126 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



longer than the seventh ; in the British bird the second 

 primary is very little, only one to two millimetres, longer than 

 the seventh. The type is also somewhat lighter underneath, 

 but this distinction is not as constant as the difference in 

 wing formula. We well remember one afternoon sitting by 

 the harbour on the Isle of May, watching what proved to 

 be the beginning of a most interesting arrival from overseas ; 

 suddenly we heard a curious bird note behind us, and looked 

 round expecting to see a stranger. What was our amazement 

 when we saw a Hedge Sparrow sitting on the monastery 

 wall and calling loudly. We found out later that the Hedge 

 Sparrows which came in then belonged to the typical 

 form, and this curious penetrating call was doubtless a 

 migration note. 



The only Scottish record of the Black-BELLIED Dipper 

 {Cinclns cindus cinclus) is one from Spiggie, Shetland. This 

 form breeds in Northern Europe, apparently to East Prussia, 

 and differs from our resident Dipper {Cinclus cinclus 

 britannicus) in having none of the cinnamon-red on the 

 front part of the under side. In this form the throat and 

 fore-breast are white, the rest of the under side chocolate- 

 brown. The sides and under tail-coverts are slate-grey, 

 the latter in fresh plumage have fine rusty yellow tips. The 

 front part of the under side immediately behind the white 

 inclines to reddish. 



The status of the NORTHERN Great Spotted Wood- 

 pecker {Diyobaies major major^ in Scotland is very difficult 

 to determine with certainty. Doubtless many more of the 

 records are attributable to this form, but the only authentic 

 instances of its occurrence are from Berwick, Isle of May, 

 East Lothian (specimen in Royal Scottish Museum), Forfar, 

 Perth, Aberdeen, East Ross, Orkney, Shetland, and the 

 Outer Hebrides. It breeds in Northern Europe and Siberia, 

 and is an irregular visitor to this country in autumn and 

 winter. In some years it occurs in considerable numbers, 

 the last immigration being in 1909, when Great Spotted 

 Woodpeckers were recorded from many parts of Scotland. 

 This Woodpecker differs from our breeding bird in having 

 a stouter bill, longer wing, 138-143 mm. (Z>. in. anglicus, 



