ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 47 



ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. 



The Late Mr. James Tomison, Lightkeeper. — It is with great 

 regret that we have to record the death of our valued contributor 

 Mr. James Tomison, which occurred at the Royal Infirmary, Edin- 

 burgh, in September last. Mr. Tomison was a keen and excellent 

 observer, and availed himself of the great opportunities afforded him 

 by his calling, as his singularly interesting and well-written papers 

 contributed to the " Annals " on the bird visitors to Sule Skerry 

 and Skerryvore abundantly testify. He was personally known to us 

 and w^on our high esteem, and we regard his death, in the prime 

 of life, as a loss to Scottish Natural History and one which is 

 greatly deplored. 



Pipistrelle Bat in Orkney. — A male of Pipistrellus pipistrellus 

 was captured at Deerness on the 21st of September last. No bat 

 appears to have been captured in Orkney during the past fifty years, 

 and the few that have occurred have not been identified. I sent the 

 specimen here recorded to the Royal Scottish Museum, where 

 my identification of it was confirmed by Mr. Eagle Clarke. — 

 M. Spence, Schoolhouse, Deerness, Orkney. 



Destructive Habits of the Bank Vole. — Lately I came across 

 an instance of an unusual piece of destruction by this species. 

 A small odd patch of ground on the outside of a large garden 

 had been planted with potatoes late in the past season, and had 

 been rather neglected and weed-covered. On digging the crop, 

 at least one -half of the produce was found to be more or less 

 eaten by these Voles (Microtus glareolus). Not one of the potatoes 

 was completely eaten, as would have happened if the Water Vole 

 or the Common Brown Rat had done the mischief. Small irregular 

 patches on the sides of the potatoes most easily accessible were 

 the feature of the attack. Succulent green vegetables or herbage 

 in summer, wayside and hedgerow fruits in autumn, surface roots 

 and soft stems in winter and spring, are usually devoured by the 

 Bank Vole, and although I have often known it to eat a patch in 

 an odd potato, I have not known of a general and severe attack 

 on this crop before. — Robert Service, Maxwelltown. 



Brambling in West Sutherland. — On the 25 th of October, 

 while at Inchnadamph, I observed a number of Bramblings 

 {Friiigilla 7nontifringilla). Their identification was easy from the 

 white rump, so much in evidence when these birds are in flight. 

 Redwings in plenty were seen all along the road from Kylesku 

 to Uhapool via Knockan and Drumrunie. Fieldfares were to be 



