NOTES 197 



themselves towards the centre of the loch on our approach, and 

 frequently uttered their characteristic notes, whoops whoop. We had 

 several opportunities of examining the birds under most favourable 

 conditions, and by the aid of binoculars observed that the yellow 

 of their bills was fully developed as regards its intensity, and was 

 not "creamy yellow," as in the case of the bird seen in Ross-shire 

 some 40 miles farther north by Mr Macdonald, as recorded above. 

 Both birds were strong fliers, and hence there seems to be no 

 reason, if they were originally immigrants from overseas, why they 

 should not have returned in the early spring to their native sub- 

 arctic haunts. It would be of great interest to know more of the 

 history of these Highland Wild Swans, and it is to be hoped that 

 further information may be forthcoming regarding them Wm. 

 Eagle Clarke, Edinburgh. 



Common Scoter on Duddingston Loch in May. On 5th 



May 1919 I saw a male Common ^coIqy {(Ed e mi a nigra); it was 

 resting on the water, near, but not among, some Coots. I had a 

 good view of it with a field-glass and watched it for some time. 

 John Currie, Edinburgh. 



The Great Crested Grebe in Scotland.^ In Misses Baxter 

 and Rintoul's article in your last number, the Great Crested Grebe 

 is given as a rare visitor to the Orkney Islands. This may have 

 applied some years ago, but for some years prior to 1909 it was 

 known as a regular visitor to Lochs Stennes and Harray on 

 migration, and although one or two sometimes remained until well 

 on in the spring, I know of no evidence of their nesting. 



The date given for Cobbinshaw Reservoir, Midlothian, is 1907, 

 but I feel sure that there was a pair there in the summer of 1905, 

 and also another pair in the same year on Pressmennan Loch in 

 East Lothian. Duns Castle Loch in Berwickshire also, I think, 

 had a pair either in 1905 or 1906, for I remember going up there 

 one evening to see them. They were already established on the 

 Urummond Castle Loch in 1906, but whether nesting in any of 

 these places I cannot say. I think that I am also right in saying 

 that the bird has been seen on Duddingston Loch, Midlothian. 



The Red-necked Grebe also occurs in Orkney on the spring 

 migration, as I mentioned in the Scottish Naturalist (1909), 

 p. 185. H. W. Robinson, Lancashire. 



[We are much indebted to Mr H. W. Robinson for the above 

 interesting information. In endeavouring to trace the spread of 

 the Great Crested Grebe as a breeding species in Scotland, we only 

 dealt with definite records of the finding of the nest or young of 



