The Scottish Naturalist, 155 



save it. But false theories should not be allowed to die a natural 

 death — at least when they come from such as Edward Forbes. 

 All such theories should die by violence. At the hands of a 

 just and unsparing scientific criticism, they should have their 

 time cut short. Certainly if Mr. Wallace left the theory of 

 Polarity dead, it must have met its end somehow, in the course 

 of nature or by violence, before he came to the field. His 

 thrusts are not directed so as to have drawn blood of anything 

 living. But perhaps the theory is not dead. There may be 

 life in it, and truth. 



Notes from Kelso.— I have recently come across the following: — A. Pochard, 

 on June 13. — A white water-rat, killed amongst the Cheviots on June 21st. It 

 is of a pure white, not like the reddish-yellow white of the albino mole, which I 

 frequently get. — A young male of the short-eared owl, on July 26th. This is an 

 unusual time for a ''winter visitor." I believe it was bred in this district. — 

 Andrew Brotherston, Kelso, August, 1873. 



Trie Squirrel occasionally insectivorous.— While walking on Kinnoull 

 Hill, in July 1862, a squirrel was observed busily engaged amongst the heather 

 and grass. Its head was immersed in a hole, and only raised occasionally to 

 reconnoitre, the jaws being actively engaged chewing some object. Being be- 

 hind it no alarm was given, so that we cautiously approached at intervals, while its 

 head was in the hole, until, indeed, it barely escaped capture by the hat. In 

 the hole were swarms of the common ants and their larvae and pupae, ekher of 

 which the squirrel had been devouring most intently. — W. C. M. 



"White Blaokbirds.— There has been a curious outcome of these in this 

 district during the past season. A nest was found near Kinnaird House in which 

 one of the young birds was white. The old birds were of the usual colour. 

 About a mile further west there w^s another nest with a white bird in it also, 

 and it appears that there are two birds of the same kind going about, so that 

 there must have been several broods with albino birds in them. In 1872 there 

 was a nest with one albino in the same district. — Charles M'Intosh, Inver, 

 Dunkeld, August. 1873. 



Long-eared Owl.— I found a nest with six and another with five eggs of 

 this species on March 22nd, which, considering the cold season, I think rather 

 early. Last year, a much milder season, I found in March, in the same nest 

 where I found the six eggs this year, five well-fledged young owls and one fresh 

 egg. I think that each pair of owls has two nests not far from each other, and 

 when eggs are taken from one, the hen owl lays in the other.- Charles 

 Stratton, Perth, March, 1873. • 



Occurrence of the Echinorhynchus spinosus on tihg Aberdeenshire 

 coast— In July last a specimen of this rare shark was taken at the mouth of the 

 Ythan by salmon fishermen, and was sent by Mr. Davidson to the Natural His- 

 tory Museum of Marischal College, Aberdeen, where I had an opportunity of 

 examining it. Its measurements were — length 7 feet 3 inches, greatest breadth 



