NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 239 



on the shore near St. Fergus, between Strathbeg and the sea, where 

 it breeds. 



Meadow Pipit. — Anthus pratemis (Lin.). Very common. Breeds 

 among the bent grass on the seashore, and on the inland moors. 



Rock Pipit. — Anthus obscurus (Latham). Very common along 

 the coast. 



Hedge Sparrow. — Accentor modidaris (Lin.). Pretty numerous. 



Bullfinch. — Pyrrhula europaea, Vieill. Increasing rapidly 

 in numbers. In the woods at Brucklay Castle, consisting chiefly 

 of spruce and birch, I have seen a good many lately. 



Greenfinch. — Ligurinus chloris (Lin.). Very common. 



Goldfinch. — Carduelis elegans, Stephens. Not so common as it 

 used to be ; still a few are to be seen occasionally. 



Siskin. — Carduelis spinus (Lin.). Rare. This species is men- 

 tioned by Edwards as being a rare visitor in the neighbourhood of 

 Strathbeg.* 



Lesser Redpoll. — Linota rufescens (Vieill.). Breeds numerously 

 in the higher parts of this district, but is rare near the coast, and 

 is not known to breed there. t One flew against the lighthouse at 

 Fraserburgh on 11th October, 1854. Mr. Thomas Ferguson, of 

 Alton, Mintlaw, writes me that he found a specimen of this bird 

 dead in the snow outside his window last winter (1879), and that 

 he never saw it before in this part of Buchan. 



Linnet. — Linota cannabina (Lin.). Breeds plentifully on the 

 sandy mounds covered with bent grass along this coast. 



Twite. — Linota Jiavirostris (Lin). Rarer than the last-men- 

 tioned species. Breeds on the same ground. Localities on east 

 coast scarcer than in the west. 



Chaffinch. — FringiUa coelebs, Lin. Very common. 



Brambling. — FringiUa montifringiUa, Lin. Often seen in 

 winter, especially in severe winters, in company with the Yellow 

 and Snow Buntings. 



House Sparrow. — Passer domesticus (Lin.). Common. 



Crossbill. — Loxia curvirostra, Lin. Rare. Six specimens (3 

 males and 3 females) were killed at Craigston, near Turriff", by Mr. 

 Pollock Urquhart's gamekeeper, i It is included in Mr. Adam 

 Arbuthnot's list of the birds of Peterhead, and is mentioned in the 



* Nat., vol. iv., p. 263-271. + Nat, vol. iv., p. 225. 



X Nat., vol. iv., p. 42, 



