284 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



Little Bittern in Northamptonshire. — ^Mr. J. Crisp 

 records the occurrence of an adult male Ixobrychus minutus, 

 which was shot at Naseby, Northamptonshire, on October 

 2nd, 1912 {Field, 4.i.l3, pf 45). 



Increase of the Fulmar Petrel in Orkney and Shet- 

 land.— Mr. G. D. Ferguson writes to the Scottish Naturalist, 

 (1912, p. 260) that he found this year Fulmars {Fulmarus 

 g. glacialis) nestmg on the Calf of Eday (Orloiey) and a great 

 increase at Noup Head (Orloiey). Fulmars also appeared to 

 be nesting on Uj^ea (Shetland) and on the cliff to the noi'th 

 of Uyea Sovmd. 



Curlew-Sandpipers in East Renfrew. — In Vol. V. 

 (p. 230) we drew attention to Mr. J. Robertson's observations 

 at Balgray Dam, where he saw a number of waders in the 

 autumn of 1911. In the autumn of 1912 he reports {Glas- 

 gow Nat., IV., p. 137) that the water did not recede until too 

 late in the season to have a marked effect. He notes, how- 

 ever, the occurrence of small parties of Erolia ferrnginea 

 on September 29th and October 6th, and one bird on 

 the 13th. 



Black-tailed God wit in Ayrshire. — Mr. H. W. Wilson 

 records {Glasgow Nat., IV., p. 137) the occurrence of three 

 Limosa limosa in Troon Harbour on September 12th, 1912. 

 Two were noted in the same place in September, 1911 {cf. 

 Vol. v., p. 231). 



Accessory digit and primaries in a Red Grouse. — 

 A description and two figures are given in the Field 

 (4.i.l3, p. 44) of an interesting malformation in the right 

 wing of a Red Grouse, sent to the Editor by Messrs. 

 Lancaster & Co. The dissection of the Aving showed grow- 

 ing out from the carpal joint, at right angles to the radius, 

 " an accessory digit consisting of a metacarpal bone, to 

 which are attached three accessory primarj^ flight feathers, 

 broken off two inches from their base, and beyond this meta- 

 carpal bone is a rudimentary phalanx." These extra pri- 

 maries would thus point do\vnwards over the back of the 

 bird, and would naturally get broken, we suppose, when the 

 wing was moved in flight. Such a malformation in a wild 

 bird must be a very rare occurrence. 



