122 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



observed a flock, estimated at about 200, sheltering behind the sea- 

 wall at Belhaven, near Dunbar, and secured a couple which he kindly 

 forwarded to me. This flock was still in the same neighbourhood 

 in the beginning of January 1894. 



" I am not aware that the Tree Sparrow has ever been noticed 

 in the ' Forth ' area to the west of the localities above mentioned till 

 you detected the small flock at Comiston, in the heart of Midlothian, 

 on 2 gth December last. Your record is therefore of great interest. 

 I may mention that at the very time you saw the species near Edin- 

 burgh, I was looking for it to the east of North Berwick, about the 

 farms where I have seen it nesting within the last ten or twelve 

 years, but failed to discover a single bird." WILLIAM EAGLE 

 CLARKE, Edinburgh. 



Chough in the Outer Hebrides. On the i3th of September 

 last I shot, near Stornoway, a Chough (Phyrrocorax graculus], a fact 

 which may be worth recording since it is the first and only one, so 

 far as I know, that has ever been killed or seen here. Last year, 

 however, about the same time and at the same place, I saw a bird 

 which I took to be a Chough, and was quite satisfied as to its 

 identity at the time. D. MACKENZIE, Stornoway. 



Greenland Falcon in Shetland. On 8th October 1895, a 

 Greenland Falcon (Fako candicans) was shot at Peatsetter, Unst. 

 It was brought alive to Mr. C. Arthur, Baltasound, who tried to 

 keep it alive, as it appeared to be only slightly wounded. However, 

 it died the next night, and the bird was sent on to me, and proved 

 to be a male in immature plumage. T. E. BUCKLEY, Inverness. 



Gray Lag Goose in the Solway Area. Mr. Turner, game- 

 dealer, Dumfries, sent me an example of the Gray Lag Goose (Anser 

 dnereus) on yth November. This is quite the rarest of the gray 

 geese in Solway. It is the only specimen that has passed through 

 Mr. Turner's hands this winter. ROBERT SERVICE, Maxwelltown. 



Gadwall in Shetland. Mr. T. Henderson, Spiggie, Dunrossness, 

 Shetland, writes me that his son shot a Gadwall (Chanlelasmns 

 streperus] on Loch Spiggie on 2ist October 1895, "rather an unusual 

 visitor."- -T. E. BUCKLEY, Inverness. 



Scaup Ducks in the Clyde Estuary in August. On the 



3rd August last I received from Mr. John Lang, Greenock, a 

 female Scaup Duck (Fuligula marila] which he had shot in the 

 estuary of the Clyde on the morning of the ist August. Two 

 others were observed in the company of the one dropped and now 

 in my possession. There appears to be little or no evidence, with 

 proof, of the occurence of this species in Scottish waters at that date, 

 but Mr. Macpherson in his " Fauna of Lakeland " gives some interest- 

 ing particulars of its appearance in the end of July and early August 

 on the English side of Solway. JOHN PATERSON, Glasgow. 



