biological StationNorth Bute,Tyndrum (Alpine plants ) ,Fullarton House (Trees) ,
NOTES
G reenland Wheatear on St. Andrew’s Day at Fossil—W m.
Rennie,Invasion ofWood-
pigeons,Podosphaera myrtillina .
—D. A . Boyd ,G reen Sandpiper in West Stirlingsh ire,
REVIEWSBulletin of the British O rnithologists Club .
The British Rust Fungi (Uredinales) ,Mildews, Rusts, Smuts,
ABSTRACT STATEMENT O F ACCOUNTS ,
INDEX ,1 13- 120
Gbe (Blasgcw Maturalist
The Journal of the NATURAL HISTO RY SO CIETY
O F G LASG O W
VO LVI , NO . l . ] [November, 1913 .
Autumn Notes on the Birds of the Gareloch .
By W . PERC IVAL W ESTELL,
I spent the month of August, 1913 on the G areloch and I
devoted almost the whole of my attention to the bird l ife of the
district. I was staying with my friend the R ev . Charles A .
Hall,
at Clynder, on the west side of the Loch , and
fortunately he had among hi s papers a copy of thi s Journal for
May, 1910, in which Mr . W . R . Baxter contributed some
Summer Notes for 1908 and 1909 on the birds of G arelochh ead .
This excellent list was of considerable interest to an entire
stranger such as myself and formed the basis of my work .
I cannot do better than follow Mr. Bax ter ’s list and will point
out later those species seen by him whi ch did not come under myown observation .
The following is my complete list
1 . M ISTLE THRUSH (Turdus viscivorous) .—I did not see thisbird until towards the end of the month when several little
parties attracted attention, but i t was not at all common .
2. SONG THRUSH (T. musicus) .—Common but not nearly soabundant as at home in Hertfordshir e .
3 . BLACKB IRD (T . merulct) .—Common but not nearly soabundant as at home in Hertfordshi re.
4. WHEATEAR (Saxicola oman the) .—Several solitary specimens were seen along the shore , particularly at R osneath .
THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
5. WHINCHAT (Pra tin cola rubetra ) . —I saw one or two
examples in Campsail Bay, between the Head and Shandon , on
the east side, and in G len Fruin this species was hardly out of
sight the whole length of the G len .
R EDSTART (Ruticilla phoen icurus) .—Unfo'
rtunately I did
not see this bird ac tually on the Gareloch but I Observed both
it and the DIPPER further north between Arrochar and Ardlui .
I do not append a number as it was not recorded by me for
the G areloch .
6 . R OB IN (Er itha cus rubecula ) .—Common , and youngbirds exceptionally tame .
7 . G REATER WH ITETHROAT (Sylvia cinerea ) .—Several pairswere observed
,particularly among the bushes
,along the shore
near Rahane.
8. LESSER WHITETHROAT (S. curruca ).—I saw’ one spec i
men O f this spec ies in Mr. Hall ’s garden at Woodburn ” and
watched it for some little time . A t home it is one of our
commonest summer migrants , and I am very conversant w ith
it both by sight and sound . This species is unrecorded in
Baxter ’s list .
9. G OLDCREST (Regulus crista tus) .—In view of the increase
of this charming little bird all over the country I was
prepared for its abundance on the G areloch in those parts
which are wooded . I t was very common at Clynder and
R osneath .
10 . CHIFFCHAFF (Phylloscopus ruf us) .—I tried hard to seethis spec ies but failed . Hall tells me it is common in Spring
and he heard it on 20th September, 1913 .
1 1 . WILLOW-WARBLER (P. trochilus) .—Exceedingly abundantand What struck me also was the ex tremely bright plumage of
so many specimens.
12. WOOD-WARBLER (P. sibila trix ) .—I can confirm Mr.
Baxter’s remarks as to this species being almost, if not quite ,as common as the last.
THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
SAND-MART IN (Cotile r iparia ) .—Curiously enough I onlysaw this species in G len Fruin which Mr . Baxter states is the
only nesting place near to the G areloch . Hence it is not
entitled to a place in my list.
29. G REENF INCH (Ligu'rinus chlor is) .—Common .
30. HOUSE SPARROW (Passer domesticus) .—Very common .
31 . CHAFF INCH (Fr ingilla caelebs) .—Common .
32. LINNET (Li now cannabina ) .—Uncommon .
33. TWITE (L .fla virostris) .—I had a good sight of two ofthese birds on the moors above C lynder near a small pool
beloved by Dragon F lies. This species is unrecorded in
Bax ter’s“
l ist .
34. LESSER R EDPOLL (L . ruf esceus) . -Exceedingly common .
They could be heard singing on the wing all day long, but
about the middle of August they became less conspicuous.
35. BULLF INCH (Pyrrhula europaea ) .—Some bird catchers
had two or three freshly caught specimens at Rosneath . I also
heard the bird there .
36 . YELLOW-BUNT ING (Embe'r i z a citrinella ) .—Fairly common .
37 . STARL ING (Sturnus vulgar is) .—Common .
38. CARR ION -CROW (Corvus corone) . -I saw two or three of
these birds.
39. B O O K (0 . f rugilegus) . - Common, and associates with
Gulls and Lapwings on open fields . I was very surprised at
the absence O f the J ackdaw.
40 . SKYLARK (Alauda arven sis) .—I only Observed compara
tively few Skylarks and although August is an inconspicuous
month for this favourite songster, I was hardly prepared for it
being so uncommon .
41 . CUCKOO (Cuculus canorus) .—Very prominent in Springaccording to Hall and on his authority it is included here .
42. SWIFT (Cypselus apus) .—Not very common.
W ESTELL.
—AUTUMN NOTES O N B IRDS O F THE GAR ELO CH. 5
43 . KESTREL (Falco tinnuuculus) .—I only saw one specimenof this species putting it up from the old slate quarry above
Stroul. It was the only bird of prey observed .
44. HERON (Ardea cinerea ) . -Very common of an eveni ng in
Campsail Bay, nea r R osneath Cast le G rounds. where I under
stand there is a heronry I also saw a fine specimen hanging
on the telegraph wires by the railway line between Shandon
and Row,evidently recently killed .
45. R ING-DOVE (Columba palumbus) . -Common,especially in
the woods at R osneath .
46. BLACK G ROUSE .-I saw a few of these handsome G rouse
on the moors between Rabane and Loch Long,but it was not
nearly so plentiful as the nex t species. I also saw a covey on
the .moors above Campsa il Bay .
47 . RED G ROUSE (Lagopus scoticus) . —Very abundant, coveyafte r covey being put upwhen tramping over the moors on the
west side of the Gareloch . At the time of my vi sit, Lord
Inverclyde and ni ne other guns shot 270 brace of grouse in
three days over the moors near Clynder.
48. PHEASANT (Pha sianus colchicus) .—I picked up a few
stray feathers of thi s species, saw one or two birds,and heard
others . I t was strange to me, coming from a Partridge
country to find this last-named bird entirely absent.
49.—R INGED PLOVER (E gia litis hia ticula ) . —Rare . This
surprised me.
50 . LAPWING (Van ellus vulgar is) .—Common, and regularly
frequents the turnip field near the new sawmills at R osneath.
51 . O YSTER CATCHER .—(Hcema topus ostra legus) . —I saw one
solitary bird in Campsail Bay .
52. COMMON SANDPIPER (Totanus hypoleucus) .—Commonalong the shore early in August, but became rare later .
53 . R EDSHANK (T. calidr is) .—Quite common, especially at
low tide.
THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
54. CURLEW (Numen ius a rqua ta ) . —Common, but one must
be careful as one of the Gulls imi tates its well-known cry to
a nicety .
55. COMMON TERN (Sterna,fluvia tilis) . —Hall reports seeingthis species on the G areloch in spring
,and again on September
19th , after I had left.
56 . BLACK-B EADED GULL (Larus r idibundus) . —Common .
57 . COMMON GULL (L . camus) .—Common .
58. HERRING GULL (L. a rgen ta tus) .—Common , Hall tellsme that L . r idibundus and L . cauus nest on a Loch above
Ki lcreggan .
59. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (L . fusca s) .—Fairly
common .
60 . G REAT BLACK-BACKED GULL (L . ma r inus).—I sawseveral examples of this fine species .
61. FORK-TAILED PETREL (Procellar ia leucorrhoa ) .—O neday when Hall and I were eating our lunch nea r the
Shepherd ’s hut on the moors above the road to Cove,a bird
shot past us at a tremendous rate, coming from due north .
At first I thought it was a large Swallow,which , attracted by
the insect -haunted pool in front of us was about to swoop over
the water. But as it got past I at once saw the very prominent
white patch on the rump, the forked-tail and sickle- shaped
wings. There is little doubt that the bird in question belonged
to this species, though what such an oceanic wanderer was
doing over the moors in August is difficult to determine. It
was lovely weather, and had been settled for some considerable
time.
62. G U ILLEMOT (Ur id trotle) . -Towards the end of August
I saw on two or three occasions a little party of these birds
swimming about the G areloch , part icularly between Rahane
and Shandon .
8 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Its highest h ills lie to the east,where Beinn Bh ioga ir attains
a height of feet . Fully half of the surface,however , i s
below the 250 - foot level,and the ferti le low- lying ground is
as well cult ivated as any part of Scotland . Border ing on the
seashore and in some of the narrow glens,marshy land is
p lentiful . Scattered throughout the island are numerous
small f resh-water lochs,the waters of a few of which are
car r ied to the sea by fa i r - siz ed streams .
W oodland distr icts are not wanting , though much might be
done in the way of p lanting . The most noteworthy timbered
parts are those of Kildalton and Br idgend , where fai r - siz ed
well- grown trees are to be found . Small woods occur at
var ious parts,while over the island in the glens are l ittle
stretches with natural haz el,bi rch , &c.
A goodly portion of the coast i s rockbound , and rugged and
p reci p itous cl iffs are met with at Sana ig in the west , and
sur rounding the peninsula of O a in the south . Beauti ful
sandy beaches—the most notable,the Big Strand at
Laggan Bay,stretches for seven miles—occur here and there
round the i sland .
W ith a surface as d iversified as this,and a cl imate mi ld
enough to prevent snow from lying dur ing most winters , Islay
ought to be, and is , suffi c i ently attractive to bi rds of all
orders.
The l ist which follows is the result of several years ’ observa
ti ons,main ly in K ildalton and O a
,with sporadic v is its to
other parts of the island , dur ing the months of July and
August,and two v i s its at Chr i stmas and New Year in 1907 -8
and 1909- 10 . Dur ing a part of the summer v is its I had the
pleasure of the company of Mr . John Paterson and Mr . Angus
MacLeO d,while in winter Mr . Will iam Renn ie accompanied
me. To each of these gentlemen my thanks are due.
I am also indebted to Mr . John M‘Donald
,gamekeeper on
Kildalton estate , for much information , espec i ally regard ing
the distr ibution of owls , hawks , and game-bi rds to be found
on the Kildalton estates.
RO SS—B IRDS or ISLAY. 9
I have used the rec ords in Thompson ’ s Natural Histo ry
of Ireland,
” the papers by Mr . Scot -Skirving in the
Proceedings of the Royal Physical Soci ety of Edinburgh ,A F auna of Argyll and the Inner Hebr ides
,
” and notes in
the volumes of The Annals of Scotti sh Natural Hi story.
”
MI S TLE THRU SH (Turdus viscivorus) .—F requent . Late in
summer small flocks gather in p reparation for migration . O n
24th July,1907 I saw between thi rty and forty together , south
of Port E llen l ighthouse . In the winter months it i s usua lly
seen in ones or twos,though on 26th December , 1907 , a large
flock was feed ing in the fields behind Port E llen .
SO NG -THR U SH (T . musicus) .—Common . In the winter
months observed ma in ly along the shore , and there in numbers .
REDWING (T . ilia cus) .—A winter v i s itor , and never seen ingreat numbers . The largest flock observed was on 29th
December,when over forty were in the Ard, Port E llen .
F IELDFARE (T . pilaris) .—A winter v i s ito r , which was only
seen at G r ianan ,Leor in ,
and Cornabus, six bi rds being the
greatest number observed . Mr . Scot -Skirving (Proc. R. Ph . S. ,
Ed.,Vol. IV. ,
p . 72) says Every var iety of the
thrush was found in extraordinary numbers,with the
single exception of the R ing- O usel (T . torgua tus) , which was
totally absent .” Thi s may point to the fact that Redwing and
F i eldfare vary in number in d ifferent years. Mr . Renn ie and
I searched c losely the par ish of K ildalton and 0 a for these
bi rds dur ing our two winter v i s its,and the bi rds were as
scarce as I have mentioned .
BLACKB IRD (T . nierula ) .—Abundant both in summer andwinter.
R ING- O USEL (T . torgua tus) .—O ne bi rd , a female , was seen atStr imn ish on 22nd July , 1907 , by Mr . MacLeod and myself .
W HEATEAR (Saccicola. cenan the) .—Common on both the hi llyand low ground near the shore. Young bi rds are p lenti ful on
the rocky coast near Port Ellen , and on the sandy dunes a longthe Laggan Bay dur ing the summer months .
10 THE G LASG O W NATURALIST .
WHINCHAT (Pra tin cola rubetm ) .—G enerally di str ibuted and
abundant in certain local ities dur ing summer . After the
nesting season parti es of O ld and young may be seen dai ly on
the fences and dykes on the roads to K ildalton , the O a ,
Bridgend,and Portnahaven .
STONECHAT (P. rubicola ) .—O bserved both in summer and
winter . A few pai rs nest in Borra ich ill, and on the hills
extending towards Ardbeg . Young broods are met with on
the Ga and on the moor land between Port E llen and Br idgend .
REDBREAST (Er i tha cus rubecula ) . —Common in the woodeddistr icts summer and winter .
WHITETHRO AT (Syh ia cin er ea ) . —F requent in the woods atKildalton , Carnmore , Tor ra , and Br idgend , and in many of
the glens where it can fin d shelter . I have seen it near
K ilnaughton Cemetery,where for cover it has only a few
stunted bushes and a bracken -c lad hillside.
G O LDEN-CRESTED WREN (Regubus crista tus) .—Common in the
wooden regions,espec ially where firs are grown . Mr .
M‘Donald informs me that in winter he has seen hundreds of
them collected about hi s house in Kildalton .
W ILLO W -W REN (Phylloscopus trochibus) .—An abundant
summer v i sitor over the island wherever cover can be Obta ined .
WO OD -WREN (P. sibila tfr ix) . —O h two occasions only can I
be sure I have seen this spec ies . Mr . MacLeod and I saw
several in a plantation near the Li ly Loch,K ildalton , on 25th
July, and again near Lagavul in , on 3rd August,1907 . Mr .
MacLeod saw several in the wood near Loch Knock, on 15th
July of the same year . I have a doubtful record near
Callumkill in July thi s year .
SEDGE -W ARB LER (Acrocepkahrs pkm gmi tis) .—Not common .
1 have seen it at the following stations Frequenting a
d itch on the roadside near Laphroag , a long the banks of
which a few dwarf wi llows grow. The bi rd has nested here,to
my knowledge, s ince 1906 . (2) At the s ide of a burn near
12 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
PIED W AGTAIL (Motocz'
lla lugubr is) .—Common summer and
winter . Many young bi rds are seen everywhere about the
shores after the nesting season .
GREY W AGTAI L (M. melanope) .—O ne Observed on 23rd
August thi s year in K ilnaughton Burn .
TREE -PIP IT (An thus trivia lis) .—Not a“
common spec ies .
Seen twice in 1906,at Kildalton pol icies and at Carnmore .
Since then it was neither seen nor heard ti ll 14th , 15th , and
17th July of this year , when it was in full song near Lagavul in .
The bi rds haunted a meadow in which were a few scattered
tree-clumps , and to the east of which there was a r ising r idge,clad ma inly with haz el.
MEADO W -PIP IT (A. pr a ten sis) .—Abundant in summer fromthe hilly moorlands to the low- lying shores. In winter not so
common , though it was seen on a lmost every day of our v is it .
RO O K-PIP IT (A. obscurus) .—Common summer and winter onthe rocky coasts.
GREAT GREY SHRIKE (Lan ius excubitor ) .—O ne was shot atKildalton , in O ctober , 1909, and was i dentified by Mr .
M‘Donald.
SP O TTED FLY- CATCHER (Muscicapa grisola ) .—Seen only inthe wooded parts of K ildalton ,
Ardmore, Carnmore, and
Br idgend dur ing summer , and then spar ingly.
SWALLO W (Hirundo rustica ) .—Nests in many of the farmsteadings about the island , and in some of the small town
ships . I have seen a flock of over thi rty on the telegraph wi res
at Laphroag—the greatest number seen together .
HO USE -MART IN (Chelidon urbi ca ) .—A scarce summer v i sitor ,nesting only , as far as I have seen , at Newton , nea r Br idgend ,Laphroag ,
and Lagavul in .
SAND -MART IN (Cotile r iparia ) .—I know three nesting-placesof thi s summer migrant . A few pai rs inhabit the banks of the
Machrie R iver , near the entrance of the stream to Laggan
R O SS—B IRDS O F ‘ ISLAY . 13
Bay. Two considerable colon ies nest on the banks of the Buich
River—one near Duich Farm,and the other in the sandy
banks at the wa r ren nearer the sea .
GREENF INCH (Ligur inus chlor is) . - Common in suitable
loca l it i es .
HO U S E -SPARRO W (Passer domesticus) .—Abundant . A cream
coloured bi rd flew about the hotel grounds at Machr ie dur ing
the summer of 1907 . O n the 27th December of the same year
I saw this bi rd,in company with a hedge- sp arrow and a reed
bunting,feed ing at a trough in the hotel yard .
CHAFF INCH (Fr ingilla coelebs) .—Common in sui table
local ities . O n 5th January , 1910 , Mr . Renn i e and I watched ,flying eastward s through a sma ll glen stretching from Callum
kill Burn towards Ardbeg , a mixed flock of chaffinches and
greenfinches—chiefly the former—which took fully ten minutesto pass .
BRAMB L ING (F . mon tifringilla ) .—A sca rce winter v i s ito r .
Near Brahun isary two males and two females were observed
on 31st December , 1909; on 5th January , 1910 , at least half
a -doz en were noted among Chaflinches at Callumkill ; and on7th January six were seen in a field below Park ins . There
was no trace of them in the winter p receding.
LINNET (Linota canna bina ) .—Nests in the rough ground
between K ildalton and Ardbeg,near Lagavul in
,and along the
whin -covered hi lls ide on the road by Cornabus to Kintra .
F a i r numbers may be seen at all these p laces . O n our winter
v i sits small flocks were frequent at var i ous p laces f rom
Kildalton to O a .
LE S S ER REDPO LL (L. rufesceus) . —This spec i es i s common
both summer and winter f rom Lagavul in to Clagga in Bay , and
at Br idgend . O utside of these d i str icts it has not been
observed by me.
TWITE (L.flavirostris) .—A d istinctive feature of the Ard,
Port E llen , where it i s by far the commonest spec ies , i ts shr i ll
and cheery notes being heard among the rocks a ll day long .
14 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
It is abundant throughout the O a ,and is common in many
parts of the par ish of K ildalton . In the winter months flocks
of thi rty to forty were of frequent occur rence , and near
Cragabus a flock of over a hundred was observed on 31st
December,1907 .
BULLF INCH (Pyrrhula europcea ) . -Has been noted at Bridgend and Kildalton polic i es , and in the latter is common . O n
22nd December , 1907 , a few were seen in the Ard.
CO RN-BUNT ING (Emberi z a miliaria ) .—A common resident
spec ies in the cultivated portions of the par i shes of Kildalton
and O a ,and Kila row and K ilmeny. Its unmelod ious song , i f
one can call it a song , i s heard da i ly in these d istr icts dur ing
the summer . F locks numbering up to twenty were observed
in winter resting in the trees at Cragabus farm-steading , and
a flock of twenty-five on 28th December at Leor in Farm.
YELLO W BUNT ING (E . ci triuella ) .—Generally d istr ibutedover suitable local iti es . In winter it was seen in parties,some of them number ing about fifty.
REED -BUNT ING (E . schosm'
chts) .—A resident spec ies not
uncommon in particular local iti es . W hen seen on the moors
it i s usually not far f rom a small str eam . It has been observed
at Kildalton ,Ardbeg
,Brahun isary,
Parkins, Cornabus
,
Cragabus, and Mach rie. In winter it i s generally in company
with Chaffinches, Yellow and Corn -Buntings.
SNO W -BUNT ING (Plectrophenax niva lis) .—Mr . M‘Donald
informs me that this is a regular v isitor at Ardmore and
Ardta lla . I have not seen it.
STAR L ING (Sturnus vulgaris) .—Abundant everywhere on the
low- lying grounds . In winter great flocks feed at the shore.
Thompson N.H. of II ., p . 11) speaks of the great bodies
of Starl ings he saw in the stubble fields in January,1849.
CHO UGH (Pyrrhocorax gra cuhcs) .—This interesting spec ies,
which h as disappeared from nearly all its old haunts on the
ma inland of Scotland , sti ll ma intains its positi on as a nesting
spec ies in Islay. In“A Fauna of Argyll and the Inner
16 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
It is gratifying to know that the p ropr ietor of this part
of the island—Mr . Ian Ramsay—takes an interest in thebi rds
,and has given instructions for thei r str ict p reservation .
JACKDAW (Corvus mon edula ) .—Nests in the c l iffs and inland
hi lls,and is very abundant. Dur ing the time I have been
taking an interest in the bi rds of Islay it has increased in
the K ildalton d istr ict , and seems to be sp reading into the
O a,where I had not or iginally observed it .
CARR I O N-CRO W (C . corone) . —An exceed ingly rare spec ies.
I have seen single bi rds on the shore near the disti llery , Port
E llen, on 14th July
,1906 ; at the Ard,
on 9th August , 1907 ;on the shore below Fa rkins, on 29th Dec ember , 1907 ; near
Kintra,on 4th January
,1910 . O n 2md January , 1908, we
p icked up a dead bi rd at the W hite Pool , below Farkins. In
1875 a Carr ion Crow was shot off her nest , which conta ined
eggs,at Foreland Vol. IV.
,p .
RAVEN (C . corax) . Common in many of the isles , Islay ,Jura , and Mull ,
” say the authors of “A Fauna of Argyll
,
&c .
”
(p . I p refer the word frequent as far as Islay is
concerned . Although there are numerous bi rds sp read over
the i sland it i s by no means common there. It nests on the
cl iffs round the coast , and on Texa .
O n 6th January,1910 , I di sturbed a pai r on the island of
Texa . They flew off over Tarrskeir , and then made stra ight
for the Mull of Cantyre. I watched them ti ll they were mere
specks and got lost in the dark background of the Mull .
HO O DED CRO W (C . cornix) .—Nests on the sea cl iffs,and is
more numerous than the Raven , in sp ite of being kept down
by the gamekeepers . My notes show that it was observed on
almost every day of our Winter v i s its. A few pa i rs nested
thi s season on the cl iff s at the O a , and got off safely.
B O O K (0 . frugilegus) .—Common . The great rookery at
K innabus, I regret to say , I have not v i sited, so I am unable
to say whether it i s sti ll as populous as it was at the end of
last century (vide A Fauna of Argyll , p .
R O SS—B IRDS or ISLAY . 17
SKYLARK (Alauda a rvensis) .—Common . Large flocks were
seen dur ing the winter v i s its .
NIGHTJAR (Caprimulgus europaeus) .—F requent on the hi ll
s ides on Kildalton polic i es , and known at Bridgend . O n the
15th July,1907
,I heard it reeling faintly not far f rom
Kildalton ,about 8 pm.
GREAT SPOTTED W O ODPECKER (Dendrocopus major ) .—Mrs .
Ramsay , of Kildalton ,wrote to the authors of A F auna of
A rgyll,&c . p . 94
,a letter
,bearing the date 25th November,
1891,asking i f they were aware that we got a G reat Spotted
W oodpecker here (Islay) a few years ago .”
KINGF I SHER (Alcedo i spida ) .—A stufled spec imen of thi s
bi rd,said to be from Laggan R iver
,i s at Kildalton House .
Mr . James Lumsden , in (Vol. XII .,p . reco rds
the s pec ies as on the Sorn R iver in 1901 ; on a burn at Dun
lossit , in November , 1902 and on Loch Allan , Dunlossit , on
20th July,1903. It is sa i d to be seen frequently on th e
Laggan R iver .
