174 

 A Til IE D MEDLEY. 



BY W. 



"Rudis iudigestaquc moles." 



DoRiNCr the months of November and December, I, on several occasions, 

 heard the song of the Sky Lark, (Alauda arvensis.) 



On the 12th. of May, notwithstanding the cold and backward state of 

 the season, the Corn Crake {Crea; ^^^diensis) was heard in the parks around 

 Duff House. 



About the middle of June, the Hoopoe (Upupa epops) was seen near 

 the same place. 



About the same time a specimen of the Honey Buzzard (Perms apivorus) 

 was shot by Mr. Watt, farmer, Stoneyley, on that farm. It measured four 

 feet across the wings, and about twenty-two inches in length. The cere 

 was almost of the same colour as the bill. It was very poor, so much 

 so, that Mr. Lemon, bird-stuffer, thinks it must have been affected with 

 disease. 



To conclude my observations on the feathered tribe, I shall add that a 

 pin was found in a duck's egg by one of the printers in the Banffshire 

 Journal Office, some short time agol How did it get there? A gentleman 

 in Banff told me, when conversing with him on the subject, that he has 

 himself put a horse-hair into an egg, so as to defy detection, merely by 

 pricking a hole in the end of the egg with a fine needle, and inserting 

 the hair. 



On May 27th., during a rather severe gale of wind, a good specimen 

 of the Lesser-Forked Beard (Raniceps trifurcatus) was cast ashore at Mac- 

 duff, and kindly brought me by a boy. 



On June 7th., Mr. Andrew Wilson hooked a specimen of the Common 

 Tope, (Oaleus vulgaris.) It measured four feet ten inches in length, and 

 one foot seven inches and three-quarters in girth. When opened, there 

 were only a few small stones in its stomach. 



On June 9th., Mr. Andrew Paterson brought ashore a small specimen 

 of the Lamprey, (Pteromi/zon marinus,) — "The Ramper or Lamper Eel." 

 It was brought into the boat sticking on a large cod-fish. 



On June 14th., during one of my fishing excursions among the stones 

 and sea-weed at low water, at the back of the harbour of Macduff, I ob- 

 tained a very small specimen of Montagu's Sucking-Fish, (Liparis Mon- 

 tagui.) It was doubled up on the stone when I turned it up. It was 

 not over a quarter of an inch in length, and was of a very dark orange 

 colour. Its eyes were of a bright golden colour, with a blue line between 

 them. A similar blue line reached from each eye to the upper lip, and 

 also a little way behind the eyes towards the gill-covers. When put into 



