SOME NEW SCOTTISH AND BRITISH BIRDS 9 



of greyish white which extends to the gape ; an inconspicuous 

 white patch on the throat, the feathers having grey margins ; 

 abdomen white ; flanks white streaked with pale brown ; tail 

 blackish, narrowly edged with white, the two outer pairs of 

 feathers with the terminal portion of the inner web chiefly 

 white. Feet yellowish grey. Wing 3-65 ins. 



Thrush Nightingale {Luscinia luscinia) at Fair Isle. 

 — This was one of the rarities which rewarded us during our 

 visit to Fair Isle in the spring of 191 1. This waif arrived in 

 company with a crowd of birds of passage (of which no less 

 than twenty-four species came under notice) on the 15th of 

 May 191 1. It was observed seeking food among the rocks 

 at the foot of a cliff behind the south lighthouse. 



The summer range of the " Sprosser," as it is sometimes 

 called, extends from Denmark to south-western Siberia, and 

 its winter retreats are in eastern Africa. There is one 

 previous record for the occurrence of this bird in Britain, 

 namely, one obtained at Smeeth, in Kent, on 22nd October 

 1904; but this has hitherto been regarded as unsatisfactory. 



This species differs from the Common Nightingale, in 

 having the upper plumage darker and of a more olive tint; 

 the tail dark brown with only a slight reddish tinge ; the 

 feathers of the chest and sides of the breast darker, with 

 light edgings and basal shaft spots, which give these parts a 

 mottled or clouded appearance. In addition, the first 

 primary is shorter and narrower, and is much shorter than 

 the primary coverts ; while the third primary is the longest, 

 and the second generally equal to the fourth. It is a larger 

 bird than its congener, the wing measuring 3-6 ins. 



Baird's Sandpiper {Tringa bairdi) at St Kilda. 

 — This was one of the rarities that fell to my lot during my 

 recent visit to St Kilda. On the 28th September 191 1, a 

 small Sandpiper was observed wading and swimming in a 

 pool in the rocks fringing the Village Bay. It was shot on 

 suspicion that it was something uncommon, and proved to 

 be an adult female, in full winter plumage, of this North 

 American species — one which had only been known to visit 

 the British Isles on two previous occasions, but had not 

 I B 



