REPORT ON SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGY IN 1917 149 



come notes of the absence of Fieldfares and Redwings, 

 while Bramblings and Snow-buntings too were few and far 

 between. We attribute this unusual state of matters to the 

 prevalence of westerly winds during the whole migration 

 season ; the great rushes to which all migration workers 

 look forward so eagerly, are invariably associated with 

 winds from the east and south-east. This year, however, 

 the wind was continuously from the west, the great rushes 

 of birds did not take place, nor were our winter visitors 

 present in anything like their usual numbers. 



The following abbreviations will be used in this Report : 



1. = The Scottish Naturhlist. 



2. = British Birds (magazine). 

 (L.) = Lantern. 



(O.H.) = Outer Hebrides. 



We are again indebted to the Weather Report of the 

 Meteorological Office for meteorological data. 



Birds New to Faunal Areas, and Uncommon 



Visitors. 



Owing to the restrictions of time and place due to the 

 war conditions prevailing during 1917, the list of Uncommon 

 Visitors is shorter than usual. The weather conditions too 

 at the periods of passage were not of a type to bring many 

 wanderers to our shores ; there are nevertheless some 

 species of much interest to be recorded under this heading. 

 The only record for the year of the Lapland Bunting 

 {Calcarias lapponicus lapponiais) is from Fair Isle, where 

 a single bird appeared on 14th May, on which date the same 

 station records a Blue-headed Wagtail (Motacilla flava flavd). 

 At the end of April a Waxwing {Bombycilla garrulus) was 

 caught in a hen-house at Kirkwall, during one of the 

 blizzards which characterised that inclement month. Up 

 till 1917 there were only two records of the Wood-warbler 

 [Phylloscopas sibilatrix sibilatrix) for the Outer Hebrides, 

 but in 1917 single birds of this species visited Vallay, North 

 Uist, on 6th August, and Loch Druidibeg, South Uist, on 

 26th and 27th August (1. 1918, 102). The first authenticated 



