ON THE OCCURRENCE OF PHYLLOSCOPUS VI RID AN US 25 



Regarding the occurrence of this migrant in the Forth 

 area, my friend Mr. Wm. Evans has kindly furnished me 

 with the following interesting information : 



'' There is good reason for supposing that the Black-tailed 

 Godwit is a fairly regular visitant, on migration, to the east 

 coast of Scotland ; but the number passing at any time 

 must be very small, which no doubt accounts in great 

 measure for its visits being so seldom detected, especially in 

 spring when the birds naturally tarry little on their way 

 north. 



" The following are the only records of the capture of the 

 species in the ' Forth ' area of which I have any note. 

 They are all, it will be seen, connected with the autumn 

 migration, with the possible exception of the Berwickshire 

 specimen. The occurrence of an example at the Isle of 

 May in May last is, therefore, of special interest : 



One obtained in Tyne Estuary, East Lothian, ' some winters 

 ago.'--John Nelson, in MS. list, dated 1851. 



One shot at Dowlaw, near Fast Castle, about 1864. Muir- 

 head's 'Birds of Berwickshire,' ii. 257. 



One procured on the shore near Leith, early in November 

 1867, and exhibited at a meeting of the Royal Physical 

 Society on 27th November 1867 (per Minutes). 



Two shot at the Black Rocks, Leith, were taken to Small 

 & Son, George Street, Edinburgh, to be stuffed, on 

 7th November 1869 (per entry in Small's books). 



[Two or three seen on coast near Grangemouth, in autumn of 

 1870, by Mr. Harvie- Brown (per his MS. notes on 

 the Birds of Stirlingshire).] 



" A few specimens of more recent date, shot both in 

 spring and autumn in other parts of the east coast of 

 Scotland, have come under my notice." 



SOOTY SHEARWATER (Puffinus griseus}. A female 

 specimen was captured in Stromness harbour on the i6th 

 of October and forwarded to me by Mr. James Tomison, 

 who had correctly identified it. 



This Shearwater appears to be of extremely rare 

 occurrence in the Scottish seas ; and there are very few 



