238 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Large Sunfish in the Forth. — It will probably interest your 

 readers to hear that a Sunfish {Mo la mo/a, L.) of unusually large 

 size, came ashore at Kincraig, a few miles west of Elie, during the 

 heavy weather at the beginning of September. Its principal 

 measurements were : from nose to tail, 5 ft. 7 ins. ; from tip to 

 insertion of each fin, 2 ft. ; between tips of fins, 6 ft. 6 ins. ; greatest 

 girth, 7 ft. 6 ins. Its weight was estimated at from 4 to 5 cwts. 

 A striking feature of the Sunfish is its extremely small mouth. This 

 specimen had a mouth not more than 3 h ins. across. — Alex. B. 

 Wallace, Edinburgh. 



Unusual numbers of the " Painted Lady " Butterfly in 

 Fife. — We have noticed of late an unusual number of Painted 

 Lady Butterflies (Vanessa cardui) in East Fife. The first day on 

 which we saw them in any quantity was 6th August, when they 

 were plentiful on the shore and links east of Largo, and also occurred 

 some way inland. Since then we have seen them almost every day, 

 but in smaller numbers, in various localities from Boarhills to Largo. 

 Those seen were very fine specimens, with the exception of one or 

 two which were faded and ragged. — Leonora Jeffrey Rintoul 

 and Evelyn V. Baxter, Largo. 



Death's Head Moth in Forth. — It may be of interest to note 

 that a Death's Head Moth (Acherontia at?-opos) was found in a 

 grocer's shop in Upper Largo, about 20th July. The specimen was 

 kept and given to us, and is the first we have had from the 

 district. — Evelyn V. Baxter and Leonora Jeffrey Rintoul, 

 Largo. 



Ixodes putus, Cambr., in Shetland. — On an emaciated 

 Puffin (Fratercula arcHcd) secured in Ollaberry Bay, N. Mavine, 

 June T912, the writer observed a large number of ticks. Some sixty 

 specimens (representing larva, nymph, and adult 9 ) w ere taken. 

 About one-third were fully grown, but of course no males were seen. 

 The identification is due to Dr J. H. Ashworth, to whom a number 

 of the ticks were submitted. — James Waterston, Manse, Ollaberry, 

 Shetland. 



Recurrence of the Cotton-Spinner off Mallaig. — An 

 excellent specimen, 8J ins. long, of this rare Sea-Cucumber — 

 Holothuria for s kali, Delle Chiaje — was obtained by Mr A. Johnston 

 off Mallaig, in the beginning of September. This — the second 

 example from Scottish waters — together with the earlier record from 

 Mallaig (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 19 10, p. it) would indicate that 

 in this locality the Cotton-Spinner is well established. — 

 James Ritchie. 



