164 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



first plumage. Both are in the collection of Mr. R. W. Chase. 

 Mr. J. T. Thomson writes Harvie-Brown that he found an 

 Eider Duck's egg, in May 1888, on one of the Badcall Islands, 

 " Not in a nest, but a little embedded in a small portion of grass 

 among the rocks. I say an Eider because I know no other 

 egg like it. It corresponds with eggs of that bird taken in 

 Norway." Seeing that the Eider Duck is such an abundant 

 species in other parts of the west, it does seem strange it 

 should be so rare on the Sutherland coast. Perhaps this may 

 be the first indication of its extension there. 



(Edemia nigra, L. — Common Scoter. — The Scoter is increasing its 

 range in Sutherland, and getting more numerous yearly. As 

 we were anxious to get a nest for our Sutherland collection we 

 wrote to a person on whose ground they bred, and he kindly 

 sent us a nest and six eggs. In his letter, dated 4th June 

 1890, he remarked that there were plenty of them about, but 

 the nest was not always easy to find, he had often seen them 

 with eight eggs, and adds they are late in nesting. In another 

 letter, dated 16th June 1890, the same person says, "The 

 Scoter's nest was not by a loch side, but in a place where there 

 is a great number of water-holes ; but any of them that I have 

 seen before were always by a loch side. There were a great 

 many little gulls (? Black-headed Gulls) nesting where this duck 

 had her nest. I saw two pairs of the duck on the 6th and on 

 the 13th of May, but no nest: and when I looked again on 

 the 21st I got her nest with one egg. On the 30th she had 

 six eggs, but was not sitting ; and on the 4th of June she had 

 still the six eggs and was sitting on them, so I took them. 

 The other pair left that place, but there was a pair at some 

 more water-holes about a mile over from this one, only there 

 were a great many little islands that I could not get into where 

 one duck was sitting (a common Wild Duck), and I think the 

 Scoter had her nest there. They are getting more numerous 

 here every year and spreading more to the westward." 



Columba palumbus, L. — Ring-Dove. — Wood-pigeons bred for the 

 first time at Erribol in either 1889 or 1890. 



Columba cenas, Z. — Stock-Dove. — The eggs of this bird were 

 taken by us on the east coast of Sutherland, for the first time on 

 19th May 1889, and since then they have bred regularly. Dr. 

 Penrose informs us that when on a visit to Glencassley in 

 August 1 89 1, he put three or four Stock- Doves out of a 

 rocky burn, about two miles farther up the Cassley Strath. 



Turtur communis, Selby. — Turtle Dove. — A Turtle Dove was shot 

 at Forss on the 27th of September 1887, by Mr. Peter Calder, 

 the keeper, and preserved by Mr. L. Dunbar. 



