84 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



the preceding week the wind had been northerly. The 

 Ptarmigan used to be found in South Uist, and John 

 MacGillivray, writing in 1841, mentions that it is found on Ben 

 More and Hecla in that island. More recently, in 1900, 

 one or more were seen on Hecla by an old shepherd, Archie 

 Macdonald by name. 



LANDRAIL, Crex pratensis, Bechstein. AVhile cycling past a loch 

 in South Uist we saw a Corncrake running along in the water 

 at the edge of a loch being mobbed by Common Gulls. It 

 eventually made its escape into some thick heather. I was 

 told that the Corncrake was scarcer than usual round Stornoway 

 this year. 



WATER HEN, Gallimila chloropus (Linnaeus). We did not see 

 many Water Hens in the Uists, and certainly it must be shyer 

 than on the mainland, if it is really common. 



CRANE, Grus com/minis, Bechstein. Mr. D. Mackenzie tells me 

 that on i .|th May a Crane was shot near Stornoway. It had 

 been seen in the district for about a week or ten days before 

 it was killed. This bird is not known to have occurred before 

 in the Outer Hebrides. 



TURNSTONE, Strepsilas interpres (Linnaeus). We saw several Turn- 

 stones in full summer plumage on a small island off the north 

 end of Barra on 2 6th May. 



RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, Phalaropus hyperboreits (Linnaeus). This 

 bird is strictly protected. I tried to watch a bird into its nest, 

 but found it quite impossible, as it crept about in the grass, 

 more like a mouse than a bird. 



DUNLIN, Tringa alpina, Linnaeus. The Dunlin does not seem to 

 breed regularly in Barra. Mr. W. L. MacGillivray has only 

 seen two nests, and these were on an island a little to the 

 north of the main island. Round Loch Hallan, in South 

 Uist, we saw a great many Dunlin flying about in twos and 

 threes during the last few days of May. These must have 

 been chiefly migrants, as a day or two later only about a 

 quarter of the number were to be seen. 



PURPLE SANDPIPER, Tringa striata, Linnaeus. We observed half 

 a dozen Purple Sandpipers on the same island off Barra where 

 we saw the Turnstones. They appeared to be in full summer 

 plumage. 



SANDERLING, Calidris arenaria (Linnaeus). We saw a small flock 

 on the shore on the west side of South Uist in June, and 

 Bahr saw either the same flock or another in Benbecula a 

 few days later. 



