*78 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Crested Tit in Forfarshire. On 22nd September 1920 a 

 small company of Tits, chiefly Coal Tits and Gold-crests, passed along 

 a row of ash trees at Hospitalfield, near Arbroath. Amongst them 

 was a Crested Tit which lingered for half a minute or so on a 

 decayed twig, and thus enabled me to identify it. The birds moved 

 along quickly and soon disappeared in a mass of beech foliage. 

 On the 27th of September 1919, a party of Tits went south along 

 the same route, but I did not examine them closely enough to see 

 whether they included any of the crested species. Douglas G. 

 Hunter, Rosebrae, Arbroath. 



Black-tailed Godwits in Forfarshire. On 28th of August 

 1920 I observed a pair of Black-tailed Godwits near the mouth of 

 the Elliot Water. The tide was about half-flood, and the hour was 

 between 1 1 o'clock and noon. The birds were feeding on the sandy 

 foreshore at the edge of the sea. They were being molested by an 

 Oyster-catcher, which, shortly after my approach within eighty yards 

 or so, drove them away. They flew along the sea-line towards the 

 south-west until out of sight. Two days later I saw another pair of 

 the same species, the time and tide and place being practically the 

 same as before. On the latter occasion a Sea-gull attacked them, 

 swooping down upon them, and they flew off in the same direction 

 as the other pair. On former occasions I have observed that 

 Godwits, as well as some other waders, are disliked by sea-fowl, and 

 avoid their company. There was no distinctive marking on either 

 of the pairs, and it is impossible to say whether it was the identical 

 pair of birds on both occasions. But I may say that I never saw 

 a Godwit linger longer than a couple of hours on this coast. My 

 experience is that they feed for an hour or thereby on arrival from 

 overseas, bathe themselves, preen their feathers, and sleep for a short 

 time with bill inserted in plumage of back, thereafter resuming their 

 journey. In September 1915, 1916 and 1919 I saw single birds at 

 the same spot and about the same hour, the tide being always 

 pretty far back. Coming from Norway as they probably did, they 

 would doubtless descry land at the conspicuous promontory of Red 

 Head, and pass along the rocky shore to the first low foreshore at 

 Elliot. This would seem to be an established route of the species, 

 and it is not improbable that if a careful watch were kept examples 

 might be seen any year shortly before or after ist September. 

 It is noteworthy that there have been autumnal occurrences in 

 recent years in the Firths of Tay, Forth, and Solway which would 

 rather indicate an overland "fly-line" from the Forfarshire coast. 

 Douglas G. Hunter, Rosebrae, Arbroath. 



