OCCURRENCE OF LINOTA ROSTRATA IN BARRA 131 



Natterer's Bat. The fringe of short stiff hairs on the membrane, 

 between the tail and the feet, will serve to distinguish it 

 from any of the other British Chiroptera. From the common 

 Pipistrelle it is abundantly distinct, apart from the above 

 and other characters, by reason of its larger size (expanse of 

 wings about 10^ inches) and more ample ears with long 

 lanceolate earlet or tragus. It is eminently gregarious in 

 its habits, and the colonies, which are usually composed of 

 scores of individuals, are said to take up their abodes alike 

 in lofts or other spaces under the roofs of buildings, in 

 caverns, and in hollow trees. If molested, they are liable 

 to shift their quarters, and may even quit the neighbour- 

 hood altogether. 



ON THE OCCURRENCE OF LINOTA ROSTRATA 

 (COUES), A GREENLAND REDPOLL, IN 

 BARRA, OUTER HEBRIDES. 



By WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S. 



A KNOWLEDGE of the various races of the Arctic or Mealy 

 Redpolls inhabiting the Old and New Worlds is desirable for 

 the more precise study of the British birds of the group. 



During each autumn and winter some portion or other 

 of the British area is visited by Mealy Redpolls, and, given 

 the knowledge to which of the forms these immigrants belong, 

 it is possible in certain cases to determine with some degree 

 of accuracy whence our visitors came, for each race has its 

 own particular habitat. 



The study of these interesting birds has fortunately 

 received the attention of several naturalists, but the con- 

 clusions arrived at by Dr. Stejneger appear to be those most 

 generally accepted. 1 Dr. Stejneger's investigations were 

 based upon the examination of several hundreds of specimens 

 from Europe, Asia, and America, and the results were 

 published in "The Auk " for 1884 (vol. i. pp. 145-156), 

 under the title of ' Notes on the Genus Acanthis.' Dr. 



1 Dr. Sharpe does not accept one of Dr. Stejneger's subspecies, Acanthis 

 linaria palhscens (Homeyer) ("Brit. Mus. Cat. Birds," xii. pp. 245-247). 



