5 o ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



June I counted nineteen on Loch Coulter among the Denny Hills. 

 It would be interesting to know if they were seen elsewhere. A 

 pair of Goosanders, I may add, were observed on Linlithgow Loch 

 on 2oth May. WILLIAM EVANS, Edinburgh. 



Note on the Drumming of the Snipe. In the " A.S.N.H." 

 1906, p. 113, I recorded hearing a Snipe "drumming" as early as 

 4th February. This year I heard one in Dunfermline on ist August, 

 and watched it for several minutes. I think these are exceptionally 

 early and late dates for this performance. HUGH S. GLADSTONE, 

 Thornhill, Dumfriesshire. 



Black-headed Gulls Molesting- Lapwings. Returning late one 

 evening I found the " Annals " for October awaiting me, and 

 perhaps the best answer from the west regarding Mr. Evans's 

 inquiry on above subject is to say that within twelve hours of the 

 receipt of that number, standing in Cadder Wilderness, our great 

 beech wood north of Glasgow, looking to the fields north of the 

 wood, I remarked to Mr. Alex. Ross: "there are Mr. Evans's Gulls 

 chasing the Lapwings." This is a matter of common observation 

 here, and standing in a gap of a hedge in the Cathcart district 

 watching this game going on in the green crops, has been a Sunday 

 morning diversion from time to time in autumn and winter for the 

 past twenty years. JOHN PATERSON, Glasgow. 



Note on the Moulting of the Great Northern Divers. In my 



note under the above heading in the July number of the "Annals," 

 p. 185, you have omitted to mention the moulting bird. This 

 particular specimen was shot during the first week in February, and 

 was in full moult, many of the primaries being missing altogether, 

 the rest of the wings being well spotted, but the back was quite 

 unspotted with the exception of the extreme end near the root of 

 the tail, and here the white spots were also making their appear- 

 ance. On icth April, I only came across one fleet of them, 

 numbering fourteen, again off Houton Head, and of these two had 

 their heads half changed. They all dived as we sailed up to them, 

 but only five came up from the dive, a lot of three and another of 

 two, which also soon vanished, the former failing to come up after 

 their third dive, and the latter being kept in view and followed for 

 about ten minutes. On this occasion the sea was very choppy, 

 and although we sailed right over the spot where they dived, we 

 never saw any trace of the other nine again, including the two whose 

 heads were half changed, as they probably only put the tips of their 

 beaks up out of the water for a fresh supply of air. On 25th April 

 I saw two in the flesh, sent from Orkney to my friend Mr. F. 

 Smalley, and both these had the heads half changed, being shot on 

 the 2ist, at which date most of those seen were in this stage of 

 plumage. The other day I saw the skin of an American-shot 



