54 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Scarlet Grosbeak {Carpodacus erythrinus). Fair Isle partici- 

 pated in the unusual visitation of this species once among the rarest 

 of British birds during the past autumn. Several were seen between 

 29th August and 18th September, all of which were in the green-grey 

 dress of the female or young of the year. 



Rustic Bunting {Emberiza rusticd). An adult male on 30th 

 May makes the second spring and fourth Fair Isle occurrence of 

 this rare visitor to Britain. 



Northern Tree-Creeper {Certhia familiaris familiaris). A 

 female appeared on 14th April. This is the second authentic record 

 of this European and typical racial form of the Creeper in the 

 British Islands. The first, also a Fair Isle example, was captured 

 alive on 27th December 1906. 



* Lesser Grey Shrike {Lanius minor). An adult female was 

 captured on 3rd June. This is the only known instance of the 

 occurrence in Scotland of this beautiful summer visitor to Southern 

 and Central Europe, and is the seventeenth appearance of the 

 species in the British Isles. 



* Woodchat-Shrike {Lanius senator). An adult female occurred 

 on 4th June, the fourth recorded instance of the appearance of this 

 species in Scotland, but third in chronological sequence. 



Eversmann's Willow-Warbler {Phylloscopus borealis). The 

 third British, and second Fair Isle example of this subarctic species 

 was found on 18th October among a plot of turnips a favourite 

 resting-haunt of immigrants on passage. Unfortunately the sex 

 could not be determined. The other, and first British, specimen 

 was captured at the lantern of the lighthouse at Suleskerry, another 

 remote Scottish island, on 5th September 1902. 



M^rsh-Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris).\\. is a singular 

 fact that the only known instances of the visits of this species 

 to Scotland should have been chronicled for our remotest isles 

 Fair Isle and St Kilda. The bird is a local summer visitor to 

 the south of England, and has not been recorded for either its 

 Midland or Northern counties. The third Scottish (the first for 

 spring) and second Fair Isle specimen occurred on 7th June. 



Icterine Warbler (Bypo/ais icterina). -The fifth bird of this 

 species detected in Fair Isle in spring appeared on 26th May, 

 making five spring and five autumn instances of its visits at the 

 station. There are only eleven Scottish records, all for Shetland. 



White-spotted Bluethroat {Cyanecula cyanecu la). The fourth 

 instance of the occurrence of adult males of this species at Fair Isle 

 is recorded for 9th May. It is not a little remarkable that nearly 

 one-half of the known visits to the British Isles of this Central 



