ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 75 



carried to inland localities, a few even right across Britain. No 

 species seems to have suffered more than the Fork-tailed Petrel, as 

 the following records, which relate entirely to Scotland, clearly show. 

 The first I heard of was on Tuesday, 29th September, when Mr. 

 Small, taxidermist, Edinburgh, showed me three which he had that 

 day received for preservation. One was from Kelso, where it had 

 been killed the previous evening, the second came from Ayr, and 

 the third was sent from Ardrishaig. Thinking others would likely 

 have been sent to Mr. Hope, I at once called at his shop and found 

 he had received two, one the previous evening from Langholm, and 

 the other had been picked up that morning in the streets of 

 Edinburgh — in the division of George St. between Hanover St. and 

 Frederick St. On 2d October another was received by Small from 

 Kelso, and on the same day a specimen from Mull was taken to 

 Hope. Mr. Small tells me the Kelso birds when first noticed were 

 pursued by rooks, and with regard to the Mull example Mr. A. B. 

 Steele of the Edinburgh Museum writes me as follows, " On the 26th 

 September last a specimen of this bird in a weak condition was shot 

 by Campbell M'Kechnie, Esq., younger of Tenga at the south-east 

 end of Loch Frisa, wind had been blowing a hurricane for days 

 before." At the same time numbers appeared in the Sol way, but 

 before proceeding to mention these it may be well to draw attention 

 to other Argyllshire records. In the "Field" of 17th October, Mr. 

 A. D. Lawrie writes as follows from the yacht Rawn, Tayvallich Bay, 

 Loch Leven, under date nth October; "During the recent severe 

 weather we were driven for shelter into Kames Bay, Loch Melfort. 

 The gale was very stiff, and for several days we were surrounded 

 by a large number of Fork-tailed Petrels. Often a dozen at a time 

 would be flying close to us. During the lulls in the squalls I shot 

 five as specimens, and sent them to be stuffed ; but although we 

 were anchored close under a weather shore, it was seldom safe for a 

 boat to leave the yacht. At last the storm moderated ; the petrels 

 had then become very tame. I touched one with a broom as he 

 flew over, another settled on the bowsprit ; after we were under way, 

 one of the crew caught another for a moment in his sou'-wester, but 

 it escaped. Another Fork-tailed Petrel was recently picked up dead 

 here on the shore of Loch Leven. I have never seen any of these 

 birds in Argyllshire before." Mr. Scott Skirving, writing to Mr. 

 Eagle Clarke on 20th October, states that about the same time as 

 the birds were sheltering in Kames Bay, great numbers of Petrels 

 (in all probability likewise of this species) were seen in Loch Indaal, 

 Islay. The remains of one was sent to Mr. ILirvie-Brown from 

 Tiree, and the Rev. A. H. Macpherson had another from Skye 

 (letter to Mr. Eagle Clarke, nth November). To Mr. R. Service 

 I am indebted for the following Notes from the Solway district, where 

 unprecedented numbers appeared. On the night of 27th September 



