n6 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



appears to be one of the Anatidae which is extending its range ; 

 slowly at present, but which may perhaps be expected to do so more 

 rapidly within a few years. — J. A. Harvie-Brown, Dunipace. 



Gray Plover (Squatarola helvetica) in Barra. — This is a bird 

 that is now very rare in the Outer Hebrides, and I think therefore 

 its occurrence in Barra is worth recording. About the middle of 

 January 1892, one bird, which was with a flock of Bartailed God- 

 wits, was shot by Mr. Murdoch Macgillivray of Eoligary, the head 

 and feet of which .he kept. He had never seen any of the species 

 in Barra before ; and the only one of them I ever saw in the Outer 

 Hebrides was one bird which I saw with a flock of Golden Plover 

 on the Valley Strand in North Uist some nine or ten years ago. — 

 John MacRury, Barra. 



Variety of Golden Plover {Charadrius pluvialis) in Barra. — 

 Variations in this species are somewhat rare. It may be worth re- 

 cording that I shot one this winter with its wings and tail feathers 

 nearly all white, the rest of the plumage being of the usual colour. — 

 John MacRury, Barra. 



Knot (Tringa canutus) in Barra. — On the 31st of August 

 1892 I shot three birds out of a small flock of this species on 

 the big strand at Eoligary in this island. I have never met with 

 any of them in the Outer Hebrides before, although I have been 

 looking out for them. No doubt some of them may visit us now 

 and then, for a few days, on migration, without being noticed, but 

 they certainly do not remain any time. On the 26th January 1893 

 I saw a flock of about a dozen Knots in the same place where I 

 shot three of the species last autumn, but although I am frequently 

 in the locality I never saw any of them except on these two 

 occasions. 



My old friend the Whimbrel has spent another winter with us, as 

 I saw it lately at its usual station quite fresh and lively. — John 

 MacRury, Barra. 



Ruff {Machetes pugnax) in Benbeeula. — On the 9th October 

 1892 I saw a RurT in reeds in a swamp in Benbeeula. This 

 is now the third occasion, within the last three or four years, I 

 have seen birds of this species in Benbeeula. — John MacRury, 

 Barra. 



Curlew Sandpiper {Tringa subarquata) in Orkney. — I observe it 

 stated in "The Fauna of the Orkney Islands" (page 302) that it was 

 mentioned in " Rod and Gun " that a specimen of the Curlew 

 Sandpiper {Tringa subarquata) had been shot at Renniebister, but Mr. 

 Ranken traced it to Mr. Small, the birdsturTer, in Edinburgh, and the 

 latter had told Mr. Ranken it was a Reeve. We had Swanbister and 

 the shooting this year, and towards the end of August one of our 



