8 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



late dates ; a Long-eared Owl (an unusually late visitor) and 

 Temminck's Stint on the 8th ; and single Temminck's Stints on 

 the 14th and 15th. The visits of this little wader must be 

 accounted the most interesting incident associated with the spring 

 movements. There are only three previous records for Scotland, 

 one of them for Fair Isle, in the autumn of 1908. Iceland Gulls 

 were seen as late as 20th March, Glaucous Gulls to 16th April, 

 Greenfinch to 22nd April, Long-tailed Ducks to 7th May, Purple 

 Sandpipers to 17th May, and Snow-buntings to 28th May. 



{To be continued?) 



MOLLUSCAN INVESTIGATION IN THE ISLE 



OF SKYE. 



By Fred Booth. 



[The present is the first of a series embodying the results of 

 observations made in Inverness-shire, Ross-shire, and Aber- 

 deenshire, in August 191 o, aided by a grant from the 

 Government Grant Fund, supplemented from private sources, 

 with the view of ascertaining the conditions and the extent 

 to which molluscan life thins out in the more northern 

 counties of Scotland. The investigation is partly in connec- 

 tion with the Conchological Society's census of authenticated 

 distribution, and partly with Mr J. W. Taylor's monograph 

 now appearing. The investigation is not yet completed, as 

 it is necessary that Sutherland and Caithness should be 

 explored and it is to be hoped that another grant may be 

 made for this. The specimens collected will all be deposited 

 in the Royal Scottish Museum. The general observations 

 will be printed after the lists for Ross West, Westerness, 

 Aberdeen North, and Aberdeen South have appeared ; and 

 the final papers will embody a brief sketch of the results 

 achieved. W. Denison Roebuck.] 



The chief physiographical feature of the portion of Skye 

 visited (Portree and Broadford) is its mountainous character, 

 and the nature of its geological formation igneous rock with 



