318 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



Gadwall nesting in Caithness. — Mr. H. Alston states 

 {Scot. Nat., 1913, p. 20) that three Anas strepera Avere shot 

 near Wick on November 7th, 1912. In the next number 

 of the same journal (p. 44) Miss A. C. Jackson reports her 

 interesting discovery of a pair of Gadwall with a brood on 

 a loch in Caithness in July, 1912. This is by far the most 

 northern breeding-record for the species in Great Britain. 



Breeding-habits of the Tufted Duck. — In the Scottish 

 Naturalist (1912, pp. 265-71) Mr. S. E. Brock publishes some 

 interesting notes on this subject in which he describes the 

 sexual displays of the male, the vigorous and frequent preening 

 of the feathers, and a curious habit of grass-plucking, by 

 both sexes at about the time of nest-construction. 



Reported occurrence of Sand-Grouse in Yorkshire. — 

 In the Naturalist (191.3, p. 115) Mr. R. Fortune repeats, 

 as has already been reported in the daily Press, that a 

 flock of birds identified as Sand-Grouse {Syrrhaptes para- 

 doxus), some one hundred and sixty strong, were seen on 

 October 20th, 1912, on a moor at Lockton, Yorkshire. The 

 matter was reported to Mr. W. H. St. Quintin by Mr. Cooper, 

 of Aislaby Hall, who says that they flew past near the ground 

 within about twenty yards of him, and that he heard their 

 " twit, twit " note before he saw them. Mr, Cooper adds 

 that he had considerable experience of the species in several 

 parts of Yorkshire during former irruptions. If these birds 

 were really correctly identified, it is very curious that so large 

 a flock should have passed unnoticed elsewhere. Moreover, 

 the time of year is unusual for their arrival, and we have not 

 heard of any having been seen on the Continent. 



Sandwich Tern nesting in Clyde. — Mr. T. Thornton 

 MacKeith reports the discovery in June, 1912, of several 

 Sandwich Terns (Sterna sandvicerisis) (five were seen) among 

 the breeding Common Terns in the Clyde Estuary, and the 

 finding of one egg (Scot. Nat, 1913, p. 20). 



Great Skua in Bute. — Mr. C. Kirk records {Glasgow 

 Nat., Vol. v., p. 45) that an example of Stercorarius s. skua 

 was obtained near Rothesav on November 13th, 1912. 



