16 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Buzzard (Perm's apivora) has forfeited its liberty through a singular 

 misadventure. The reservoir for the supply of W. J. C. Cuning- 

 hame's home-farm of Dunragit, Wigtownshire, having, like most 

 other reservoirs in this abnormal season of 191 1, fallen low, a 

 breadth of mud was laid bare in September, sticking in which, and 

 unable to extricate herself, was the bird aforesaid. Probably she 

 had gone there in search of frogs or such-like. She is a bird of the 

 year, but about full-grown. I would have pled for her release, were 

 it not certain that a fowl of such warlike mien would inevitably be 

 destroyed as "vermin" by some undiscerning keeper. In fact, I 

 fear that I have failed to persuade her captor that a meat diet is not 

 what suits the Honey-Buzzard. When I told him that the late Lord 

 Lilford invariably failed to keep Honey- Buzzards alive through the 

 winter until he put a pair of them on a diet exclusively of bread and 

 milk (which he found they actually preferred to their common fare 

 of wasp-grubs), I was met by an incredulous grin, and a sarcastic 

 inquiry whether I supposed the Almighty had given this bird her 

 formidable beak and talons to sup milk withal ! 



It would be vain to plead for protection to Honey-Buzzards, for, 

 although no bird of prey is more innocent of injury to game, its 

 unfortunate resemblance to fiercer birds of ravin is tantamount to a 

 death-warrant. If it were possible to get them spared, they would 

 no doubt breed regularly in this country. — Herbert Maxwell, 

 Monreith. 



Grey Phalarope in Ayrshire.— It may be of interest to 

 record that I got a male Grey Phalarope ( Phalaropus fulicarius) at 

 Girvan on 7th November last. It seems to have been blown ashore 

 during the very strong N.W. gale on the previous Sunday, and was 

 picked up in a dying condition by a lad, in a field near the shore. 

 The only other record for the Carrick shore, so far as I can find out, 

 was a male on 9th October 1904. — Gib. Graham, Girvan. 



The Wood-Sandpiper in South-east Fife (Forth). — With 

 reference to Mr Berry's note in the Annals for October last 

 (191 1, p. 248), I ought, perhaps, to record that I have in my col- 

 lection a Wood-Sandpiper (Totanus glareohi) which was killed 

 near Anstruther in April 1895. — William Evans, Edinburgh. 



Blue Shark in Forth. — When walking along the shore in 

 Largo Bay, on 1st November, I found a Blue Shark {Carcharias 

 glaucus) lying dead, very near the place where we found a fish of 

 this species in December 1910 {Annals Scot. Nat. Hist., 191 1, 56). 

 I estimated its length at 6 ft. ; it seemed in quite good condition. — 

 Evelyn V. Baxter, Largo. 



