54 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



amherstice). The offspring are very gay birds, and are fertile, proving 

 the near affinity of the two species ; but I prefer the pure race. I 

 have said that it is a mistake to suppose that the Golden Pheasant 

 is quarrelsome. My gamekeeper says he has never seen them 

 fighting with the Common Pheasant ; but the same cannot be said 

 of the Silver Pheasant (Euplocomus nycthemerus\ which is an un- 

 desirable denizen of pheasant preserves. It takes as naturally to 

 British woodlands as the other ; it used to be pretty to see them 

 flying from side to side of the wooded banks of Ayr in the park 

 at Auchencruive. One drawback there is to the Golden Pheasant : 

 the male seems to be conscious of being over-dressed, and, except 

 in the breeding-season, when he suns himself with his harem, keeps 

 sedulously in the thickets, shunning the presence of man far more 

 suspiciously than the true pheasant, though with far less reason. 

 HERBERT MAXWELL, Monreith, Wigtownshire. 



Shoveller, Grey Plover, Greenshank, and Great Northern 

 Diver in Bute. Mr. Robert Wilson kindly informed me that, on 

 8th May 1904, he saw a male Shoveller (Spatula clypeata) on 

 Greenan Loch ; and a Great Northern Diver (Colymbus glacialis) 

 in full breeding plumage, at Scalpsie Bay. On 6th October I 

 observed a Grey Plover (Squatarola helvetica) at St. Ninian's Bay, 

 and again on loth October I saw, probably, the same bird among 

 Golden Plovers in each instance. On xoth October I saw a Green- 

 shank (Totanus canescens) at Kilchattan Bay. The Shoveller, Grey 

 Plover, and Greenshank are additions to "A List of the Birds of 

 the Island of Bute" published in the "Annals" for July 1903, 

 while the date of the occurrence of the Great Northern Diver is of 

 some interest. JOHN ROBERTSON, Thornliebank. 



Shoveller in the Firth of Forth. On igth November, in a walk 

 along the south side of the Forth, my friend Mr. Henry D. Simpson 

 and I saw a Shoveller drake (Spatula clypeata) in company with 

 a dozen Mallard (Anas boscas) to the west of Morrison's Haven. 

 By this date no frost had arrived to drive the bird from inland 

 waters. R. B. WHYTE, Edinburgh. 



Eiders in the North-West Highlands. With regard to the notes 

 on the above subject in the July " Annals," it may be interesting 

 to mention that I saw at least six pairs of Eider Ducks (Somateria 

 mollissima) at the Summer Islands during the summer that is just 

 past. This is the first time I have seen Eiders in Lochbroom. I am 

 strongly of opinion that a pair, at least, have nested in one of the 

 islands called Little Tannara. Next year I will pay more attention 

 to Eiders if they should again visit Lochbroom. J. T. HENDERSON, 

 Ullapool. 



Great Snipe in Shetland. A Great Snipe (Scolopax major) 

 was shot on Tuesday, 2oth September, in Unst, by Mr. Edmonston 



