.'II 



ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



look place on i ith September, on which date numbers appeared 

 from the north along with Wheatears and some White Wagtails. 



ROCK 1'ii'iT, Anthns obsciirus. An abundant resident. Very 

 common in all parts of the island, hut especially so on the 

 stubbles after harvest. 



GREAT GREY SHRIKE, Laniits excubitor. This species was once 

 seen on the island by Mr. Tulloch. 



(ioi.ucRKST, Kegiilus cristatiis. This species occurs abundantly as 

 a bird of passage. The first arrival of the season was an adult 

 male, which entered one of the houses on September 8th. On 

 the 22nd they were present in great numbers, being especially 

 in evidence on the face of the cliffs all round the island, where 

 they appeared to be strangely out of place amid the wild storm- 

 swept rocks ; and they were also abundant in the patches of 

 turnips and potatoes. Nearly all these birds departed during the 

 night which followed, for only a few were seen on the 23rd. 

 Other arrivals were observed on the 24th, 2yth, and 29th, but, 

 as on the previous occasion, the majority of the birds, if not all, 

 remained for one day only. A few were also noted on ist and 

 6th October. 



GARDEN WARBLER, Sylvia simplex. This Warbler was first observed 

 on passage on 51)1 September, when a single bird came under 

 notice at the head of one of the geos. On the 25th small 

 numbers were present along with the other migrants, and some 

 were also seen and obtained on the following day. This species 

 appears within brackets in the " Fauna of Shetland," as one 

 whose occurrence in the islands requires confirmation. 



15], . \CKCAP, Sy/ria atricapilla.T\xv$> was one of the best represented 

 species in the great rush of birds of passage witnessed between 

 23rd and 25th September. The first to come under notice was 

 a female which entered one of the houses on the 23rd. On 

 the 25th both sexes were quite abundant, and a few tarried, or 

 fresh birds arrived, clown to the 28th, when the last ot them 

 was observed. One of the males obtained was an interesting 

 immature specimen in which the head was a mixture of black 

 and brown feathers. 



WHITETHROAT, Svh'ia sylria. The only example of this bird of 

 passage was detected among standing corn on 5th September. 

 It is possible that we missed a number of birds present in the 

 corn during the first week of our sojourn, i.e. before harvest 

 operations commenced. 



WILLOW WARBLKR, Phylloscopus trochiliis. Only a few of these 

 birds of passage were seen until the great arrival of migrants 

 on the night of 22nd September or the earliest hours of the 

 23rd, on which day, and down to the 29th, it was fairly 



