78 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Recovery of Black-headed Gulls marked in Scotland. 



Having mentioned the English-bred birds of this species which 

 have been recovered whilst nesting in Scotland (Scot. JVat., 

 December 1916), and also the others recovered in Scotland (Scot. 

 Nat., February 191 7), perhaps it would be of interest to enumerate 

 the recoveries of those actually bred and marked in Scotland under 

 the British Birds scheme, as mentioned in my article in that 

 publication, vol. viii., pp. 215 and 217. Of birds marked at 

 Loch Durisdeer, Dumfriesshire, there were three recoveries ; 

 one went south-east to Darlington where it was found eight months 

 later; another north-east to Perth, one month, and the third due 

 north to Paisley, also one month later. From Penpont, Dumfries- 

 shire, there have been six recoveries. All occurred in the parent 

 county or the neighbouring counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, 

 Lanark, and Kirkcudbright within eight months, four of them 

 within six weeks of marking, Of birds marked on Loch Spynie, 

 Elgin, there have been four returns. One of these birds went due 

 north, being recovered in Orkney, five months later. Two were 

 found in the parent county four years and two months and one 

 month later, the fourth occurring in Aberdeenshire two months 

 after marking. Since the article was published two more recoveries 

 are recorded in British Birds, vol. x., p. 223. The first was 

 marked at Cleuchhead, Dumfriesshire, in July 1912, and was 

 recovered near the breeding ground of Penpont in the same county 

 in June 1916, and was in all probability nesting there. The second 

 was marked on the Castle Loch, Wigtownshire, in June 1916, and 

 was recovered in Northumberland in September 1916, three months 

 after marking. H. W. Robinson, Lancaster. 



Birds killed by Oil at St Andrews in 1915. For a 



few days before 21st June 1915, a quantity of crude oil was 

 noticed on the sea at St Andrews, and a great number of sea-birds 

 and land-birds were killed by it. The chief sufferers were Guille- 

 mots and Razorbills. On 28th June I buried 269 Guillemots, 

 6 Puffins, 2 Eider and one young; on the 29th, 4 more Guille- 

 mots and 2 Solan Geese came ashore. By the 30th, some of the 

 Gulls which had gone inland to escape from the oil were beginning 

 to return to the shore. On 1st July 162 Guillemots were found, 

 also one Puffin and one Herring Gull; a good number of other 

 birds were found dead Starlings, Sparrows, Rock-pipits, and 

 Wagtails. The oil stuck to them like bird-lime. A. Brown, Gatty 

 Marine Laboratory, St Andrews. 



