ii6 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



corn," and surely "the labourer is worthy of his hire." The first 

 error was protecting them when they did not require protection ; 

 and the second error and greater than the first would be to 

 exterminate them. These birds are Nature's sowers as well as 

 reapers. J. A. HARVIE-BROWN. 



Crested Tit in "Tay." In a popular work lately issued by 

 Messrs. Virtue and Co., called " The Highland Tay, from Tyndrum 

 to Dunkeld," occurs (p. 42) the passage: "The Crested Tit, one 

 of the most interesting survivors of the Bird-life of the Ancient 

 Forests, has now abandoned this locality (i.e. behind Finlarig of 

 Craigcailleach), and is now confined almost exclusively to the 

 denser parts of the Great Pine Woods of Rothiemurchus and Loch 

 Morlich, and even there it is but rarely seen or heard." I am 

 aware of the record of the Crested Tit having appeared in the 

 Pass of Killiecrankie quite an old record but I do not know of 

 any other record for the Tay Valley. Though I do not question 

 the possibility that the Crested Tit was more generally dispersed 

 through the Ancient Caledonian Forests, yet I am not aware where 

 the writer of the above volume can have obtained authority for his 

 statement ; and if any one can give me the reference to the original 

 statement, I shall be obliged. J. A. HARVIE-BROWN. 



Greenland Falcon, Ivory Gull, and Waxwing 1 in Scotland. 

 The late winter, possibly on account of the mildness of the weather, 

 has not produced many ornithological rarities, though these seem 

 almost as dependent on the direction of the wind at the time of 

 migration, and other meteorological influences, as the mere severity 

 of the season. 



Skye has produced another Greenland Falcon (Falco candicans) 

 which was obtained by Mr. A. Macaskill, gamekeeper at Glen 

 Drynoch, about 23rd October 1900. From Broadford, in the 

 same island, a fine adult Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea) was sent 

 to Inverness by Mr. James Ross, of the Broadford Hotel, about 

 6th February of this year. On the ist of February a Waxwing 

 (Ampelis garrulus) was brought in to Mr. Macleay ; it had been 

 picked up on the Canal Bank, Inverness, by two boys, and was 

 alive when they captured it. Woodcocks have been very scarce all 

 through the north from all accounts ; at one time there was a good 

 deal of snow on the hills, but even Raasay, so well known as a 

 haunt of these birds, has proved almost a blank this season, there 

 being apparently no birds for the snow to drive in off the hills. 

 T. E. BUCKLEY, Inverness. 



Scops Owl in Shetland. In the "Annals" (1900, p. 184) I 

 recorded the occurrence of Scops Owl (Scops gin) in Foula, where 

 the bird arrived late in April last. Mr. Frank Traill, who kindly 

 furnished me with the particulars, and sent me a wing for identifica- 

 tion, informs me that a second specimen was obtained in the 



