ON THE AVIFAUNA OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES 211 



state that it was seen in Sutherlandshire, and an old bird attended 

 by a young one supposed to be of the same species was observed. 

 On one or two other occasions old birds were seen, but on no 

 occasion were they proved to have nested, until Mr. Heatly Noble 

 gave a more definite and satisfactory account of finding the nest in 

 that same county at a locality not very far removed if removed at 

 all ? from the place where Selby reported having seen the old and 

 young upon the previous occasion (vide "Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist." 

 October 1899). So far as I am aware, no one has hitherto recorded 

 the nesting of this duck anywhere among the islands of either the 

 Outer Hebrides or the "Inner" group of islands. I can now give 

 an authentic statement of its appearance as a nesting species in one 

 of the Outer Hebrides south of the Sound of Harris. The same 

 correspondent already referred to under " Lesser Tern," and other 

 headings in this paper, tells me as follows : " Scaup Ducks are 

 also not infrequently found, though these were not so common 

 formerly " ; and, indeed, he adds the statement, " and they are 

 numerous in - , and have bred for the last four years two pairs, 

 to my knowledge, in 1897, 1898, 1899, and three pairs in the past 

 season, i.e. 1900." It is also believed that they bred again in 1901, 

 and in June 1902 a young bird still in the down was (as a u dernier 

 resort ") shot by my correspondent, and was sent in the flesh to 

 me. Considerable care has been expended on the identification of 

 this ten days-old specimen, and I am now perfectly satisfied that it 

 is nothing else. 



One had been observed in Barra in February 1892, and another 

 is reported from the same island on November i, 1897 ; whilst Mr. 

 C. V. A. Peel records (in lit.} that he shot one " this season " (i.e. 

 1901) in Benbecula, and he adds, "seen occasionally in South 

 Uist." He considers it "rare." 



Mr. M'Elfrish informs me that he " never saw one in North 

 Uist nor Benbecula, nor between these islands, nor between 

 Grimisay and Balelone." But they are regular visitors to South 

 Uist. 



These ducks are still rarer north of the Sound of Harris (as, 

 indeed, almost every species of duck appears to be). During the six 

 years that Mr. Radclyffe Waters had the winter shooting of Gress 

 and Garson in The Lews, he only obtained one bird which he shot 

 on the farm of Coll on October 9, 1896. 



Since the above was communicated by Mr. M'Elfrish, however, 

 he shot a Scaup, when in company with Major C. Anstruther, on 

 the Mill Loch of Barra on November 16, 1901. 



The POCHARD (F. ferina], p. 105. This duck is now far from 

 uncommon, and is often seen in Benbecula, South Uist, and else- 

 where among the isles, but more to the south of the Sound of Harris 

 than to the north of that waterway. 



