168 BRITISH BIRDS. vol. vi. 



Numbers of Green Sandpipers (Tringa ocrophus) are 

 recorded from the Flannans (Outer Hebrides), three on 

 September 1st, and one on the 7th ; one from near Rodel, 

 South Harris, on August 3rd ; one from the Pentland Skerries 

 (Orkney) on July 30th ; a good many single birds from Fair 

 Isle in May, and on July 31st and August 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th 

 and 5th. " H.F.W. 



LErrERs. 



SPORADIC NESTING. 

 To the Editors of British Birds. 



Sirs, — Mr. C. S. Meares's criticism with regard to my inclusion of 

 the Hobby and Grassliopper-Warbler as sporadic breeders is some- 

 what vague — and, moreover, he makes no attempt to suggest a better 

 definition. Why he objects to the use of these two species and not 

 the Hawfinch I do not know. I adopted the term " sporadic " 

 because it had ah-eady been used by Mr. Witherby in his note on the 

 breeding of the Crossbill (Vol. IV., p. 333). If the Crossbill is rightly 

 described as a sporadic breeder I maintain that many other species, 

 including those mentioned, are equally so. The grounds for the asser- 

 tion I made, rest entirely on the actual field-experience of my friends 

 and myself, extending over thirty years. 



P. F. BUNYARD. 



THE BIRDS OF WIGTOWNSHIRE. 



To the Editors of British Birds. 



Sirs, — I should be very grateful if anyone who has any records 

 of Wigtownshire birds, old or recent, would kindly communicate 

 with me, in order to make my forthcoming book as complete as 

 pos.sible. J. G. Gordon. 



Corsemalzie, Whauphill, Wigtownshire. 



