360 The Scottish Naturalist. 



N, nissula was common on the moors. A r udaria mundana seemed un- 

 usually scarce. Nola confusalis was not rare in May. T. batis only just oc- 

 cured. I have already mentioned the conspicuous absence of Noctuce ; the 

 few not absolutely vulgar, that I got were :—C. arcuosa, in tufts of grass ; 

 C. graminis, common at flowers ; N. brunnea, at sugar ; and N. umbrosa, 

 very abundant on a small plot of onion flowers ; C. xerampelina, near the 

 ash trees ; E. lucipara, at sugar ; H. tkalassina, a pupa in a rotten log of 

 wood, far in, rather a novel retreat ; a very lovely Plusia V. -aureum ; M. 

 maura, E. mi and glyphica, not scarce; P. viridaria (sEnea), on the moors. 

 Among the Geometrce : — .0. sambucata was common, for a short while ; a 

 lovely, just emerged, specimen of G. papilionaria was taken at rest on the 

 grass ; S. clathrata and P. petraria were easy to rouse among the bracken, 

 at the end of June ; A. ccestata was plentiful on the higher moors. The 

 genus Emmelesia was represented by Alchemillata, Albulata and Decolorata, 

 the last being not uncommon among alders. The only ' ' Pugs " noticed 

 were the very common species. Thera variola flew out of pine trees, but 

 rarely. In hopes of rearing S. musceeformis I took a quantity of apparently 

 diseased clumps of S. armeria ; a great many insects indeed appeared 

 therefrom, but all were H. sordidata (ehitata) quite another thing ! E. 

 plumbaria, A. plagiata, and T. atrata (ch<zrophyllata), were respectively 

 fairly common. — W. D. Robinson-Douglas, Orchardton, Castle Douglas, 

 7th September, 1874. 



Occurrence of Rare Birds in the Carse of Gowrie — It may be inter- 

 esting to some of your ornithological friends to hear of the observance of the 

 Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida) this season in three different localities in the Carse 

 of Gowrie district : — one in the eastern division by Mr Robert Mathew of 

 Gourdie Hill, another by Mr Greig of Glencarse, frequenting the Pow 

 below the house ; and on the 2d inst. , a third, seen by myself in company 

 with a friend, on the banks of the Tay, below Barnhill, near Perth. The 

 kingfisher was formerly not an unfrequent visitor in the Carse, but of late 

 years, has been seldom or never seen. Thirty years have passed since I 

 had the pleasure of observing these birds in the district. On the following 

 day, the 4th, I had the pleasure of observing another very rare bird on the 

 banks of the Tay — the Solitary Snipe (Scolopax major). The bird rose 

 close to me, and from its size, colour, and flight, I had no difficulty what- 

 ever in recognizing the species, the more especially as it is a bird I have 

 been long familiar with in the Mediterranean — though the first time it has 

 ever come under my notice, personally, in Great Britain. In a paper 

 which I had the honour of reading before the Perthshire Society of Natural 

 Science, a year or two ago, allusion was made to the decrease of many of 

 our birds in the Carse. Since then, I am glad to say I have seen a gradual 

 increase of several of those mentioned, such as the Peeweet, Redshank, Lark, 

 and some others ; as also the reappearance of the Corn-Bunting, which I 

 have noticed on several occasions this summer. Whether this is caused by 

 the new legislation for the protection of our land and water birds, or the 

 gun licence, it would be difficult to say ; but I incline to believe it to be 

 the latter, which has put a salutary check on the indiscriminate slaughter 

 along our hedges and ditches by every idle fellow who could handle a gun; 

 and to to this alone is to be attributed, not only the reappearance of the 

 corn-bunting, but that ofpur long lost kingfisher. — H. M. Drummond-Hay, 

 Seggieden, Perth, Sept., 1874. 