CUCKO O (Cuculus canorus) .—A summer v i s ito r . The young
may be seen dur ing late July and August being fed by the
foster -parents,who are generally Meadow Pi p its . O n the 1 l th
July,1907
,Mr . Paterson d iscovered
,nea r Loch An - t- Sa ilein
,
a nest which he took to be a Reed Bunting ’ s , with a young
Cuckoo . The site was v i s ited a week after,and the nest was
found to be destroyed .
BARN -O W L (Str ixflammea ) .—Nests at Kildalton . I saw
one near the d i sti llery,Port E llen
,on 1 1th August
,1907 .
Mr . Scot Skirv ing in Vol. IX.
,p . 184
,says that
he has only seen one Barn - O wl in Islay,and that an albino .
Mr . John Paterson received one from Dr . G i lmour,Port
E llen,about fifteen years ago .
LONG -EARED O W L (Asio otus) . —Nests at Kildalton . Young
bi rds,of thi s spec ies p robably , were heard mewing like cats
in Carnmore W ood on several even ings dur ing July,1907 .
Dr . G ilmour records one found in a trap at Duich Lots,on
B
18 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
‘
14th O ctober , 1899 Vol. IX. ,p . In the
same volume,page 184
,
°
Mr . Scot Skirv ing remarks that“ they are of almost dai ly occur rence in the forest of
Kilchoman .
SHORT -EARED O W L (A. a ccipi trinus) . The Short- cared
O wl ar r ives about the end of O ctober very regularly and in
considerable numbers Vol. IX.,p .
In the Proc . Vol. V.,p . 40
,Mr . Scot Skirving
writes : In former years both Long and Short- eared O wls
were occasionally met with . This season I have seen neither . ”
TAWNY O W L (Syrm’
um a luco) .— I believe I heard thi s speci eshooting near Lagavul in in August of this year . As in the
case of the Barn O wl, Mr . Scot Skirving ,who had a home in
Islay for twenty - three years only saw one Brown O wl
dur ing all that per iod .
SNO WY O W L (Nyctea scandia ca ) .—In A F auna of
Argyll,&c. (p . mention is made of one trapped on the
top Of San a ig rocks in Ap r il , 1870 Probably thi s i s account
able for plac ing thi s spec ies among the bi rds wh ich
occasionally occur Proc . R . Ph . S.,
Vol. IV
p .
HEN-HARR IER (Cir cus cyan eus) .—It came in considerable
numbers in August as a migrant—the males appear ing inAugust
,and the females September ( 1875) Proc . R . Ph .
S.,Ed.
,Vol. IV. , p .
G O LDEN EAGLE (Aquila chrysa etus) .—The G olden E agle
nests in Islay,and is seen occasionally in different parts of the
i sland . In G len Leor , not more than ten or eleven mi les f rom
Port E llen , a pai r nested last year . In Vol. IV. ,
p . 54, there i s a record of one caught alive in a trap some
weeks prev i ous to January , 1895.
WHITE -TAILED EAGLE (Ha lz’
a‘
etus a lbicilla ) .—Mr . Scot
Skirving writes : Dur ing n ineteen summers in Islay I have
only seen three Sea E agles (H. a lbicilla ) , and these were not
residents Vol. IV., p.
20 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
in ignorance on 23rd -May,1899, at Loch Knock , Kildalton ,
and was set up by M‘
Culloch Sons , Sauch iehall Street . It
measured 24 inches f rom beak to tai l,and 67 inches from tip
to tip of outstretched wings . Its weight was 3 lbs . 7 oz .
CORMORANT (Pha la crocorax carbo) .—Thompson of I .,
III .,p . 241) says it breeds at the Mull O f O a . It is an abundant
bi rd about the rocky coasts . A nesting colony occup ies the
cl iffs in the v ic in ity of Slochd Mhaol—Dora idh ,Mul l of O a .
Many of the small rocky islets lying ofi the shore form“ resting rocks
,
” and from two to thirty and forty Cormorants
may be seen at all t imes squatting on them .
SHAG (P. gra culus) .—Abundant as a nesting species at theMull of O a
,and seldom seen far from th is dur ing the breed ing
season . In winter they are to be met with all round the
coast .
GANNET (Sula ba ssana ) .—A f requent visitor along the coasts
in summer and winter .
COMMON HERON (Ardea cin erea ) . —F requently seen fishing
along the shore and by the side of'
inland streams . Three
small heronr ies are establ ished on the Kildalton policies .
Thompson N.H. of II.,pp . 146
,147) visited a heronry
three mi les from Ardimersy,in 1849. The nests were on the
ground,but he does not say how many bi rds might be nesting .
He says thi s was the only heron ry in the east side of the
island . He v i sited another heronry at Islay house,where
there were perhaps a dozen nests on l arch , ash , &c . , the trees
about twenty feet high,the nests twelve to fourteen feet above
the ground .
B ITTERN (Botaurus stella r is) . —Mr . Scot-Skirv ing speaks of
thi s spec ies as being among the bi rds which occasionallv
occur in Islay Proc . R . Ph . S.,
Vol. IV. ,p .
G LO S SY IB I S (Plegadis fa lcin ellus) .—An immature female
was shot in a field near Port E llen on 30th O ctober,1903 , and
i s now in the collection at K ildalton House
Vol. XII. , p .
R O SS—B IRDS O F ISLAY . 21
GREY LAG—G OO S E (Anser cin ereus) .—This G oose i s stated to
have bred in one loch in Islay , and there i s a record of the
actua l date of the last taken nest , in 1825, at another loca l ity
not far removed f rom this one A Fauna of Argyll , &c .,
p .
WHITE - FRONTED G OO S E (A. a lbifrons) .—This i s the only
G rey Goose of which I have any personal knowledge. In
winter it feeds over the low- ly ing ground to the west of the
road between Port E llen and Br idgend,and seems to be con
fined to the stretch from Laggan R iver to about B allyv icar
Farm . O ver thi s area numerous flocks of f rom ten to seventy
were observed . The bi rds were exceedingly wary ,and it was
difficult to app roach within two hundred y ards O f them ,and
to do thi s advantage had to be taken of any roughness in the
ground . W h en disturbed they rose in a disorder ly fashion,
but soon ar ranged themselves in a V- shaped wedge,and flew
strongly out Of what they evidently considered dangerous
quart ers . Hundreds of them f requent thi s d i str ict in winte r .
BEAN -GOO S E (A. segetum) . The Bean -Goose was the only
one known to the gamekeeper at Ardimersy,Islay
,in January
,
1849, as f requenting that i sland , which it does regula r ly in
winter . It does not breed there . ”—Thompson,N.H. of I .
p . 41 .
BARNACLE -G OO S E (Bernicla leucopsis) . — Large flocks
frequent Loch indaal dur ing the winter . In the neighbourhood
of Port E ll en I have only seen them on thr ee occ asions,few
in number on each , though I am told they are plent i ful there .
Mr Scot -Skirv ing remarks on a la rge flock which app rop r iates
a small i sland to the north of Islay,close to the shore
,
” and
says It i s only when the season i s advanced that it ventures
to take up its abode on the adj acent coast of Islay itself ”
Proc . R . Ph . Vol. IV. , p . See also acc ount of
next spec ies .
BRENT G OO S E (B . br en ta ) .—Thompson N.H. of I .
,III .
,
p . 50) say s that , when vi sit ing Islay in January ,1849
,
“A flock
of about two hundred Brent G ee se was seen standing by the
edge of the ret i r ing t i de . I was grat ified to lea rn f rom Mr .
22 THE GLASGO W NATUR ALIST.
Mur ray,formerly gamekeeper at Islay House
,that the loch i s
frequented by both species . The A. Leucopsis i s called there ,‘ land barnacle it has been becoming scarcer of lateyears . Mr . Scot-Skirving classes it with the Wh ite- f ronted
and Barnacle Goose as very common Proc . R. Ph . S.,
Vol. IV.,p . O n the other hand , in Islay it appears to be
of sufficient rar ity to be included in a case of a few rare
spec ies shot at K ildalton ,as there is a spec imen in the house
collection there A F auna of Argyll,
p .
BEW ICK’
s SWAN (Cygnus bewi cki ) .—Mentioned in A
Fauna of Argyll,&c.
”
(p . as occur r ing in Islay . I have
seen a note on the appearance of this species in great numbers
on Ardnave Loch in winter .
VVHO O PER (Cygnus musicus) .—Thompson N.H. of I.,III. ,
pp . 11- 12) says it comes to Islay every winter . O n Loch - in
daal a flock of fifteen W i ld Swans appeared early in the winter
of 1848- 49. Mr . Scot- Skirving refers to flocks of seven to
seventy as having been seen dur ing the winter of 1875.
Proc . R. Ph . S.,
Vol. IV. , p .
MUTE SWAN (Cygnus olor) . —A few pai rs , sometimes with
cygnets , may be seen off the shore between Port E llen and
Kildalton .
CO MM O N SHELD-DUCK (Tadorna cornuta ) .—Nests on Texa,
and p robably on other parts of the i sland,as I have seen
parent bi rds,followed by young
,at Lochindaal
,Laggan Bay
,
Kilnaughton Bay , and several places towards Loch Knock . I
was told in Islay (January , 1849) that the Shelld rake i s
common and breeds there , but leaves the i sland (or part known
to my informant) in autumn , and returns aga in about thelast week of December . ” Thompson ,
“ N.H. of III.,
p . 7 1 .
MALLARD (Ana s basca s) .—Common on suitable lochs as a
nesting species . In winter large flocks frequent the fresh
water lochs in K ildalton , and O a par i sh , espec i ally the low
lying distr ict east of Laggan Bay .
24 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
of Texa . After the nesting season three or four flocks of
females and young,number ing from fifty to one hundred and
fif ty , are usually to be seen in Laggan Bay,while smaller
parties are met with round the shore as far as Clagga in Bay .
Th i s season,however
,E ider Ducks were scarce , a few parties
of females— not over a dozen in each—being all that I saw at
any time I visited Laggan Bay . O ccasionally a few males
may be seen oflTexa,but they evidently gather together
further north . The only males I saw th i s year were in flocks
off G igha ,where parties of th i rty
,seventy
,and over one
hundred were passed .
KING E IDER (S . specta bz'
lis) .—O n the 25th July , 1906 , I
had the good fortune to see one of these bi rds f rom the c l iffs
near Kintra,to the south of Laggan Bay.
RED-BREASTED MERGAN S ER (Mergus serra tor ) .—A common
species r ound the coast,where it may be seen followed by
young broods after the middle of July . Pennant mentions
hav ing seen them and thei r young in The Isle of Ilay ”
British Z oology,
” II .,p . 215
,Ed.
R INGDOVE (Columba pa lumbus) .— Gonimon in the wooded
distr icts . Thompson N.H. of I.,II .
,p . 8) saw not less than
a hundred together in January ,1849
,near Islay House. Those
that he shot in the wi lder part of the island had thei r crops
filled with the perfect and full - siz ed nuts of the haz el .
ROCK-DOVE (C . liv ia ) . -A common nesting species in the
caves round the rocky coasts . Thompson ( i bid , II ., p . 1 1)
writes of the great numbers of Rock—Doves that came under
hi s notice in Islay in January , 1849. He speaks offlocksseventy or eighty together— occur r ing in winter many mi les
from the Mull of O a ,where they breed in great numbers .
Pennant wr ites I have seen in Ilay the bottoms of the
great chasms covered with thei r dung for many feet in thick
ness,which is drawn up in buckets and successfully used as
a manure Br itish Z oology ,”
I., p . 384, Ed.
R O SS—B IRDS or ISLAY . 25
BLACK GROUS E (Tetra o la r is ) .—Comm on on the K ildaltonestates . Thompson (ibid ,
II .,p . 246) speaks of great numbers
of black-game being seen,when he was woodcock shooting in
1849.
RED GRO US E (La gopus scoticus) .—Common throughout theisland .
PTARMIGAN (L. mutus) .—F requent in the hilly regions aboveKildalton . O ccasionally it comes down towards the shore , and
one was caught recently which had flown into a house in Port
E llen .
PHEA SANT (Phasianus colch icus) .—Common , and reared bv
the shooting p rop r ietors . Thompson NH. of II . , pp .
22 23,who resided at Ardimersy in January , 1849
, say s
Pheasants were abundant there,the r ing - necked var iety , too,
being common . He says the bi rds in the outer or wi lder
cover s feed almost wholly on hazel—nuts . The first bi rd
remarked to contain them had twenty- four,all of ful l s i z e
and per fect—in add ition were many large in sect la rvae .
PARTR IDGE (Perdix cin erea ) .—Said to be common , but not
observed by me so f requently as the Pheasant or Red G rouse .
QUAIL (Co turn ix communis) . W h en in the i sland of Islay ,
in January 1849,I learned that quai ls a re very scarce there ;
the keeper at Ardimersy had seen but three dur ing n ine year s ;all in the autumn . Another person
,who had been keeper at
Islay House,and has s ince had a fa rm
,met with only three
of these bi rds dur ing a much longer per iod , and of these , two
were seen together in the month of January or February
(Thompson , i bid ,II .
,pp . 67 ,
CORNCRAKE (Crex pr a tensz'
s) .—Common in the cult ivated
distr icts . It was heard up to the n ight of the 9th August ,1907 , when it was p articular ly noi sy at Port E llen . Thi s
season I d id not hear it after 5th August . Thompson ( i bid ,
II . , p . 313) says he was told thi s speci es wa s numerous there
every summer . ”
SPOTTED CRAK E (Po rz a na ma ruetta ) .— O ne was shot at Fore
land, O n 29th September , 1896 . Mr . Scot-Ski rving bel ieves
26 THE GLASG O W NATURALlST.
the bi rd nests in a marsh c lose to Foreland,but as W ater
Rai ls are abundant in the marsh,he doubts not that the
Crakes have , in consequence,escaped observation
Vol. VI.,p .
WATER -RAIL (Ra llus aqua ticus) .—Is said to be frequent in
the marshy ground about Kildalton ,where Mr . M ‘
Donald has
shot it . I have not seen it in Islay .
MO O RHEN (Ga llinula chloropus) .—F requent in the d itches
and small streams in K ildalton and O a ,and on the River
Sorn .
CO O T (Fulica a tra ) .—Rare in all the parts of Islay I have
v i s ited . A pai r nested this year at the disti llery pond, Port
E llen,and brought off a brood of four . O ne was seen at Loch
an - t-Sa ilein ,on 29th December , 1907 ; one on Lagavul in Dam ,
on 5th January,1910 ; and one was shot in August thi s year
near Mach r ie.
R INGED PLO VER (E g ia li ti s h ia ticola ) . —Th i s i s a fai r lycommon spec ies on all the sandy beaches
,such as are met with
at Kilnaughton ,Laggan Bay
,and Lochindaal. It also nests
in some of the creeks in the Ard Two or three pai rs are
regularly seen in Port E llen Bay . They breed commonlv in
the island N.H. of II.,p .
G OLDEN PL O VER (Cha radr ius pluvia lis) .—F locks are to be
met with in winter about the flat ground near Laggan Bay .
A l iv ing bi rd was brought to me in July,1907 , which had
completely smashed its bi ll by flying against a wall .
LAPWING (Vanellus vulgari s) .— Common . After the nesting
season great flocks gather near the shore . O n 18th July,1907
,
Mr . MacLeod and I saw a flock number ing between 400 and
500 in a field about a mi le and a -half south of Bridgend .
TURN STONE (Strepsila s in terpr es) .—An autumn v i s itor whichin some seasons ar r ives very early in Islay . O n 1st August ,1907
,six bi rds , in fine summer plumage
,were seen at Knock
angle,a rocky p romontory which inter rupts the long sandy
bay of Laggan , near the centre. This year a flock of over
28 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
DUNL IN (Tr inga a lpina ) .—Small flocks are to be found in
the summer months on Laggan sands,at Ardmore and Lochin
daal,and one or two pai rs at var ious p arts of the Shore . The
greatest number I have seen together was between fifty and
sixty. They are not so frequent in the winter , as we only came
across one small flock at the d istillery , Port E llen , on 4th
January,1910 .
PURPLE SANDP IPER (T . str ia ta ) .—This winter v i s itor we have
only seen on two occasi ons . O ne was shot in the Ard, on 3rd
January , 1910 , and a few were seen on the rocks at the
di sti llery , Port E llen , on the 4th .
SANDERL ING (Ca lidris a rena r ia ) .—This spec ies came under
my notice for the first t ime this year . O n the 4th August
there were seven on the Laggan sands,and on the 26th thi rteen
were feeding among the turned -up sea -weed .
CO MM O N SANDP IPER (To tanus hypoleucus) .—A common
summer v i s ito r . It may be seen all along the shore, and by
the side of burns where they app roach the sea . Its p ip ing
call i s heard up to the m iddle of August in the Ard ,Port
E llen .
CO MMON RED SHANK (T . ca lialr z'
s) . —Very abundant after the
breed ing season and in winter all along the shores .
Numbers , annually , form thei r nests on the gravel , l ike the
Ring -Plover,along the shores of Islay and the neighbour ing
i slets as I have been assured by those who have gathered thei r
eggs (Thompson , N.H. of I.,II . , p .
GREEN SHANK (T . can escens) . As may be expected , i t v i sits
the i sland of Islay . I have seen specimens which were shot
there (Thompson , i bid ,II .
,p .
COMMON CURLEW (Numen ius a rqua ta ) .—Abundant on the
shores and marshy glens near the shore after the breeding
season .
W HIMBREL (N. phcsopus) . In the i sland of Islay, Scot
land,the Whimbrel i s annually seen on its sp r ing passage
northward ; but has not been observed at any other season by
mv informant . ” —Thompson , ibid , II . , p . 198.
R O SS—B IRDS or ISLAY . 29
CO MM O N TERN (Sternafluvia tilis) .—Thi s spec ies nests onmany small i slets
,f rom Ardmore round the coast to Lochin
daal . O n Tarrskeir , a small rocky islet to the south of Texa ,and about two mi les f rom Port E llen , a colony numbering
from 400 to 500 bi rds nested in 1906 and 1907 . I first v i s ited
the rock on 7th July , 1906 , and found that every avai lable
spot was a nesting - place . A few young bi rds were about on
this occasion , but on a v i s it shortly after there were many .
Since 1907 thi s colony has gradually shrunk in si z e t i ll , dur ing
this season,not a bi rd has nested on the rock . I attr ibute
thi s to the ruthless manner in which the eggs were l i fted for
foodstuff. The ternery was large and easy of access , and the
quantity of eggs gained with little trouble would better rep ay
a v i s it than would be the case in travell ing among the smaller
terner ies. These dep redati ons are , it would seem ,an old story ,
as Thompson N.H. of III .,p . 355) says that in 1849,
in two days , eight hundred and fifty eggs of the Common Gull
and Common Tern were collected on K in revock and a neigh
bour ing i slet . By far the greater number were those of the
gull,as i t was early in the season .
In A Fauna of Argyll , p . 186 , the authors wr ite
In Islay,Terns have taken p r inc i pally to the fresh -water
lochs hav ing deserted the shore - l ine greatly , owing to perse
cution ,as we a re cred ibly informed .
”At p resent it i s
hardly as bad as th is,as there are numerous small nesting
colon ies on the smaller rocks .
ARCT IC TERN (S. ma crura ) .—It i s p ract ica lly imposs ible tod ist ingui sh thi s spec ies f rom the foregoing while they are on
the wing,but I have f requently seen the Arctic Tern at rest
on the rocks . I have never observed more than seven together
and thi s number were resting at Knockangle ,on 26th August
thi s year . They are not anything l ike so numerous as the
Common Tern in Islay . I have not managed to locate any of
thei r nesting - places.
BLACK -HEADED GULL (Larus r id ib andus) .—Common .
T hompson N.H. of I.,III .
,p . 334) remarked la rge flocks
of them about Loch- in -daa l in January,1849. It breeds
spar ingly in Loch Gorm.
30 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
COMMON GULL (L. canus) .—This is the most numerous Gul lin Islay . Hundreds of them gather together in July
,August ,
and the winter months . They nest on several of the i slets on
the coast,and p robably by the s ide of some f resh -water lochs
,
where I have seen very young bi rds . Thompson (ibid ,p . 354)
says he vi sited what is apparently one of thei r finest
breed ing haunts on the Br iti sh coast . This was on Kinre
vock,mentioned under Common Tern above.
HERR ING GULL (L. a rgen ta tus) .—Common and generally d is
tr ibuted . It nests on the c l iff s to the south Of the O a .
LE S S ER BLACK-BACKED GULL (L. fuscus) . —Not so numerous
as the foregoing,but met with all round the i sland . It nested .
and p robably st i ll nests,in Loch Gorm. I have seen very
young bi rds on Leor in Lochs , by the side of which I believe
the parents must nest . Dur ing th i s season the Lesser Black
backs were less numerous than usual .
GREATER BLACK-BACKED GULL (L. mar inus) .—Nests on the
stacks at the O a . It i s by no means a numerous spec ies , but i s
fai rly well d istr ibuted over the coast .
KITT I WAKE (Rissa tr ida ctyla ) .—A d istinctly scarce spec ies
in Islay. O ne or two occasionally follow the steamer into Port
E llen . The only other occur rences I have noted are of one
seen at Kintra, on 12th July , 1907 , and another seen at Slochd
Mhaol-Dora idh , on 8th July thi s year .
IVORY GULL (Pagophila eburn ea ) .—G ray records one
Obtained in Islay in February,1867 .
RICHARDS O N ’ S SKUA (Ster cora r ius crepida tus) .—I had the
pleasure of seeing th i s spec ies for the first t ime in company
with Mr . J. Paterson , near Knockangle, on 1 1th July this
year . It was a dark - coloured bi rd . O n the 28th of the month
I saw another bi rd south of Knockangle. This one had the
cheek , neck , and underparts d ingy white. O n inqui r ing at
Port E llen , I found the bi rd was known to the fishermen,who
have a Gael ic name for it ,the nearest render ing of which , in
Engli sh,i s the squeez er . ” F rom the description
,I believe
the bi rd they are acquainted with i s thi s spec ies.
32 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
RED-THRO ATED DIVER (C . septen tr ion alis) .—Nests in a
number of fresh-water lochs in K ildalton . Mr . MacLeod and I
watched one for some time in Leor in Loch When it rose f rom
the loch it uttered a harsh kara-kara . It flew up in a
sp i ral , call ing all the time,and when at a suffic ient height
made straight in the di rection of Laggan Bay . It i s f re
quently seen in the waters off K ildalton and the O a dur ing
winter,and six were observed in Port E llen Bay on 2nd
January,1908.
LITTLE GREB E (Podi cipesfluvia tilis) .—Said to be a common
breeding spec ies , but I have on ly seen it on th ree occasions
one at Loch ah -t—Sa ilein ,on 3l st December
,1909; a pai r on
the same loch,on 5th January , 1910 ; a pai r on Clagga in Bay ,
on 2nd August this year .
STORM PETREL (Procella r ia pelag ica ) . —Dur ing a severe
storm,with the wind from the south - east
, one was d r iven on
the sands at Kilnaughton Bay , and brought to me al ive . In
the same storm that delayed the G rey Phalaropes , many Storm
Petrels sought shelter in Loch indaal Vol. I.,
p .
Note .
Greenland W heatear (Sax icola wnantke leucorrhoa ) on
St. Andrew’s Day at Fossil.—Mr William R ennie writes
that on 30th November, 1913, he saw a G reenland Wheatear at
Possil Marsh . This is a doubly interesting event—this largeform just beginning to get the notice it deserves locally and the
date being quite notably late even for that race . We see in the
British O rnithologists ’ Union’s Report, not iced above, the latest
occurrences in 1911 were on three dates in November, the latest
on the 18th . In the R eport on O rnithology in Scotland, in 1912again, the latest date is 14th O ctober, at Fair Isle .
( the G lasgow MaturalistThe Journal of the NATURAL HISTO RY SO CIETY
O F G LASGO W
VO LVI No. [February, 1914.
O n some Mosses from the W est Highlands, & c.
By JAMES STIRTO N,M .D.
[R ead 27th January,
SINCE recording in the Scotti sh Botanica l Rev i ew for
Ap r i l , 1912, the finding of Leucobryum pumilum near
G a i r loch , I have succeeded in finding,amongst my rather
bulky collections of thi s moss , some spec imens of L . a lbidum
from O rkney , near Loch B ar r ay . I am gratified at
this d iscovery , more espec i ally as all the three spec ies hitherto
reckoned l ikely to be found in Europe are n at ives of the Br iti sh
Islands .
