ROCK THRUSH IN THE ORKNEY ISLANDS 149 



on the 1 7th of May at one of the Orcadian light stations 

 the Pentland Skerries, a famous islet for the visits of 

 migratory birds. 



Though this species is a summer visitor to the hill country 

 of Western Central Europe, and has on several occasions 

 occurred at Heligoland, yet only a single example has 

 hitherto been captured in the British Isles, namely an adult 

 male which was shot on the iQth of May 1843 m Hert- 

 fordshire. This specimen was seen in the flesh by the late 

 William Yarrell, and described and figured by him in the 

 first supplement to his " British Birds " in 1845 I other occur- 

 rences have, it is true, been recorded, but both Prof. Newton 

 and Mr. Howard Saunders have regarded them as un- 

 .authenticated. The bird also nests in localities of a rocky 

 nature in Southern and South-Eastern Europe, Northern 

 Africa, Asia Minor, Persia, Turkestan, Southern Siberia, and 

 Northern China ; and passes the winter in North-Eastern 

 and North Tropical Africa, Southern Arabia, Northern 

 India and Burma. 



Its occurrence in the Orkneys, like that of many other 

 species in our Islands, is quite remarkable, and to be 

 attributed to deviation from the usual course followed when 

 journeying to its accustomed summer haunts. 



THE ROYAL SCOTTISH MUSEUM, EDINBURGH. 



THE INSECT FAUNA OF GROUSE MOORS. 

 By PERCY H. GRIMSHAW, F.R.S.E., F.E.S. 



AT the request of the Committee appointed to investigate 

 Grouse Disease, I spent some time in the months of June 

 and July 1908 on various grouse moors, principally for the 

 purpose of investigating the nature of the food of grouse 

 chicks. The contents of the crops and gizzards of several 

 birds from a few hours to three weeks old were obtained, 

 and in order to aid in the somewhat difficult task of identify- 

 ing the insects and fragments of insects therein found, a 

 sample of the entomological fauna of the moors was taken, 



