102 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



as 300 being seen on the island on loth July. They 

 were reported from almost every part of Scotland — from the 

 Shetlands in the north to Creetown, Kirkcudbrightshire, in 

 the south ; from Fraserburgh in the east to the Outer 

 Hebrides, Flannan Islands, and St Kilda on the west. 

 They alighted on ships in the North Sea, and hundreds are 

 reported by fishermen as having been found drowned. 

 They were reduced, in our outer isles, to such makeshifts 

 in the way of food as the yellow centres of daisies, berries, 

 seapinks, and greenfly, all very different from their usual 

 diet. 



One example of the EASTERN SKYLARK {Alauda arvensis 

 cinerascens) is known to have occurred in Scotland ; it was 

 killed on the Flannan Islands on 24th February 1906. This 

 form is usually smaller and decidedly greyer than our bird, 

 and breeds in parts of Western Asia. 



One example of the American Water Pipit {Anthus 

 spinoletta rubescens) has been recorded from St Kilda in 

 September 1910. It breeds in the Nearctic and N.E. Siberia. 

 The distinguishing feature of this subspecies is the large 

 amount of white on the second pair of tail feathers. The 

 Scandinavian Rock Pipit {Anthus spinoletta littoralis) 

 has occurred at Pentland Skerries, Orkney, and Fair Isle, 

 Shetland. It is distinguished from our Rock Pipit by 

 having a reddish wash on the foreneck, which is also rather 

 less spotted. This difference is only present in spring plum- 

 age ; in autumn dress it does not differ from our bird. The 

 Scandinavian Rock Pipit has doubtless occurred elsewhere 

 in Scotland on passage, but the above are the only definite 

 records. 



Dr Hartert regards all the Yellow Wagtails as subspecies 

 oi Motacilla flava. The only one which breeds in Scotland 

 is the Yellow Wagtail {Motadlla flava rayi). Full de- 

 scriptions of the Blue-headed and Grey-headed Wagtails can 

 be found in any book on British Birds, so we shall not give 

 any here, merely recording their status in Scotland. The 

 Blue-headed Wagtail {Motadlla flava fiava) breeds from 

 Central Scandinavia to the Pyrenees and east to Russia. 

 It has occurred in Lanark, Haddington, Midlothian (an old 