In thi s collection extending over many years , were also
found two tufts , on a l arger sca le than usual , where the stems
var ied in length from 1% to 3 inches . The more interest ing
of the two was f rom Loch Tay , nea r Kill in . Notes of an
examinat ion of this , taken a short t ime after gather ing it ,have reminded me of a pecul iar ity such as I had never
prev iously observed in any spec ies of th is cur ious and interest
ing genus . After mak ing thin c ross- sections of the leaves , I
happened to have pressed - the microscope down inadvertently
on the cover ; thereafter I saw , i ssuing through the pores of
'the larger quadrate cells of the so-ca lled broad nerve , numerous
globular , hyal ine cells not much less in diameter than the pores
themselves , which extend nearly - continuously throughout the
larger or middle quadr ate cell s . Such cell s var ied in si z e
0
34 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
from ‘
0 16 to ‘
O 25 mm . across , and had perfectly homogeneous ,non granular contents . These contents were very probably
gelati'
noi d , from the appearances presented in two instances
where the rather thick hyal ine cell W all had been ruptured .
E leven years thereafter th in sections of the leaves of the same
stem were again made,when no such cells were detected , but
merely i r regularly shaped , almost shr ivelled -up bodies , con
tain ing numerous very minute cells , each showing a br ight
lustrous point . As i s well known , such minute cells genera lly
constitute the first p art of germination of spores, &c . IS it
poss ible that such hyaline cells act the p art of spores , or
r ather of propagula'
.l If so , the first act of germination had
been c learly arrested from want of moisture , &c ., in the
herbar ium . This moss i s nearly related to L . a lbidum, i f not
i dentical with it . I shall certainly make another attempt to
arr ive at a definite conclusion concerning its i dentity . As i s
well known , L . glaucum i s nearly as common as any moss on
our hills and vall ies , and yet it very seldom produces fruit .
1 have only met with it ferti le in one instance , viz . , on Ben
Lawers .
As it i s not likely that I shall make further researches in
the di rection indicated above , I have thought it r ight to state
honestly and without reserve what I saw , more espec i ally as
such a mode of propagation ( i f it be so) amongst the many
and var ied kinds presented by mosses has not hitherto come
under my observation .
The Rev . John Fergusson on one occasion wrote to me with
reference to his di sc r imination of two mosses found by himself ,viz . ,
Andr easa obova ta (Thed . ) and Gr immia robusta
His determin ation had been challenged by others ; and the first
of the mosses in question had been refer red to Andr ema a lpina ,
as merely a stunted form ; while the second had been referred
to Gr immia Schultz i l, as merely a var iety . Thi s deci si on
happened to tell rather heav i ly on h im, unti l he was reminded
of the fate attending Wilson ’ s later determinations, viz . ,
that
5 out of 12 mosses had shared the same or a worse fate
than his.
36 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Prosen , not many miles distant from where we were . F rom
thi s time commenced a long intercourse with him,which
extended to within a few years of his death . A more
courageous and enthus i astic botanist I have never met,nor
a more trustworthy fr iend .
As Fergusson there and then exp ressed a wish to commence
the study of mosses, I soon put into hi s hands , in such a
region , more than 30 spec ies . From G len Callater he sent
me from time to time several r are and valuable spec ies ; and
amongst them was one collected there in 1868,bear ing , on
the bit of newsp aper which enclosed it, the name Andreasa
obova ta It i s on this moss,and another collected
by myself near the summit of Ben Nev is in 1864, that I wish
to make some remarks ; and at this stage I am again tempted
to tell the cur ious c i rcumstances attending the finding of the
second of these Andrewaz , v iz .,A . a lpina var . compa cta
(Hook ) .
My chief obj ect in Vi siting Ben Nev is was to secure A.
n iva lis Hav ing got this i n consider able abundance ,I turned and renewed my search for other mosses , but was
soon inter rupted by the approach of a party , who were
ev i dently under the gui dance of an old man . The p arty
settled not far from me, but the gui de soon detached himself
from his charge , and walked slowly and hesitatingly in my
di rection . I continued my researches , while he sti ll watched
me ; and on my plumping down to examine another Andr ema ,
he approached and said , Aye, you have got it, I see .
”
Got what ? I asked . O h ! the wee plantie got there by
Mr . Hooker and Mr . Bore , saxty years back , when I was with
them—the plantie they were so prood A Mr . Bore ,”
I said ; was not h is name Borrer ‘
! Na , n a ! just Bore ,he hadna sic a tai l to his name as that .
” I did not con
trovert h im ,but gave him a dram and left . O n my return
to the hotel I was told that he was nearly 80 years Old , and
that he came from G len Isla , where no G ael ic had been spoken
for centur ies . I have no doubt the gentleman in question
was Mr . Borrer , the l ichenologi st , and that the other was
STIRTO N.—MO SSES FRO M THE W EST HIGHLANDS
,Arc. 37
Sir Will iam Hooker , then or afterwards Professor of Botany
in the Un ivers ity of G lasgow.
Besides A. a lpina var . compa cta from Ben Nev is , I
possess two spec imens of A . obova ta from Sneehattan ,
in Norway—the one from the base , and the other from a
considerable height up the mountain . Now, these two bear a
close resemblance to the spec imen from Ben Nev i s , as well as
to Fergusson’
s plant . Those from Prof . Z etterstedt are
identical in appearance with the Scotti sh plant , more espec ial ly
in the cur i ous rope- l ike aspect of the stems , closely clasped
by the minute , hollow leaves . Again,so far as I have ascer
ta ined, one half of the stems in Fergusson’
s moss have leaves
with either no ser ratures on the lower margin ( just as inA . obova ta ) , or so faint as merely to show as very sl ight
undulat ions ; whi le in such cases the upper margin i s near ly
str aight , although slightly shorter , as a rule , than in the
Norwegi an moss . Lastly,the upper cells of the leaf are
certainly var i able throughout the three mosses , and the out
l ines O f these cells are also i r r egular throughout ; but
Fergusson’
s moss , with enti re marg ins below ,has the upper
cells also with i r regularly O utl ined walls , a lmost of the same
length , although somewhat th inner than in the Norwegi an
pl ant .
I infer from all these c i rcumstances that Fergusson’
s
Andrema from G len Callater has closer a ffiniti es to A. obova ta
than to A. a lpina , and i s very p robably merging gradually
into the latter .
Gr immia r obusta (Ferg . ) has by some been refer red to G .
Schultz ’li (Sch ) as a mere var i ety , but differ s i n the cells of
the leaves in the upper thi r d , or even in the upper hal f, of
the stem , being inter ruptedly bistratose throughout thei r
enti re extent,even to the point of attachment to the stem ;
while in G . Schultz ii only one or , occasi on ally , two couples of
marginal cells in the same region are bi stratose . It also
differs in the areolation throughout the leaf being only
sl ightly sinuose just above the basa l elongated cells , in many
instances scarcely any sinuosit ies being seen at all ; while ,
38 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
in the other,the cells in p art of the lower and whole of the
middle third of the leaf are more or less sinuose, and this
sinuosity is not infrequently to be seen far up towards the
apex . A thi rd point of d ifference consi sts in the ha i r at apex
being only very sl ightly sp inulose, with the Sp ines mostly
attached ; while the corresponding hai r in G'. Schultz ii i s much
longer , as well as stronger , with the sp ines closely arr anged
and nearly al l f ree . The yellow colour of the leaf in lowest
fourth in G’ . robusta i s a lso char acter i stic , even although in
a small p roportion of instances it i s scarcely perceptible .
Accordingly , I consider Gr . robusta (Ferg . ) to be a well
defined spec i es . This moss i s plenti ful in the more western
p arts of Scotland , as well as in the Western Islands .
In rather close assoc iat ion with B ryum elegan tulum,
descr ibed in the number of the Scotti sh Botanical Rev i ew
for Apr il,1912, I have detected in my gather ings at G a i r loch
a tuft of another minute Bryum,perhaps the most minute of
all . These minute mosses are now five in number , and con
stitute a well-defined group , secured at var ious t imes and in
as var ied local ities . They are as follows
1st . Bryum Stir ton i ba rba tum This
i s first in s ize as well as in p r ior ity of gather ing , hav ing been
obtained 50 year s ago.
2nd . B . lepta leum Annals of Scot . Nat . Hi st . , 1903 .
3rd . B . ten err imum Annals of Scot . Nat . Hist . ,
1907 .
4th . B . elegan tulum Scot . Bot . Rev iew,
’
1912 .
5th . B . perpusillum Scot . Bot . Rev iew,1912 .
As I may have another opportunity of trac ing more closely
the relationships of these m inute speci es of Bryum to one
another , I shall content myself meanwhile by descr ibing the
most delicate of the group .
BRYUM PERPUSILLUM .
—In dense , nearly flat tufts, of a dark
or di rty blui sh colour above, brown below ; stems’
slender,
fragi le (about 1 5 mm . thick) , s imple or div i ded in upper
thi rd , from hal f-an- inch to one inch long ; leaves very minute ,about ‘
8mm . in length , laxly disposed in lower part of stem ,
40 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Fourteen species have been recorded as British (Harding,O f these, one, the Medic inal Leech (Hirudo medicina lvs,
is sa id to be now ex tinct.The Clyde Area List (Scott E lliott, Laurie and Murdoch, 1901,
page names two Leeches,in the section on Marine Worms,
edited by Dr. J . F . G emmill. These are the Skate Leech
(Pontobalella murica ta , and another referred to as (l) Piscicolamar ina
,taken in Loch G oil, 24-40 fms.
,by the S. Y. Medusa.
”
Under th is name Johnston ( 1845) described a leech parasitic on
the fish Aspialophorus ca taphractus from the coast of Northumber
land . Harding ( 1910 , page 138) refers Johnston’s species,
provi sionally, to Trachelobdella lubrica , G rube.Classification (after Harding,
O RDER HIRUD INEA.
Sub-O rder I . Snouted Leeches (Rhynchobdellae) , withcolourless blood, with protrusible proboscis, without j aws , marine
and fresh-water.
Fam. 1 .—“ F ish Leeches (Ichthyobdellidae), with body
divided into a “ neck ” and an “ abdomen both suckers
permanent, cup-shaped or disc- like .
Fam. 2 . Siphoned Tongue-Leeches (Glossosiphonidae) ,with body tongue -like
,flattened ; anterior sucker, only
slightly,if at all, differentiated from the rest of the body .
Sub- O rder I I .-“ Snoutless Leeches (Arhynchobdellae) , with
red blood,without protrusible proboscis, generally with j aws ;
anterior sucker not distinct from the body ; fresh—water andterrestrial.
Ea rn . 1 —“J awed Leeches (Gnathobdellidae) , with j aws,as a rule finely toothed
,and with usually five pairs of eyes.
F am. 2 . Serpent- like Leeches (Herpobdellidae) , with
out j aws with four pairs of eyes arranged in two transverse
rows.
In these notes only the more obvious ex ternal features are
considered, but in the work of identification use has been made
of the details of ex ternal segmentation and of the form and
arrangement of internal organs. An account of these details,
KING .—SOME LEECHES O F THE G LASGOW DISTR ICT 41
with figures, will be found in Harding loc . cit. Identifica tion
should be ca rried out if possible while the specimens are alive .
L ist of the Spec ies referred to below
RHYNCHO BDELLAE .
Ichthyobdellidae
(2) Tra chelobdella Sp.
Pon tobdella mur ica ta (L . )
G lossosiphonidae
Protoclepsis tessella ta (O . F . Miiller . )Glossosiphon ia complana ta (L . )Heloba’ella stagna lis (L . )
ARHYNCHO BDELLAE .
G nathobdellidae
Haemopis sanguisuga (L. )Herpobdellidae
Herpobdella octocula ta (L. )
ICHTHYO BDELL1DAE .
Trachelobdella so. (See Not e a t end of paper, p .
Three preserved specimens of a small marine leech found on
the skin of the Spur Dogfish (Acan thia s vulga ris) were sent tothe writer by Mr . R . Elmhirst
,Superin tendent of the Millport
Biological Station . The largest i s about 15 mm . in length,the
others about 10 mm. each . The body is vermif orm and two
suckers are present . The anterior sucker is expanded , disc - lik e
and thin . Its diameter is approximately 15 mm . in the largest
Specimen . The poste rior sucker is also discoidal but larger,approx imately 2 mm . in di ameter in its prese nt state of partial
contrac tion .
Pontobdella muricata (L.)=Hirudo murica ta , Linnaeus, 17 54.
P . murica ta,de Blainville
,1818 etc .
The common marine leech of the C lyde A rea,found as a
parasite upon the body of various species of Skate (B a ia
locally known as the “ Skate Leech ” or “ Sucker . Its egg
capsules, of which dried spec imens are exhibited, are attached in
42 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
groups‘
by separate stalks to stones,pieces of coal shells, Are.
They are so brought up by the dredge from stony ground in the
neighbourhood of the Millport Station , at depths of from 5 to 15
fathoms or more . Each capsule, when dried, has the size and
appearance of a dried c love .
In the case of several specimens of this leech in captivity at
Millport during the past Summer, the method of attack in
feeding upon a Skate, was Observed . D irectly the Skate,placed
in a tank in which the leeches were resting attached to the walls,brushed against a leech , the animal planted i ts anterior sucker
rapidly on the skin of the fish , let go its hold of the tank with
its posterior sucker, curled its body into a coil, leaving the
posterior sucker free, and was carried along by the Skate . It
must have inserted its proboscis at once, as the Skate showed
signs of discomfort and dashed excitedly about the tank .
G LO SSO SIPHO NIDAE .
1. With four pairs of eyes . (G enus Protoclepsis,Livanow,
1902)
Protoclepsis tessellata (O . F . Muller . )Hirudo tessula ta , O . F . M iiller, 1774.
Nephelv'
s tessela ta , Savigny, 1822, etc .
Clepsine tessula ta , Fr . Muller, 1844.
Glossiphon ia tessella ta , Moquin-Tandon,1846 .
Hirudo vitr ina—the G lassy Leech,Dalyell, 1853.
Hemiclepsis tessella ta , Vejdovsky, 1883 ; e tc .
Three specimens of this interesting leech were found by thewriter
,on 30th May last, on the under side of a stone near the
mouth of the outflow channel from Possil Loch to the canal
They were large gelatinous- looking leeches,translucent
,greyish
green . Two of them wereflecked W ith black pigment the third,
more flattened and leaf- like in form,was almost devoid of this
pigment,and almost transparent . The length of the specimens,
when moderately contracted, was approx imately 20 mm. ; and
the width about 4 mm.
Papillae,visible by reflected light, occu
'
rred dorsally on the first
ring of each somite or complete segment (here consisting of three
44 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
3 . With one pair of eyes . Body smooth . (G enus
Helobdella , R . Blanchard,
Helobdella stagnalis (L. )=Hirudo stagn alis, Linnaeus, 1758, Dalyell, 1853, etc .
Clepsine biocula ta , Savigny, 1822.
Helobdella stagna lis, R . Blanchard, 1896 ; etc .
A small,almost transparent, and very active leech found by
the writer in an aquarium containing weeds from Fossil Marsh,
and also from Anniesland . The locality is therefore uncertain
as between these two grounds . The single specimen,of which a
c leared preparation is exhibited, shows distinctly the small,rounded
,brown horny plate in the dorsal middle line between
rings 12 and 13.
The length of the specimen, moderately extended . was 13 mm.,
and the greatest width about 2 mm . When alive it swam and
crawled acti vely,and was palefleshy-brown in colour, finely
speckled With black . It is said to be parasitic,mainly upon
water -snails and Chironomus larvae . Lymnea trun ca tulus and
bloodworms were both present in the tank in which it was found .
G NATHOBDELL IDAE .
Haemopis sanguisuga (L . )Horseleech , Mouffet, 1634, etc .
Hirudo sanguisuga , Linnaeus, 176 1 , Dalyell, 1853, etc.
—Aula stoma n igrescen s, Moquin-Tandon, 1826.
Aulostomum gulo, Diesing, 1850 ; etc .
This is the SO -called Horse-Leech of several authors. It is
carnivorous . not parasitic , and feeds upon Earthworms, which it
cats and does not merely suck , as” the write r has Observed on
several occasions . It is also said to eat Molluscs, aquatic larvae,tadpoles
,and small fish and frogs. It is almost of the size Of the
Medicinal Leech (Hirudo medicin a lis, which it resembles in
general form,and in being usually of a dark green hue above ;
but it is without the characteristic brown , orange, and black
pattern -marking of that animal . The ventral surface is usually
green or greenish grey, with black specks and streaks . This
leech is common amongst the mud of small streams running out
KING .—~SOME LEECHES O F THE G LASGOW DISTR ICT. 45
of the marsh at Possil, and has also been found at Anniesland .
In captivity it shows a great tendency to leave the water in
in which it is confined,and to efl'ect its escape. or, if this is
prevented,to attach itself to the sides of the vessel at or above
the surface of the water.
HERPO BDELLIDAE .
Herpobdella octoculata (L . )- Hiru0lo octocula ta
,Linnaeus ( in part) , 1761 .
Nephelis vulgar is, Moquin -Tandon ( in part) , 1826,and many other authors .
Herpobdella octoculata,R . Blanchard, 1894 ; etc .
This leech is common in Possil Marsh amongst the sheath
leaves of bulrushes . It is ribbon -like in form,usually reddish
brown, or pink when young, and about 20 to 25 mm. long in thespecimens examined by the writer. In May
,its flatt ened horny
cocoons, containing usually 2 to 3 eggs each , are found attached
to the submerged sheath leaves,particularly the dead leav es of
bulrushes around the margin of the loch or in the outflow
channels.
Specimens kept in captivity were supplied with small aquaticworms (Tubifex) , and also with insect larvae, and with pondsnails . The process Of feeding was not observed .
Up to the present, then without any systematic search having
been made for leeches in this district, Six , possibly seven . of the
thirteen known British Spec ies,have been found to occur around
G lasgow or in the Clyde Sea Area. It is possible that most of the
remainderwill be discovered if proper attention is given to the study
of this group . Identification is not difficul t owing to the complete
ness of description and of illust ration afforded by the paper Of
Harding,to which the writer is largely indebted for the possibility
of supplying these notes .
A convenient pocket -book of leeches, written in G erman, is“ D ie Siisswasserfauna Deutschlands of Dr. Brauer, Heft 13 .
O ligochaeta 11nd Hirudinea,” by Dr . L . Johansson (F ischer,
Jena,
46 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
NOTE O N (2) Trachelobdclla sp.
Two living leeches taken from the sides of a Cod have been
sent to me (January from Millport,by Mr. Elmhirst.
There is l ittle doubt that they belong to the same Species as the
preserved Specimens mentioned above (p . A brief descriptionis as follows —Body vermiform
,tapering gradually towards the
front. Colour, whitish with a pale fleshy tinge due to flecks of
orange pigment. Some of this pigment is superficial, as in the
suckers , some apparently situated in the tissues surrounding the
gut, and most markedlydeveloped in the clitellum. The appearance
to the naked eye, agrees with Dalyell’s ( 1853)
“ supposed ” Hirudo
vitta ta , in his Pl. I . fig. 21 . Length—ex tended , 26 mm.
contracted, 15 mm. Breadth—0 5 mm. to 0 8 mm. Suckers
occur at both ends . The posterior is discoidal diameter 2 mm .
The anterior is discoidal when attached ; diameter, 1 5 mm.
when free,has its lateral margins approx imated so as to enclose
ventrally a longitudinal groove. Paired lateral vesicles proj ect
in the hinder half of the body . The male genital opening,with
ex sertile penis, occurs in the clitellum, and at a distance of 5 to6 mm. from the anterior end . N0 eyes are present
In general the specimens agree with the O Iagnosis of
Tra chelobdella , Diesing, as condensed by Harding ( 1910 , p .
but as they do not agree in colour and markings wi th
the description (loc. cit. ) of the species T. lubr ica , G rube,I record them here, provisionally, as (l) Trachelobolclla sp. They
are possibly young individuals .
LITERATURE .
HARD ING,W .A . ,
1910
“ A R evision of the British Leeches,Pa ra sitology, Vol. III . , NO . 2, July 14, 1910, pp . 130-201,
Pll. XIII-XV.
SCOTT ELLI OTT, G . F. ,LAUR IE, M . , and MURDOCH, J . BARCLAY,
190 1
Fauna, Flora and G eology of the Clyde Area, G lasgow
,
Published by the Local Committee of the British
Association .
48 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
The following Hepaticse were also gathered in the same
district, and are new records for Vice-County 87 . The numbers
are those of the Census Ca ta logue of Br itish Hepa tics, 1913.
11 . Riccia sorocarpa Bisch .
1 1 1 . Lophoz ia bicren a ta (Schmid ) Dum.
152. Harpan thus scuta tus (W. (St M .) Spruce.250 . Madotheca Thuja (Dicks ) Dum .
—This Hepatic is veryrarely found inland .
274. Frullan ia f ragilif olia Tayl .
Kilkerran and its Trees .
By JO HN R ENWICK .
[Read 25th November,
KILKERRAN,an estate belonging to Major-G eneral Sir Charles
Fergusson, Bart .,
is situated in the valley of the R iver
G irvan . and in the parish of Dailly, Ayrshire .
The name commemora tes St. C iaran , who lived in the seventh
century. Chalmers states that the parish was anciently called
Dalmakeran [the field of the dea r Kieran], or Dalmaolkeran [thefield of the tonsured Kieran].The Old tower of Kilkerran had been, say s Paterson in the
History of Ayrsh ire, a place of great strength at one time. It
stood on the margin of a deep ravine among the hills.The modern mansion occupies the site of the strong-house of
Barmaclanachan or Barclanachan The old part was built about
1650 , an addition in 1800,and the third part in 1870 . About
1686,when Abercrombie wrote
,it was surrounded by a thick
wood . He says : “ Upon the south side [of the valley], and atsome distance from the river, stands the house of Barclanachan,with its gardens and orchards, all which are surrounded by a
wood. All the water from this downward, till near Daillie,being so covered with wood that it looks like a forest .
”
Water ” here means the ground on the side of the river. In
RENW ICK .—K ILKERRAN AND ITS TREES . 49
the Border ballad of “ Jamie Telfer, the bauld Buccleuch gave
orders to “ warn the water , braid and wide”: that is, to alarm
those who lived along its side.
The writer of the Statistical Account of the parish
states “ It is computed that acres are under wood, natural
or planted . The trees planted are generally oak,ash
,plane
[sycamore], and elm, with such proportion of Scotch, larch , and
spruce firs,as fills the ground for an early crop . The indigenous
trees are chiefly oak,ash , and birch .
” Mr . James Maxwell, the
overseer and forester on the estate, to whom I am much indebted
for information and for attention on my visits, writes“ During
the last eighteen years about one million and a -half of trees havebeen planted in Kilkerran
,about the half of them larch . O f
late years we have not planted as many larch as formerly. O n
27th April, 1903, there was a very severe frost which injured
the ’ young larch trees badly, more especially in damp ground,where there was too much moisture hanging on the foliage . As
all the side branches were frosted many of the trees died . After
ten years some are just beginning to recuperate . The hardwoods
planted were mostly oak, ash, sycamore, elm,and beech ; with
Scots fir and spruce of diff erent kinds suited to the various soils .
W e planted about Sitka spruce last season . It is a
quick -growing tree,but grows rather rough in the side branches
when not checked .
Proceeding now to deal with some of the more notable trees,
we observe that near Mr . Maxwell ’s house, which bears a name
familiar to G lasgow people—Buglen—are two fair- sized G rey
Poplars (Populus canescens Sm.) Lower down the road is a
somewhat dilapidated Silver Fir (Abies pectina ta Mr.
Maxwell states that it was frosted about the middle of June,1911
,
and again on 14th June , 1912, and that it will hardly recover, as
the side branches are nearly all dead . O n the Opposite side ofthe road is a Noble Silver Fir (Abies nobilis Lindley) , which wasblown down in December, 1909, but was raised and is growing
well : its height is now 60 feet . Within the policies is an Ash
tree which has always had a diff eren t appearance from the
Common Ash . It has pale yellowish foliage and yellowish twigs.Part of the stem near the ground has been broken , and much of
of the bark eaten by rabbits . Prof. A . Henry,Dublin
,to whom
D
50 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
I sent a Specimen,replied that it looked like Francinn s excelsior
L. var. aurea , the G olden -edged A sh . There is,I think , a
specimen in the Queen’s Park , G lasgow .
