120 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



note that at the beginning of the present year, by order of the Earl 

 of Rosebery, two badgers, male and female, were turned down on 

 the Rosebery Estate, Gorebridge. The Badger colony in Dalmeny 

 Park, which dates from 1889, still flourishes, and Badgers' earths 

 are now to be found in Hopetoun and other estates to the west- 

 ward. CHAS. CAMPBELL, Dalmeny Park. 



Ornithological Notes from "Solway." In the last "Annals" 

 (p. 48) I recorded the occurrence of a Great Gray Shrike (Lanius 

 excubitor). Another specimen, making the second for the winter, 

 was shot near Maxwelltown on iyth February during the big snow- 

 storm. The former individual was one of the double-spotted form, 

 while this one is a typical example of the single-spotted bird. There 

 has been an extraordinary immigration of Wild Swans all over the 

 area, no fewer than forty Whoopers (Cygnns mitsicus) having 

 frequented the Blackshaw Bank at the head of the Solway in the 

 early part of December. Smaller parties, some of them being un- 

 doubtedly Bewick's Swans (C. bewicki\ were seen then at other 

 places, and during the rest of the winter. A herd of twenty-five was 

 reported as seen on a loch in Wigtownshire in early February. I 

 heard of a lot of six being seen at the mouth of the Nith on 2nd 

 March. The Sheldrakes have remained on the Solway during the 

 entire winter in larger numbers than have been noted before, so far 

 as my experience goes. On 4th January I saw many hundreds of 

 them along the shore to the west of Southerness. On the same 

 date I fell in with Sanderlings (Calidris arenaria), and a friend 

 shooting on same day at some miles distance shot a pair of these 

 birds. I do not remember ever seeing these birds with us at mid- 

 winter before, but others have been more fortunate. A very 

 interesting fact that has come under my notice has been the 

 astonishingly large proportion of birds of the year amongst the ducks 

 of several species frequenting fresh waters. The only rarity amongst 

 the Anatidse I have met with is a Gadwall (Anas streperd) taken on 

 the Solway on 3rd February. It is a fine female. I think this is 

 the first record of the species in "Solway." A rather tragic incident 

 in bird behaviour was witnessed by me during the hard weather in 

 February. Large parties of Gulls of the Black-headed and Common 

 species were sitting about the frozen surface of the Nith at Dumfries. 

 A pair of Pied Wagtails (Motacilla litgubris) were tripping about 

 amongst them at one particular spot. Suddenly a Black-headed 

 Gull (Larus ridibundus), a bird of the year, darted at one of the 

 W gtails, seized it in its bill, and proceeded to batter it to death. 

 Some of the other gull-s tried to get the morsel from the captor, but 

 without success. After a while it devoured it at leisure. This 

 murder seemed to be the direct result of excessive hunger. A fine 

 specimen of the Red-necked Grebe (Podicipes griseigena) was shot 

 at Portmary on 2oth February, and has been added to the collection 



