236 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



from Hobbister, i I I, gathered and cultivated by Syme, was 

 named in hb. Hanbury, var. salicifolium, by Dr. M. Elfstrand, 

 and some evidence exists in opinions on specimens of the 

 Hobbister plant in my herbarium which supports this view. 



H. umbellatum, L., var. linariifolium, Wallr. 74, New 

 Luce ; specimen from Mr. James M' Andrew, received some 

 years ago and named by me H. umbellatum^ L. Does the 

 record of the type depend on this ? 



Var. coronopifoliuin, Fr. A specimen received from Mr. 

 Johnstone from the neighbourhood of Moffat, 72, which I 

 named for him then H. umbellatum, I see now is this variety, 

 new apparently for Scotland. 



EDMONDSHAM, SALISBURY. 



ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. 



Melanism in Bats. About noon on i ith June 1906 a gentleman 

 brought me a Bat he had just captured near the museum. The 

 specimen being of a dark colour, indeed almost black, I sent it to 

 Mr. Wm. Eagle Clarke, of the Royal Scottish Museum, who very 

 kindly identified it for me as a melanic specimen of the Pipistrelle 

 (Pipistrettus pipistrellus). ALEXANDER M. RODGER, Museum, Perth. 



Killer or Grampus (Ona gladiator) in Skye Waters. On 



28th July last a whale was playing in Broadford Bay which I made 

 out to be the above-named species. It came to the surface several 

 times quite close to the R.M.S. "Gael," showing clearly the high- 

 pointed dorsal fin and a large blotch of greyish white colour on the 

 back close to the base of the fin. HUGH BOYD WATT, West 

 Hampsted, N.W. 



Rare Birds at Fair Isle. During a recent visit to Fair Isle for 

 the purpose of observing the migration of birds, we were fortunate 

 enough to come across a number of interesting species, some of 

 which are extremely rare visitors to Scotland, and two of them 

 are quite new to its avifauna. The new Scottish species are a 

 Scarlet Grosbeak (Carpodacus erythrinus), a bird of the year, 

 shot on 3rd October, and a Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus streperus\ 

 a male of which was captured on 23rd September. Next in point 

 of rarity was the Red -breasted Flycatcher (Musdcapa parva) ; 

 several of these birds were observed, and two obtained, on 2oth 

 and 2ist September. Not less rare, or even rarer as a British 

 bird, is the Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla), one of which was 



