178 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Late Stay of Fieldfares in Midlothian. On 24th May this year 

 I came across a small party of Fieldfares (Turd us pilaris] frequenting 

 a mixed wood of beech and fir about half a mile south of Midcalder 

 station. Fieldfares are generally numerous in certain localities on 

 the Pentlands during April, but they rarely linger beyond that 

 month. ROBERT GODFREY, Edinburgh. 



The Whinehat, Ortolan Bunting, and Pied Flycatcher in 

 Shetland. In the absence of Mr. Harvie-Brown, I had forwarded 

 to me a single specimen of each of the above named species for 

 identification. The birds were sent by Mr. Thomas Henderson, jun., 

 from Dunrossness. All were adult males, and had perished on 

 the 3oth of April; and all are new to the avifauna of Shetland. 

 Further interesting particulars concerning these and others observed 

 during a remarkable visitation of migrants will be found in Mr. 

 Henderson's note below. WM. EAGLE CLARKE. 



Remarkable Visitation of Migratory Birds to Shetland. We 

 have had a most unusual and interesting visitation of birds. On 

 the nth of April the wind blew from the S.E., gently at first, but 

 gradually increasing to a gale accompanied by heavy rain. I did 

 not observe any arrivals beyond the usual species until the i5th, 

 when, passing along the sheltered side of a stone dike, I observed a 

 Goldcrest (Regulus cristatus). After this I observed a few strangers 

 every day, and they gradually grew in numbers until the 3oth, when 

 they had increased to an astonishing extent. Behind every stone 

 dike, burnside, or other shelter, there could be seen from 12 to 20 

 different kinds of birds. Among them I recognised Fieldfares 



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(Turdus pilaris}, Redwings (Turdus iliacus), Ring Ouzels (Turdus 

 torquatus], Redbreasts (Erithacus rubecula\ Redstarts (Ruticilla 

 phxnicurus), Goldcrests, Pied Wagtails (Motacilla lugubris\ Chaf- 

 finches (Fringilla ccelebs), Short-eared Owls (Asio accipitrinus) two 

 seen, Ring Dove (Columba palumbus] one seen, and the commoner 

 species. There must have been three Redbreasts to every one of 

 other kinds. I only observed one Pied Flycatcher (Muscicapa 

 atricapilla), two Ortolan Buntings (Emberiza kortulana), and one 

 Whinchat (Pratincola rubetrci), and these being strangers, they were 

 kindly named for me by Mr. Eagle Clarke of the Edinburgh 

 Museum. There were several other kinds that I did not know 

 the names of, though I could approach within a few yards of them, 

 so exhausted were they with the wind. One of them was rather 

 bigger than a Starling, colour yellow, wings and tail dark coloured. 

 Could this have been a Golden Oriole ? An Osprey (Pandion 

 halicctiis) was fishing in Loch Spiggie on the 2nd of May. So far 

 as I can ascertain, we have had more birds here than elsewhere in 

 Shetland. This is accounted for by the fact that we are situated 

 near the south, and on the west side of the island. The wind, 

 coming from the south-east, blew them right on to us, and they 



