REPORT ON SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGY IN I915 151 



Wac^tails, either Blue or Grey-headed, occurred at Fair 

 Isle on 1 6th, i8th, and 26th October, and a British Tree- 

 creeper {Cei'thia faniiliaris binttanicd) was killed while sitting 

 on a haystack at Galson (O.H.) on 13th October (i. 1916, 

 75) ; this is the first record of a Tree-creeper for the Outer 

 Hebrides. Continental Great Tits {Par?is major Jiiajor) 

 wintered in Shetland ; two are reported from Fair Isle up to 

 23rd January (i. 191 5, 103). A Red-breasted Flycatcher 

 {Mtiscicapa parva parva) visited Swona on 7th October 

 (i. 1916, 24), and Yellow-browed Warblers {Phylloscopus 

 superciliosus siiperciliosus) are recorded from Swona on 

 6th October (i. 1916, 23), P^entland Skerries on 8th and 9th 

 October (i. 1916,24), and Lerwick on i8th October (i. 1916, 

 24). There are few mainland records of Lesser Whitethroats 

 {Sylvia curruca curruca) on the west side of Scotland ; 

 we shall therefore include one at Arisaig on 23rd May 

 (i. 1916, 78), and another at Loch Treig on 13th June 

 (i. 1916,78), these being the first records for the faunal area 

 of Argyll. Black Redstarts {Phcenicurus ochriirus gibral- 

 tariensis) are recorded in spring from Little Ross (W. Begg), 

 Isle of May (S. Baigrie), not far from Glasgow (George Stout), 

 and Pentland Skerries (J. Thomson), and in autumn from 

 Tarbatness (T. Allan) and Pentland Skerries (J. Thomson) ; 

 while a Bluethroat visited Fair Isle on 8th October. An 

 Alpine Swift {Apus melba vielba) is recorded as having 

 been seen at Whithorn, Wigtownshire, on 30th July (i. 191 5, 

 308) ; the first time the bird has been noted in Solway, 

 the only previous Scottish records being of two seen in 

 Clyde ; and a Bee-eater {Merops apiaster) frequented the 

 neighbourhood of Lerwick from 4th to nth July (i. 1916, 

 24). A Hoopoe {Upiipa epops epops) arrived on Pentland 

 Skerries on 19th May (J. Thomson), and a beautiful white 

 Snowy Owl {Nyctea nyctea) was observed at Little Ross 

 on 24th February (W. Begg). The first record for Tay of 

 Tengmalm's Owl {Aigolius funereus funereus) is of an adult 

 male got at Craighall, near Blairgowrie, in February 

 (i. 1915, 116); and a male Hen-harrier {Cirais cyancus) 

 is reported from Kirkcudbrightshire on 9th October (i. 

 191 5) 35^)- -^ Honey-buzzard {Pernis apivoriis) was 



