ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 117 



question. Dr. Forsyth Major tells us that in its external characters, 

 as well as in the character of its teeth, it is a member of the same 

 subgenus as the Field Vole (M. agrestis\ and that the peculiarities 

 of the skull by no means contradict this statement. It is to M. 

 arvalis and its allies, one of the Field Voles of Continental Europe 

 and Northern Asia, which the Orkney Vole approaches most in the 

 characters of the skull. The teeth of the Orkney species being, 

 moreover, indistinguishable from those of the M. arvalis group, place 

 should be assigned to it within the latter, of which it is a large-sized 

 and otherwise remarkable form, well deserving of a specific name of 

 its own. 



Dr. Forsyth Major concludes his communication with the 

 following important remarks, " one form (possibly more) of a 

 vole with teeth of the M. arvalis type is represented by jaws in 

 some of our caves and river deposits. Not having as yet come 

 upon fairly complete skulls, I do not venture to assert that the 

 species M. arvalis was represented in Great Britain during 

 Pleistocene times ; but the M. arralis group certainly was. This 

 last circumstance will in due time presumably help to explain satis- 

 factorily the present existence of a member of the M. arvalis group 

 in the Orkney and Shetland x Islands." 



Notes from North Shetland. STOCK DOVE Colitmba cenas. 

 One at Halligarth on June 2 2nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th. I saw the 

 bird many times each day lying in wait for it so as to be sure of 

 its identity. One has to be very careful about the identity of birds 

 described as " Stock-pigeon " or " Stock-doo " by Shetlanders, the 

 word " stock " is used by many natives to describe large or common 

 species. 



LINNET. Linota connabina. One at Halligarth. This bird is 

 very rare in Shetland. I think Mr. Harvie-Brown was the first to 

 identify it a few years ago. 



GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. Colymlnts gladalis. This species 

 has been very numerous since autumn. In fresh specimens (of 

 which unfortunately I have had opportunities of examining a great 

 many) the bill, usually described as " horn colour " has not been so. 

 Towards the end of the upper mandible certainly this colour prevails, 

 but as regards the rest it has always in my experience been of a 

 more or less bluish-white, changing rapidly to reddish-purple and 

 then to dull horn colour. The inside of the tarsi and toes, and also 



1 Although Mr. Millais includes the " Shetlands " in the habitat of this species 

 in his great work on British Mammals (vol. i. p. 8), he has not been able to 

 obtain positive proof of its existence in the islands, and desires the statement 

 made in the last number of the "Annals" (p. i) to be modified. He says that 

 he is almost certain that it existed there until recently, and that he does not 

 yet despair that he will obtain Shetland examples, but that we are mistaken in 

 our supposition that he had secured specimens. EDS. 



