ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 53 



Loch Awe district, where in the past autumn I have taken several 

 specimens, which I have forwarded to Mr. Harvie-Brown and Mr. 

 Eagle Clarke. This little rodent is new to the fauna of Argyll, 

 though it is known to occur in West Ross-shire. I have also 

 trapped several examples of the Water Shrew (Crossopus fodiens) in 

 a run close to a drain running through a shrubbery to a small 

 Highland burn. Though not new to the fauna of Argyll, this 

 interesting species has, I believe, only hitherto been recorded from 

 Morven and the Island of Kerrera, in the southern portion of the 

 area. CHARLES H. ALSTON, Letterawe. 



Pied Flycatchers and Ivory Gull in Fife. The birds most 

 worthy of note that we have seen this year are Two Pied Fly- 

 catchers (Muscicapa atricapilla) in May. One arrived on the 8th at 

 Gilston, the other on the i2th at Largo; both left on the i4th, 

 when the wind turned to the west, after blowing several days 

 strongly from the east. One was an old male in beautiful plumage, 

 the other also a male, but not in such fine feather. Both were 

 remarkably tame when they arrived, but got wilder every day. 

 The other occurrence was an Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea) we saw 

 in Largo Bay on the i4th September about 5 P.M. It flew past 

 close beneath us as we were sitting on a sand-dune, and we had an 

 excellent view of its pure white plumage, black eye, and yellow bill. 

 LEONORA JEFFREY RINTOUL, EVELYN V. BAXTER, Lahill, Largo. 



Kingfisher in Fife. A specimen of the Kingfisher (Alcedo 

 ispida) was shot on 2gth October last in a garden at Tayport. The 

 young man who shot it was fined 2s. 6d. by the Sheriff at Cupar, 

 and the bird was forfeited and ordered to be delivered to St. 

 Andrews University Museum. It is much to be regretted that the 

 bird was killed. HENRY H. BROWN, Cupar-Fife. 



Naturalisation of the Golden Pheasant. I grew up in the 

 belief that the Golden Pheasant (Thaumaka pictd] required the 

 protection of an aviary in the climate of Scotland ; but about ten 

 years ago the Duke of Bedford turned some out in the woods of 

 Cairnsmore, near Newton-Stewart, where they have become perfectly 

 acclimatised and have bred freely. From Cairnsmore they have 

 spread to neighbouring properties, where their presence is not 

 properly appreciated, partly because of the mistaken idea that they 

 are pugnacious, and drive the Common Pheasant from their haunts, 

 and partly because they cannot be considered a sporting bird. 

 Three years ago, hearing that a friend was destroying these beautiful 

 birds on his property, I put in a petition for a few. I turned down 

 two cocks and four or five hens, which have bred each season since, 

 and form a most desirable addition to the ornis of our district. 

 Unluckily, as I think (for I detest hybrids), the Golden Pheasant has 

 an incorrigible tendency to intermarry with the Amherst (Thaumaka 



