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This article reports the findings of an attempt to measure illegitimacy in various regions of Scotland between the later seventeenth and the later eighteenth centuries. Illegitimacy came to the fore as a subject for social concern in Scotland with the start of civil registration in 1855, when figures were produced indicating both sharp regional variation in the percentage of births out of wedlock, and a level for Scotland as a whole for 1858-60 of 9.1 per cent, which appeared shockingly high to contemporary commentators. However, illegitimacy was a matter of concern to the disciplinary courts of the church, and the records of the lowest of the church courts, the kirk sessions, give evidence of the systematic handling of cases of sexual irregularity. In view of the sheer numbers involved in the larger urban centres a separate study would be necessary. The population of Scotland was, and is, small, but it contains much cultural variety, sustained into the eighteenth century by difficulties in communication and the scale of the country, and persisting into modern times.

(1) Fenitrothion, an organophosphorus insecticide, has been used i.n Scotland to control outbreaks of pine beauty moth. (Panolis flammea D. & S.) in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Loud.) plantations. Fenitrothion is applied, at 300 g ha -1 from helicopters using ultra-low-volume techniques. This study (1982-84) investigated the effects of spraying on five species of passerine birds in two 70 ha. plots, which were compared with two neighbouring unsprayed plots. (2) Annual changes in breeding-bird populations. as measured by Common Bird Census techniques, were not affected by fenitrothion. (3) Changes in the numbers of singing birds from 5 days before until 5 days after spraying were either not significantly different or were inconsistent between sprayed and unsprayed plots. (4) There were no differences in coal tits (Pants ater L.) breeding i.n nestboxes between sprayed and unsprayed plots, nor in the proportion of broods hatched, or fledged, clutch size, or brood size at hatching or fledging. (5) Residues of fenitrothion were detected in two coal tit nestlings found dead within 4 days after spraying, but not in six others found 10-46 days! later. (6) Regression analyses of nestling growth in weight, wing and tarsus measurements did not reveal significant effects of spraying, although a non-significant trend for slower growth resulting in a lower final weight was indicated for nestlings in sprayed plots. (7) Visiting rates! by parent coal tits to their nests and the diets of their nestlings were examined using camera nestboxes. The differences between nests in unsprayed and sprayed areas were complex and could have been caused by factors other than spraying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) The partitioning of incident precipitation into throughfall, stemflow and interception loss was assessed in a 14-year-old Picea sitchensis plantation in South Scotland. The tree respectively by foliage from one, two, three and four trees. All main branches sloped down inwards to the tree trunk. (2) Over a single calendar year the incident precipitation was 1639 mm. Stemflow accounted for 27% of this, throughfall 43% and interception loss, estimated by difference, accounted for 30%. Percentage stemflow was consistent throughout the year but, during the winter period (January-march), throughfall increased to 57% and interception loss decreased to 15%. (3) the amount of stemflow for individual trees was positively correlated (p = 0.05) with the projected area of tree crowns. (4) The amount of throughfall was greatest close to the tree trunks and between trees in the same row, particularly for intermediate levels of rainfall (20-40 mm week[sup-1]) (5) The spatial pattern of throughfall parallels the distribution of fine roots in the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]