210 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Female Greenland Wheatear in Male Plumage. — On the 



13th of May I shot what I believed to be a fine specimen of a male 

 Greenland Wheatear (CEna?ithe leucorrhod), on the Island of Barra. 

 I was much surprised to hear from Mr Charles Kirk of Glasgow, to 

 whom I sent it to be mounted, that the bird was a female. I have 

 since had an opportunity of comparing it with other specimens of 

 male Greenland Wheatears obtained early in May in the British 

 Islands. The wing-feathers are blacker than in any of these birds ; 

 in fact, the outer webs of the feathers, with the exception of the 

 tips of some of the wing-coverts and secondaries, are quite black. 

 Crown of head, nape and back are pale grey, showing only very 

 slight traces of the sandy plumage of winter. Forehead, superciliary 

 line, and upper tail-coverts, white. Line from lores to the ear- 

 coverts, black. Underparts washed with buff, darker on the throat. 

 Central feathers and upper third of tail, black, with the exception 

 of white tips to the feathers on one side, which are somewhat 

 abraided. The wing measures 106 mm. — M. Bedford, Woburn. 



Lesser Whitethroat in Dumfriesshire. — During a visit to 

 Lockerbie on 31st July, I saw a Lesser Whitethroat, Sylvia curruca, 

 near Lockerbie House. It allowed a close approach, and kept 

 going to and from a wall thickly covered with ivy. Had it been 

 a commoner species I should have suspected it of nesting; indeed, 

 the date indicates that in all probability it had nested in the 

 neighbourhood. I watched it for a considerable time, and was 

 much interested to see it, as it was a very familiar Fair Isle 

 friend. — George Stout, Glasgow. 



Hawfinch at Pidra, Pirth of Forth. — I am sending you a 

 young Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes), which I found in 

 a dying state at the lantern of Fidra Lighthouse, on the night of 

 7th July. — G. Millar, Fidra Lighthouse. 



[This species has become established as a native bird in south- 

 east Scotland, and the bird recorded probably came from one of its 

 neighbouring haunts. — Eds.] 



Quails nesting in Peeblesshire. — For some time about the 

 beginning of June, Quails (Cot ur nix cotumix) were heard calling 

 in a field of hay on the farm of Halmyre, West Linton j and when 

 the hay was being cut, towards the end of the month, a pair of 

 old birds and five or six young ones were put out. The young 

 birds were about the size of sparrows, and could run very swiftly. 



