NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 237 



Saucliiehall Street, for the opportunity of submitting the specimen 

 to the meeting. 



Mr WilHam Sinclair exhibited a specimen of the Green Sandpiper 

 {Totanus ochrojms), shot on the lOtli November on the banks of 

 the river Cart, near Pollok House, by Mr Wilham Cox, keeper on 

 the estate. The Secretary, in his remarks on this specimen, stated 

 that, so far as he was aware, it was the first instance of the species 

 having occurred on any part of the western mainhmd or its ishand 

 dependencies. It had, however, been found in Aberdeenshire by 

 Mr W. C. Angus, one of the society's corresponding members, and 

 was supposed to have bred in that county; also in East Lothian, 

 by Dr W. P. Turnbull ; in Caithness-shire, by Dr Sinclair, of Wick ; 

 and in Dumfriesshire, by Sir William Jardine and the late Mr 

 Selby. Very little appears to have been recorded of its habits as 

 a British species ; and it is only within the last year or two that 

 anything reliable or definite has been ascertained regarding the 

 nidification of the species. 



Mr Arthur Sutherland exhibited a variety of the Alder {Alnus 

 ghdinosa) from Evan ton, Eoss-shire; also, an aberrant form of 

 Geum rivale. 



PAPERS READ. 



I. — Short Notes on the Habits of the Parson Bird (Prosthemadera 

 NovcB Seela.ndice), and the Gi-eoi-Headed Titmouse (Petroica 

 macrocephala). By Mr Alex. J. Grant, Otago, N.Z., Corre- 

 sponding Member. 



n. — Notes on some Land and Fresh-Water Shells from Egypt and 

 Palestine — with illustrative specimens. 



By Mr James E. Somerville, B.D. 



III. — Notices of the Recent Occurrence of Piare Birds in ylberdeenshire. 

 By Mr W. C. Angus, Corresponding Member. 

 The principal facts alluded to in this paper Avere the breeding 

 of the jacksnipe in that county; the occurrence of the honey 

 blizzard {Pernis apivorus); little bittern (Ardea minuta); and great 

 spoLLed woodpecker {Picus major) — the last named having appar- 

 ently been seen and obtained in unusual numbers this year. 



2 F 



