REPORT ON SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGY FOR 1908 211 



going through a lot of movements that they had not previously 

 shown. By and by in a very compact body, they headed 

 N.N.W., and were out of sight in less than another minute, 

 going high and swiftly." 



Phalaropus hyperboreus (Red-necked Phalarope). — One taken 

 at the lantern, Sule Skerry, on 29th October. 



ScoLOPAX RUSTicuLA (Woodcock). — At St. Blane's, Bute, on 19th 

 April a nest with one egg, on 20th two eggs, and on 21st 

 three. On 22nd, still three ; and on revisiting it on 23rd a 

 Curlew was seen to rise from the Woodcock's nest, which then 

 contained but one egg and some fragments of shells. This 

 was during the cold snap, and Mr. William Rennie, who sends 

 the story, asks, " Could it be the Curlew that had devoured the 

 eggs ? and why was the Curlew there at all ? " ^ 



Gallinago coelestis (Common Snipe). — Drumming at Crosswood, 

 West Calder, loth February. In Mull, in mid-April, of two 

 hundred observations on snipe drumming, about forty successful ; 

 i.e. the main contributory conditions to the act being fairly 

 accurately seen. In every case the characteristic outspreading 

 of the two outer tail-feathers was present, and the volume of 

 sound depended on the steepness of the gradient of descent, 

 being scarcely audible when this was but little removed from 

 the horizontal. Pure white one, w^ith black eyes, shot at Coll 

 ("The Field," 5th December 1908, p. 102 1). 



G. GALLiNULA (Jack Snipe). — Fourteen on the Flannan Islands on 

 14th September. Six killed at Monach, 23rd October. 



Tringa alpina (Dunlin). — At Gad Loch near Glasgow, 26th 

 April, two on passage. One of the small race sent from the 

 Flannan Islands on 14th September. 



T. i.iinuta (Little Stint). — Two this year's birds at Aberlady Bay 

 (Evans), 29th August. 



T. TEMMiNCKi (Temminck's Stint). — Appeared at the Fair Isle 

 in autumn (p. 74). 



T. SUBARQUATA (Curlcw-Sandpiper). — Three this year's birds at 

 Aberlady Bay, 29th August (Evans). One young bird at the 

 Glen Dam (E. Renfrew) on 25th October. 



1 I have quite a pile of material showing repeated captures of Curlews by steel 

 traps which had been baited with eggs for Hooded or Carrion Crows. I have 

 had these materials in my possession for some years back, and I refrained from 

 the publishing of them, and my conclusions concerning them, lest I might do an 

 injustice in any direction. I may now add, that since, by my orders, abundance of 

 "grit" has been laid down where " grit " was at decidedly a low ebb before on 

 my ground, there has been no recrudescence of Curlews being caught in steel 

 traps baited with eggs. — J. A. Harvie-Brown. 