Near the foot of the road to the garden is a fine English Elm
(Ulmus campestr is with a bole of 32 feet a girth in July of
this year of 10 feet 64 inches ; and a height in 1904 of 75 feet.Close to i t is a large Elder or Boortree (Sambucus n igra L . )which rises to a height of 35 feet. I t divides at 6 inches from
the ground into two stems the thickest one has a girth of 3 feet6 inches a t 3 feet up, and 1 foot 11% inches at 5 feet. Not far
from this is a Douglas F ir (Pseudotsuga Douglasi i Carriere) ;girth last July
,1 1 feet 73£ inch height in 1899, according to Mr.
Maxwell,102 feet .
*
A Noble Silver Fir here had a girth in 1909 of 3 feet 1% inchesa t 5 feet up. In this neighbourhood
,on the side of the garden
walk , is a remarkably fine A lder (Alnus glutinosa G aertner) ,7 feet 10 inches in girth last September ; bole, 16 feet ; height in
1899, 74 feet.
Entering the ex tensive park called the “ pleasure ground,a
small enclosure recently planted may be noticed . It marks the
site of a very large Beech tree which was blown down in O ctober,1909. We measured this Beech in April , 1909, when it had the
great Spread of 120 feet in one way, and 1 16 feet at about right
angles thereto,and a girth of 21 feet at the narrowest part of
the short bole of 5 feet . In 1904 we made its height to be 68
feet. Mr. Maxwell states that when it was cut up there were
fully forty tons of wood in it, most of which went to the chemical
works . From the rings of growth, he estimated that it would be
about 220 years old . The average annual rate of girth increase
would thus be inch—a very high rate for the whole life,and
undoubtedly largely accounted for by the fact that the short
trunk included both the swell of the branches and that of the
roots.A Beech tree near the house was cut down in 1909. It had a
long bole of 32 feet,with a girth of 12 feet 1 14, inches at 5 feet
up, quite free from the swel l of the root. The age was about
200 years,the average increase in girth being thus, 78 inch
annually . Loudon,in Vol. III .
,p . 1979, of his Arboretum et
For any height given as in 1899, I am indebted to Mr. Maxwell.
52 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
(Carpinus Betulus It girths 1 1 feet 7 inches at 4 feet,the
narrowest part of a short bole of 7 feet. I t has a great spread
of foliage, no less than 96 feet, and a height of 60 feet. With
th e exception of one at Eglinton Castle, Ayrshire, which divides
into three stems at 1 foot from the ground, and girths 15 feet
6 inches straight round , or 14 feet 3 inches at the narrowest
on an irregular line, this is the largest Hornbeam we know in the
Clyde area. The next is a t Househi ll,R enfrewshire ; girth ,
10 feet at the narrowest part of the hole of 5 feet,with a spread
of 72 feet in 1903.
There are a number of young E lms in the park, one of which ,according to Prof. Henry , is Ulmus m
’
iens,Moench, the smooth
leaved Elm ; and another, with a height of 65 feet is U. m'
tens
var str icta , A iton , “ so far as the foliage goes . ” He wrote“ I t should be rather a narrow tree,
” which is quite correct.
U. n iten s of Moench is the same as U. glabra of Miller, of Smith,and of Loudon ; while var . stricta of A iton is the Cornish Elm
,
which Loudon calls a variety of U. campestr is L . Dr. Henry,
from ten lot s of seeds sent to h im from different localities in
Cornwall, raised in 1909 thirty-eight seedlings,all of which bore
opposite leaves . The plants, two or three years later, were all
uniform in appearance ; and, he says, in all probability the
Cornish Elm is a pure species . He states that U. n itens is
unknown in Scotland except as a planted tree ; while Mr. E lwes
writes : “ In Scotland I have not noticed any large tree of this
species, but Mr . R enwick measured a tree at Loudoun Castle
107 feet by 15 feet 4 This tree is now 15 feet 7 inches,with a height of 1 12 feet ; and near it is another, 15 feet
45 inches by 108 feet ; while one blown down in the winter ofwas 16 feet 4 inches by 104 feet.
Near Kilkerran House are several Wellingtonias (Sequoia
gigantea Decaisne) , one of wh ich is 90 feet high , with a girth of
9 feet 6% inches ; while another is 85 feet high , girth 14 feet5 inches, both at 5 feet up A very fine Horse Chestnut
(E sculus Hippocastanum L . ) behind the house has a girth of
14 feet 5 inches at 5 feet up, a bole of 22 feet, and a height in
1899 of 84 feet. O ther large trees of this species in Ayrshire
See Elwes and Henry,Trees of Grea t Br ita in and Irela nd,
VII . 1887 , et seq .
RENW ICK .—K ILKERRAN AND ITS TREES . 53
are : at St. Quivox ,14 feet 10 inches ; hole, 12 feet ; sprea d
100 feet a t Loudoun Castle,14 feet 55 inches ; hole,
4 feet ; height, 60 feet A litt le further from the house
is a splendid Sweet Chestnut (Ca stanea sa liva Miller) girth in1913 14 feet 9 inches at 5 feet ; bole, 36 feet ; height in 1899,7 6 fee t . It increased in gir th , between September, 1904, and
April,1900
,a t the average rate of 11 9 inch yearly, and from
April,1909, to July , 1913, at the rate of inch yearly . A
Sweet Chestnut below the Lady Chapel increased during the same
periods at the rates of 8 7 and 88 of an inch, and has now a
gir th of 13 feet 15inches at 5 feet ; bole, 25 feet height in 1899,78 feet . A Scots Pine (Pinus syivestr is on the opposite side
of the walk from the larger Sweet Chestnut, has a girth ( 1913) of
12 feet a t 5 feet ; bole, 38 feet ; height in 1899, 87 feet .
O n the slope of a hil l in the back wood , or Cockston Wood , is
a very fine Silver Fir, which Mr . Maxwell considers is the largest
on the estate, so far as the girth i s concerned, though not the
tallest. W e made it to be 95 feet hi gh girth at 5 feet,14 feet
1 15 inches .In the Chapel Wood
,to the Eas t of the house
,are a number
of Cedars, Spruce s, (Ste . Two Sitka Spruces (Picea sitchensis
Carriers) measure 10 feet 1 inch and 9 feet 4 in ches respectively
at 5 feet. An O ak (Quercus Robur L . ) here has a girth of
10 feet 85 inches at 5 feet . An Araucar ia at the back of the
garden was broken through the middle by a storm on 22nd
December, 1894. Three small tops came up in the following
year . Two were cut off . The tree has since made good growth
and is now very shapely. At the other,or North
,side of the
garden a large Copper Beech (Ferg us sylva tica L . var . cupr ea ) has
a girth ( 1913) of 13 feet 25 inches at 3 feet, the bole being only5 feet. In 1909Mr . Maxwell found the diamete r of the head to
be 7 35 feet. Nea r it are a number of Turkey O aks (Quercus
Cerr is one of the largest hav ing a girth of 7 feet 6 inches
with a hole of 23 feet . The most beautiful part of theestate is the Lady G len, a romantic ravine which the Shiel Burn
has,in the course of ages worn out of the sandstones
,shales
, &c .
The characte ristic tree is the Silver Fir,towering far overhead .
Two of them were found by Mr. Maxwell in 1899 to rise to a
height of 1 12 feet and 126 feet. They have now the girths of
54 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
13 feet 5 inch, and 12 feet 35 inches respectively ; while othertwo are larger, being 13 feet 85 inches and 14 feet 75 inches .
This glen gets its name from the circumstance that in it there was
a Chapel dedicated to “ O ur Lady ”
; hence also the name of
the Chapel Wood . Trees,
flowers,ferns
,and mosses make it a
desirable resort in the leafy summer months.
Notes .
Invasion O f W ood-Pigeons (Columba pa lumbus) . -An
interesting note by the Duchess of Bedford on a remarkable
irruption of Wood-Pigeons in Kirkcudbrightshire in the first
days of November appears in the December ( 1913) number of theScottish Na tura list. Mr . W m . R ennie having observed larger
numbers of this species about Possil in November than on any
previous occasion,saw Mr . Aitkenhead, of Lochfaulds Farm,
in
that neighbourhood,regarding h is experience this winter, and
was informed by him that about the third week of November
he noticed an unusual number about on his field , and in others
round about. The numbers quickly increased till there were
thousands about,and provided excellent sport for many gunners
in the district, who kept them going from one farm land to
another. By the 7th of December there were few about that
neighbourhood . Mr. Aitkenhead has never witnessed anything
like this irruption in his thirty -five years ’ experience . The
fields the birds seeme d most partial to were those that had been
potato fields and are now sown with wheat . In the Glasgow
E ven ing Citiz en of 20th December appeared a note on this
subj ec t from who some weeks earlier had'
seen
myriads on a field near Ardencaple Castle , Helensburgh , and later
considerable numbers at O ld Kilpatrick .
Podosphaera myrtillina (Schub ) Kunze . -In a former
communication to the Soc iety , I refer red to the occur rence of
th i s fungus in local ities within the Areas of Moray , Forth ,and Solway , and suggested the probabi lity of its future dis
covery in the wooded distr ict around Loch Lomond .
* This
surmi se has proved correct , and I am now glad to be able to
GlasgowNa tura list, IV. , 86.
56 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
coast of Britain ,and of this some interesting details are given .
The birds began to appear in great numbers in the Pentland
Firth early in November,1911
,and before the end of that mon th
the firs t stragglers in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire were reported .
Early in December they began to be driven south,considerable
numbers arriving between Scarborough and Filey during the
latter part of December. G ales on the 8th and 15th of January
drove many hundreds ashore,but few were reported from
Scottish localities after the end of that month . February opened
with a fierce blizzard on the l st and 2nd,which swept “ enor
mous numbers ” on to the east coast of England, and during
the following ten days many stragglers were found scattered
throughout England “ to the east and north of a line through
Sussex , Surrey , Buckinghamshire, G loucestershire, Worcester
shire, Shropsh ire , and Cheshire, while stragglers reached Counties
Dublin , Wicklow,and Carlow in Ireland.
”So much for waste
and pain in nature . Per con tra , the weather during the spring
passage was on the whole very favourable . The following list
of first appearances during the month of March makes curious
reading to Scottish observers z—Wheatear, 6th ; R ing- O uzel
7 th Willow-Warbler,10th Chifi‘chafi
‘
,14th Yellow Wagtail,
l 6th Wryneck,17th ; Sand-Martin
,18th ; Swallow,
2 l st
Blackcap , 24th White-W agtail and House—Martin . 25th
Cuckoo, 26th R edstart and Whitethroat,27th Common
Sandpiper, 29th . We always feel that in the case at least of
all the occurrences of rare birds or the rare appearances of more
familiar species, under the heading, Isolated records and single
observations,
” the sources of the information should be indicated .
Were a series of numbers assigned to the chief sources of
information,the addition of the volume and the page would not
be a very heavy matter. We feel that this is an improvement
that must surely come with time .
The British Rust Fung i (Uredinales) : their Biologyand Classification—By W. B . G ROVE , M .A . 8vo. x .
,412
pp . With 290 figs . Cambridge University Press . Price 145 . net .
Since the publ ication in 1889 of Plowright ’ s Monograph
of the Br itish Uredineae and Usti lagineae, an increasing
amount of attention has been devoted to the investigation
REV IEW S. 57
of these groups of parasitic fungi . The importance of many
spec ies , in thei r relat ion to var ious diseases of field and
garden p lants and forest trees,has kept the subj ect under
the notice of students of economic botany ; while the remark
ably interest ing phenomen a of heteroec i sm exhibited in the
course of the l i fe-histor ies of many of the rust- fungi , and the
comparat ive ease with which Spec imens of most of the spec ies
can be collected and p reserved , have a lso tended to render
these organisms common obj ects of study . W hile Plowr ight ’ s
book has continued to ma inta in up ti ll the present time a
deservedly high position in popular esteem , the rap i d advance
made by Continental mycologists towards a better under
standing of p roblems which Plowr ight fa i led to solve has
rendered a rev i s ion of the Br it ish Spec ies of rust- fungi
eminently desi r able . This work has now been accompl ished
by Pro fessor G rove in a manner certa in to el ici t the warm
approva l of students both at home and abroad . In the first
five chapters , extending to 84 p ages , an account i s given of
the l i fe-histor ies of v ar ious typ ical spec ies , while the most
important biological features of the group are also fully
descr ibed and explained . In the systematic portion of the
work,extending from p . 85 to p . 390
,a desc r ipti on i s g iven
of the famil ies,gener a , and spec ies ascertained to occur in
G reat Br ita in or I reland . An important feature of the book
is the i llustrat ion of near ly every spec ies by a figure placed
in the desc r iptive text , and usually showing the shape and
structure of the teleutospo res . Another notable feature i s that
the spec ies in the respect ive gener a are not grouped under sub
gener a ( such as Leptopuccin ia , Micr Opuccin ia , or in
accor danc e with thei r heteroec i sm or autoec i sm, but are
ar ranged according to thei r host-plants . As afiording an
indication of the p rogress made since Plowr ight ’ s book was
publ ished , it may be stated that the Sp ec ies of Puccin ia now
claimed as Br iti sh has been increased from 97 to 137 , partly
by the addition of novelti es to the l i st, and p artly by the
separation of v ar ious fo rms which were included by Plowr ight
under such comprehensive Spec ies as P . pimpin ellce, P . h iera c ii ,
58 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
P . rubigo -vera ,&c . Most of the changes introduced by
Professo r G rove will doubtless meet with approval and accept
ance by the maj or ity of Br itish mycologists . It is possible ,however
,that some mi sg iv ings may be felt regarding an
obvious tendency at the p resent time to accept implic itly the
results of cultural exper iments conducted on the Continent ,but not yet ver ified by simi lar exper iments successfully made
in this country . When we consider that certain c losely all ied
spec ies of Puccin ia differ in thei r l i fe-histor ies, but yet so
c losely resemble each other in their spore- fo rms as to be
practically indi stingui shable , the necessity for caution i s
suffic iently obv i ous . The alleged heteroec i sm of var ious
common Br itish spec i es of Melampsora , for example , would be
more satisfactor i ly establi shed i f spec imens of the aec i d i a could
a lso be found to occur commonly in Britain on the host- plant s
sai d to be affected by them on the Continent .
Mildews, Rusts, and Smuts a Synopsis of the FamiliesPeronosporaceae, Erysiphaceae, U redinaceae, and U stilaginaceae.
By G EORGE MASSEE,F .L.S. Svc . 23 1 pp . With 4 plain and 1
coloured plates (73 figs) . Dulau (it Company,Limited
,London .
Price 7S. 6d. net .
The conven ient s ize of this book , and the wide scope of its
contents , Should insure its popular ityas a handy gui de to theimportant groups of par asitic fungi with which it deals . In
addition to descr iptions of the Briti sh genera and spec ies of
Peronosporaceae , &c . ,Mr . Massee gives useful keys to the
gener a included in the var ious o rders , and to the spec ies
included in var i ous genera ; as well as descr iptions of certain
spec ies which have not yet been detected in Britain,although
occur r ing on the Cont inent on host-plants which grow in this
countrv . In the Uredin acere , the species of Pucc in ia are
ar ranged in accordance with the natural o rders of the host
plants ; but i t i s to be regretted that in the treatment of th i s
p articular group Mr . Massee falls Short of the high level
reached in Professor G rove ’ s work . In a book professedly
deal ing with Mildews ,” too , we should have expected to
find a descr iption of the parasitic Hyphomycetes , such as
60 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
perused with profit by more advanced students . We have
doubts , however , as to the uti l ity of bestowing upon fungi
such English names as Cock-of -the-W oods ,” Dev i l ’ s-own
Boletus,”
Lawyer ’ s Wig ,” and the l ike ; but ind iv i dual
tastes may'
possibly differ with regard to that particular
point .
Excursions.
R OWARDENNAN. 21st June, 1913—Conductor, Mr . J . R . Jack
—Most of the party travelled by the steamer due toarrive at R owardennan at but it was nearly 5 o’clock before
a landing was effected . The Balmaha R oad was followed for
about a mile, after which the party separated into small groups.
Common wild -flowers occurred in considerable variety and
among the more conspicuous Species seen were the Broom, in fine
condition on the roadside banks, and O rchis macula ta in the
marshes . Nothing,however, of special importance falls to be
recorded among the flowering -plants . Like other parts of the
Loch Lomond district, the neighbourhood of Rowardennan suffers
from an overgrowth of bracken , which has much increased within
living memory. Though itself a graceful plant, it tends to choke
out better things, and in some places efforts are now being made
to keep its wanderings within convenien t bounds .
Mr . William R ennie reported that only 31 species of Birds
were observed,among which were included the following 12
summer visitors z—Whinchat , Whitethroat, G arden Warbler,
Blackcap, Willow W ren,Wood Wren
,Tree Pipit
,Swallow
,
House Martin , Cuckoo, Sandpiper, and Lesser Black -backed Gul l .
Among the other species Seen, the Stonechat and Lesser Redpoll
deserve mention . The occurrence of the Blackcap (Sylvia
a tricapilla ) i s very interesting. Mr . W . R . Bax ter saw a pair in
a little planting near the hotel at Rowardennan,and Mr . R ennie
,
working independently,saw the male of this pair. Later, at the
Lochan, Mr. Bax ter saw another male . Very litt le is known
about the Blackcap on Loch Lomond , where its congener, the
G arden Warbler, is well known to be common on the west Side
of the Loch and some of the islands.
EXCURS IONS . 61
Mr. D . A . Boyd reported that among the Microfungi observed ,the most notable Species were Pseudopez iz a repanda (Fr . ) Karst .,found on Ga lium Aparine ascophores of Sclerotin ia Gurreyan a
(Berk ) Karst., on dead culms of J uncus conglomera tus ;
Dasyscgpha crucif era (Phil ) Saco . , on dead branches of .l[ yr ica
Ga le ; D . gr isella (R ehm) Sacc .,on the under surface of the
pinnules,and D . pter idis (A . S. ) Mass ,
on the stipites, of
dead fronds of Pteris agui lin a Diaporthe W ibbei Ntke.,on dead
branches of Myr ica Ga le Septomyxa n egundin is Allesch . , on
recently dead bark of Acer Pseudo-
pla tanus Ramula ria taraxaci
Karst. , on Taraoca cum ofi cinale ; and R . variabilis Fckl. , on
D igita lispurpurea .
Mr . G eorge Lunam reported that a general examination of the
material collected at the excursion showed that a number of
interesting species of F resh-water A lgae had been secured .
Among these,the following may be mentioned
Hormospora mutabilis Breb . was found in the Dubh Lochan in
small quantity . This form had been prev iously obtained by Mr .
Lunam at Loch Ardinning, and on the West Coast of Bute .
Ca lothriac epiphytica W . & G . S. W . , unrecorded for the Clyde
Area, but recentlv obtained by Mr. Lunam at G len Falloch . In
both instances , it occurred as an epiphyte on a form of B a tra
chospermum ragum (Roth ) Ag., itself a rare alga in the C lyde
Area.
Hapa losiphon hibern icus W . !St G . S. W . , c ton ema mir abile
(Dillw. ) Thur. , Dichothr iac orsin iana (Kli tz . ) Born . 6: Flah . ,
Rivularia heema tites (DC . ) Ag. ,and Stigonema mami llosum
(Lyngb .) Ag .
, have been recorded previously from a few stat ions ,and are certainly common at R owardennan .
c tonema varium Kutz. has not been recorded for the Clyde
A rea . A large patch of it was found on damp earth near the
loch .
Desmonema W r angelii (Ag ) Born . F lah .
,a rare spec ies,
occurred near R owardennan Pier.
Mer ismopedia pun cta ta Meyen , found in the Dubh Lochan , i s
another addition to the C lyde list.
THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
R OSEMOUNT, 9th August, 1913 —Conductor, Mr. D . A . Boyd .
—After leaving the railway station at Prestwick . the party pro
ceeded b y way of Monk ton to R osemount, where they were met
by Mr. Pet-er Melville,gardener
,who conducted them through the
grounds and gardens, where there was a brilliant display of
herbaceous perennials,roses , (to. Prior to the m iddle of the
eighteenth century,this property was known as G oldring
,and is
referred to under that name in numerous charters and other
documents . The residential portion of the estate lies chiefly in
the Parish of Symingt—on ,but a par t is situated in the Parish of
Monk ton . The boundary between the two parishes at this point is
a small stream,and where it passes through the R osemount grounds
its banks are pleasantly wooded and traversed by walks . The party
afterwards returned to Prestwick by a road which passed the
entrance to Adamton policies . During the af ternoon’s walk , few
noteworthyflowering-plants or mosses were observed; In the
woods at R osemount,Saxifraga umbrosa Linn . had become
naturalized,and occurred in great abundance ; while a corn field
near Prestw’
ick yielded Specimens of Lychn isGithago Scop .,and
Lycopsis a rven sis Linn . , in bright blossom. About 42 spec ies of
Microfungi were identified, of wh ich the most notable were
Syn chytr ium aureum Schrot . , observed on leaves of Plan tagolan ceola ta ; Ascochyta phila clelphi Sacc . !St Speg.
,on leaves of
Phi ladelphus coron a r ius ; and Ramular ia Tula snei (R ab ) Sacc .,
on leaves of Fragar ia .
C-O LINTRAIVE,23rdAugust, 1913 — Conductor, Mr . John R .Lee.
Two members of the party (Messrs. D . A . Boyd and
Thomas Anderson ) travelled by forenoon steamer, and reached
Colintraive shor tly after mid-day . Thev devoted some time to
the exploration of part of the moist woods and Shore between
Colintraive Pier and South Hall . These proved rich in Micro
fungi,of which over 70 Species were obtained . Among the more
important forms secured were Syn chytrium succisce De Bary (it
Wor. , on Scabiosa succisa ; Peronospora a lta Eckl .,on Plan tago
major ; i ll ilesi na blechn i Syd.
,on Blechnum Spican t; Dasyscypha
crucifera (Ph il ) Sacc .,on dead bark of l r ica Ga le Leptosphaer ia
agn ita (Desm. ) Ces. dz ‘De Not.,on dead stems of Eupa torium
cannabinum ; Phyllosticta ajugce Sacc . (it R oum on Ajuga
64 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
able abundance all through the woods . The 57 Hymenomycetes
observed in the course of the afternoon included Clitocybe
candican s (Pers . ) Fr. , 0 . dea lba ta (Sow . ) Fr . ,Mycena rosella Fr .
,
M la ctea (Pers . ) Fr . , Russula cutej ra cta Cke. , and other well
known species . 26 Microfungi were also reported , among which
the most notable were M ilesin a blechn i Syd , Can angium abietis
(Pers . ) R ehm., Gnomon ia lugubr is Karst. ,
and Stilbum erythro
cepha lum Ditm. The sclerotia of Sclerotin ia baccarum R ehm,
and of S . Gurreyan a (Berk ) Karst. , were also obtained .
K ILKERRAN,29th September
,l913 .
—Conductor Mr . JohnR enwick—This estate is Situated in the valley of the G irvan ,about three miles below Maybole . It belongs to Maj or G eneral
Sir Charles Dalrymple, Bart. , and is let to Mr. Edward
Wormald, both of whom kindly granted permission to visit. O n
arrival at K ilkerran railway station, the six members who formed
the party were met by Mr. James Maxwell , overseer and forester,who kindly accompanied them during the day . W hen approach
ing the entrance to the policies, it was noticed that the hedges onthe roadsides on the estate were unusually well-grown
,thick
,and
square-cut on the t0p, so as to form a prominent and ornamental
feature which always attracts the attention of visitors to the
district. The poucies contain many very fine trees,measure
ments of some of which were taken, and form the subj ect of a
separate communication to the Society. O nly 23 species of Birds
were observed during the day, the most notable of which were a
few examples of the Swallow and House-Martin, still lingering in
their summer haunts . Among the Plants seen were the Yellow
Balsam ( Impa tiens Noli -tangere which had become
naturalized in a part of the woods, where it occurred in some
abundance ; and Wall-rue (Asplen ium Ruta -murar ia
which grew on a bridge over the river. About 50 species ofMicrofungi were collected, among which were Peronospora a lta
Fckl. , Puccin ia circcece Pers . , P . chrysosplen ii G rev. , P. buxi DC . ,
Phyllosticta syringes West ,Ph . ajugas Saco. Jr R oum.
