The Bittern'. The Snipe *. The Teal 3. The Water-Rail 4. The King's Fisher. The Coot 5. The 1 Ardea Stellaris. The bittern is inferior in size to the heron. The plumage of a pale dull yellow spotted, barred or striped with black. It is a very retired bird, lives chiefly on frogs, builds among rushes, and lays five or six eggs of a dirty green colour. It was once esteemed as food; and, in England, in the reign of Henry VIII. was valued at a shilling Sterling. 2 Scolopax gallinago. This bird is found in every quarter of the globe, and is so well known, as to need no description. In winter, great numbers of snipes frequent the marshy and wet grounds, where they lie concealed in the rushes, &c. In the summer, they disperse to different parts, and are found in the midst of the highest mountains, as well as in the low fens and mosses. 3 Anas Crecca. This small species of duck is in length 14 inches, in breadth 23 inches. It is rather a beautiful species. The head is of a deep bay colour; from the bill to the hind part of the head, is a broad bar of glossy changeable green; the lower part of the neck, the beginning of tie back, and the sides under the wings, are elegantly marked with waved lines of black and white; the general colour whitish, spotted with black. 4 Rallus aquaticus. The water rail is a bird of a long slender body, with short concave wings. It delights less in flying than running; which it does very swiftly along the edges of brooks covered with bushes: as it runs, every now and then flirts up its tail; and in flying hangs down its legs: actions it has in common with the water hen. The length to the end of the tail 12 inches, the breadth 16 inches; the head, hind part of the neck, the back, and coverts of the wings and tail are black, edged with an olive brown; the base of the wing is white; the quill-feathers and secon daries dusky; the throat, breast, and upper part of the belly are ash-coloured; the sides under the wings as far as the rump finely varied with black and white bars. The tail is very short, consists of twelve black feathers; the ends of the two middle tipt with rust-colour; the feathers immediately beneath the tail white. The legs are placed far behind, and are of a dusky flesh-colour; the toes very long, and divided to their very origin; though the feet are not webbed, it takes the water; will swim on it with much case; but oftener is observed to run along the surface. Fulica atra. The belly is ash-coloured; and on the ridge of each wing is a line of white; every part besides is of a deep black. Coots fre quent The Swan'. Sundry gulls, wild geese and wild ducks. In the moors are many wild fowls. There is a fine stone at Nivestoun, and much lime-stone; they want no fewel, have coal from Kelti-heugh; there is much pasture and plenty of corns. quent lakes and still rivers; they make their nest among the rushes, with grass, reeds, &c. floating on the water, so as to rise and fall with it. They lay five or six large eggs, of a dirty whitish hue, sprinkled over with minute deep rust colour spots; they will sometimes lay fourteen and more. The young when just hatched are very deformed, and the head mixed with a red coarse down. In winter they often repair to the sea. : I The wild Swan, Anas Cygnus ferus, is not known to frequent any of our lakes; but the tame Swan, Anas Cygnus mansuetus, is common in several of them. The swan is the largest of the British birds. It is distinguished externally from the wild swan; first, by its size, being much larger secondly, by the bill, which in this is red, and the tip and sides black, and the skin between the eyes and bill is of the same colour. Over the base of the upper mandible projects a black callous knob: the whole plumage in old birds is white; in young ones ash-coloured till the second year the legs dusky; but Dr. Plott mentions a variety found on the Trent near Rugely, with red legs. The swan lays seven or eight eggs, and is near two months in hatching: it feeds on water plants, insects and shells. No bird perhaps makes so inelegant a figure out of the water, or has the command of such beautiful attitudes in that element as the swan. In former times it was served up at every great feast, when the elegance of the table was measured by the size and quantity of the good cheer. Cygnets are to this day fattened at Norwich about Christmas, and arc sold for a guinea a piece. Swans were formerly held in such great esteem in England, that by an aft of Edward IV. c. 6. " no one that possessed a freehold of less clear yearly value than five marks, was permitted to keep any, other than the son of our sovereign lord the king." And by the eleventh of Henry VII. c. 17. the punishment for taking their ment for a year and day, and a fine at the king's will. they are not so highly valued as a delicacy, yet great ved for their beauty. eggs was imprisonThough at present numbers are preser END OF THE HISTORY OF KINROSS, The Coast, from the Western Boundary of the Shire to the Mouth of the River Leven. Fife is a peninsule, embraced towards the south with the Firth of Forth, and towards the north with the Firth of Tay. At the west limit of it, from the brink of Forth, (where the small water Bloddyr dischargeth itself, into the firth, at Newmiln bridge) it stretcheth northwards, including the paroches of Carnock and Saline (and excluding the paroch and lordship of Culross, within the shire of Perth) till the south-marches of the paroch of Cleish in Kinrossshire. Before I begin the account of the remarkable places in this part of the coast, I will give first the excellent verses of John Johnston and Arthur Johnston, upon the towns in the coast of Fife. John John Johnston's are these: Oppida sic toto sunt sparsa in littore, ut unum Quæ maria et quas non terras animosa juventus Arthur Johnston's are these: Oppida, quæ longo lavat hinc Bodotria tractu, Nec satis est sulcare fretum, Fergusia vobis PP Scotia Scotia vos celebret, vestro sine munere Brumæ Sunt nimis atroces, insipidæque dapes. The coast is very fertile, and has many waters and burns running into it, from the Ochils and Lomunds, and the hills in the inner parts of it. Some of these waters are auriferous and so Buchanan's verses holds in Fife as well as in other parts of this country. Nunc tibi frugiferæ memorabo hic jugera glebæ, I shall have occasion to give instances of this, in the account of the most remarkable places in this shire. In this coast are many fine harbours, many convenient fisheries, sundry manufactories, many royal burghs; and the salt that here is made, and the coal, and the fishery, afford much matter of trade. I begin with Torrie-burn, a burgh of barony: it has a harbour for small vessels, and has salt-pans1. It is named from the water of Torrie, which runneth through the town; over which, forgainst the kirk, a bridge was built by 1 About 1000 tons of shipping belong to Torryburn. The navigation of which employs about 70 seamen. By this port, the town of Dunferm line carries on part of its trade. 2 In the kirk-yard, the following characteristic epitaph was to be found a few years ago, but is now defaced. The writer of the Statistical Account of the parish, has the merit of preserving these beautiful and simple lines. "AT anchor now, in Death's dark Road, "Rides honest Captain HILL, "Who serv'd his king, and fear'd his God, |