ON THE AVIFAUNA OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES 21 



first winter. Elsewhere Buckley and I have mentioned that birds 

 were found breeding in a mottled stage of plumage (" Fauna of 

 Sutherland," etc.). It seems most likely that these phases of 

 plumage have more to do with the ages of individuals than with 

 the seasons. 



LITTLE AUK (Mergulus alle\ p. 164. This species seems to 

 be rare in the Outer Hebrides, especially on the west side, so 

 occurrences are worth giving. For an account of one in mid- 

 summer June 24, 1893 captured at Monach Island, in plumage 

 like that of winter, and with abnormal growth upon the skull, see 

 "Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist." 1894, p. 55. One was found dead on 

 the west shore of Eoligary, Barra, in March 1894, and another 

 caught alive in a turnip-field in December 1897. Mr. MacGillivray 

 has not seen any since then. 



BLACK-THROATED DIVER (Coly/tibus arcticui}, p. 167. Of this 

 species Mr. M'Elfrish writes: "It has increased somewhat in 

 N. Uist in the past few years, probably since the objectionable 

 practice of lifting and selling the eggs has been stopped." 



LITTLE GREBE (Podiceps fluviatilis), p. 168. Although Mac- 

 Gillivray ("Brit. Birds," vol. v. p. 279, q.v.} doubted its occurrence 

 in the Outer Hebrides in winter, Dr. C. Gordon has a note : 

 " I have seen several of these birds on a small loch in S. Uist 

 during winter"; but on the other hand he has no remarks about 

 the Sclavonian Grebe. 



SCLAVONIAN GREBE (P. auritus), p. 168. There remained 

 considerable uncertainty as to the nesting of this bird anywhere 

 in Scotland at the time of the issue of our volume on " Fauna of 

 the Outer Hebrides." Nor indeed can it be said that much more 

 evidence is forthcoming yet. But the following notes from Dr. 

 M'Rury may be worth insertion here. Under date of September 

 30, 1893, ne sa Y s : "When recently on a visit to Benbecula, 

 I noticed on a little loch a large grebe with a half-grown young 

 one following it. I was at once struck by its size and also with 

 the colour of its head and neck, which were dead chestnut. I had 

 no glasses with me, but it was within twenty yards of me, and I 

 could not bring myself to believe it was the little grebe which is 

 very abundant in the island. But if it was the Sclavonian a 

 specimen of which I once shot in Benbecula -I could not see 

 any appearance of long feathers on the head ; but I think it was 

 quite as large as the Sclavonian. The date was September 3, 

 and I thought it rather late for the young to be so small. 

 In a day or two after that I saw another on another loch 

 in Benbecula, and this one had three or four young ones accom- 

 panying it, apparently not more than a week old. Had I been 

 acquainted with the shooting-tenant, I would have called upon 



