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ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 115 



records of the Girl Bunting (Emberiza rirlus\ I have, through the 

 kindness of the Rev. Dr. Joass of Golspie, seen the supposed 

 example reported in the "Annals" for 1909, p. 205, and find it to 

 be an ordinary male Yellow-hammer (. citrinella}. There is no 

 doubt about it, as Mr. Eagle Clarke and others to whom I have 

 shown it can testify. Dr. Joass tells me that the bird was killed by 

 a cat at the Manse, Golspie, on 9th January 1905, and sent to 

 Thurso to be stuffed. He also informs me it is the "Girl Bunting ' 

 referred to by Miss Lennie in the " Scottish Geographical Magazine 

 for March 1911, p. 140, as having been got at Golspie last summer. 

 WILLIAM EVANS, Edinburgh. 



Notes on a Nest of the Snow Bunting. As a most interesting 

 case illustrating the nesting habits of the Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax 

 nivalis) has recently been placed in the Royal Scottish Museum 

 Edinburgh, it may be as well to put on record the history of the 

 particular nest in question. Some years ago my brother, Mr. W. 

 T. Blackwood, located several pairs of Snow Buntings on various 

 " screes " in the Cairngorms, but, prior to last year, both he and I 

 failed to find a nest, though we made repeated attempts to do so. 

 However on i8th June 1910, when searching a scree in Aberdeen- 

 shire he noticed a hen Bunting carrying nesting material, and he 

 then had little difficulty in locating the nest, or rather, its founda- 

 tions, for the bird had only commenced building. Two days later 

 the nest, completed and lined with ptarmigan feathers, contained 

 one egg and four more were eventually laid. I was taken to the 

 place on 241)1 June and received a few photographs of the hen and 

 of the nest. Some of these were used as an aid in the setting up 

 of the case, and I cannot praise too highly the manner in which 

 this has been done. Everything looks so natural that it would serve 

 no purpose if I gave a detailed account of the situation, etc., of the 

 nest. One glance at the case conveys a much more realistic 

 impression of the appearance of a Snow Bunting's nest than mere 

 words can do. G. G. BLACKWOOD, Edinburgh. 



Siberian Chiff Chaff and Holbbll's Redpoll in Shetland. - 

 Between the 2ist and 315! of October last, there was a considerable 

 arrival of migratory birds, consisting of Blackcaps, Bramblings, 

 Goldcrests, Thrushes, Siskins, Northern Bullfinches, Chiff Chaffs 

 and Redpolls. On the 28th Mr. Andrew Leslie, Jun., of Seafield, 

 near Lerwick, shot two Holboll's Redpolls and a Chiff Chaff among 

 the shrubs. I submitted these birds to Mr. Eagle Clarke for his 

 opinion and he informs me that my suspicions as to their identifica- 

 tion are correct, and that I am right in believing that the Siberian 

 Chiff Chaff is new to the known avifauna of the mainland of 

 Shetland. During the latter half of January 1911, a number of 

 Redpolls and Greenfinches were seen here. JOHN S. TULLOCH, 

 Lerwick. 



