200 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



the boll of the trees, but the breast appeared to be of a pale slate or 

 gray colour. It took flight in the direction of Carron Glen, but 

 although I always kept a lookout I never saw it again. — Fred. 

 Laird, Bonnybridge. 



Whimbrel (Numenius phceopus, L.) wintering" in Barra. — I have 

 again to record the wintering of this bird in Barra. I saw it and 

 heard its note on the 17 th of September and on the 14th of October 

 1 89 1, some distance to the south of the bay in which I used to see 

 it, and in this same bay I met with it on the 17th of March and on 

 the 9th of May of this year. On the latter date there was a flock 

 of about a dozen of the same species in the bay, so that I could not 

 be so sure of my old friend ; but I noticed that one bird kept more 

 with some oyster-catchers, and did not follow the flock about when 

 they took wing, and that it was also wilder than the passing migrants, 

 which are generally very tame on arrival. — J. MacRury, Barra. 



Buzzard (Buteo vulgaris, Leach) in Forfarshire. — In January 

 last a keeper at Ethie, near Arbroath, observed a large bird of prey 

 struggling on the ground. Approaching nearer, he found that it had 

 a weasel (Afustela vulgaris) in its claws, and that the weasel had so 

 far freed itself as to be able to grasp the bird by the neck. When 

 the bird espied the keeper it relaxed its hold of the weasel, which 

 still held on and prevented the bird from making off. Just as the 

 keeper was about to seize hold, the bird gave a final struggle, shook 

 off its opponent, and made off. The keeper set a trap for the bird, 

 baiting it with a pigeon, and two days later found the bird caught 

 by a hind toe. He kept it in captivity for several weeks, giving it 

 a pigeon daily : a rabbit offered instead was left untouched for several 

 days. On examination, I found the captive to be a male specimen 

 of the Common Buzzard — a very rare species in this locality, only 

 one or two having been procured for many years. — Thomas F. 

 Dewar, Arbroath. 



Note on the Sheldrake (Tadorna cornuta, S. G. Gmelin). — 

 During the last eight or ten years, or more, this beautiful duck has 

 increased in Solway in a most surprising way. This season they are 

 more plentiful than ever. Along the sandy shores of the Firth, more 

 especially from the mouth of the Nith round as far as Auchencairn 

 Bay, they are very abundant indeed. A few days ago I counted 

 close on 150 Sheldrakes scattered in pairs and singly over the sands. 

 On the right bank of the Southwick Burn, and going a little further 

 eastward towards Southerness Point, small parties of two or three 

 pairs to as many as a score of pairs would be passed all along the 

 beach. And perhaps as many more were away attending to the 

 duties of incubation. The general opinion seems to be that within 

 a very few years past the " Stockannets " have increased at least 

 tenfold. Absence of molestation in the breeding season, caused 



