150 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



to be late in putting in an appearance. It was a cold, 

 late spring, and winter visitors in some numbers remained 

 unusually late. No large immigration of any species is 

 recorded during the year, but the irruption of Little Auks, 

 which began in December 19 14, continued into January 

 191 5, and the Continental Great Tits lingered in Shetland 

 well into the New Year. 



Species New to Scotland. 



The only addition made to the Scottish Avifauna in 

 191 5 was the Dark-breasted Barn Owl {Tyto alba guttata), of 

 which a fine specimen was caught in a rat-trap in a shed at 

 Baltasound, on 5th November (i. 1916, y6). This Owl breeds 

 in " South Sweden, Denmark, Germany to East France 

 (where and even on the Rhine the ranges of this form 

 and T. alba alba overlap) south to Alps, Austria and 

 Hungary." It has been recorded as an irregular visitor 

 to England, but this is the first time it has been known to 

 occur in Scotland. 



Birds New to Faunae Areas, and Uncommon 



Visitors. 



Notwithstanding the absence of many of our observers 

 and the unavoidable curtailment of our lantern records, 

 there are quite a lot of interesting occurrences to be included 

 under this heading. A female Northern Bullfinch {Pyrrhula 

 pyrrhula pyri^iiihi) was shot at Shurrery, parish of Reay, 

 Caithness, in early January (i. 191 5, 68), the first record for 

 the faunal area of Sutherland. Ortolan Buntings {^Eviberisa 

 hortulana) visited Fair Isle on 6th and i6th October and 

 1st November, while a Little Bunting {Eniberiza ptisilla) 

 is recorded from Pentland Skerries on 12th October (J. 

 Thomson). Three Wood-larks {Lulhila arborea arborea) are 

 recorded from Fair Isle on 5th and one on 8th January, a 

 male Shore-lark {Ercvwphila alpestris flazni) at Hoy High 

 on 25th March (John Bain), and two females at Swona on 

 1 6th October (i. 191 6, 24). 



