246 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



an ordinary moult. Being well aware of the danger of drawing 

 conclusions from insufficient evidence, we do not propose to 

 make any deductions, but merely to state as plainly as we can 

 the facts that have come under our notice. 



We have examined five Starlings killed at the Isle of 

 May lantern during the great autumn immigrations of the 

 species ; of these, a male, got on Sth October 1910, had a good 

 many feathers on back of head, throat, and breast still partly 

 in quill. Of six Siskins, two autumn birds had a good many 

 of the small feathers not fully developed. Greenfinches, 

 Chaffinches, and Bramblings yielded little of interest, the 

 only one worthy of note being a Greenfinch from the Isle 

 of May on 20th November 191 1, which had a secondary 

 in each wing partly in quill. As a whole, the Redpolls 

 examined had completed their moult before arriving on our 

 shores ; all the Carduelis linaria holboelli and C. I. rostrata 

 were in perfect plumage, and of twenty-three C. I. linaria, 

 four only (autumn birds) showed signs of moult, some of the 

 body feathers being partly in quill. We have had the 

 opportunity of handling twelve of the typical form of 

 Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra curvirostra, taken during their 

 irregular visitations to our shores ; one female taken on Fair 

 Isle on 13th August 1910 had several feathers on throat and 

 nape still in quill, the rump, tail, and primaries new-moulted, 

 most of the throat and breast feathers and some feathers on 

 the back old, while a male from Foula (Shetland) on 16th 

 August 1894 had some feathers on back and chin partly in 

 quill. A Linnet (late October 191 1, Isle of May) and a 

 Northern Bullfinch (3rd November 1910, Fair Isle, ?) each 

 had one or two feathers on the back not fully developed. 

 We have examined a good many Buntings taken while on 

 migration ; these included Reed-buntings, Ortolans, Corn- 

 buntings, Little, Lapland, and Snow-buntings, but in no case 

 have we found any sign of moult. 



Wood-larks yielded nothing of interest ; but of fourteen 

 Skylarks examined, a female got at the Isle of May lantern 

 on 10th October 1910 had all the tail feathers partly in quill, 

 while two others, also autumn birds, had a few feathers on 

 breast and back of head not fully developed. Of six autumn 



