ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 115 



I should like them to have been, but very fair birds under the 

 circumstances. E. T. CLARKE, Cheltenham. 



[This bird was recorded for the first time for Scotland in " The 

 Annals" for 1906 (p. 138). The above occurrence, however, 

 takes precedence as regards date of capture- EDS.] 



Nesting 1 of the Snow Bunting 1 in Aberdeenshire. Last season 

 I received from Rathen in the above county a clutch of four eggs of 

 the above-named species. They were sent to me as Snow Birds, 

 which is, I suppose, a local name for them. E. T. CLARKE, 

 Cheltenham. 



Great Grey Shrike in Mull. On 2oth January, as I was 

 returning from a short walk, I was struck with an unusual com- 

 motion among chaffinches and a few other small birds in the 

 shrubbery in front of my house. As there was no cat about I 

 proceeded to make inquiry as to the cause of the hubbub, when 

 out from a laurel flew a light grey bird about the size of a thrush, 

 and perched on the branch of a tree. I had no difficulty in 

 deciding that the bird was a Great Grey Shrike (Lanins excubitor). 

 I got a momentary glance of what must have been the same bird 

 two days previously as it flew out of a rough bramble-covered 

 thicket. D. MACDONALD, Mull. 



Snowy Owl in Perthshire. Two Snowy Owls (Nyctca scandiaca) 

 were killed about 40 years ago on the Duke of Atholl's estate, Blair 

 Atholl, and were preserved by my grandfather. One is now in the 

 possession of Mr. Monsey of Bleak House, Cheltenham E. T. 

 CLARKE, Cheltenham. 



Pintail in Forth Area. Mr. W. Hannay, the gamekeeper 

 upon Denovan ^hootings, brought to me an immature $ Pintail 

 (Dafila aci/ta] in a very interesting plumage. It was shot by him 

 whilst waiting at "flight" for ducks on Stumpig Moss (Stirlingshire) 

 on 22nd December. It had alighted, and had been sitting there 

 some time, as he shot it on the rise and not "flighting in." 



The apparent rapidity with which wild ducks, of various species, 

 " take up house " in this country, after first records of nesting, is a 

 point well worthy of notice. There are few exceptions, I think, 

 which can be quoted, where actual habitation and continuous 

 nesting, in this class of birds, have not followed rapidly upon all 

 authenticated records of "first nesting." At least, I do not recall 

 any exceptions to the rule. Attention drawn to any exceptions will 

 be acceptable. 



The only other instance of the occurrence in winter of this duck 

 in this district was also a male, shot by myself on the Water of 

 Bonny, and I think it was recorded at the time in the " Zoologist," 

 early in the seventies or in the sixties. 



The nesting of the Pintail in South of Shetland, on the 



