ii6 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



appears to be one of the Anatidse which is extending its range ; 

 slowly at present, but which may perhaps be expected to do so more 

 rapidly within a few years. J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, Dunipace. 



Gray Plover (Sguatarola helvetica) in Barra. This is a bird 

 that is now very rare in the Outer Hebrides, and I think therefore 

 its occurrence in Barra is worth recording. About the middle of 

 January 1892, one bird, which was with a flock of Bartailed God- 

 wits, was shot by Mr. Murdoch Macgillivray of Eoligary, the head 

 and feet of which he kept. He had never seen any of the species 

 in Barra before ; and the only one of them I ever saw in the Outer 

 Hebrides was one bird which I saw with a flock of Golden Plover 

 on the Valley Strand in North Uist some nine or ten years ago. 

 JOHN MACRURY, Barra. 



Variety of Golden Plover (Charadrius pluvialis) in Barra. 

 Variations in this species are somewhat rare. It may be worth re- 

 cording that I shot one this winter with its wings and tail feathers 

 nearly all white, the rest of the plumage being of the usual colour. 

 JOHN MACRURY, Barra. 



Knot (Tringa canutus) in Barra.- On the 3ist of August 

 1892 I shot three birds out of a small flock of this species on 

 the big strand at Eoligary in this island. I have never met with 

 any of them in the Outer Hebrides before, although I have been 

 looking out for them. No doubt some of them may visit us now 

 and then, for a few days, on migration, without being noticed, but 

 they certainly do not remain any time. On the 26th January 1893 

 I saw a flock of about a dozen Knots in the same place where I 

 shot three of the species last autumn, but although I am frequently 

 in the locality I never saw any of them except on these two 

 occasions. 



My old friend the Whimbrel has spent another winter with us, as 

 I saw it lately at its usual station quite fresh and lively. JOHN 

 MACRURY, Barra. 



Ruff (Machetes pugnax) in Benbeeula. On the gth October 

 1892 I saw a Ruff in reeds in a swamp in Benbeeula. This 

 is now the third occasion, within the last three or four years, I 

 have seen birds of this species in Benbeeula. JOHN MACRURY, 

 Barra. 



Curlew Sandpiper (Tringa subarquata) in Orkney. I observe it 

 stated in "The Fauna of the Orkney Islands" (page 302) that it was 

 mentioned in " Rod and Gun " that a specimen of the Curlew 

 Sandpiper (Tringa subarquata) had been shot at Renniebister, but Mr. 

 Ranken traced it to Mr. Small, the birdstuffer, in Edinburgh, and the 

 latter had told Mr. Ranken it was a Reeve. We had Swanbister and 

 the shooting this year, and towards the end of August one of our 



