62 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



An Old Reference to the Hebridean Thrush ( Turdus ph. 

 hcbndensis). When Mr W. Eagle Clarke first described this local 

 race in the Scottish Naturalist, 1913, pp. 53-55, he was careful to 

 point out that the difference in plumage between it and the ordinary 

 British race had already been noticed and quotes Robert Gray's 

 reference in 1871. It may be of interest to point out that as far 

 back as 1830, a Scottish correspondent writing under the initials 

 "W. L." (Selkirkshire), in London's Ma^^azine of Natural History, 

 vol. iii., pp. 237-238, on the " Habits of the Thrush," says in a foot- 

 note on p. 238: "Being once on the western shore of Harris in 

 the month of June, I was greatly surprised to hear the song of the 

 Thrush resounding on all sides from the heathy and rocky banks 

 of the sea ; but I have always suspected it to be another species, 

 darker and less." In vol. vi. (1833), pp. 218-219, the same writer 

 makes some observations " On the Migration of a Species of 

 Thrush." He seems to have been under the impression that the 

 Hebridean Thrush was only a summer migrant to its breeding 

 haunts, and that enormous numbers met with on the Yarrow in 

 April, resting and feeding four years previously, belonged to the same 

 small dark form. He also somewhat weakens his case by the 

 supposed identification of a pair on the Braid Hills, Edinburgh, 

 apparently nesting, and suggests that they had fallen behind on 

 migration to the Hebrides. He states that every year some of these 

 dark birds are seen resting and feeding on migration in spring, but 

 never in such numbers as in 1829. Edward Blyth ( J! c, p. 516) 

 suggested that the birds in question were Redwings, but "W. L." 

 in vol. vii., p. 144, distinctly states that this is not the case, but that 

 the birds were Thrushes, darker and less in size, which he is still 

 convinced belong to another species. Mr Eagle Clarke shows that 

 the birds are in reality quite up to the standard of the mainland 

 birds in size, but the darkness of the plumage would naturally give 

 the impression of reduced size, just as light colouring has the 

 opposite effect. The only discrepancy occurs in the note on the 

 migratory flocks, where W. L. states that in addition to the 

 characteristics mentioned, the birds were less conspicuously mottled 

 on the breast, while the Hebridean bird has very numerous black 

 ovate spots. Possibly some of your readers may be able to identify 

 the writer from his initials, for keen ornithological observers and 

 contributors to scientific journals were not very numerous in the 

 earlier thirties. It would also be of interest to ascertain whether 

 under stress of exceptional weather, this race ever occurs on the 

 mainland of Scotland. F. C. R. Jourdain. 



