Recently published Ornithological Works. 157 



XIII. — Notices of recent Ornithological Publications. 

 1. Annals of Scottish Natural History. 



[The Annals of Scottish Natural History, a Quarterly Magazine, with 

 which is incorporated 'The Scottish Naturalist.' No. 23, July 1897, 

 and No. 24, October 1897.] 



In No. 23, Mr. Hinxman gives his annual report on " The 

 Movements and Occurrences of Birds in Scotland during 

 1896,^^ and expresses his satisfaction at the increased number 

 (S^) of schedules sent in, as against 20 in 1895. One of 

 tlie rarities is the Lesser Whitethroat {Sylvia curruca), the 

 record of which is hidden away under S. cinerea on p. 142 ; 

 but on turning to p. 160 we find that (the late) Mr. Allan 

 Briggs, in his valuable *' Notes from North Ronaldshay," 

 had obtained two examples in the autumns of 1893 and 1896 

 respectively. This Warbler is new to the Orkneys and has 

 only once been recorded in the northern half of Scotland, 

 namely near Aberdeen. Some other rarities have been 

 already noticed, but a Squacco Heron [Ardea ralloides) on 

 North Ronaldshay deserves mentiou. Passing over some 

 contributions of smaller importance, we come to No. 24, 

 which opens with a useful paper on the birds of the Upper 

 Ward of Lanarkshire. The Rev. H. A. Macpherson writes 

 upon the Spotted Redshank, which appears to be a very rare 

 bird in any part of Scotland except on the east coast; 

 Mr. R. Service gives an interesting account of the Tufted 

 Duck in the Solway district and its great increase as a 

 breeding species during the last ten years ; and there are 

 some valuable records among the Notes. From 'The Field' 

 we had already learned that two Bee-eaters had been seen in 

 Caithness on May 12th, and that one of them was shot; but 

 though this natural sequel is not mentioned here by Mr. Lewis 

 Dunbar, we are told that " one of them was seen a few days 

 afterwards attacking bees," — it was probably an hungred. 

 A most circumstantial account is given of the nesting in the 

 rocks of Strathardle " from time immemorial" of the Alpine 

 Swift, distinguished unmistakably from the Common Swift 



