ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 53 



BANFFSHIRE. A male and female were observed in the policies 

 of Duff House on the i6th of November. 



PERTHSHIRE. One was obtained in a garden at Pitlochry on 

 the 27th of November. 



EAST LOTHIAN. One shot at Ballencrieff on the 23rd of 

 November, and sent to Dr. Crombie of North Berwick. 



The Siskin in Perthshire. A few Siskins (Chrysomitris spinus) 

 are to be found in the fir-woods of Perthshire at all seasons of the 

 year, but I believe that the number of resident individuals is largely 

 augmented by winter visitants. On the 27th of February in the 

 present year, 1901, we met with a flock of about a hundred Siskins, 

 which we thought had gathered together prior to leaving the country. 

 They were very tame, and several of them alighted on the road 

 beside us. On the following day they had entirely disappeared. 

 On the 1 5th of the following October I met with an immense flock 

 of Siskins in the Tay valley between Birnam and Ballinluig. They 

 presented the appearance of a cloud of birds, and flew round and 

 round as if uncertain in what direction to proceed. They must 

 have covered a considerable area, and reminded me of a swarm of 

 bees, or a huge flock of Peewits. I had never previously met with 

 a larger number than a hundred birds, and could not resist the 

 conclusion that we had here a mass of birds newly arrived from the 

 continent. H. A. MACPHERSON, Pitlochry. 



Siskins in the Edinburgh District. Siskins (Chrysomitris 

 spinus) have been unusually abundant here this autumn. As early 

 as the second half of September a few were observed about Long- 

 niddry, Portobello, and Duddingston ; and during October many 

 flocks, some of them composed of scores of birds, passed over these 

 and other localities. Large flocks, as I was told, were also seen in 

 the Arbroath, Kirkcaldy, and North Queensferry neighbourhoods. 

 The immigration seems to have been at its height about the second 

 week of October but as late as 1 6th November I saw three or 

 four birds on the coast at Longniddry, and on the 23rd I met with 

 a small flock on some alders near Ormiston. Redpolls have also 

 been very plentiful, and a few Goldfinches were taken by the bird- 

 catchers in East Lothian. WILLIAM EVANS, Edinburgh. 



Stock Dove in Caithness. On the 4th of December I shot a 

 Stock Dove (Columba anas) near Castletown, Thurso. It was a 

 bird of the year, and quite alone. I believe this is the first record 

 of this species in the county. T. E. BUCKLEY, Castletown. 



Grouse in Shetland. By the advice and approval, after inspec- 

 tion of the grounds upon the Lunna estates of Shetland by "an 

 expert," the proprietor turned down no fewer than 300 brace of 

 Grouse. This is an experiment on a large scale, and it may prove 



