ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 243 



direction of the Holy Loch. It was first observed by a friend who 

 accompanied me, and we had a splendid view of the animal as it 

 rose and dipped again in the sea, its pure white skin glistening 

 brightly in the morning sun. It seemed to be about 9 or 10 feet 

 long, and may have been a porpoise or a dolphin ; in any case it had 

 the dorsal fin characteristic of these animals. On the Monday 

 previous we saw a similar creature opposite Crarae in Loch Fyne, 

 while sailing up the loch in the Lord of the Isles. It was some 

 distance off, but from the hurried and imperfect look we had of it I 

 took it to be a White-beaked Dolphin, which is not an unfrequent 

 species off the Kintyre coast. It may, however, be the same animal 

 as the one seen off Kirn. I am informed that a white porpoise was 

 seen in Loch Long last summer, 1904, and may be the same 

 animal. J. MACNAUGHT CAMPBELL, Glasgow. 



Bird Notes from Dumfriesshire, etc. 



THE RING OUSEL (Turdus torquatus). Does not appear to be 

 nearly so common a nesting species as in former years. Five 

 years ago we could find several nests every spring ; now, it is 

 very difficult to find one. 



TREE CREEPER (Certhia familiar is). A pair of these birds built 

 their nest in a half-boarded-up window in an outhouse, which 

 was in daily use. Such sites have been recorded before, but 

 near the outhouse there were plenty of trees with convenient 

 semi-detached bark, under which one would have expected this 

 little bird to nest, rather than in so restless a spot. 



RAVEN (Corvus corax). A pair of these birds hatched their young 

 at their annual nesting place. Luckily poisoned meat failed to 

 kill the old birds ; but the young ones were stoned to death by 

 the shepherds, as last year the pair of old birds did tremendous 

 damage to the lambs. The shepherds in this case must not be 

 altogether blamed, their losses from this cause having been very 

 great. 



PIED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa atricapilla). I am glad to be able to 

 report finding a nest containing five eggs in a hollow birch tree, 

 close to a river, on ist June this year. This bird has been known 

 to visit us for a long time, but this is the first nest I have seen. 



CURLEW (Numenius arquata). I found an abnormally large egg of 

 this bird with two other normal varieties in one nest. The egg 

 measured 3.1 x 2.25 inches. 



QUAIL (Cotitrnix comi/iunis). I am told that this bird still nests in 

 fair numbers in Forfarshire, but have had no means of verifying 

 this statement by personal investigation. 



TAWNY OWL (Syrnium aluco). Nest in mouth of old rabbit's burrow. 

 -HUGH S. GLADSTONE, Thornhill. 



Black Redstart and other Birds at the Flannan Islands. An 



adult female Black Redstart (Ruticilla titys) was obtained on Eilean 



