lo ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



a Golden Plover, so strikingly pronounced were the yellow 

 spots on the upper plumage. On the wing, however, the con- 

 spicuous dark axillaries demonstrated that it could not be that 

 species, and we thought of possibilities in the shape of 

 Ckaradrius dominicus. 



The Grey Plover is apparently a very rare bird in Shetland, 

 inasmuch as it has not been recorded for the islands since the 

 autumn of 1870, when a party of about a dozen examples was 

 observed in Unst, the only isle of the group which has hitherto 

 been known to have been visited by it. On this occasion the 

 birds came under the notice of Saxby, and were the only Grey 

 Plovers seen by him during his long residence in that island. 



These facts warrant one in supposing that this species 

 crosses the North Sea in spring and autumn by a passage lying 

 to the east of the Shetlands. This may be so, but one would 

 scarcely expect the bird to be of such extremely rare occur- 

 rence in the islands as our present knowledge would lead us 

 to believe. 



DOTTEREL, Eudromias morinellus. An adult female was shot on 

 moorland ground lying to the south-east of Scousburgh on the 

 26th, and was forwarded to us in the flesh by our friend Mr. 

 Charles Anderson. 



There are only two previous records of the occurrence of 

 this species in Shetland, but further investigations may lead to 

 its being regarded as more or less frequent during passage in 

 Southern Shetland. 



LAPWING, Vanellus vulgaris. The Lapwings that breed in Dunross- 

 ness had departed before our arrival on the gth, but we saw a 

 few birds of passage during our visit. 



The first observed was a pair which appeared on the iyth 

 a date on which the numbers of other migratory Limicolae 

 showed a decided increase. One was seen at Flack on the 

 1 8th, and a party of five near Loch Brow on the 22nd. 



TURNSTONE, Strepsilas interpres. We were surprised at the practi- 

 cally entire absence of the Turnstone from the eminently suit- 

 able haunts for this species, which were almost everywhere at 

 hand. We only saw a single individual on the rocks at 

 Virkie on the iSth. 



KNOT, Tringa camitus. The only Knots observed were a party of 

 three on the shore at Virkie on the i4th, and a pair on the 

 1 8th in company with Ring Plovers, Dunlins, and Sanderlings. 



This species is regarded as a somewhat rare visitor in 

 Southern Shetland, and did not come under the notice of 

 Harvie Brown in the autumns of 1891 and 1892. It is, how- 

 ever, regular on autumn passage in Unst. 