,Ascochyta
phi ladelphi Sacc . (it Speg. , A. armora cice Fckl., Septoria quevillensis
Sacc . ,Botryti
-
s deprceolans Cke. , Ramular ia armora cice Eckl. , R .
heraclei Sacc . , R . taraxaci Karst. , R . ajugce Niessl. , and R .
plan taginea Sacc. dz Berl .
(The (Blasgow Maturalist
The Journal of the NATURAL HISTO RY SO CIETY
O F G LASG O W.
Vol. VI . , Nos. 3 and [November, 1914.
O bservations on some London Trees.
By HUGH BOYD W ATT .
[Read 27th O ctober,
THE PLANE .
THE most abundant and v igorous tree in the Metropolis i s
undoubtedly the plane , which was introduced f rom Eastern
lands in the sixteenth century , and , finding a congen ial hom
has established a race of its own ,called the London Plane . 1
i s n ow so numerous that p robably there ar e in and around
the c ity more plane trees than in any other part of the world
of equa l s iz e. Many of the trees are grand spec imens,such
as those in the west-central and western squares—Bedford ,Mecklenburgh ,
and Berkeley may be named . The trees tower
up higher than the b ig houses which sur round them ,and in
the suburbs there a re even ta ller trees , exceed ing one hundred
feet in height . The pendulous d roop of the ends of the great
branches,sometimes sweep ing down to the ground
,add an
a i r of elegance and grace to the s iz e and v igour of such tree
O ne of the most attractive tree -p rospects in the c ity i s at th
north - east corner of St. Paul ’ s Churchya rd (nea r Cheapside) ,where a group of well -grown planes stand guard ians in front of
the recently re- erec ted Paul ’ s Cross , and above them the great
dome of the Cathed ra l r i ses hund reds of feet into the heaven s .
66 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
Further along Cheapside , at the corner of Wood Street , th
plane immortal iz ed in Wordsworth ’ s l ines (or a successor to
it) sti ll stands , but the narrow l imi ts of the s ituation have
brought down on i t the hard fate of severe lopp i ng and dis
figurement . Th i s foreign speci es seems likely to extend its
peaceful conquest , judging by the number of young trees that
are being planted throughout the distr ict . Those growing on
the Thames Embankment are well known and flouri shing , and
the half-mile- long double avenue lining The Mall , from the
Admi ra lty Arch at Trafalgar Square to the Queen Victo r i a
Memor i al at Buckingham Palace,consi sts of trees which are
being carefully tr ained and looked after , and although on ly a
few years planted have already atta ined a fai r height,and
give p romi se of a truly magnificent leafy way . It may be
necessary to remark that the tree spoken of i s not the one
known in the North Country under the name of plane or
pl an,
” which is correctly the sycamore or great maple .
THE TREE or HEAVEN .
In one of London ’ s new streets—Kingsway—an exper iment
ha s been made in planting the Chinese ai lanthus , or tree of
heaven , altern ate ly with the plane, but the first -named are
hav ing a struggle for exi stence,and have not made nearly so
much growth in height as the young planes . The ai lanthus ,however , i s quite at home in London , and does well , holding
its own even in adverse sur roundings,for one of the finest
trees of the kind I know is growing in a stonemason ’ s y ard
in the dinginess of Euston Road . None,however
,equals in
siz e the great tree which stands in the garden next
Shakespeare ’ s old home,New Place , Stratford -on -Avon ; this
i s the largest ailanthus that I have seen . In New Square ,Lincoln ’ s Inn , there is a flour i shing set of six symmetr ical well
grown trees,and the neighbouring Lincoln ’ s Inn F i elds (the
rural name for an attractive town - square) have several . A.
v i s it to Hyde Park will show this tree growing in another
style,a short avenue being on the south side of the Serpentine ,
near the b r idge . It is a late leafer , contemporaneous with the
68 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
grows in the place named , and is the first of the poplars to
break into leaf .
THE LIME .
Th i s fragrant tree i s frequent in town,and in its sp r ing
foli age i s even more lovely than the trees al ready named,its
greenery being of the brightest and softest tint—only,h
ever , too read i ly soiled by smoke and d i rt. It grows in the
very heart of the c ity,and an anc i ent tree stands in th
garden - plot of the Bank of Englan d . F insbury C i rcus has
quite a grove , and many town squares and gardens are
screened by lime trees .
NAT IVE AND FO RE IGN TREES .
R ichard Jefferies considered it deplorable that exotic trees
and shrubs were p refer red for planting in and around
London,and asked that the p roducts of Engl ish woods and
hedgerows should be more generally used . His text was
Trees about Town but i f i t were not for the foreigners
we would have rather a treeless London , as our native tree-s
do not take k indly to town l i fe,and even in the parks most
of the sylvan favour ites are aliens or deniz ens . The so- called
English or common elm i s i tself an introduced spec ies and
not native in the land of its adoption,but one of its strong
holds is Kensington G ardens . O f native English trees in the
c ity p roper neither oak , beech , aspen , nor yew occur , and
very few examples are found of the common ash,wych -elm
,
rowan,elder
,bi rch
,and willow , and these but poo r and
struggl ing spec imens.
Amidst the tree wealth of Lincoln ’ s Inn F ields it i s grati
fying to Scottish eyes to see the bi rch flouri shing,but it i s not
less pleasing to find some of the less usual foreign trees . A
small Judas tree bears its rosy flowers by the middle of Apr i l ,preced ing the leaves ; and the American catalpa
,or Indian
bean -tree,occurs there and in other places , flower ing profusely
in a good summer , such as thi s year The fine trusses
of bloom are sometimes carried as late as September,and if
it fruits, a s it has done this Autumn, the long seed-pods are
WATT .—LONDON TREES . 69
consp icuous hanging from the branches through the winter .
The oldest tree of thi s k ind in London i s in G ray ’ s Inn
G arden,and the garden of another of the Inns of Court
Lincoln ’ s Inn—supplies the Chinese g inkgo or ma i denha i r
t ree,a link between the coni fers and the dec iduous trees . The
neighbour ing Staple Inn has two whitebeams‘
, which flower
and frui t each season . These a re not , however , the typ ica l
wi ld spec ies , but are the pinnatifid fo rm . A fine example of
an all i ed and much rarer spec ies , the true serv ice o r sorb ,grows in Hyde Park
,near Victor i a G ate . The old Charte r
house (near the centre of the c ity) boasts several fine mulber ry
trees , leafing late and , i f the season i s favourable , bea r ing a
c rop of lusc i ous berr ies,some of which are generously
dropped over the wall on to the pavement outs ide . Two trees
of the less-known paper mulber ry have grown to a good s i
i n Lansdowne Place , on the west s ide of the Foundling
Hosp ital grounds . Tav i stock Square i s glo r ified ea rly each
sp r ing by the flower ing of its avenue of sma ll almond trees,
and it also possesses two or three flower ing or manna ashes .
blooming early in summer . F ig- trees may be seen in man y
places , including the ve ry heart or the c ity,where in the
l ittle woodland oasis at All Hallows Sta in ing , near Fenchurch
Street Stat ion , a fine standard tree sp reads its shade . This
spec ies i s put to a d ifferent use at the National G allery,
Trafalgar Square, where i t i s tr a ined all along the ra i l ings in
front of the bui ld ing,with a very delightful effect .
Without attempting any comp rehensive survey,the above
notes a re some ind icati on of what the lover of t rees may see
in the streets and squares of the greatest c i ty the world h asever known . Leigh Hunt ’ s old challenge to anybody to name
a street in the Metropol is out of some pa rt of which a t ree ortrees might not be seen sti ll holds good .
Lrsr or SPEC IES NAMED .
Ailanthus glandulosa Desf.—Tree of Heaven,Betula alba L.
—Common Birch,
Broussonetia papyrifera Vent . -Paper Mulberrv
70 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Catalpa bignonioides Walt .—Indian Bean,
Cercis Siliquastrum L .-Judas Tree
,
F icus Carica L .—Fig Tree,
F raxinus excelsior L .— Common Ash
,
F raxinus O rnus L .— Manna Ash
,
G inkgo biloba L .—Maidenhair Tree
,
Morus nigra L .— Black Mulberry
Platanus orientalis va r . acerifolia A iton .- London Plane,
Populus balsamifera L .— Balsam Poplar
,
Populus nigra L .—Black Poplar
,
Populus nigra var . pyramidalis Spach .—Lombardy Poplar ,
Populus serotina Hartig .—Black Italian Poplar,
Prunus Amy gdalus Stokes—Almond Tree ,Pyrus Aucuparia G aertn .
—R owan Tree,
Py rus pinnatifida Ehrha rt.—Whitebeam (pinnatifid),Pyrus Sorbus G aertn .
—Service Tree or Sorb ,Sainbucus nigra L.
—Common E lder.Tilia vulgaris Hayne.—Common Lime,U lmus campestris L .
-Engli sh Elm,
U lmus montana Stokes .—Wych Elm,
Dante and Burns and their use of Trees and Birds
a Parallel.
By JOHN PATER S ON .
[Read 27th O ctober ,
IT may seem extreme l iter ary hardihood to br ing i nto con
junction ,in any connection , two such poets as Dante and
Burns . The former has embodied in his great work a tr ans
mutation of all the learning of the ancients and of mediaeval
times
in my noble book doth every kindO f earthly lore and heavenly doctrine dwell,
”
as Boccacc io says of h im in his fine sonnet Inscr iption for a
THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
respect to bi rds, then , Burns need fear no compar ison with
any predec essor , contemporary or successor .
Turn ing now to Dante,the subj ect o f h i s relation to nature
and his use of natural obj ects, has been carefully and fully
examined in a work entitled The Trea tmen t of Na ture in
Dan te’
s Divina Commedia , by L . O scar Kuhns , a professor
in Wesleyan University , Middletown , U .S .A. As one l ikes
a work of this k ind well done,it i s p leasant to see in the
preface that the most d istingui shed o f Amer ican Dante
scholars,Professor Chas . E l iot Norton , read the author
’ s
manuscr ipt , and in the light of suggestions and cor rect ions
received from Professor Norton the author rewrote parts of
the book and rev i sed the rest .
A reference i s here necessary to the second chapter of
Professor Kuhns’ s work , which contains a discussion of Dante’ s
conventional treatment of Nature . There i t i s p roperly laid
down that to obtain any clear idea of our poet ’ s feeling
towards the world of Nature only those references must be
considered which reveal consc ious observation and personal
interest on the part of the poet The task set himse lf then
by the author in this chapter is the el imination of all those
passages descr iptive of Nature which are more or less
conventional . ’
Call ing up recollections of a sojourn in Italy , one br ings to
mind the oleanders , tama r i sks,and planes in the streets of the
c ities , the gleditsch ias and glor ious cypresses in the cemeter ies,
the great numbers of the stone p ine in the Tuscan l andscapes ,umbrella- topped and of the tenderest green even in September
and the slopes of the hills round Car rara covered all
over with grey ol ives , trees which , as Mrs . Leigh Hunt said ,seem to have grown up in moonl ight . But
, as Professor Kuhns
decl ares , the number of different trees mentioned in the
Divina Commedia i s surp r isingly small , and forms a str iking
contrast with Vergil , and even O v id . The palm and laurel
are alluded to conventionally , the p ine forest of Chi ass i i s
mentioned , and there i s reference to the twenty years it takes
for an acorn to become an oak . But this i s practically all.
”
It may be mentioned al so that the ivy is casually mentioned
PATERSO N.—DANTE AND BURNS. 73
in the Inferno , the apple symbolica lly in the Purga to rio , where
it rep resents the Roman Empire , and its flowers are del icately
a lluded to as putting forth a hue more faint than rose ,
and deeper than the v i olet ,” and the plum, metapho rically , in
the Pa radiso . Now this i s p retty l iterally all the use made
of trees in the Divine Comedy, so it i s clear that Dante , l ike
Burns , and both of them unlike some at least of the i r
p redecessors and succ esso rs , found p ractic a lly no insp i rat ion
in tr ees .
W ith hi s customary wealth of illustr at ion and ingenuity ,Mr . Ruskin in Modern Pa in ter s (ch . has examined the
attitude of mediaeval wr iters to deep forest , enlarging on thei r
dread of thick fol i age,but no convi nc i ng argument i s put
forward to explain the lack of response in Dante to the
imp ress ions which tr ees in varying degrees have made on
Hebrew , G reek , Lat in , and modern wr ite rs . Dante found no
tongues in trees indiv i dually , and in mass they seem chiefly
to have affected h im with dread , as the selua oscura that sele ct
selc aggia eel a spra e fo rte in the open ing l ines of the Inferno
c learly Show .
Turn ing now to bi rds , we find,a s we found in Burns ’s case ,
that they are treated with ev i dent knowledge,and the illustr a
tions taken fr om thei r behav iour express the consc i ous observa
tions of the poet . Aga in , the two poets agree in mak ing a
much more l iberal use of them than they did of trees .
Early in the Inferno we find , within lines numbers 40 - 49*
of the fifth canto,two examples of Dante ’ s i llustrations dr awn
from bi rd - l i fe . In Carlyle ’ s tr anslation they read as follows
( 1 ) And as thei r wings bear a long the sta r l ings , at the
cold season , in large and crowded troop : so tha t blast [bears
E come gli stornei , ne portan l’ali
,
nel freddo tempo , a schiera larga e pienacosi quel fiato gli spiriti mali [Lines 404 "
E come i gru van can tando lor lai,facendo i n aer di Selunga r ioacosi vid’io venir, traendo guai ,
O mbre portate dalla detta briga [Lines 46-49.
74 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
a long ] the evi l sp i r its 3 and (2) And as the cranes go
chanting thei r l ays, making a long streak of themselves in the
a ir so I saw the shadows come , utter ing wails , borne by that
str i fe of winds . ”
In the opening of the twenty-thi rd canto of the Pa radise
occurs this feel ing descr iption of a brooding bi rd
Just as a bi rd among the loved leaves
Broods o ’ er the nest where sleep her tender young ,When night ’ s dark shadows h i de all th ings from view ,
W ho yearns to see again thei r longed - for looks,
And sally forth to seek thei r food , —a task
In which all heavy labour seems a j oy,
And who upon the open branch foresta lls
The day, and wa its with ardent love the sun,
Gazing with steady eves to see the dawn .
”
—Kuli ns ’s tra nsla ti on .
In Dante ’ s time , and , indeed , ti ll much later , hawking wasone of the great d iversions of the r ich and noble
,hence ,
in
the works of Dante ’ s p redecesso rs and his own ,this sport and
the bi rds employed therein figure p rominently . There i s an
attractive p icture in the Inferno of the disappointed falcon ,afte r being long upon the wing without result
,descending
wear ily in answer to the falconer ’ s call,but, p iqued at his
non - success , on second thoughts swiftly moves himself with
many a c i rcle,and far from his master sets himself , disdainful
and sullen . Again , in the Pa radise , there i s an intimatedescr iption of the way in which a falcon , just released from
the hood , expresses sati sfaction at the freedom , moving his
head about,c lapp ing himself with his wings
,showing desi re
and making himself be auteous . Such illustr ations need not
be multipl ied , others will occur to students of D ante , but it i s
interesting to notice that one of his p redecessors , Folgore da
San G emin i ano , distingui shes , in one of his sonnets , Falcons
and astors, merl ins , sp arrow-hawks ,” and Dante refers to the
a store,the spa rv ier e, and the fa lcone—ev i dently the goshawk ,
the spar row e hawk , and the fa lcon . In Shakespeare ’ s time ,Mr . Harting te lls us, whoever could aflord it kept a hawk ,the rank of the indiv i dual be ing indicated by the spec ies ,
1
76 THE GLASGO W’
NATURALIST .
obtained in the previous y ear, was collected from many localities
in the West of Sco t land . Part of that material was gathered
a t excursions of the Society , and has already been reported on
but the remainder consists of spec imens of many species of
Microfungi apparently as yet unrecorded for our district, and
has been reserved for further examination . This,it is expected ,
w ill afford a considerable number of new records, and will
form the subj ect of a report to be submitted to the Society
at a future meeting .
In the meantime the f ollowing may be noted as recent
additions to the l ist for the Clvde Area :
Peronospor a afi n is Rossm .—Parasitic on leaves of Fumar ia
in a garden near Millport,Island of Cumbrae ; 19th August ,
1913 .
Synchytrium cupula tum Thomas—New to Britain . Parasiticon Poten tilla palustr is a t Blae Loch , near Beith , Ayrshire, where
it formed small, rounded , gall—like warts of a reddish colour
on the affected leaves . W hen older the warts become dark red,
and are then somewhat collapsed or cupulate at the apex . The
resting - spores have a thick,brown, smooth epispore and
usually occur singly, rarely in pairs In each wart . July,1913 .
Doassan sia a lisma tis Cornu.—This species appears to be rare
in the West of Scotland, as I have searched for it unsuccessfullyin many localities where the host-plant is abundant . Last
September, however, I obtained a good many specimens on
Alisma Pla n tago-aqua tica at Loch Fad, near R othesay. The
spore-clusters occurred in very numerous groups on rounded
y ellowish spots on the affec ted leaves, and were easily detected.
I t may be noted that D . Ma rtianofiian a SchrO t. , an allied species
recently added to the British fungus -flora ,* was also obtained onthe same occasion in marshy ground adj oining the Kirk Dam,
at
the lower end of Loch Fad, where it affected living leaves
of Potamogeton .
Hamaria jungermann ice (Nees) Sacc . Amongst living
Hepaticae on a moist bank beside the G ourock Burn,West
Kilbride,Ayrshire ; 27th March, 1914.
See G lasgowNa tura list, V. 121.
BO YD .—ADD ITIONAL R ECORDS or M ICROFUNG I . 7 7
Cer iosvorella polygon i A .L.Sm. and Ramsh .—New to science .
Abundan t on dead stems of“
Polygonum amphibium var . terrestre
a t Burnfoot, Ardrossan February, 1913 .
Gnomon iella vulgaris (Ces. and De Not . ) Sacc .—O u fallen
leaves of Corylus Avellana at Linn Spout, Dalry , Ay rshire ;l6th March
,1914.
O rphiobolus herpotr ichus (Fr. ) Sacc .—O u dead leaf- sheaths
and culms of Holcus mollis, G ourock Burn , West Kilbride ;27th May, 1914 .
Phyllosticta erysimi West—In spots on fading leaves of
Sisymbr ium. Alliar ia ,near Garrionhaugh , Cambusnethan , Lanark
shire,at an excursion of the Andersonian Naturalists’ Societv
17 th May,1913 .
Phoma orthotr ichi A .L.Sm. and R amsh .—New to sc ience .
O n dead capsules of O r thotr ichum anoma lum var. saxa tile,on a
bridge near South Biggart,Beith
, Ayrshire ; July, 1912. The
pycni dia appear as scattered black dots on the surface of the
dead capsules of the moss,and the sporidia are remarkable for
their minute size ( 003 x 0 0 1 mm . )
Aposphcer ia populea A .L .Sm . and R amsh .—New to sc ience .
O n decorticated poplar-wood . Corsinkell G len Stevenston
Ayrshire February, 1913 .
Coniotliyrium peplis, A .L .Sm. and R amsh .-New to science .
I observed this intere sting spec ies during several successive
seasons . It occurred as a parasite on Peplis Portula in a smal l
marshy hollow among the sandhills at A rdeer, near Stevenston .
The aff ected plants did not immediately lose their colour, but
became soft and flaccid , as though boiling water had been
poured upon them. A t that stage the pycnidia began to make
their appea rance on the stems and leaves , and gradually matured
while the latter were becoming dead and withered . When fully
developed the pycnidia were rather prominent and verv
numerous . O n visiting the place last autumn , I found thatoperations in connection with the sinking of a new coal -pit inthe neighbourhood had led to the marsh becoming dried up, and
that the Peplis was much reduced in quantity ,while no trace of
i ts parasite could be detected .
78 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
R amula r ia a renar ioe A .L.Sm . and R amsh —New to science .
O n Arena r ia tr in ervia near Lochwinnoch , R enfrewshire ; July,1912 . Also in Noddsdale G len
,near Largs . This spec ies
forms dry,yellowish spots on living leaves of the host-plant.
The conidiophores are produced abundantly on the under
surface of the wa s
R . adoxae Fckl.—Parasitic on leaves of Adoxa Moscha tellina .
Banks of Mouse Water, near Lockhart Mill, Lanark , a t an
excursion of the Anderson ian Naturalist s ’ Soc iety,2nd May
,
1914 ; also near West Kilbride on 27 th May .
I have to express my indebtedness to Miss A . Lorrain Smith
and Mr. J . Ramsbottom. M .A .
,for kindly determining
the species above referred to as new to Britain or new to science .
A full description of these spec ies,with particulars as to
spore-measurements,&c .
,will be found in the Transa ctions of the
B r i tish Mycologica l Society, Vol. IV.,pp . 318
,325
,326 . 327 .
Some Additions to the Clyde Marine Fauna .
By RICH ARD ELMHIRST,F .L. S.
,
Super intendent of the M a r ine B iologica l Sta tion, Al z'
llport.
[Read 26th May,
INFUSORIA.
Vor ticella pa tellina , Mullen—Saville Kent, “ Manual of Infu
soria,1880 - 2
,Vol. II .
, p . 679, fig . O n stones from shallow
water and in aquaria .
Vor ticella n ebulif era ,Mifllen—Kent, op. cit
,Vol II . ,
p . 673, fig.
O ccasionally amongst the above species—already recordedfrom fresh water in “ Clvde Fauna and Flora
,as
V. nebulifera , Ehr .
Amphileptus clapa redii , Stein — Kent, op. ci t.
,Vol. II .
,p . 526
,fig.
(A . meleagris ) Entz , M ittheilungen aus der Z oologischen
Station z uNeapel,” Vol. V.
,1884
,p . 320
,fig . Lives amongst
and is parasitic on Z oothamin ium marinum. May 1914.
80 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
we see in some cool rock-pool a beautifully sculptured shell,a
geometrical echinoderm,a starry sea-anemone
,a graceful hydroid
,
or even an odd stone crusted over with all sorts of animal and
vegetable growths . We want, if we can , to provide an equivalent
for the rock -pool,where the specimens can be studied at leisure
,
with the assis tance, perhaps, of microscopes and books of reference .
F rom experience we know that, even when animals are killed and
preserved by the best methods,they lose just those elements
which add beauty to form and colour. We may still study their
st ructure , but the magic of life has gone . We can neither gain
the knowledge nor enj oy the pleasure which are open to the
naturalist who watches his living things from day to day , and
feels that they are responding to his care by healthful continuance
of l ife and growth .
Probably with most of us the results of first experiments in
keeping marine animals spelt disaster and disappointment . We
brought home a fine assortment,but our specimens became
unhealthy and died off,till in the end the contents of an ill ~
smelling and unsavoury aquarium had to be cast forth , and we
probably resolved tomake nomore ventures of the kind . However,one need not be above profi t ing by mistakes, and experience
shows that the first and worst mistake is to keep too big or too
many animals in a small quantitv of water . Be content with a
modest beginning . Don ’t crowd your aquaria , If you can you
should have two or three small aquaria,rather than a single one
the size of all combined . These are golden max ims, and it is to
be remembered that small animals are just as interesting as big
ones . In many ways they are more suitable for observation , since,by employ ing the microscope , we may gain an insight not only
into their outward form, but also into the details of their
structure,and watch such processes as the c irculation of blood .
the contrac tion of musc les, and the taking of food . Besides we
can keep ever so many more of them.
Suppose we have started our aquaria, the next thing is to see
that the water is kept sweet by being s tirred up regularly or by
having bubbles of air passed through it. Surprisingly good
results may be got by the vigorous use of an ordinary glass syringe
twice a day or thereby . The writer remembers with pleasure a
verv interesting set of small aquaria which the late Mr. G eorge
GEMM ILL . KEEPING SMALL MAR INE AQUAR IA . 81
M ‘Crie, the first chairman of the Mil lport Marine Station
Committee . used thus to keep “ going ’in his studv . But it i s
better,i f we can ,
to employ some device which will save trouble
wi thout sacrific ing efii ciencv. If one can secure the use of a
water-tap there are various means* whereby it can be made to
provide a regular supplv of air which may be led to the difi’
erent
aquaria . But a spare water- tap may not be available, and the
obj ect of the present paper is to describe a different kind of
arrangement which the writer fitted up in his own study , and
which proved very helpful during the period it was in use. Th e
arrangement i s i llustrated in Fig. 1 . Two bottles of equal siz e
are hung up in such a way that when one descends the other
rises . We put in just so much water into the two as one of them
would comfortably hold by i tself . Both bot t les have tightly
fitting corks with holes for two glass tubes (g- inch bore) . O ne of
these tubes,the air tube (D in the fig ) , jus t goes through the
cork,whi le the other or siphon tube (C) dips down to the bottom
of the bottle. The two siphon tubes are connected by rubber
piping (E) (é-inch bore) , long enough to sag a little when one
bottle is up and the other down . A piece of rubber tubing (H) ,easily slipped on or ofi
’
,conn ects theair tube of the lowest bottle
wi th a distributing tube (G ) leading to the noz zles in the aquaria .
