NATURAL HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. 585 



Art. III. — Zoological Motes on a few Species obtained from the 

 South West of Scotland. By William Thompson, Esq., F.L.S. 

 &c. — Vice-President of the Natural History Society of Belfast. 



I shall here follow up a few notes commenced in this Ma- 

 gazine in 1838, (p. 18), with reference to the occurrence of 

 some of the rarer, or otherwise interesting species, procured 

 within a limited portion of the south-west of Scotland. 



Chestnut Shrew. Sorex castaneus, Jenyns., ' Ann. Nat. 

 Hist.' v. ii. p. 43. From the neighbourhood of Ballantrae 1 

 I have received specimens of shrews, which, from agreement 

 with Mr. Jenyns' description, I am disposed to regard as the 

 Sor. castaneus. Some of the species belonging to this genus 

 approach so closely, that it is almost necessary to have a 

 comparison of specimens before a certain conclusion can be 

 arrived at, — in the present instance I have not had this ad- 

 vantage, but judge from the comparison of the individuals 

 under consideration, with others belonging to the most nearly 

 allied species, Sor. tetragonurus, of which I possess two 

 specimens (of different ages) so named by Mr. Jenyns, — the 

 one taken at Twizell, and favoured me by P. J. Selby, Esq., 

 the other taken by myself at Leamington, Warwickshire. 



Ciliated Shrew. Sorex ciliatus, Sowerby ; Sor. remifer 

 of subsequent British authors. Of this well-marked species 

 I obtained, when at Ballantrae, in August last, an individual 

 taken in the immediate neighbourhood. 



Bank Vole. Arvicola pratensis, Baillon; Bell's 'Brit. 

 Quad.' p. 330. Of this handsome species, distinguished as 

 British only a few years since, I have obtained two specimens 

 from the vicinity of Ballantrae. Mr. Macgillivray mentions 

 its occurrence at " Kelso and Bathgate, in the county of Lin- 

 lithgow." * Naturalists' Library, Brit. Quad.' p. 272. 



Pomarine Skua. Lestris Pomarinus, Temm. I am in- 

 debted to a friend for the examination of a specimen of this 

 bird, which was kindly brought from Ballantrae to Belfast 

 for the purpose ; it is a young bird of the year, and was "found 

 dead on the beach near this village, in the winter of 1837-8. 

 The following measurements may perhaps enable any one 

 interested in the subject, to judge that it is the species here 

 set down. 



1 To my friend John Sinclaire, Esq. and to Dr. Wylie, I am indebted 

 for all specimens hence obtained. 



3 s 



