ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 119 



flocked thither to feed. The wind, of course, would account for 

 the difference in the directions from which they came. This is 

 very likely the true explanation, though, if it is, I had no idea that 

 so many birds spent the winter in the woods named. We have 

 immense flocks here in the autumn, which feed on the standing 

 grain, stubble, and the turnip drills. On the approach of winter, 

 however, the majority of them seem to disappear. I questioned 

 the Tarbet keeper afterwards, but he had not noticed the birds. 

 We shot a few of them, and they proved to be fine big birds and 

 bright in the plumage. EWEN KENNEDY, Delny. 



Albino Redshank and Roek Pipit in Barra, Outer Hebrides. 



On the 23rd of October last I saw an albinistic Redshank (Totanus 

 calidris) here. This was afterwards obtained, and a short description 

 of its plumage may be worth recording : Primaries white towards 

 the tips and shading into cinnamon brown at their bases ; secondaries 

 white ; primary coverts cinnamon ; a few of the secondary coverts 

 brown, the rest white ; head and upper neck pale cinnamon brown, 

 marked with lighter brown and white ; back and under surface 

 white, very faintly marked with pale brown ; tail and its coverts 

 white, barred with light brown. 



An albino Rock Pipit (Anthus obscnrus) was shot on the ist of 

 September. WM. L. MACGILLIVRAY, Barra. 



Black Tern and other Birds in "Forth." On the ;th of 



September last a young Black Tern (Hydrochelidon nigra), $ , which 

 I examined shortly afterwards, was shot by a keeper at Gladhouse 

 Reservoir, adjoining the Moorfoot Hills, Midlothian. It was alone, 

 and was "catching flies like a swallow." Another, in very poor con- 

 dition, was shot by W. Renton at Gullane Point, on the coast of 

 East Lothian, on the 26th of November. 



On the 20th of January this year, a Little Gull (Lams minutus) 

 was shot near Dunbar Harbour and taken to Mr. D. Bruce, who 

 kindly informed me of the occurrence, so that I had an opportunity 

 of seeing the bird an immature female in the taxadermist's hands. 

 When at North Berwick in December, I was told that one had been 

 seen off that town. 



A few Little Auks (Mergitlies alle) also made their appearance in 

 the Firth of Forth this winter. One was caught at Dunbar on the 

 2yth of November, and another, which was entangled in a herring 

 net on the fishing grounds at the mouth of the Firth, was taken to 

 Mr. Bruce on the 22nd of February. On the i4th of January I had 

 the pleasure of watching one for some time myself to the east of the 

 Forth Bridge. The North Berwick fishermen reported them as being 

 in small numbers single birds or at most two or three together 

 between there and the Isle of May during November, December, and 

 January. WILLIAM EVANS, Edinburgh. 