Suppose to begin wi th all the water is in the right-hand bottle
(bottle A) . We raise it upas far as it can go by pul ling B down,
and we then start siphon action between A and B . The water
passes from A to B,displac ing the air contained in the latter
,
and,if one has meant ime connected the distribut ing tube to the
air tube of B , the air in question wil l bubble up through the
aquaria . By and by A will be empty and B full . We then
detach the distributing connection from the air tube of B,and
,
after pulling B up and A down , we slip thi s connection on to the
air tube of A , and the process of aeration proceeds again withoutfurther trouble since siphoning from B to A will begin
automat ically through the agency of the water always left in thesagging part of the long connecting tube (E) . We must, of course .
have some arrangement such as the cord (F ) and the catch (H)in the fig. ,
for holding down the empty bottle when it is firstlowered .
See p. 85, and also papers by the author in J ourn. Roy . M icr . Soc . ,
1910 , p. 10 - 13 ; and 191 1 , p. 24425 .
84 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
without saying tha t every a tten tion should be given to secur ity in
fixing up the appa ra tus .
(5) U sing suitable nozzles one can keep five or six small aquaria
in health with the apparatus described above,by pulling up the
full bottle morning and evening . Very little air is actually
required for such aquaria, so long as the supply is used econom
ically and is constant or,at any rat e
,regularly intermittent .
To illustrate what mav be kept in a single small aquar ium holding
not more than half a gallon,a list is given of the principal
contents of one which remained healthy with me during the four
months in which it received attention of the kind described above,and also afterwards when
,on account of the increasing number of
my aquaria, amore wholesale method of aeration was installed
the sea -anemone Stomphia two Terebellids four or five
Serpulids a group of Potamilla ; a number of Ophryotrocha ;two Chitons some small Ascidians, Copepods , and Turbellarians,and various Foraminifers .
Another small aquarium contained about forty examples of the
attached stage of the j ellyfish , Aurelia aurita four or five small
specimens of the feathery anemone, Actinoloba dian thus ; many
Serpulids plenty of Ophryotrocha ; and several examples of a
species of Cirra tulus not yet, I think , recorded from the F irth of
C lyde . Allwere attached to or hiding within the c revices of one
or two pieces of c linker which had been dredged upnear Millport
and had remained for a considerable time in one of the tanks at
the Marine Station . Some baby Serpulids and an Ascidian
attached themselves to the side of this aquarium in the end of
December last. O ne or two of the Ophryotrocha also produced
eggs . However,for the benefit of those who are specially
interested in development , it should be stated that , if the keeping
alive and rearing of delicate eggs or larvae are the ends desired,
no kind of air-bubble aeration in my experience gives as good
results as the gentle aeration and c irculation which may be
effected by the use of convection currents ( see J ourn . Roy.
Micr . Soc. ,1913, pp. 247 It is a rule
,well known but not
without exceptions that, in general, those animals can best be
kept in sma ll aquaria which obtain their food by the agency of
c iliary currents .
GEMMILL.—O N KEEP ING SMALL MAR INE AQUAR IA . 85
II .
The suggestion has been sent to
that I should publish an account of
another form of aerator, perhaps
the easiest of all to fit up, and need
ing the least attention once it is in
working order. Th is is a kind
which I set agoing two or three
years ago at the G lasgow Corpora
tion Tollcross Branch Museum , and ,more recently, a t the Millport
Marine Biological Station , and else
where . The principle is the well
known one that water falling within
a tube of narrow calibre tend s to
suck air down with it if an air - inlet
i s provided . The principle has long
been applied for aeration purposes
at the Stazione Z oologica , but the
Naples apparatus (of which the
D irector has very kindly sent me a
drawing) is not quite so simple as
the one I shall now describe, which
I have found entirely reliable and
efficient so long as a water supply
of even moderate uniformity is avail
able . The arrangement will be
understood from a glance at the
accompanying illustration (Fig.
Water,led from a tap a t ordinary
level or from a source higher up, is
allowed to flow over the bend at A
which has an air -inlet at B . An
ordinary Y tube inverted will pro
vide the bend and inlet required .
The water falls down the tube C
carrying air wi th it,and accordingly
air and water mixed enter the
sorting-out tube D . From the
bottom of D the waste-water tube E
bends upwards to escape at F on a
various workers
F IG .
2
86 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
level three or four inches lower than the upper end of D .
I f the waste tube E is lengthened beyond F in a downward
direction , it must be provided with an air- inlet at F (a Ytube again does very well ) in order to prevent siphon action .
The air supply is led away by the tube G which , like C ,passes
through a tight cork in the upper end of D . The air supply will
be under as much pressure as the height of the column of water
in the tube E permi ts,and the height of D should always be less
than half the length of C . It is an advantage that 0 should be
as long as possible,since the veloc ity of the column of falling
water increases with the height of the column,and accordingly a
greater quantity of air is sucked down . Unless the calibre of C
is relatively small,the falling water is apt to flow down the inside
wall of the tube without filling the lumen by a succession of
“ water bullets,
” as ought to occur . For C ,tubing of { g - inch to
i - inch internal diameter and six or seven feet in length,will be
found to meet ordinary requirements . A suitable calibre for D
is g-inch internal measurement,and if C is six feet high , D may
be two feet nine inches . This height will not put sufii cien t
pressure on the air to enable us to break it up into very fine
bubbles by using the kinds of nozzles described earlier in this
paper, but a suffi cient supply of air will be provided to permit
the unstinted use of bubbles of ordinary size . Starting and
continuance of the water-bullet ” action in C with the smallest
practicable usage of water will be facilitated if at B we insert a
short length of rod or tubing (rather narrower than the calibre ofthe Y tube) , which will just enter the descending limb of the forkand serve to break up the downward stream of water at its
commencement. If the supply tap is over a sink, the whole
apparatus may be set above the sink and thereby the risk of
flooding in case of accidents reduced to a minimum. It is an
advantage that we can st0 p or start the aeration at any time
simply by turning the tap off or on .
88 THE GLASGO W NATURALIST.
LI ST or ARR IVAL S or SUMMER-B IRDS IN THE O RDER or i HEIR
APPEARANCE IN 1914 .
LE S S ER BLACK-BACKED GULL ( La r '
as fuscusj—one , Ersk ine
Fer ry (T . Malloch) , 14th March ; one , Lennoxtown (D.
M ‘
Donald) , 15th ; Harbour of G lasgow (W . Rennie) , 19th ;Fossi l (2) (Rennie) , 21st .
WHEATEAR ( Sax icola tenan thej—two, Gadder , one with an
in jured wing which dro-oped badly , 29th March (Rennie) ;one, G reenock (T . Malloch ) , 31st two ( 5 ) singing, one 9,
Kilmacolm (T . Thornton MacKeith) , 3rd Apr i l ; two ,Summerston (Rennie) , 5th . Mr . M‘
Donald writes , on
seeing one on l0th at B ardowie, that they are not common
this season along the Kelv in Valley ; and Mr . Robt . W .
Wilson , in reporting one observed at G len Afton on 18th ,
that they have been very scarce all Sp r ing . Mr . John
Robertson had not seen it nor had I when the 10th of May
was reached .
SAND -MART IN ( Cotile r ipa ria )— Endr ich (Chadwick) , l st
Apr i l ; Summerston , three on 3rd, none again ti ll l4th
Bothwell , 4th ( 1) (Rhodes) ; Rouken , two
with Swallows , 13th (John Robertson) .
W HITE WAGTAIL ( illota cilla alba )—W illiamwood ( l 4th
Apr i l (R . Wilson) , and Kelvin (3) (Renn ie) , same date ;Summerston (2) 5th (Renn ie) ; Summerston , one, 10th
Apr i l , and common on and after 15th 17th (3)Ca rt below Cla rkston ( 1) (Hugh W . W i lson
and Robertson) , 12th seventeen at Kilmacolm (MacKeith) ,l4th ; near Ball-och (Ross) , 15th .
CHIFF CIIAFF ( Phylloscopus r i tfi tsj—Blai r , Dalry (Wm . Mair ) ,5th Apr i l ; same place (Archd . Shanks) , 13th .
SWALLO W (Hirundo rustica )—Fossi l 8th Apr i l (Rennie) ;Beith (3) (J. Cra ig) 11th ,
and (2) Bonhen (Robertson)same date ; Rouken , about eight , 13th (Robertson) , and
( 10) the Knapps (T . Malloch) , same date ; Summerston (2)and Caldercuilt 14th ; also two at C-owal
PATERSO N.—R ETURN or SUMMER-B IRDS . 89
G olf Course (A. M ‘
Leod) on the 15th , one at the Rouken
(Robertson) , one at Cra igends (Mall-och) , and a p a i r at
Darvel (N. Hopkins) .
Particular interest attaches to Mr . W i l l iam Rennie’
s observa
tions on this spec ies at Fossi l Marsh .
Beginn ing with a party ofi
eight on the 8th of Apr i l , as
quoted above , a p arty , thi s time of 60 - 70 bi rds , was seen at
sunset on the 17th . At p.m . on the 2oth a score passed ;then just afte r sunset another lot of not less than 80 appeared .
O n the 2 l st, at p.m . ,sever al p assed low to the wate r ,
which he consequently could not count , and twenty minutes
later a fai r ly large flock appeared in the Sky, but i t was
cloudy , and they were only v i s ible at t imes . They could be
hear d twitter ing after sunset . While thi s larger body was
high in the ai r another smaller group p assed over the sur face
of the water . O n the 29th he reached the Ma rsh at p.m .,
and saw the first Swa l lows at At the number was
16, at about 36 , and at over 50 . So the nar rative
goe s on . Mr . Renn ie,f rom hi s exper ienc e in recent years ,
concludes that these gather ings at sunset are composed of
bi rds p ass ing onwards , which are here ar rested for the night ,and are attracted by the twitter ing of some al ready co llected ,which twitter ing naturally becomes louder in the afterglow as
the numbers increase . He favour s the idea of conscious i nte r
ception by those arr iv ing first extending the r adius of the
c i rc les they make,but thi s i s , of course , a l ittle specula tive .
The interest in the observations i s i n no way lessened by the
fact that conc lusions c annot be reached yet regarding the
methods of attraction—the place itself , by the way , with itsbody of water and its cover and seclusion , being , one would
suppose , natura lly very attr active to p ass ing migrants .
RING - O U Z EL ( Turdus torq i ta ti ts) — G reenock Hi lls ( 1)
(Malloch) , 8th Apri l . Nest and three eggs there,14th
May,and feathered young in the nest
,25th May . G len
Afton Solway several in song on 18th Apr i l (R .
W . Wilson) . O bs—The record under this spec ies in
Vol. V., p . 82
,of the occurrence on the Cart at Clarkston
90 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
should have appea red on the following page under
Comm-on Sandp iper .
VVILLow-WREN ( Phylloscopus trochilus)—Cart below Clarkston
12th Apr i l (H. W . Wilson and J . Robertson) ; Lin
wood Moss (3) (Malloch) , Beith ( 1) (J . Craig) , both on
15th ; on the 16th at Lanfine on the Irv ine water fai r
numbers (N. Hopkins) , who never saw , he wr ites , such
an early influx be fore . O n same day in all woods from
G reenock Road to E rsk ine, but i t was sti ll absent at
Bothwell,and only one, two , or three bi rds were seen in
the other localiti es from wh ich it is reported on that date ,as at Kilmacolm (MacKeith) , Gadder and
Fossll (Renni e) . O n the 18th i t was numerous in a larger
number of local it ies , and by the 19th was up to its
maximum sp r ing numbers in many places (see p . A
nest with one egg was found by Mr . John Robertson at
W illiamwood on the 9th of May .
COMMON SANDP IPER ( Totanus kypoleucus)—Cart below Clark
ston,a pai r 12th Ap r i l (H. W. Wilson and J. Robertson) ,
and Darvel (Hopkins) same day . Johnstone(2) (Malloch) ,Knapps (MacKeith) , Summerston all on 14th ;E rskine (Ross) l 6th . It was common on the Cart above
Netherlee on the 26th (R . W. Wilson) . It began laying
at Darvel on l st May (Hopkins) , and a nest with four
eggs was found at Harelaw Dam on 6th May .
YELLOW WAGTAIL (Mota cilla ra z
'
i)— Summerston
l 6th April ( 1 ) and on following day ( l g and 318th
,Beith (Craig) ( 3 a ) ; 19th , Muirend William
wood Rouken ( 1) (Robertson ) , Kelvin ( 1) (Ross and
Paterson) ; Darvel , 23rd (Hopkins) ; Fossi l (3) (Rennie) ,24th ,
and on following day 64 there . Under date 25th
Apr i l Mr . Renn ie wr ites A lovely evening for observa
tion . At I noticed that s ingle Yellow Wagtails were
pass ing over the Marsh .
’Real ising that a. movement
was taking place , I began to take note of them . The
movement was slow, and nearly all came in ones or twos,
92 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
W C O D-WREN (Phylloscopus sibila tri z )—G a reloch (Baxter) , 23rdApr i l ; i n G len Falloch two seen and at least six heard
in full song on 25th , they seemed to have been there
several days ”
(R. W Wilson) ; Darvel ( 1) (Hopkins) ,26th , very early Inchtavannach ,
several (H. W.
Wilson) , 2nd May .
REDSTART ( Ruticilla phoeni cu'
rusjfi Glen Falloch (R . W.
W i lson ) , 25th Ap r i l ; Inchtavannach (H. W. Wilson) ,severa l on 2nd May .
GREENLAND WHEATEAR ( Sax icola oena n the leucorrhoa )B almuildy 26th Apr i l . It is a pleasure to
see this spec i es , which is beginn ing to be distingui shed
in thi s distr ict , appear ing in thi s l ist .
GARDEN -WARB LER ( Sylvia. horten sis) -Rouken (3) (Robertson) ,26th Apr i l ; Da rvel (Hopkins) , 2md May, fai r numbers
s ince May came in , wr ites Mr . Hopkins . Rouken again
on 2md-3rd May (Robertson) ; G len Luss ( l) (R . W
Wilson) , 4th May , but not heard on 2nd-3rd May on
Inchtavannach .
GRASSHOPPER-W ARB LER ( Locustella naevz'
a ) Inchmoan
(Wilsons) , 3rd May .
SEDG E -WARBLER (Acrocepha lus phragmitis) Near Cloch
Lighthouse (A. Boss) , Rouken and Darnley G lens
(Robertson) , and Darvel (Hopkins) , all single bi rds on
3rd May ; Summerston ( l ) 4th , and Kil
macolm (MacKeith) same day ; Fossi l , three on 5th , several
on 6th , no trace on 7th and 8th ; l0th common but not
as on 6th ; week end ing 1 7th full strength (Rennie) .
SPOTTED FLYO ATCHER (Muscicapa gr isola ) —~Woodside at Beith
(Breckenr idge) , 10th May ; Darvel (Hopkins) , 12th .
COMM O N TERN ( Sternaflfm'ia tilisj—Craigmore (2) (MacKeith) ,l6th May ; Fossi l (Renn ie) , eight at a .m. and two
later—all passed north-west , 19th . Accustomed to see
two or three Terns on the Clyde east of G lasgow after
PROCEED INGS or THE SOC IETY . 93
the mi ddle of May,I was surp r i sed to find on the 23rd
May of the year under notice ( 1914) that many were to
be seen . For two or three mi les east of Cambuslang thev
were never out of sight .
COMM O N W HITETHRO AT ( Sylvia. cinerea ) —Gareloch (B axter) ,29th Ap r i l ; Darvel (Hopkins) , 30th ,
very early Cath
cart ( 1) and G iffnock ( l ) (Robe rtson) , 2nd May , and Lusssame date (T . W . Wilson) ; Cathcart (2) (Robertson) , 3rd ;G len Luss ( 1) (R . w. W il son) , 4th Kilmacolm (MacKeith) ,6th . Well distr ibuted E . Renfrew 9th (Robertson) , and
nest ready Darvel 12th,and one egg in nest 16th
(Hopkins) .
SWIF T ( Cypselus oping—Lan ark ( 3) 2nd May,
and Bomken two if not three (Robertson) , same date ;G areloch (Baxter) , Kilmacolm (MacKeith ) , 3rd ; Sum
merston ( 10 ) 4th ; Kilmaco lm ( 6) (MacKeith ) ,6th ; Fossi l (3) (Renn ie) , 7th . Mr . Malloch wr ites that
the Swifts always seem to be much later at Johnstone
than they are in other d istr icts,and leave ea rl ier . The
19th was really the first a r r iva l at thei r nesting place at
JO hnstone . It may be mentioned that the Swift continues
coming to the c ity to the Blythewood di str ict,and was
th i s vear first. observed -
on 15th May,in W est Geo rge
Street .
Proceedings of the Society.
THE first meeting of the six ty-third session took place in the
Society’s Rooms , on 30th September , 1913, Mr . John R . Lee,
President, in the chair .
Before the formal business,the President made appropriate
reference to the great loss the Society had sustained in the death
of Mr . Peter Ewing, E.L.S. ( see Vol. V.,pp . 1 13
R eports on excursions to R owardennan ( see p. Rosemount
( see p . and Colintraive ( see p . 62) were submit ted .
Mr . Andrew G ilchrist exhibited specimens of a rare cruc ifer .Subula r ia a qua tica L .
, from Loch Finlas, a new stat ion for this
plant in Avrshire.
94 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
Mr . D . A. Boyd exhibited Podosphcem myrtillin a (Schub. )Kim z e, an addit ion to the fungus-flora of the Clyde Area, fromTarbet
,Loch Lomond . He also showed spec imens of Doassansia
a lisma tis Cornu, from Loch Fad (Kirk Dam) , Rothesay, and
D . Martianofi'
iana Sch r'
O t., from the same place, the former being
new to “ Clyde. ”
Mr. Nicol Hopkins sent for exhibition the nest of Vesper.
sylvestris from the banks of the Lindsay Burn,Darvel .
Mr. Johnston Shearer exhibited a large spec imen of Pholiota
aurea Matt ., from Maxwell Park , G lasgow .
Mr A lex . R oss , read a paper on the “ Birds of
Islay (see pp . 7
The six ty-second Annual G eneral Meeting took place on 28thO ctober, 1913 , Mr. John R . Lee, President, in the chair . The
Council ’s Annual R eport showed a successful year . During the
year 5 O rdinary Members were elected, while the names of
1 Corresponding Member and 14 O rdinary Members were removed
from the roll—4 of these through death . The membersh ip,
which is 240 , - is composed as follows —Hon . Members,14 ;
Corresponding Members, 32 ; Life Members,21 ; O rdinary
Members,17 3 . There are also 4 Associates .
The R eport of the Honorary Treasurer (Mr . John R enwick)was adopted (for Abstract Statement of Accounts
,see p .
The R eport of the Hon . Librarian (Mr. James Mitchell) boreout the continued popularity of the Library .
O ff i ce-bearers were elected as follows —As Vice-President,Mr .
Robert W . S. Wilson ; Members of Council, Messrs . J . G .
Connell, Robert Henderson , Jas. J . F. X . King,
and John Main,F .G .S.
Messrs . Jas. Jack and Joseph Sommerville were re—elected as
Auditors .
Mr. R . S. W ishart, M .A . , exhibited a specimen of the
Danewort (Sambucus Ebulus Linn . ) from near Chryston (perfavour of Mr . Hugh H . Aitken) ; potatoes penetrated by therootstocks of -couch -grass flowers of the Artichoke (CynamScolymus and the larva of an insect that appears t o
induce the leaves of Ga lium pa lustre to form pink fiower-bud-likestructures.
96 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
Mr. R . W . Wilson showed a Curlew Sandpiper ( Tr ingasuba rqua ta ) from Fairlie ; Mr . T. W. Wilson
,eggs of the House
Sparrow, showing great variations in colour and markings ;Mr . J . R obertson , nests of our summer warbler visitors ; Mr.G eorge Stout a Waxwing (Ampelis ga rrulus) from O rkney .
Mr. John R . Lee exhibited some willows,notably A lpine
forms, including Sa lim Lapponum L. ,from Myrdal
,Norway
,
Cruach Ardran,and Ben Lawers S. a rbuscula L . ,
from Meall
G haordie and Meall Tarmachan S . reticulum L . from Meall
G haordie and Meall Tarmachan S. n igr ican s from Meall
Tarmachan and S. phyliczf olia from Fossil Marsh .
Mr. N. G . Reid showed a delightful series of lantern slides
illustrating A ilsa C raig and its bird- life .
The fifth meeting of the sixty- third session took place on 27 th
January, 1914, Mr . John R . Lee, President, in the chair .
Messrs . G eorge Guthrie,38 Lilybank G ardens William
Miller Kirkwood,O rchard Street, Motherwell ; and John Inch ,
care of Mrs . Carey, 37 A rlington Street , were elected as O rdinarv
Members .
A report on an excursion to Dougalston for fungi wassubmitted (p .
Mr. Jas . J . F . X . King,
exh ibited specimens of the
recently recorded addition to the British Coleoptera, Tha n asz'
mus
rufipes Brahm.,and for comparison specimens of T. jormica
friu-s
L .
,both from Nethy Bridge ; Mr. King also showed specimens
of the rare Acrulia infla te Gyll. , from Nethy Bridge .
Mr . T . Thornton MacK eith exhibited two eggs of the Quail
(Coturn ix commun is) : one taken in a hayfield on Faulds Farm
Kilmacolm (R enfrewshire), in 1903,by Mr . W . L . W alker
there were nine eggs in the nest ; the other specimen was taken
by Mr . Andrew Walker in a hay field at Knockinkelly, Whiting
Bay,Arran
,in the first week in July
,1905, there being seven or
eight eggs in the c lutch . Both specimens had been submitted
to Mr. W . Eagle C larke,who concurred in the identification .
Mr. G eorge Heriot exhibited some highly successful autochrome
studies .
PROCEED INGS or THE SOCIETY . 97
Mr . James St irton , M .D . , submitted a paper , read by Mr .
A lex . R oss,entitled “ O n Some Mosses from the West High
lands,&c .
”
(pp . 33
The Sixth meeting of the Sixty-third session took place on 24th
February, 1914, Mr. John R . Lee,President
,in the chair .
Messrs . Jas . Jack, 83 A itchison Street , Airdrie, and John
R itchie, Jr .,18 Townhead, Beith, were elected as O rdinarv
Members .
A resolution expressing sympathy with a Bill promoted in
Parliament for prohibiting the importation of the plumage of
wild birds for millinery purposes, moved by Mr . A lex . R oss, was
passed unanimously .
A pied Mouse (q s musculus) from Islay was sent for exh ibi
tion by D r. Thos . F . G ilmour .
Mr. J . G . Connell, gave a most interes ting lecture”
on
Common Animals of the Seashore .
Mr . D . A . Boyd read a paper on “ Plant Galls,and submitted
a list of 35 species which had come under his observation in the
course of other quests .
The seventh meeting of the s ix ty- third session took place on
3 l st March, 1914, Mr. John R . Lee, President, in the chair .
Suitable reference was made by the President to the loss
which the communi ty and our society had sustained in the
tragic death of Sir John Murray of “ Challenger ” fame,who
was for many years an Honorary Member of the Soc iety .
Messrs . Henry John Rhodes,Burnbrae
,Bothwell
,and
Thos . W . W ilshaw,15 A rmadale Street
,Dennistoun
,were
elected as O rdinary Members of the Society .
Mr. John R enwick exhibited a walnut,in which
,instead of
the usual bivalve shell, the endocarp was in three sections, giv ingthe nut a three -cornered appearance .
Mr. John R itchie Jun .,submitted a no te
,read by Mr . A . R oss
,
on the occurrence of Argulus f olia ceus L . , a parasite which
attacks fresh-water fishes . In the British A ssociation Handbook
to the Natural History of G lasgow,tir e . the species is
recorded as having been found on the G rayling, and Mr . R itchieG
98 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
stated that he had obtained specimens from the common trout
from a burn which flows into Kilbirnie Loch . He had also
identified a Specimen sent to him by Mr. R obert Dunlop , Dun
fermline,as belonging to the same species ; in this case the
parasite was taken from a stickleback Gasterosteus a culea tus L . )from a brickfield near A irdrie .
