DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY NATURAL HISTORY & ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY FOUNDED 20th NOVEMBER, 1862. TRANSACTIONS AND JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS 1921-22. THIRD SERIES, VOLUME IX. 25991 EDITOR: '•,.*',•' ' ;•' '" .•.•.••:••.: G. W. SHIRLEY. .-. ;. DUMFRIBS : Published by the Council of the Society. 1924 — — — 53 ^r Office=Bearers for 1921=1922. President. Hugh S. Gladstone of Capenoch, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., F.S.A.(Scot.). Hon. Vice-Presidents. S. Arnott, F.R.H.S., Fernlea, Dumfries. G. F. Scott-Elliot, F.R.G.S., F.L.S., Drumwhill, Mossdale, Kirkcudbright. Dr J. Maxwell Ross, Duntrune, Maxwelltown. John Rutherford of Jardington, Dumfries. Dr George Neilson, Wellfield, Partickhill Road, Glasgow. Sir P. J. Hamilton Grierson. 7 Paknerston Place, Edinburgh Vice-Presidents. James Davidson, F.I.C, F.S.A.(Scot.), Summerville, Maxwelltowr- T. A. Halliday, Parkhurst, Edinburgh Road, Dumfries. G. Macleod Stewart, Catherine Street, Dumfries. Alexander Turner, Glen Sorrel, Maxwelltown. Hon. Secretary. G. W. Shirley, Ewart Public Library, Dumfries. Editor of Transactions. G. W. Shirley. Hon. Treasurer. M. H. M'Kerrow, 43 Buccieuch Street, Dumfries. Hon. Librarian. G. W. Shirley. Hon. Departmental Curators. Antiquities James Flett, Hillhead, Bankend Road, Dumfries. Coins and Tokens James Davidson, Summerville, Maxwelltown. Geology Robert Wallace, Durham Villa, Charnwood Road, Dum- fries. Herbarium—Dr W. Semple, Mile Ash, Dumfries. Hon. Secretary, Photographic Section. J. P. MiLLiGAN, Aldouran, Maxwelltown. i^embers of Council. The President ; Vice-Presidents ; Secretary ; Treasurer ; Depart- mental Curators ; Secretary, Photographic Section ; and Miss M. Carlyle Aitken, Miss Gordon, and Mrs R. Matthews ; Messrs Thomas Henderson, Bertram M'Gowan, John M'BuRNiE, R. C. Reid, Fi?ANK Miller, and J. D. Ballantyne. Auditors. Messrs Bertram M'Gowan and G. Macleod Stewart. CONTENTS SESSION 1921-22. PAGE Abstract of Accounts 224 Annual Meeting ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 9 Dumfries Register of Marriages, 1616-1623 168 Elliot, G. F. Scott. Co-operation and the Origin of Flowers... 147 Exhibits 223 Field Meetings: Birrenswark 193 Earlston, Knockreoch and Dairy 200 Mossdale and Loch Ken ... ... ... 205 Holywood, Cowhill Tower, The Isle, Black- wood, Dalswinton and Quarrelwood ... 207 Gladstone, Hugh S. Notes on the Birds of Dumfriesshire ... 10 Herries, D. C. The Marriage of John, Lord Maxwell, and Elizabeth Douglas in 1572 118 Hewison, James King. Sir John Macbrair, a Friend of John Knox 158 Murray, John. The Significance of Birrenswark ... ... 193 Office-Bearers and Council ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 Presentations ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 223 Rainfall Records for the South-Western Counties, 1921 ... 190 Reid, R. C. Some Letters of Patrick Miller ... 125 Rutherford, J. Meteorological Observations taken at Jarding- ton, 1921 192 Smith, A. Cameron. The Estate of Dalswinton 213 Wallace, Robert. The Black Water of Dee ... 181 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Capenoch (from a photograph by Mrs Brooks) ... Frontispiece Two Pied Flycatchers at the Nest (from a photograph by the Author) 51 Rook's Nest on the Vane Surmounting the Spire of S. John's Church, Dumfries (from a photograph by Alexander's Studio, Dumfries) ... ... ... ... ... ... 66 Pied Ring-dove Shot at Closeburn, 23rd April, 1915 (from a photograph by Mr A. Turner) 88 EDITORIAL NOTE. Members working on local Natural History and Archaeological subjects should communicate with the Honorary Secretary. Papers may be submitted at any time. Preference is always given to original work on local subjects. Enquiries regarding purchase of Transactions and pay- ment of subscriptions should be made to the Honorary Treasurer, Mr M. H. M'Kerrow, 43 Buccleuch Street, .Dumfries. Exchanges, Presentations, and Exhibits should be sent to the Honorary Secretary, Ewart Public Library, Dumfries. G. W. S. ERRATA. The references occurring between pp. 41-104 to Recovery of Ringed Birds should be to pp. 28-32 (not 23-27). Proceedings and Transactions OF THE Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History & Antiquarian Society. SESsionsr 1Q21-22 14th October, 1921. Annual Meeting. Chairman—Mr G. Macleod Stewart, V.-P. The Reports of the Secretary and Treasurer for the past session were submitted, the former having to record the deaths of the following members of the Society : Mr T. G. Arm- strong, T. L. C. R. Macdonald, Mr Kennan; Mr J W.S. ; Provost William Nicholson, Mr John Symons, and Mr John Copland. In the former year 218 members had paid a sub- scription of 5s, whereas in the year being closed 229 sub- scriptions at los had been received, so that the raising of the subscription had not apparently acted adversely on the Society. The Treasurer's Report showed a substantial balance on hand, due partially to the account for printing the Transactions not yet being due. The Chairman, on behalf of the Council, moved the election of office-bearers and members of Council (see p. 3). The President then took the chair, and read as his Presi- dential Address, extracts from his supplement to " The Birds of Dumfriesshire " covering the ten years which had elapsed since its publication.