■JO ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Thanks to the generosity of a few friends, which I desire 

 to gratefully acknowledge, I was enabled to carry my 

 project to a practical conclusion, and George Stout (an 

 excellent and capable youth, who had previously helped me, 

 and had been well trained in my methods) was appointed 

 observer. 



Much assistance has also been rendered by my many 

 friends among the islanders, and special acknowledgments 

 are due to Messrs. J. W. Anderson, George Stout, ter.y 

 Stewart Stout, and to the Lightkeepers. 



I spent six weeks on the island in the autumn, during 

 which I devoted the whole of my time to the investigations. 

 In connection with my visit, I have to express my great 

 indebtedness to Her Grace the Duchess of Bedford, who 

 most kindly placed her beautiful yacht, the Sapphire, R.Y.S., 

 at my service to convey me to the island — an act of 

 kindness which relieved me of some anxiety, for the island 

 is by no means easy to reach, or to get away from. 



The results obtained for the year are very remarkable, 

 and more than confirm my high opinions of the importance 

 of the island as an ornithological observatory ; indeed, the 

 value of the record has greatly exceeded my most sanguine 

 expectations. The records are very voluminous, but it 

 is not my intention to deal with them at present, more 

 especially as I hope to be able to continue the daily 

 observations for a year or two. It is also my intention to 

 visit Fair Isle during both the spring and autumn of 1909, 

 and to personally assist the observer. 



During the year the visits of no less than 140 species 

 of migratory birds were recorded. Of these 106 species 

 came under notice during the passage northwards in spring, 

 and 122 species when moving southwards in the autumn. 

 The identical species known to have appeared on both the 

 spring and autumn passages were 89. The new birds 

 added to the ornis of the island were 25 in number, making 

 its total known avifauna at the end of the year 185 species. 

 Several of these additions are new to the fauna of Scotland. 



It is only proposed here to treat of the species added 

 to the fauna during 1908, for I do not consider it necessary 

 to allude to the occurrences of a number of interesting 