Dr . R . Broom,late Professor of Z oology and G eology, Victoria
College, Stellenbosch , gave a mos t interesting lecture on" The
South African Rept ilia and the light they throw on the O rigin
of Mammals . ”
The eighth meeting of the sixty- third session was held on
the 28th April, 1914, Mr. John R . Lee,President
,in the chair .
Mr. John R enwick , by favour of Mr. James Whitton, exhibited
specimens of La thr aea clandestina , Tourn .
,from the Botanic
G ardens G lasgow . This spec ies, in its underground rootstock,covered with close-set, short , fleshy scales
,resembles L . squamar ia
L .
,but differs from it very markedly in the inflorescence
,which
is very striking with its beautiful purple flowers . The specimens
were found growing on the roots of a willow- tree in the garden .
Mr . T . Thornton MacK eith read a paper on the Birdsof West R enfrewshire .
The ninth meeting of the sixty-third session took place on
26th May, 1914, Mr. John R . Lee , President , in the chair.A report was submitted on an excursion to Mauchline (p .
Professor L . A . L . King exhibited two living leeches ;Helobdella stagn a lis L . be had obtained from ponds at Annies
land , near G lasgow,and Herpobdella a toma r ia Car. had been
sent to h im by Mr . W m. Miller, from Motherwell . The latter
species has not previously been recorded for the C lyde Area ; itwas observed by Mr . Miller on the banks of the Clyde on the
undersides of stones .
Mr . R ichard Elmhirst, read a paper entitled “ Some
Additions to the Clyde Marine Fauna (pp. 78
Mr. John Paterson read a report on the return of our summermigrants forthe present season (pp . 87
Mr . Jas. F . G emmill,M .A .,
M .D .,D So
,read a paper entitled
O n Keeping Small Marine Aquaria (pp . 79
100 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.
June,128 5 hours ; July 195 '4
’
h0 urs ; August, 1432 hours ;September, 80 2 hours ; O ctober, 87 16 hours ; November, 41 3
hours ; December, 28 0 hours . Till the end of May vegetation
was backward , but later in the season the leeway was made up.
The previous season ’s growth on trees and shrubs not having
ripened satisfactorily, the display in the woodlands was neitherbrilliant nor satisfactorv . Though the season
’s growth was slow
at first its later development was good,and as it ripened well in
the warm weather the prospects for 1914 were good .
Note.
Green Sandpiper in W est Stirling shire —O u the eveningof 27th March, 1914, I flushed a G reen Sandpiper ( Tr inga
ocrophus) off a mud patch on the Allander. The bird was seen
in the same neighbourhood (Balmore Haughs) on March 28,
April 3,and three immediately subsequent occa sions . I found
it exceedingly wary,and very difficult of near approach .
D . MACDONALD .
Excursions .
DUNTREATH, 18th O ctober , 1913 —Conductor , Mr . John
Renwick — The second v is it to thi s estate was mainly devoted
to the measurement of some of the larger trees .
O n the s ide of one of the r ivulets , that come down from the
hills on the north , i s a very graceful Bi rch , which r ises to a
height of 63 feet , and has a gi rth of 4 feet . Near it i s a
Walnut,which had p roduced a good crop of juicy nuts .
Among the larger trees in the pol ic i es i s an O ak to the
west of the Castle , 84 feet high , with a fine bole of 36 feet,h av ing a girth of 12 feet 95 inches at 5 feet ; also a Sycamore
with a gi rth of 1 1 feet 65 inches , and a bole of 20 feet .Sir Archibald Edmonstone drew attention to a celebrated
O ak,known as Rob Roy ’ s Tree .
” This O ak ,otherwise
known as “ the Meikle Tree , or Trysting Tree,
” was
spec i ally v isited by the Soc ietv on 7th O ctober , 1893e—the
EXCURS IONS .
quatercentenary of a Notarial Instrument, dated 17 th February,1493 . This document narrates the division of the lands
of Blairquhosh into three parts, whereof the easter third
part,which afterwards became known as Blairquhosh Edmon
stone,has continued to be part of the Duntreath Estate to
the present day . This fine tree i s noticed in the late Mr .
John Guthr ie Smi th ’ s book on The Pa r ish of Stra thblane .
It i s a lso descr ibed , a long with a neighbour ing tree known as
the Smiddy O ak,
” in the Sta tistica l Accoun t as well
as in the New Sta tistica l Accoun t It i s now decaying ,but the lower dead branches have been cut O ff, and the
truncated parts p rotected from the weather . The l ast t ime
Mr . Renwick saw it , pr ior to his recent v i s it , the trunk could
not be measured accurately,owing to its being covered with
zinc but in 1898 i t measured 16 feet 10 inches, having increased2 inches in girth during the 1 1 seasons from 1888 to 1898
inclusive . The diameter of the head had,however
,decreased
10 feet,from 90 feet about 1795 to 80 feet in 1893 and 1898.
It is not a high tree,as it only showed an altitude of 56 feet in
1898 and
The other O ak measured 12 feet 10 inches in girth in 1893
and it had increased from 13 feet in 1898 to 13 feet 1 inch , at
4 feet 7 inches, in 1905. It had a diameter of head in 1893 of
83 feet,which , however, had decreased to feet in 1898
,
owing to the loss of some branches. Height,57 feet .
There i s a very fine Beech on the no rth side of the highway ,to the east of one of the entrances to the pol ic ies , with a gi rth
in 1905 Of 15 feet 1 1 inches ; height , over 84 feet ; d iameter
of sp read , 90 feet .
FUNGUS FORAY IN DO UGALSTO N POLIC IES . 2oth September,
1913—A fungus foray,in conjunction with the Anderson ian
Naturalists ’ Society, took place as above . The full list of fungi
noted a t Dougalston calls for no special remark , as the Spec ies
named are either verv or fairly well known . The ground was
For further information regarding this venerable O ak , and
a photograph showing its appearance, reference may be made tothe Society
’
s Proceedings a Transa ctions (New Series) . vol. iv. ,
p. 250 ; pl. ii.
102 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
very dry,and as it had been in that condition for some time, it
is a matter of satisfaction that so many species were recorded .
An interesting point is that while at the previous foray there in
September,1904, the prominent feature was the abundance of
I thypha llus impudica s all over the wood this year that spec ies
was very rare,and Ca n tha rellus aura ntiacus, the false Chanterelle,
coloured the ground everywhere .
MAUCHL INE , &c . , 13th April, 1914.—Conductor, Mr . D . A .
Boyd . This excursion was arranged j ointly with the
Anderson ian Naturalists’ Society .
The Spring Holidav opened under very unfavourable
conditions as regards weather, and heavy rain had , no doubt,the eff ect of deterring manv from undertaking the j ourney to
Mauchline . Seven gentlemen and five ladies braved the dis
comforts of the j ourney, and were not disappointed, for when
Mauchline was reached it was found that the rain had ceased
and the sky Showed welcome signs of clearing.
The town of Mauchline sta nds high , and , under favourable
circumstances, commands a very extensive view stretching over
many miles of country , To a casual visitor the town gives the
impression of being,in general, airy and clean . Most of the
houses are built of the New Red or Permian Sandstone of the
district,which has been extensively quarried at Ballochmyle and
other places in the neighbourhood . The profusion of early flowers
in full bloom in the gardens, afl’orded evidence alike of the fertilityof the soil and purity of the air. Mauchline is in the centre of a
district closely associated with the poet Burns, who there found
inspiration for many of his best-known effusions .After leaving the town, the party proceeded along the Ayrroad
,soon passed from the parish of Mauchline into that of
Tarbolton,and gradually descended towards the valley of the
R iver Ayr . For several miles the road is pleasantly bordered
with beech trees, so as to resemble in summer, when the foliage is
fully expanded, a private avenue rather than a public highway.
Several pa tches of the Lesser Wintergreen ( Pyrola minor) , not yet
in bloom,were observed on the roadside, while on sunny banks
and in sheltered places many of the early flowers were already
displaying their blossoms. A pleasant feature, characteristic of
104 THE GLASG OW NATURALIST.
time for presentation to the Soc iety nor for publication, but
was handed to me shortly before the present visit and I Shall
inc lude most of it . The second was on 5th June, 1909, j oint
with the Hamilton N. H . Society and under their leadership .
Brief accounts of these appeared in our Transa ctions, Vol. VI .
(N.S. ) p . 343,and in The Glasgow Na tura list, Vol. I . p . 143 .
The party went by rail to Dalserf station, and walked by
Garrion Bridge and G arrion Haugh , entering the policies by the
south- east lodge . O n the banks of the Clyde above G arrion
Bridge several plants were observed , such as Stella ria nemorum
and Geran ium sylva ticum. O n a visit a fortnight later two
spec imens of the Star of Bethlehem, O rn ithoga lum umbella tum
were seen . Here and in the hedges Alliar ia ofi cina'
lis is
conspicuous, and has evidently been so since the time of Patrick
( 183 1) who says common about Dalserf.”
O n our first visit Mr. Whitton wrote—“ O wing to the backward
ness of the season one of the features of Cambusnethan , viz the
great profusion of the Wood -hyacinth (Sci lla nutans) intermixed
with the Leopard ’s Bane (Doron icum Pa rda lian ches) was missed,as the flowers were only showing, instead of being in full bloom .
”
O n our presen t v isi t the Hyacinth was in splendid condition
and immense profusion . Patrick remarks This is ‘ the a z ur ’d
Hare-bell mentioned in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline . ’
Still more interesting was a large patch of the Meadow -Sax ifrage
(Sax iffraga gr anula ta ) on the south- eastern avenue. Indeed th is
patch was almost a solid mass of white.
Patrick writes The double variety grows abundantly at the
front of Jerviston House, where it is regarded as an inveterate
weed .
” Mr . Bryson , gardener at Mauldslie, told me that it grows
freely near his house .
In the field above the mansion -house and toward the glen
were a number of fine trees , Turkey O aks, Horse Ches tnuts in
abundant and beautiful flower, &c . A Turkey O ak which in
1909 had a spread of 86 feet and a girth at 3 feet 6 inches of
9 feet 1 1 inches has increased to 10 feet 3} inches . Another has
grown from 9 feet 25 inches to 9 feet 7 inches at 5 feet. Both
have short boles,only 7 feet and 9 feet respec tively.
An Elm in this field, with a girth of 10 feet inches at 4 feet,and a bole of 6 feet
,does not look like the Wych Elm
,but the
EXCURS IONS . 105
foliage was too immature for even Professor A . Henry to say
decisively .
The venerable Spanish Chestnut is still making wood . It has
increased in girth 29; inches Since June, 1909, and Si inches SinceMa y
,1900 , and is now 22 feet l l -ln inches at 5 feet 6 inches on
the low side . I t is stated to have been struck by lightning, and
its appearance goes to confirm this statement . A large part of
the trunk has been torn off . It had a height of 70 feet in 1909,
the very same figure as that given about 1863 and 1879. In girth
it is the largest Sweet Chestnut we know in the Cly de area .
Another noteworthy tree 15 a fine example of the true Black
Poplar (Populus n igra ) . In 1909 it had a height of 102 feet, and
in girth it has since then increased 22inches to 1 1 feet inches .
O n both previous Visits the Toothwort (La thrcea Sguamar ia ) wasfound growing on its roots
,and again on this occasion . Mr .
Renwick has found it at The R oss, Hamilton , growing, as here,on the roots of Populus n igra . Neither H0pkirk in Flora
Glotlian a ( 1813) nor Patrick in The Indigenous Plan ts ofLana rkshire ( 183 1) ment ions Lathraea at all . F rom the British
A ssociation Handbook to“ C lyde ” ( 1901 ) it appears, according
to Hooker, to have been found at Cambuslang and Cathcart and
near Ayr according to Hennedy, in Lanarkshire ; according to
Smith , at Dundonald . Hennedy in the second edition of the
Clydesda le Flora says Very rare . Parasitical on the roots of
Hazels, &c . Carmyle wood below the village . O n the same spot
for two seasons in May.
”Professor King in his edition of this
work addS Langside above Cambuslang on roots of Hawthorn ;near Lanark . I t was found abundantly this spring on the
banks of the C lyde above Cambuslang .
Mr . Renwick found it in 1906 at the foot of a Lime tree at
Doonholm in the Parish of Av r. In reporting on a visit of theSociety to Doonholm (see our Tran sa ctions, VIII . (NS ) p .
Mr . R enwick wrote Mr . John Smith in his B ota ny a g/rshire,
1896, records it from Dundonald and Maybole, on the auth orityof a Botany of Ayrshire, 1882, drawn up by Messrs . Borland ,Duncan , and Landsborough . Mr . Smith informs me that he has
never found it himself. Dr . Landsborough,in a letter to me
,
24th April, 1906, writes—J According to my notes i t was found
by Smith, of Monkwood,a t Bla irston
,Maybole Dundonald
106 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
Woods by the Messrs . Paxton,Kilmarnock ; by W . M ‘Cutcheon
( on Hazel) , Clavens Hill, Dundonald and at C leuch G len , Sorn ,by mysel f . ’ This discovery at Doonholm
,Ayr Parish , appears
therefore to be a new parish record for the County .
”
Near the house is a good Wych Elm with a bole e f 13 feet and
a girth of 11 feet 2 inches at 5 feet, an increase of 1% inches in 5years. An Elm,
which I take to be Ulmus campestris, the English
Elm,near the foot of the glen , has a girth of 10 feet 10% inches a t
2 feet 2 inches, an increase of 12% inches in 12 yea rs . In thereport of our visit in 1902 the girth of this tree was inadver
tently given as 8 feet 10 inches instead of 9 feet 10 inches .
O n that occasion the party went by Wishaw South Station .
Mr . W’
hitton wrote Proceeding by the Ha’
G ill—ah excellent
type of the gills or small glens common to the C ly de valley, the
party Slowly worked its wa y down by a somewhat diflicult pathto the haugh bordering the Clyde . A ttention was directed to a
dyke or fault in the mineral strata which necessitated the coal on
either side of the gill being worked from pits at wide distances
apar t and on different levels . At one point “ a striking example
of the effect of the withdrawal of the underlying coal was
observed in the crushing and shattering of a huge face of rock
which a few years previously presented a smooth compact surface .
In the upper part of the gill few of the trees were of any note ,the large Spruces were dying from the effect of smoke, or by the
sinking of the ground through under ground workings wrenching
the root-system of the trees, and also upsetting the natural water
supply—each cause in itself sufli cient to kill the trees . In the
park fac ing the main front of the mansion several fine healthy
specimens of trees were noted , particula rlv two distinct varieties
of the G reat Maple, Acer Pseudo-
pla tanus, one being a beautifullv
variegated form,and the other
,which is known as the ‘ Cor
storphine Plane’w ith beautiful golden foliage, which makes it a
conspicuous obj ec t in the landscape for some time, as later it
assumes the usual tint of the type .
In addition to the trees already mentioned there are a number
of good Beeches tall Poplars (Populus serotina ), 112 to 119 feet
high,and E lms whose species can only be determined by obtaining
mature foliage . There was great abundance of fruit on the
Wych Elms, and the absence of foliage on the Ash which is verv
late this year, was notable .
108 THE G LASG O W NATURALIST .
the further ascent O f the peak , the limit of the phyllite schists
having been reached , and no further botanical results being
expected . In spite of the weather conditions, the party were
able to note most of the rare plants which grow in such profusion
on this exceptionally rich mountain. E specially the great
abundance - O f flowers of Drya s octopeta la was noticed , and one or
two magnificent spec imens O f Pyrola rotundifolia . Having
decided to return , the two members who were in residence at
Tyndrum retraced their steps across the moor, wh ilst those from
Crianlarich followed the farm road from Chon inish to Stra thfillan ,
and thence proceeded to their destination by the main road .
O n Monday, 20 th July , six members of the party ascended
Ben Cha llum in fine weather. starting a t nine o ’c lock i rony
Crianlarich . C rossing the R iver Fillan by means of the railwayviaduct, the ridge of Creog Luiragan was crossed in a northerly
direction , and a visit paid to Lochan Dhu, a tarn Of considerable
size,in which a species of Utr icular ia was found in some
abundance . The ascent was then made along the ridge to the
top O f Ben Challum, which consists of a double peak,the northern
and more distant being the higher f t . In a rocky gully
between the two,the Pa rslev Fern was found growing luxuriant]y
,
and on the descent, which was made by the eastern side of the
peak , this same fern was found in remarkable abundance . The
botanical results were somewhat disappointing however, the only
plants of special interest seen being J un cus tr ifidus and
Ar ctostaphylos Uva-ursi .
O n Tuesday, 21st Julv a visit was paid to the banks of Loch
Dochart, about a mile below Crianlarich , where Subula ria
aqua tica was found abundant in the shallow water a t the edge of
the loch , along with a fine display of Lobelia Dortmanna .
The following is a list of the plants noted on Ben Laoigh
Arabis petrcea Lam.,Alchemilla a lpina, L.
, Cherler ia sedoides L . ,
Sibba ldia procumbens L Armer ia vulga r is Willd Plan tago
mar itima, L. , Aspidium Lonchitis Sw.,Asplen ium vir ide Huds
Cystopteris mon ta na, Link , B ar tsia a lpina L .,Dryers octopetala L .
,
Arena. a lpin a Sm. , Ca rex a tr a ta L . . Saussurea a lpina, D .C .,
Cera stium a lpin um L . , Ha ben ar ia vir idis Br. , Pyrola rotund'ifolia
L .,Trolling europoeus L. ,
Hiera cium anglicum Fr. , Luz ula Spica ta,
D.C . , Jun cus triglumis L. , Carex pulla G ood , Silene a caulis L .,
Excunsmns. 109
Saxifi'
aga Oppositif olia L .
, S . stellar is L.
,S . hypnoides L
S . a iz oides L.,Solidago cambr ica Huds . , Polygonum vivipa rum
L . , Selagin ella spinosa Beauv .
,Sedum Rhodiola D .C .
FULLARTON HOUSE , TROON , 15th August, 1914.—Mr . R enwick ,
Conductor . This domain has been in the possession of the Dukes
of Portland since 1805, but for more than five centuries previously
it had belonged to the family of Fullarton Of that ilk . The name
Fullarton apparently means the town or residence or possession
of the fowler. In ancient deeds it is usually written “ Foulertoun,
”
or sometimes Fowlertoun ,
’ and no doubt was pronounced in the
same way as the modern Fullarton .
”
In 1344 Sir Adam Fowlertoun of that ilk had a charter of the
lands of Fowlertoun and G aylis, with the hail fish ings from
the Trune to the water-mouth Of Irvine .
I t is interest ing to note that the pronunciation O f “ the Trune,
as indicated by the spelling, is still preserved locally . The older
inhabitants do not speak of Troon but of “ the Trune ” trin) .It is evidently the Welsh form of the Celtic word for nose
(or point of land) , of which the G aelic form i s Sron modified
by the Sassenach into Strone,
” and poin t s to the former presence
of Cymric-speaking people,as does also Cumbrae= the i sland of
the Cymric .
The manor of Crosby or Corsb ie is that on which the presenthouse of Fullarton and the ancient Kirk or Chapel of Crosbie are
situated . This word with the term ination by or“ bye may
point to a settlement by Danish invaders . The name appears
sometimes as Crosbie and sometimes as Corsb ie the latter way
Of spelling is preserved in the Corshill O f Kilwinning . An old
Scotch name for a market place was Cors or Corse, from the cross
being formerly erected there . The present house was begun in
the y ear 17 45 by Will iam Fullarton ,who succeeded to the
estate in 17 10 , and died 1759.
In it and its accompaniments he showed a just taste by the
simplicity and unity of the design. G ardening and botany he
also cultivated with much assiduity and success,particularly the
latter,of which he was a devoted admirer . Quite likely a
number of the trees ma y have been planted by h im,and some by
hi s son , Colonel William Fullarton , who succeeded in 1759 and
110 THE GLASG O W NATURALIST .
died in 1808. In 17 70 , when only 16 years Of age, the latter
visited the continent,Malta and Sicily, with Patrick Brydone, a
once celebrated traveller referred to by Burns in “ The Vision .
”
This Fullarton,in 1793 wrote An Accoun t of the Agr iculture
of the Coun ty of Ayr , with O bserva tion s on the means of i ts
Improvemen t, and , in 180 1,an essay on the best
'
method ofturning grass lands into tillage . He made considerable additions
to Fullarton House in 1791. There are some fine trees a t
Fullarton . A Sycamore and an Elm measured by the late
Dr. Landsborough in 1879, were blown down about Christmas,1895. The larges t elms now measure 14 feet 3 inches
,bole
1 1 feet ; and 13 feet 6% inches, bole 20 feet, showing girthincreases since 1893 of 8 inches and 9 inches respectively . The
most remarkable trees are a Holly ( I tem Aquif olium) , and an
Evergreen O ak ( Quercus f lex) , each the largest of its kind known
in the Clyde area. The former girths 11 feet 45 inches at thenarrowest part of the bole of 6 feet
,say at 8 inches above the
present level of the ground . equal to 1 foot formerly . A few
years ago a large quantity of manure was put in around the t ree,and the ground raised about 4 inches . The tree has since
improved in appearance and health . The trunk has been
cemented to keep out moisture and prevent decay.
Dr . Landsborough measured the tree in 1879. It was then 9 feet
8 inches in girth at 1 foot, and he remarked—“ it is enormous far
exceeding the girth of the greatest holly the writer ever heard or
read of .” Dr. D . Christison in Trans. B ot. Soc. Edin ,
says it
appears to be one of the finest Scottish examples of its kind .
The O ak ( Q. f lex) , divides into 5 stems at 2 feet from the
ground, and rises to a height Of 48 feet . A t the narrowest part
of the trunk, about a foot from the ground , it has a girth of
13 feet 75: inches . Dr . Landsborough , in 1879 made the girth
to be 10 feet 1 1 inches . Loudon , about 1838, records two Ilexes
here,one 40 feet h igh, diameter of trunk 2 feet
,feet
3 inches girth) another, 120 y ears Old, 3 feet diameter, girth,
9 feet 5 inches) . I f the present tree is either of these it must bethe smaller of the two . TW O Sweet Chestnuts measure
respectively, 15 feet 35inches, bole 13 feet, and 14 feet 84 inches,hole 20 feet. A very fine Beech has a girth of 16 feet 0g» inch,bole 1 1 feet . There are a number Of fern-leaved Beeches ( Fagus
THE GLASG O W NATURALIST.1 12
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H Oto CD QD O F -I co r—4
I ND E X ,
Abies nob il i s , 49pectinata , 49
Acanth ias vulgaris , 41Accentor modularis, 3 , 11
Accipiter nisus , 19ACCOUNTS
,ABSTRACT STATEMENT , 112
Acer Pseudo -p latanus , 61 , 106Acredula caudata , 3Acrocephalus phragmitis, 3 , 10 , 92Acrulia inflata , 96Actinoloba dianthus , 84Adoxa Moschatellina , 78
[ Egialitis hiaticula , 5, 26
[ Esculus Hippocastanum ,52
Ailanthus , 66 , 67glandulosa , 69
Ajuga reptans, 63Alauda arvensis , 4, 17Alca torda , 31Alcedo ispida , 17Alchemilla alpina , 108ALDER , 50ALGAE, FRESH -WATER
,61
Alisma Plantago -aquatica, 76
All iaria officinalis, 104ALMOND TREE , 69, 70Alnus glutinosa , 50Ampelis garrulus , 96Amph icora , 79
fabricia , 79Amphileptus clapzu
'
edn , 78Anas boscas, 22ANDERSON , THOS .
, 62
Andreaea alp ina , 34, 37 .
var . compacta,36
, 37nivali s , 36obovata
, 34, 36, 37Anemone appenina , 103ANEMONE , FEATHERY , 84
SEA, 80 , 84
Anser alb ifrons, 21c inereus
,21
segetum , 21Anthus obscurus, 3 , 12
pratensis , 3 , 12triv ialis, 3 , 12, 91
Aposphaeria populea , 7 7APPLE
, 73
AQUARIA , MARINE , 79-86Aquila chrysaétus, 18Arabis petraea
,108
Araucaria , 53Arctostaphylos Uva -ursi , 108
Ardea c inerea , 5, 20Arenaria trinervia , 78Argulus fol iaceus , 97Alm eria, vulgaris 108AR TICHOKE , 94Ascidians, 84scochyta armoraciae, 64
ph i ladelph i , 62 , 63, 64ASH, 49, 68, 71 , 106
FLOWERING,111
G O LDEN=EDG ED,50
MANNA,70
Asio acc ipitrinus, 18
otus,17
ASPEN, 68
Aspidophorus cataphractus,Asp idium Lonch itis, 108
Asplen ium Ruta -muraria, 64
Viride, 108ASTOR , 74AUX , LITTLE , 31 , 55Aulostoma nigrescens
, 44Aulostomum gulo , 44Aurel ia aurita
, 84Avena, alpina
,108
BALSAM , YELLOW , 64Barbula obtusula , 99recurvi fol ia , 47
Bartramidula W ilsoni, 35
artsia alpina,108
atrachospermum vagum, 61BAXTER , W . R .
