90 ' PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



WHEATEAE. 



SAXICOLA OENANTHE {Linnaeus). 



Sir AV. Llilner considered this the commonest bird in Suther- 

 land, and though, on the whole, agreeing with the remark, I 

 would more especially agree with Mr Selby when he says, 

 "generally distributed over the county, but, I think, most 

 abundant in the limestone districts." Certainly the numbers to 

 be seen in the immediate vicinity of Inchnadamph, in Assynt, 

 where the rocks are for the most part limestone, are very great 

 indeed; and here it is worthy of remark, that the Wheatear 

 seldom goes higher up the hills than to where the limestone ends, 

 and the granite rocks begin. On one occasion, and on one only, 

 I observed a pair, e%ddently having a nest- on the very summit of 

 Ben Chaorin (spelt in maps, erroneously I believe, Ben Harran), 

 and Mr Eobert Gray informs me that they have occasionally been 

 found before in similar situations. Ben Chaorin (Hill of the 

 Cloudberry) is about 2700 feet in height. 



Six eggs are usually laid, but often in Sutherland only five ; I 

 have taken their nests also with seven eggs, and I once received 

 a laying of eight. 



WHmCHAT. 



SAXICOLA RUBETRA {Linnaeus), 



So far as my own observation goes, not nearly so plentiful as 

 the next species, though I have seen it in one locality in con- 

 siderable numbers. 



STONECHAT. 



SAXICOLA RUB ICO LA {Linnaeus). 



More abundant than the last, but locally distributed. I 

 observed them in the west, principally on the northern whin- 

 clad slope of the sea-lochs at Kylesku — Lochs Dhu and Coul. 



EEDSTAET. 



RUT WILL A PEOENICURA {Linnaeus). 



Not plentiful. I have observed it on two occasions only, once 

 at Loch Awe in the west, and once at Eosehall. It was twice 