* * As a large amount of matter has accumulated since the reading of this paper, I have completed the collection to 1st December, 1922.—H. S. G. 10 Notes on the Birds of DLfMFRiESSHiRE. Notes on the Birds of Dumfriesshire. By Mr Hugh S. Gladstone, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S. INTRODUCTION. My book on The Birds of Dumfriesshire was published in June, iqio, and in the following year the Addenda and Corrigenda thereto was issued. As more than ten years have now elapsed since this latter appeared and as, during that period, I have received a good deal of additional information on the subject, the time seems opportune for bringing the original work up to date. With this object in view, it has been thought expedient to include in this brochure the addi- tions and corrections which were given in the Addenda and Corrigenda and thus, in spite of repetition, to make the present publication an inclusive supplement to my original book. The outstanding event of the period under review is the European War of 1914 to 1918, which convulsed the whole world, and which did not facilitate so peaceful a pur- suit as the study of Birds. During the greater part of that period I was away from home and I am conscious that my ornithological correspondence was therefore not as compre- hensive as it was previously. I tried, however, to keep in touch with local ornithology and some of my notes have already appeared in the Scottish Naturalist and elsewhere. The war itself cannot permanently have affected our local Birds : probably Hawks, Crows and other so-called " Vermin " increased in the absence of shooting tenants and gamekeepers, and it has been suggested to me that this is why the Barn Owl has recently become more common locally. The enforced breaking up of land for growing corn may have done something to increase our stock of gramni- verous Birds. Heather burning which, under an order issued in 1917 by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland, was made legal thereafter annually between ist October and 30th April, undoubtedly destroyed a great many nests and eggs, not only of Grouse, but also of other birds of less : Notes on the Birds of Dumfriesshire. 11 economic value. Our shore-shooters on the Solway state that Wild-fowl were never more plentiful and attribute this to the constant practice of big guns elsewhere on the coast such changes, nevertheless, can only be regarded as tem- " porary. A war-time innovation—" Summer-time —first appointed in 1916, bids fair, however, to become an annual institution and ornithologists who study the hourly be- haviour of birds will have to bear this in mind. Nor can I refrain from mentioning the practice, which has certainly become more general in recent years, of turning down poultry almost broadcast. It is to be feared that the inter- mingling of these domestic fowls with wild birds, and especially with game birds which are of the same family Gallince, will render the latter liable to contract those dis- eases which are known to infect poultry. Apart from the loss of natural food, which must be occasioned to wild birds by the introduction of hordes of chickens, I apprehend that the spread of Fowl-diseases amongst other birds is a con- tingency which is highly probable and the effects of which time alone will show. When dealing with the various species of birds indi- vidually I shall remark, whenever occasion arises, on any change in their local status and I cannot agree with one of my correspondents who complains of the general decrease in the numbers of all our smaller birds which, he alleges, is due to teachers encouraging the formation of school collec- tions of eggs. I most certainly deprecate this method of inculcating the love of Natural History upon the youth of the county, and I have reason to believe that our little colony of Great-crested Grebes at Lochmaben has already suffered in the process. It is diflicult to account for the ups and downs of our avian population ; for that the numbers of different species vary from time to time I think there can be no doubt. The Starling, which is believed to have been quite common locally at the end of the eighteenth century, was more than a rarity in 1840 and not till 1865 did the species resuscitate and gradually attain the numerical strength in which It was found throughout the county in the early years of the twentieth century. The ravages of Grouse-disease 12 Notes on the Birds of Dumi-riesshire. may be described as almost periodic. The numbers of our annual immigrants are often alleged to be influenced by climatic conditions. It has been suggested that the occa- sional irruptions of Sand Grouse and Crossbills are due to overcrowding at the normal haunts of those birds.