, 7 , 91 , 92, 93BEECH, 49, 50 , 51 , 68, 101 , 106, 111
COPPER, 53
FERN -LEAVED,111
Bernicla brenta, 21
leucopsis, 21
Betula a lba, 69
BIRCH, 49, 68, 69, 71 , 100BITTERN
,20
BIRDS OF GAR ELO CH, 1 -7
I SLAY , 7 -32
SU
ggMER
, RETURN TO CLYDE, 87
DANTE ON, 70 -75
BURNS ON, 70 75
BLACKBIRD, 1
BLACKCAP, 55, 56, 60BLACK CURRANT AND GOOSEBERRYHYBRID , 95
Blechnum Sp icant, 62
BLOODWORMS , 43Botaurus stellaris, 20
Botrytis depraedans, 64BOYD
,D . A .
, 55, 61 , 62, 75,102
Brachythecium pO puleum, 47
BRACKEN,INCREAS E OF , 160
BRAMBLING , 13Broussonetia papyrifera , 69Bryum atropurpureum , 47
barbatum,38
elegantulum,38
erythrocarpum , 47
leptaleum, 38
perpusillum, 38
Stirtoni,38
tenerrimum, 38, 39
BUCHANAN , 91
BULLFINCH , 4, 14BUNTING
, CORN, 14REED , 14SNOW
,14
YELLOW, 4, 14
Calidris arenaria , 28Calothrix epiphytica , 61
Campanularia ex igua , 79Campanulina
‘uurrita , 79
Cantharellus aquaticus,102
aurantiacus , 63Caprimulgus europaeus, 17Carex atrata
,108
pulla , 108Carp inus BetuluS , 52Castanea sativa
,53
CATALPA,AMERICAN
, 68
Catalpa bignonioides, 70
CEDAR , 53Cenangium ab ietis, 64Cerastium alp inum
,108
Cerc is Sil iquastrum, 70
Ceriosporella polygoni, 77
erthia fam il iaris,3,11
HAD W ICK , 88
CHAFFINCH , 4, 13Charadrius pluv ialis
,26
Chel idon urbica , 3 , 12, 91(
‘
herleria sedoides , 108CHESTNUT , HORSE , 52, 104, 107SWEET, 53 , 105, 107 , 110
CHIEECHAEE , 2, 56 , 88Ch ironomus , 43, 44CHITONS
, 84
CHOUGH,14
C inclus aquaticus, 11
Circus cyaneus, 19
Cirratulus , 84
Cladosporium fulvum , 59
Clangula glaucion , 23
Cleps ine bioculata , 44complanata , 43tessulata , 42
Cl itocybe candicans , 64dealbata , 64
Coccomyces dentatus, 63CO D
,46
COLEOPTERA , BRITISH , 96Columba liv ia
,24
palumbus, 5, 24, 54Colymbus glac ialis , 31
septentrionalis,32
Coniothyr ium pepl is,7 7
CONNELL , J . G .
,94
,97
,107
COOT , 26COPEPODS
,84
CORMORANT, 20
CORNCRAKE , 25, 91Corvus corax , 16cornix
,16
corone, 4, 16frugflegus , 4, 16monedula , 16
Corylus Avellana, 77
Cotile riparia,4,12
, 88Coturnix commun is , 25, 96CRAKE
,SPOTTED
, 25CRANE
, 74
Crex pratens is,25
, 91
CROW , CARRION , 4, 16HOODED
, 16
CUCKOO , 4, 7 , 17 , 56 , 60 . 91
Cuculus canorus, 4, 17 , 91CURLEW , 6 , 28Cygnus bewicki , 22
musicus, 22olor , 22
Cynara Scolymus, 94
CYPRES S , 72Cypselus apus , 4, 93Cystopteris montana
,108
DANEWORT, 94
Dasyscypha crucifera, 61 62
grisella , 61pteridis, 61
Dendrocopus major, 17Desmonema W rangelii, 61D iaporthe W '
ibbei, 61Dichothrix orsiniana
, 61D igitalis purpurea
, 61DIPPER
, 7 , 11
D IVER , GREAT NORTHERN , 31Red v throated, 32
Glossiphom'
a tessellata , 42tuberculata, 43
Glossosiphonia complanata , 41 , 43Glyceria aquatica , 63Gnomonia lugubris, 64Gnomiella vulgaris , 77GOLDCREST , 2, 10GOLDENEYE , 23GOOSE , BARNACLE , 21
BEAN , 21BRENT
, 21
GREYLAG , 21W HITEER O NTED ,
21
GOOSEBERRY AND BLACKHYBRID , 95
GOSHAWK , 74, 75
GRAS S , COUCH , 94GRAYLING , 97GREBE
,LITTLE
, 32
GREENFINCH , 4, 13GREENSHANK
, 28
Grimmia robusta, 34, 37 , 38Schultz ii, 34, 37 , 38
GROUS E, BLACK , 5. 25RED , 5, 25
GUILLEMOT, 6 , 31
BLACK, 31
GULL , BLACK -HEADED , 6 , 29COMMON , 6 , 30GREATER BLACK - BACKED
, 6, 7 , 30HERRING , 6, 30IVORY , 30LES SER BLACK BACKED , 6, 30, 60 , 88
G URNEY , JOHN H., 95
GUTHRIE, GEORGE , 96
CURRANT
Habenaria Vii idis 108Haematopus ostralegus, 5, 27Haemopis sanguisuga , 41Haliaétus alb icilla
, 18Hapalos hon Libe1nicu
8,s 61
Harpant us scutatus, 4
HARRIER , HEN , 18HAWK SPARROW
, 75HAZ EL , 105HEDGE-ACCENTOR
, 3Helobdella stagnalis, 41 , 44, 98Hemiclepsis tessellata , 42HENDERSON , ROBERT, 94HEPATICZE FROM VICE COUNTY 87 , 47 48HERIOT, GEORGE , 96HERON , 5, 20Herpobdella atomaria
, 98octoculata
, 41 , 45
HIGHLANDS , WEST , MOS SES FROM , 33-39
IBIS , GLOS SY , 20Ilex aquifolium
, 110
Impatiens Nol i tangei e , 64ISLAY , BIRDS OF , 7 32Ithyphallus impudicus, 102IVY , 72
J ACKDAW, 15, 16
JACK , J . R .
, 60 , 95
JAS . , 94, 97 , 112J ELLYFISH , 84JUDAS TREE , 68, 70Juncus conglomeratus , 61
trifidus, 108triglumis, 108
KESTREL , 5, 19, 75KILKERRAN TREES
, 48 54KINGFISHER
, 17
L . A . L . 95, 98
KIRKWOOD , W . M, 96
KITTIWAKE, 30
Lagopus mutus , 25sec tions , 5, 25
Hirudo complanata , 43medicinalis, 40 , 44
muricata , 41octoculata , 45
sanguisuga , 44stagnalis, 44
tessulata , 42
V itrina , 42Vittata , 46
Hirundo rustica , 3, 12. 88
HOBBY , 75Holcus moll is , 77HOLLY , 110HOPKINS , N. , 89, 90 , 91 , 92, 93, 94Hormospora mutabil is , 61HORNBEAM , 51Humaria jungermanniae, 76
HYACINTH WOOD, 104
HYDRO ID , 80Hypnum cupressiforme
var . ericetorum,47
resupina‘oum , 47
tectorum, 47
exannulatumvar . brachydicton , 47fluitans var . ovale, f orma angustifol ia , 47
J uratz kanum, 99riparium, 47
Lauius excubitor , 12
I JAPW ING , 5, 26
La rus argentatus, 6 , 30canus, 6 , 30
fuscus , 6, 30 , 88
ma rinus , 6 , 30ridibundus, 6 , 29
Lathraea clandestina , 98Squamaria
, 98,105
LAUREL , 72LEECH , DUTR O CHET
’
S, 39
GLAS SY , 42HORSE , 44MEDICINAL , 40 , 44
SKATE , 40 , 41
LEECHE S OF GLASGO W D ISTR ICT , 3947LEE
, JOHN R ., 62, 93, 94, 95, 96 , 97 , 98
107LEOPARD ’ S BANE , 104
Leptosphaeria agnita , 62Leskea polycarpa
, 47
Leucob ryum a lb idum , 33 , 34
glaucum , 34
pumilum , 34Ligurinus chlori s , 4, 13LIME , 68, 70, 105, 107LDrNET
, 4, 13Linota cann abina
, 4, 13fiav irostris , 4, 13ruf escens, 4, 13
Lobelia Dortmanna, 108
Locustella naevia , 92Lophoz ia bicrenata , 48LUNAM , GEORGE , 61 , 95Luz ula sp icata
, 108Lychnis a lpina
, 35
G ithago, 62
Lycopsis arvensis , 62Lymn ea peregra , 43
truncatulus , 44
M ‘
ANDREW , JAMES , 47 , 95M ‘
DO NALD,D. , 88, 90 , 91 , 92, 93, 100
MACKEITH , T . THORNTON , 88, 90 , 91 , 92,93
, 96 , 98M ‘
LEO D,A .
, 89
Madotheca Thuja , 48Magnolia acuminata
, 111MAIDENHAIR TREE
, 69, 70MAIN , JOHN , 94MALLARD
, 22
MAPLE , GREAT, 106Mareca penelope, 23Marine Aquaria
, 79-86MAR INE FAUNA , ADDITIONS To78 79
Marssonia populi, 63
Nephelis tesselata , 42vulgaris , 45
Nettion crecca , 23NIGHTJ AR , 17
Numenius arquata , 6 , 28ph zeopus , 28
Nyctea scandiaca , 18
MARTIN ,HOUS E 3 , 12, 56 ,
60 , 64,SAND 4, 7 , I2, 56 , 88
MERGANS ER ,RED - BREASTED , 24
Mergulus alle, 31Mergus serrator , 24MER LIN ,
19, 74, 75
Merismopedia punctata , 61METEOROLOGICAL NOTE S , 99Milesina blechm’
, 62, 64
MITCHELL , JAMES , 94MOO RHE N , 26Morus n igra, 70MOS SES FROM VICE -COUNTY , 87 , 47
FR O M THE WEST HIGHL ANDS ,Motacilla a lba , 88lugubris, 3 , 12
melanO pe, 3 , 12
ra i i , 90MOUSE , 97MULBERR Y , 69, 70uscicapa grisola , 3 , 12. 92
Mus musculus , 97Mycena lactea , 64
rosella , 64Myri ca Ga le, 61 , 62, 63
O AK , 49, 53 , 68, 72, 100 -1,107
EVERGREEN , 110TURKEY , 53 , 100 , 104
OLEANDER, 72
OLIVE , 72O ph iy otrocha , 84
Orch is maculata, 60
rni thogalum umbellatum , 104rph iobolus herpotrichus, 7 7rthotrichum anomalum, var . sax .
diaphanum, 47OSPREY
, 19O thonia fahrion , 79O W L
, BARN , 17LONG -EAR ED , 17SHORT -EAR ED
,18
SNOWY, 18
TAWNY , 18OYSTER -CATCHER
, 5, 27
Pagoph iLa eburnea , 30PALM , 72
Pandion haliaetus , 19PARTRIDGE , 25Parus ater , 3 , 11caeruleus , 3 , 11major , 3, 11
Passer domesticus , 4, 13PATERSON
,JOHN , 70 , 87 , 90, 98
Peplis Portula , 77Perdix c inerea , 25Peronospora a ffinis, 76alta
, 62, 64
chrysosplenii , 59
PETREL , FORK-TAILED , 6 , 7STORM , 32
Phalacrocorax carbo,20
graculus , 20PHALAROPE
,GREY
, 27
Phalaropus fulicarius, 27Phasianus colchicus, 5, 25
PHEASANT, 5, 25
Ph iladelphus coronarius, 62
Pholiota aurea , 94Ph oma cylindrospora , 63
orthotrichi, 77
Phylloscopus rufus , 2, 88sib ilatrix
,2,10 , 93
troch ilus , 2, 10, 93Phyllosticta ajugae, 62, 64
erysimi, 77syringae , 64teucrii , 63ulmi , 63
PiCea sitchensis , 53PINE , 72STONE
, 72
Pi nus sylvestris, 53
PIPIT , MEADOW , 3 , 12
ROCK,3, 12
TREE , 3 , 12 , 60 , 91Pisc icola marina
, 40PLANE , 72Corstorph ine , 106London , 65, 66 , 70
P lantago lanceolata , 62major, 62 QUAIL , 25
Platanus orientali s , var . acerifolia 70 Quercus cerris , 53Plectrophenax nival is , 14 I lex , 110Plegadis falcinellus , 20 robur
, 53PLOVER , RINGED , 5, 7 , 26GOLDEN
, 26PLUM , 73
POCHARD, 23
Podicipesfluv iatilis, 32Podosphaera myrtillina , 54, 94Polygonum amph ib ium , var . terrestre
, 77V iviparum, 109
Pontobdella muricata, 40, 41
POPLARS , 67 , 106BALSAM
,67
,70
BLACK , 51 , 70
BL ACK ITALIAN , 67 , 70ENGLISH
,67
GREY , 49LOMBARDY , 67 , 70
POPLAR -WOOD, 77
Populus balsamifera, 70
canescens , 49nigra , 70 , 105
var .
“betulifol ia , 51pyramidalis , 70typica , 51
serotina , 70, 106Porzana maruetta , 25
Potamilla , 84Potamogeton , 76POTATOES , 94Potentilla palustris
, 76
Pratincola rubetra,2,10
, 91rubicola , 10
PROCEEDINGS , 93—100Procellaria leucorrhoa , 6
pelagica , 32Protoclepsis tessellata , 41 , 42,Prunus Amygdalus
, 70Pseudopezi za 1
'
epanda, 61
Pseudotsuga Douglasi i 50PTARMIGAN , 25Pteris aquil ina
, 61Puccinia bux i , 64
c ircaeae, 64chrysosplen i i , 64hieracii
, 57
pimpinellae, 57rubigo -vera
, 58PUFFIN , 31Pyrola minor , 102
rotundifolia,108
Pyrrhocorax graculus , 14Pyrrhula europaea
, 4, 14Pyrus Aucuparia
, 70
pinnatifida , 70
Sorbus , 70
Raia, 41Rallus aquaticus
,26
Ramularia adoxae, 78ajugae, 64arenariae , 78armoraciae, 64heraclei, 64knautiae, 63
SWAN,BEW ICK
’
S,22
MUTE, 22SWIFT, 4, 93SYCAMORE
,49, 66 , 100 , 107 ,
Svlvia cinerea , 2, 10 , 3
curruca , 2h ortensis , 92
Synchytrium aureum ,62
cupulatum ,76
succisae, 62
Syrnium aluco , 18
Tadorna cornuta , 22TAMARISK , 72
Taph rina aurea , 63Taraxacum officinale, 61 , 63
TEAL,23
Terebellid, 84TERN
,AR CTIC, 29
COMMON , 6 , 29, 92Tetrao tetrix , 5, 25Teucrium Scorodon ia , 63Thanasimus formicarius , 96
rufipes, 96
THORN, 71 , 105
THRUSH,MISTLE
,1,9
SONG , 1 , 9Tilia vulgaris , 70TITMOUSE
,BLUE
,3,11
COLE , 3 , 11GREAT
,3,11
TOOTHWORT , 105Totanus cal idris , 5, 28canescens, 28hypoleucus, 5, 28, 90
Trachelobdella lubrica, 40, 46TREE -CREEPER
,3,11
TREE OF HEAVEN , 66-67 , 69
TREES , BURNS ON , 70 75DANTE ON , 70 75KILKERRAN , 485 4LONDON
,65 70
Trichostomum tenuirostre , Ta r .
dinianum,99
Tringa alpina, 28ocrophus, 100
striata,28
Trocheta subviridis, 39
Troglodytes parvulus , 3, 11Trollius europaeus
,108
Tubifex , 45Turbellarians
, 84Turdus il iacus
, 9
merula,1, 9
musicus, 1 , 9pilaris
, 9
torquatus, 9, 89Viscivprus, 1 , 9 YEW
, 68TURNSTONE
, 26
TWITE , 4, 7 . 13 Z oothaminium marinum , 78
Ulmus campestris, 52, 70 ,glabra, 52montana , 70nitens, 52
var . stricta, 52Uria grylle, 31
troile, 6 , 31
Utricularia, 108
Vaccinium Myrtillus , 55Vanellus vulgaris, 5, 26Vespa sylvestris , 94Vort icella nebulifera , 78
patellina , 78
WAGTAIL,GREY , 3 , 12
PIED, 3 , 12
WHITE,56 , 88
YELLOW , 56, 90
WALNUT, 97WARBLER , GARDEN 60, 87 , 92
GRAS SHOPPER 92
SEDGE 3, 7 , 10, 92
W ILLow 2, 10, 56 , 90
WOOD 2, 10
WATER -RAIL, 26WATT
,HUGH B . , 65
WAXWING , 96VVebera polymorpha
, 99
proligerg , 99
WELLINGTONIA , 52IVESTELL, W . PERCIVAL
, 1
WHEATEAR, 1 , 7 , 56, 88GREENLAND
, 32, 92
WHIMBREL, 28
WHINCHAT, 2, 10, 60, 87 , 91WHITEBEAM
, 69
WHITETHROAT, GREATER , 2, 10, 56, 60, 93LES SER , 2, 7
WHI TTON , JAMES , 98, 99, 103 , 104, 106WHOOPER
, 22
WIGEON, 23
WILLOW , 68W ILSHAW , T. W .
, 97
WILSON , R . W ., 88, 90 , 92, 93, 94, 96
H. W ., 88, 89, 90, 91 , 92, 95
T . W ., 93, 95, 96
WINTERGREEN, LESSER , 102WISHART, R . SWOODCOCK
, 27
WOODLOUS E, AR MADILLO 43WOODPECKER , GREAT SPOTTED , 17WOOD -PIGEON , INVASION or , 54WREN , 3 , 11
W ILLow 10, 60, 87 , 90
WOOD 10, 60, 87 , 92
WRYNECK , 56
fi g ural fi iz tnrg Suz ietg of 10513 5530 111.
SESSION LXII .—19l3-1914.
O F F I C E - B E AR E R S .
President.
JOHN R. LEE, 96 Finlay Drive, Dennistoun.
Vice-P residents.
D. A . BOYD, St. Clair, Sa ltcoats .
JOHN ROBERTSON,529 Clarkston Road.
ROBERT W . S . W ILSON,437 Clarkston Road.
Hon . Secretaries.
ALEXANDER ROSS, 409 G reat W estern Road.
GEORGE LUNAM ,120 Y ork Drive, Hyndland.
.Hon. Trea surer .
JOHN RENW ICK ,47 Oswa ld Street .
Hon. L ibrarian .
JAMES MITCHELL, 14 Knowe Terrace,Pollokshields.
Hon. Editor of Tra nsactions.
JOHN PATERSON, 99 Millbrae Road, Langside .
Members of Council.
For O ne Year.J. G . CO NNELL , F. L . A . L. KING , M .A. W M . RENNIE .
R . HENDERSON. T. THORNTON MACKE ITH. J . R . JACK,J . J. F . X . KING , F.E S . ROBT. S . HOUSTON. R. M ‘LEAN ,
M .A .
J. MAINI ,F .G .S . J . R . THOMSON . WM . M . PETTIGREW.
Hon. Lanterm’
st.
J . R . THOMSON .
Auditors.JAMES JACK and JOSEPH SOMMERVILLE .
COMMITTEES APPO INTED BY THE CO UNCIL.
Excurs ions C omm itteeD. A . BOYD , St. Clair, Saltcoats , and GEO. LUNAM ,
120 York Drive ,Hyndland, Conveners ; W . R. BAXTER, J. G . CONNELL,J . R . JACK
,JAMES J. F . X . KING , JOHN R . LE E , JOHN
MA IN, JOHN PATERSON , WM . M . PETTIGREW,J . RENWICK,
and the Secretar ies.
Pub lish ing C ommitteeJOHN PATERSON , 99 M i llbrae Road , Langside, Convener ; W . R.
BAXTER,D. A . BOYD , DAVID ELLIS , D.Sc. , Ph .D. ,
ANDERSONFERGUSSON , R . HENDERSON , L. A . L. KING , M .A . ,
J . R. LEE ,
RICHARD M ‘KAY , J AMES M ITCHELL , JOHN RENWICK , and the
Secreta r ies.
Lib ra ry C ommitteeJAM ES MITCHELL
, 14 Knowe Terrace , Polloksh ields, Convener , W . R.
BAXTER,R . HENDERSON, GEO . HERRIOT
,JAMES KNIGHT, M .A . ,
D.Sc . ,ROBT . M ‘LEAN, M .A . , WM . RENNIE , JOHN RENWICK ,
HUGH W . WILSON, R . W . S . WILSON , and the Secreta ries.
Photog raph i ca l C ommitteeW . R . BAXTER , 175 West George Street , Convener ; JOHN FLEMING,ROBERT GARRY , B .Sc . , GEORGE HERRIOT , J . R . JACK, R. M ‘LEAN
,
M .A . , T. THORNTON MACKEITH , WM . M . PETTIGREW, NICHOL ASG . RE ID , J . W . REO CH , J. R. THOMSON, HUGH W . WILSON ,and the Secreta r ies.
Museum, Resea rch , and B ritish Association C omm itteeD. A . BOYD , St . Clair, Saltcoats , (c , d , e, b
l) , Convener.
W . E . AGAR , B .A . , 1 Eton Gardens , H i llhead.
J . BALL ANTYNE , Corporation Gasworks, Hamilton (y) .W . R . BAXTER, 36 Sutherland Terrace, H i llhead (z) .FREDERICK O . BOWER, M .A D.Sc. , F.R S , 1 St. John ’s Terrace,
H i llhead.
GRO.
'A . BROWNE , 35 Sunnys ide Road, Coatbr idge (r , d l ) .R . BROWN, M .D . , Belhaven House, PollokshieldsJOHN CA IRNS , 23 Dunearn Street (h) .JAS. CLARK , M .A. ,
D.so. , A.R .C.S. , K i lmarnock Academy (u, z ) .J G . CONNELL , Stow College, Cowcaddens (m) .ANDREW A . DALGLISH , 21 Prince’s Street , Pollokshields (t, n) .W . CAMERON DAVIDSON, 18Lilybank Gardens , Hi l lhead (v) .J . S . DUNKERLEY, B.Sc . , Natural History Department, the University
(It, el) .
ROBERT DUNLOP , Park Avenue, Dunferml ine (c l . )DAVID ELLIS , D.Se. , Ph .D. , Royal Technica l College, (d) .
(a ) F resh rwater Algae ; (b) Characeae ; (c) Lichens ;‘
(d ) Fungi (e).
Hepat ics and Mosses ; ( f ) Ferns ; (g) Flowering Plants ; (h ) Trees ; ( i )Foss i l Plants ; (k) Foram inifera (l) Ccelenterata ; (m) Ech inodermata(n) Marine Worms ; (0 ) Crustacea ; (p) Arachnida ; (q ) Myriapoda,Collembola, Thysanura ; (r ) Coleoptera ; (s) D iptera ; (t) Lepidoptera ;(u) Hymenoptera ; (v) Polyzoa ; (w) Mollusca ; (x ) Fishes ; (y) Rept i l iaand Amph ib ia ; (z ) Birds ; (a l ) Mammals (b
l) Plant G-alls ; (cl ) Geology
(all ) Hemiptera (el) Parasites .
Delegate to Conf erence of C or responding Societies of the Br itish Associa tion.
Mrs . EWING .
Delegate to ClydeNa tura lists’ Representative Council.ALEXANDER ROSS , F.E. I . S.
Representative to Committee of M ar ine Biologica l Association of the
W est of Scotland .
ALEXANDER Ross, F.E . I. S.
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