NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 245 



WOODCOCK. 



SCOLOPAX RUSTICOLA, L. 116. 



• 



The Woodcock rears two broods in Sutherland, as Mr Mackenzie 

 informs me. He has taken eggs and seen the young in April, 

 and again taken eggs and seen young in August of the same year. 

 It is generally supposed that they have considerably increased in 

 numbers in the west, in the breeding season. 



COOT. 

 FULICA A TEA, L. 118. 



Mr Crawford informs me that he shot a Bald Coot on the 7th 

 March, 1877, and adds : " It must have come in from the sea, I 

 think, as it was feeding in the small burn which runs through the 

 policy here, and near to the sea." He formerly observed the 

 species on a small lochan in the parish of Farr j but for some 

 years they have not reappeared there. 



GEEY-LAG GOOSE. 



ANSER FERUS (Gmel.) 118. 



According to all accounts, not less plentiful than formerly. 

 This year Mr John Sutherland and the keejDer got six young, and 

 two of tliese have been reared successfully. They were caught on 

 20th May. At this locality, as before, there are still always a 

 number of geese not breeding, but feeding in a flock of from 

 20 to 30, about the same number I used to find there in 1869 

 and the years previous. The non-breeding birds are out of all 

 proportion to the breeding birds — some three or four pairs of the 

 latter being about all. They have not of late years bred on 

 Loch Assynt, where I once found a nest. 



The tamed Wild Geese (referred to indirectly in my former paper. 

 Vol. iii., page 119,) some years ago left Inchnadamph. They 

 flew away one day, and never returned. It is supposed they were 

 shot, as on previous occasions they had always returned ; but I 

 think the possibility exists that they took right away, induced to 

 leave by some migrating band of their own species. 



It is considered by some of the natives here that the non- 



