78 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Iceland as well as North-western Europe. It seems, how- 

 ever, to have remained unnoticed as a visitor there until late 

 last autumn, when an adult was obtained at Hirta, and was 

 forwarded to me by an obliging correspondent. 



The visits of migratory birds, especially those belonging 

 to the land and the fresh-water groups, to the remote and 

 insignificant islets which form the St Kilda Archipelago are 

 of exceptional interest to naturalists for several reasons. 

 Chief among these is the importance of such records as 

 contributions to our knowledge of the course followed by 

 the regular feathered voyagers when in spring en route for 

 their native summer haunts, and in the autumn when return- 

 ing to their winter retreats. One wishes it were possible to 

 obtain more information regarding these movements, and of 

 the species participating in them, from St Kilda — a station 

 whose geographical position renders it unique among the 

 bird observatories to be found in the North-western Atlantic. 

 If this could be accomplished there can be no doubt, from the 

 comparatively little we already know, that much interesting 

 information would be forthcoming concerning the far-western 

 movements, of a number of migratory birds, as well as the 

 remarkable wanderings of some of the rarer species. 



IV. Lesser Wiiitethroat in West Inverness-shire. 



On 13th June the writer and his friend, Mr Knight 

 Horsfield, found a male Sylvia cnrrnca among the trees that 

 fringe the banks of the river just before it enters the head 

 of Loch Trieg. Our attention was drawn to it by its song, 

 and as it was remarkably tame, we were able to watch it 

 for some time, during which it on several occasions came 

 within a yard of where we stood. There was much cover 

 near at hand which would afford suitable nesting sites, but 

 whether the bird had a mate near by we were unable to 

 ascertain, nor did we come across it again. It appears to be 

 an uncommon visitor to the Western Highlands, but on 23rd 

 May 191 5 the Misses Rintoul and Baxter saw a Lesser 

 Whitethroat among some low willows and brambles, close to 

 the seashore, about two miles west of Arisaig. It was very 



