NOTES 



163 



for some time, came upon a newly hatched chick and part of the 

 shell of the egg of a Dunlin. Last year he found a nest, but without 

 eggs, though the birds were several times seen near it. In June 

 191 2, during a search for the nest, part of the shell of another 

 Dunlin egg was found by Mr Ian Jamieson, Lauder. Wm, 

 Macconochie, The Manse, Lauder. 



Bar-tailed God wit in Ayrshire. Mr Gib. Graham writes us, 

 to point out that the word "summer" (in relation to the plumage) 

 was omitted from his record on p. 93. Eds. 



Notes on Shags and Fulmars in Shetland. Perhaps the 

 outstanding feature of our winter bird life, if bird life it can be 

 called, has been the heavy death-rate among the Shags, and, as far 

 as I know, this applies to all Shetland. Similar reports come from 

 both east and west sides, and the same state of matters is reported 

 in Orkney. The sillocks all round our shores "steadied" in deep 

 water for the winter always an unfortunate occurrence for the 

 "scarfs" and when, with this misfortune there coincided a winter 

 of practically continuous wet stormy weather, it is not wonderful 

 that the Shags, which have been swelling in numbers for a good 

 many years, have felt hard times. One interesting temporary change 

 in their habits this state of starvation brought about. A number of 

 drifters were running the winter herring fishing here, and these on 

 occasions brought ashore quantities of mackerel for which there was 

 only a limited demand, with the result that the market was glutted 

 and quantities were dumped overboard. In ordinary times a Shag 

 will not look at a dead fish, whether lying on the bottom or floating 

 on the surface, though it will readily enough seize one at the end of 

 a line or in mid-water. A Shag with an empty stomach, however, 

 apparently cannot pass over a meal, and I saw several bringing up 

 dead mackerel from the bottom. A live mackerel of any size is too 

 big for a Shag to swallow, and when a fish had been brought to the 

 surface, it required a considerable effort on the part of a Shag to 

 get outside it. At times in winter we have Shags in the harbour 

 by the thousand, so that I am speaking from an intimate knowledge 

 of them. 



Regarding Fulmars, Mr Harvie-Brown's list of their breeding 

 places was not quite exhaustive as regards this district. For 

 instance, it may be noted that in Bressay, Fulmars nest not only 

 along the southern cliffs, but also in two places in the cliffs at 

 Aithsness on the north-east of the island. There have also been 

 for a number of years colonies on Brindister, a matter of three or 



