ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 247 



sent in for preservation by Mr. J. N. H. Grant, Carron House, 

 Carron, Strathspey. T. E. BUCKLEY, Inverness. 



Great Snipe in Stirlingshire. On the i5th of this month 

 (September), when driving grouse on the Denny Hills, a Great Snipe 

 (Scolopax major} flew past, but scarcely within range. The large 

 size and the woodcock-like flight made it easily recognisable. This 

 is the second time I have seen the Great Snipe upon this same 

 ground ; but the previous observation I did not record, because I 

 was not perfectly certain of its identity. It was too far off from me 

 to make me feel sure of it. 



The question arises : Is the Great Snipe a regular migrant to 

 parts of this country, or only occasional ? From what I have heard, 

 though not seen, in Shetland, I am inclined to think that the Great 

 Snipe comes with some amount of regularity to the south end of 

 Shetland, but only remains a very short time before resuming its 

 journey. 



I may mention, in case any one may feel inclined to doubt my 

 ability to identify the Great Snipe on the wing, that I have had 

 plenty of experience of them both in Norway and in Russia, and 

 have seen them and shot them, plentifully, when they certainly 

 belied their name of Solitary, as hundreds arrived en masse at their 

 breeding-places, and scores were seen dropping down out of the main 

 flight, amongst the willow scrub of the delta. J. A. HARVIE BROWN. 



The Protection of the Great Skua in Shetland. In June last 

 the Society for the Protection of Birds received information that 

 eleven clutches of the eggs of the Great Skua, taken in 1899, were 

 to be sold by auction in London on the 2oth of that month. The 

 only known breeding-places of this bird in the British Isles are on 

 Foula and Unst, outer members of the Shetland group, and in 1891 

 the then owners of both islands, Mr. Scott of Foula and Mrs. 

 Edmondston of Unst, were awarded the Silver Medal of the 

 Zoological Society for many years' protection of the breeding- 

 grounds. As there was reason to believe that the eggs in question 

 came from Foula, letters were immediately sent to the present 

 owner, Mr. Ewing Gilmour, to Mrs. Traill, to the Scottish Office, 

 to the Zetland County Council, and to a number of gentlemen 

 likely to give information and assistance, the Society offering to 

 bear the expense of a watcher if necessary. The replies received 

 show that the present proprietor is equally anxious with his prede- 

 cessor to preserve the birds. At the request of the Society, Mr. H. 

 Nugent Colam also undertook to visit Foula and investigate the 

 matter ; and leaving London on 25th June he reached that distant 

 spot on the 29th. Mr. Colam, who carried out his part of the work 

 with much energy and tact, reports that, so far as he could tell, 

 there was no attempt being made to watch the nests at the time of 

 his visit, but the egg season was then practically over and the young 



