ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 181 



large flock of Wild Swans {Cygnus musicus) which had taken up 

 their quarters there, we were shown the Seal at the fish-house, and 

 the following dimensions were taken : Length, from tip of nose to 

 end of hind flippers, 4 feet 5 inches : girth round chest in front of 

 fore nippers, 2 feet 5 inches ; the greatest girth being just 5 inches 

 more, and that immediately behind the shoulders. The weight, we 

 were afterwards informed, was 7 \ stones of 14 lbs. ; and the seal was, 

 as is usual, very fat. Of fur, properly speaking, there was none ; the 

 only covering being a very short stiff hair, of rather scanty growth, 

 and not much exceeding a quarter of an inch in length on the upper 

 parts of the body, slightly longer and thicker below. The hair 

 presented a dirty white or washed-out appearance all over, and on 

 the upper part of the neck and body had been almost entirely rubbed 

 off, as was supposed, by the attempts of the animal to escape from 

 the net. The skin thus bared was of a dark brown or almost black 

 colour, with several apparently natural spots or rings of a lighter hue 

 about the neck. The whiskers and bristles on the face were very 

 strong and pretty numerous, but had also been much worn and 

 broken. Being rather uncertain as to the species, I had the head 

 cut off and forwarded to Mr. Wm. Eagle Clarke a day or two later, 

 when, from the dentition, he was able without doubt to pronounce 

 the specimen to be a young example of H. grypus. Although since 

 1 84 1, when Selby recorded the Gray Seal as a not uncommon 

 inhabitant of the Fame Islands, the species has been well known 

 along the Northumberland coast, one is so rarely properly identified 

 that this notice may not be without interest, while the occurrence, 

 though in England, is so near the Borders that perhaps no excuse 

 is necessary for its insertion in the "Annals." — George Bolam, 

 Berwick-on-Tweed. 



Golden Oriole {Oriolus galbula) in Orkney. — On the 20th of 

 May, at 6 p.m., I observed a specimen of this beautiful species at 

 Lopness, Sanday. The bird was quite alone, and did not join the 

 starlings and other birds which were near by. The wind was from 

 the south-east, a fresh breeze, with some fog occasionally, and had 

 blown from that quarter for about a week. As this species has no 

 place in Messrs. Buckley and Harvie-Brown's Fauna of Orkney, it 

 is probably an addition to the avifauna of the islands. — Wm. I Larvey, 

 Sanday. 



Nesting of the Snow Bunting- ( Plectrophanes nivalis) in the 

 Eastern Cairngorms.- ■--( )n 2nd June, while traversing the bare, stony 

 top overlooking a steep rocky corrie in one of the highest parts of 



this range, we observed a male Snow Bunting in beautiful summer 

 plumage sitting on a stone a few feet from us and apparently quite 

 unconscious of our presence. On moving nearer, lie flew off, and 

 the female was seen creeping amongst theston seby. From the 

 motions of the birds, we felt certain that the nest was not far off: 



