9 2 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Uncommon Birds on the Beauly Firth. A Little Stint 

 was obtained on the Beauly Firth on 23rd September 191 2 by 

 Mr W. Berry of Lentran, who also observed a Red-necked 

 Phalarope on the same Firth on 22nd October, and a Great 

 Crested Grebe there on 26th October last. Annie C. Jackson, 

 Swordale. 



Snowy Owl at Sule Skerry. On 5th February, after a long 

 series of westerly gales accompanied by severe weather, a fine male 

 specimen of the Snowy Owl was shot on the island of Sule Skerry, 

 Orkney. The stomach was found to contain a partly digested 

 Purple Sandpiper, which had evidently been swallowed entire as 

 the bird was quite complete. This specimen has been acquired 

 for the British collection of birds in the Royal Scottish Museum. 

 Charles Kirk, Glasgow. 



Quail Nesting in Shetland. In September last, 1 received 

 some eggs from the island of Whalsay, which had been found 

 in a cornfield. All the eggs, ten in number, were fresh. I sent 

 one of them to Mr Eagle Clarke, who has confirmed my opinion 

 as to their identity, and who has informed me that to his knowledge 

 several previous nests have been found in the Shetlands, but that 

 the bird only occasionally visits the islands for breeding purposes. 

 Samuel Bruce, Lerwick. 



White Variety of the Lapwing. An interesting white 

 variety of the Lapwing came into my possession through the kind- 

 ness of Mr W. Berry of Lentran. It was shot on the Beauly Firth 

 on 28th October last, and proved to be an adult female which had 

 not yet undergone the autumn moult, the feathers of wings, 

 scapulars, and back being very much worn. A few new white 

 feathers are showing on the crown, otherwise there is no appearance 

 of moult. All pigment has disappeared, except that which gives 

 rise to the fawn or chestnut colouring of the bird. The bird is 

 therefore white except for a semicircle of buffish feathers, extending 

 from the eyes backwards round the crest, chestnut edges to the 

 feathers of the scapulars, and chestnut upper and under tail-coverts, 

 while there is also a tinge of buff where, in a normal bird, the bluish- 

 black upper breast merges with the white underparts. Some of the 

 feathers of the back show very well the so-called ''hunger markings" 

 a term employed by the ostrich farmer to denote the series of 

 transverse ridges which appear in the feathers of a poorly nourished 

 bird. Annie C. Jackson, Swordale. 



