94 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Gadwall nesting in Caithness.— It is of interest to report 

 that in July 19 14 I again observed a pair of Gadwall {Anas strepera) 

 and young on the same loch in Caithness whence I first recorded 

 them in July 1912 {Scot. Nat., 1913, p. 44). I also came across 

 a female and four young on another loch some 30 miles distant. — 

 Annie C. Jackson, Swordale. 



Goosander in Orkney. — In view of the fact that the 

 Goosander {Mergiis merganser) is rare in Orkney (see 191 5 B.O.U. 

 list, p. 187), it may be of interest to state that I obtained an adult 

 male on 4th December 1906 at the Bridge of AVaithe, the outlet of 

 Loch Stenness, during the evening flight of Mergansers. An old 

 gunner of over fifty years' experience informed me that he had only 

 known of two others shot in the vicinity, viz., two females, many 

 years ago, at the Bridge of Brogar between Lochs Stenness and 

 Harray. — H. W. Robinson, Lancaster. 



Whimbrels at Musselburgh in winter. — On 25th January 

 five Whimbrels {Numetiius phmopus) were observed in the midst of 

 a large flock of Bar-tailed Godwits at Musselburgh. I had heard 

 their rippling note some days before, but since the date mentioned 

 I have neither seen nor heard any. In your last April issue there 

 was a similar occurrence from the Forth area. With reference to 

 the irruption of the Little Auk {Mergulus alk), it may be as well to 

 mention that one was found dead at the beginning of February 

 about a mile inland; it was in an extremely bad condition, and 

 must have been dead for a considerable time. — F. S. Beveridge, 

 Loretto. 



Gulls and Searchlights. — I was very much interested in the 

 note in the Scottish Naturalist for March by the Misses Baxter and 

 Rintoul on the behaviour of the Gulls in the searchlights on the 

 Forth. I had observed exactly the same thing in Weymouth Bay 

 in December. The birds appeared to collect in large numbers at 

 dusk, and as the searchlights from the forts on the breakwater 

 played across the bay, we could watch the Gulls flying as high as 

 we could see them in the light, backwards and forwards, then 

 swooping down to the water and up again, keeping towards the 

 searchlight end of the beam of light, evidently quite unafraid, and 

 no doubt grateful for the extra hours to feed in. It was curious 

 to watch the Gulls flying on a very dark night ; then their silhouettes, 

 with the strong light behind them, gave the impression of a cloud 

 of black smoke being blown across the brilliant streak. When the 



