The Scottish Naturalist. 13 



Occurrence of Rare Birds. — I have again to record the appearance of the 

 Esquimaux Curlew {JVumenii<s borealis), one having been shot by Mr H. C. 

 Hadden in the Forest of Birse on 21st September last. This bird (which 

 was a male) was the same weight as the one reported in the ' Scottish 

 Naturalist.' vol. v. p. 36, 1879, but in length a quarter of an inch shorter, 

 and less by half an inch in extent of wings. The stomach contained the 

 same sort of food as the one referred to above. This is the third occurrence 

 of the species in Scotland. 



On 4th October, Mr Moir of Tarty shot a specimen of the Glossy Ibis 

 {Ibis falcinellus) on the mud-flats near the mouth of the Ythan, Aberdeen- 

 shire. The bird was a male, and in good condition ; its stomach was filled 

 with a fibrous vegetable matter along with sixty-six specimens of the rat-tailed 

 maggot (larva of Drone -fly, Eristalis tenax) ; two small pupa, different 

 and unknown to me ; four species of beetles, two of one sort, and one of 

 each of the others, one of them being aquatic ; four specimens of Cyclas 

 flavescens ; fragments of Limnaus pereger ; and eight small specimens of 

 Mytilus pasillus ; as also five angular species of stone, about the size of small 

 peas. Extent of wings 39^2 inches ; from point of beak to end of tail, 24 

 inches ; from flexure to end of primaries, 1 1 inches ; tarsus, 4X inches ; 

 middle toe, including nail, 2>% inches; beak, along ridge, 5^2 inches ; beak, 

 legs^ and toes, greenish grey ; sides of head bare and of the same colour 

 as the beak — those bare parts are, at their junction with the feathers, both 

 above and below the eyes, edged with a narrow line of greenish white ; iris, 

 brown ; weight \)/ 2 pound. 



So far as I can make out, this is the sixth occurrence of the species in 

 Scotland. The first was shot in Ayrshire ; second in Fifeshire, September 

 1842 ; third near Banchory, Kincardineshire, 1844, the wings of which were 

 given to the late Professor Macgillivray, and the occurrence of the specimen 

 is noted in his work on British birds ; fourth one in Balta Sound, Shetland, 

 October 1857, noted by Dr Saxby ; fifth one reported by the late Mr J- H. 

 Dunn to Mr Gray, author of the ' Birds of the West of Scotland,' and sixth, 

 the one now noted. 



On 18th October last a specimen of the Hoopoe (Upiipa epops) was shot in 

 Unst and sent to me. It was a female, and its stomach was filled with ear- 

 wigs {Forjicula auricidarid). — Geo. Sim, Aberdeen. 



Lesser Whitethroat in Fyvie. — Sylvia corruca, Lesser Whitethroat. A 

 fine specimen of this bird was killed at Gourdas on the 4th November, and 

 another seen at Mill of Tifty.— George Sim, Gourdas, Fyvie. 



A Curious Bird. — When shooting last week at Moncreiffe, I killed a rather 

 curious variety of a Pheasant. It flew over my head, and I took it for a 

 cock, and killed it. On examination, we found that it was a mule. It had 

 long tail-feathers, a head like a cock, and was the same size as one, but its 

 back and wings and breast were like a hen's, and it had no spurs. Its 

 neck was a sort of reddish brown, — exactly the colour of the upper part of a 

 Capercailzie hen's breast. The keepers about there say they are not very 

 rare ; but I have never seen one before. Is it not rather a curiosity? [An 

 old hen assuming male plumage. — Ed.] 



I also saw lately a House-sparrow, with white wings and white feathers on 

 its back— in Piccadilly, of all places.— T. J. Harry Moncreiffe, 59 

 Ennismore Gardens, London, S.W., Nov. 24. 



