352 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



Continental JiEDBURAST {Dandalus r. ruhrculu). At the Isle of 

 May several found dead after the " nish " lietweeu September 28th 

 and 30th (p. 52). 



Continental Hedge-Spakrow {I'nincUa in. modularis). At the 

 Isle of May one on September 24th and one on October 9th (pp. 51 

 and 5.3). 



Hoopoe {Upupa c. cpops). At Fair Isle one on May 9th (p. 29). 



Temminck'.s Stint (Erolin tcmminckii). At Fair Islo single l)irds 

 on June 8th, 14th and loth (p. 8), and one on August 8th (p. 26). 

 There are only three or foiu' pixnious occurrences recorded for Scotland. 



Wood-Sandpiper (Tringa glnrcola). At Fair Isle single birds on 

 May 13th and August 21st and 22nd (p. 29). The bird is very rarely 

 recorded in Scotland. 



Green Sandpiper {Tringa ocrophus). At Fair Isle an extraordinary 

 number occmTcd, no less than seventy being observed between 

 August 1st and 2(ith (p. 27). 



Great Snipe {QalHnago media). At Fair Isle one on September 21st 

 (p. 29). 



LETTER. 



FLANK- AND CHEST-FEATHERS. 

 To the Editors of British Birds. 



Sirs, — With reference to the remarks of Messrs. Smalley and 

 Jourdain in your issue of March, 1913, it may be of mterest to record 

 that I have a nest of a Grey Lag-Goose taken by myself in Suther- 

 landshire, containing two flank-feathers. They measure approximately 

 22" in. in length by 1 in. at the tip. At the base the coloration is 

 much the same as that of the " down," becoming very considerably 

 darker towards the tip, where it assumes a slightly burnished hue, 

 the extreme tip having a small white border. 



I have also nests of Mallard and Shoveler, each containing one 

 flank-feather. 



A phase of the Tufted Duck " do-wn "- feathers appears to have 

 escaped much comment — the usual " down "- feathers of this species, 

 so far as my experience goes, consist of all-white feathers and feathers 

 which are greyish at the ba.se and become considerably darker, in 

 some cases almost black, at the tip ; but in some nests these latter 

 show distinct white tips, varying upwards to approximately /j in_ 

 Mr. Ogilvie-Grant was good enough to examine for me one such 

 example taken from the " down," and pronounced it to come from 

 the chest of a female. C. S. Meares. 



[I quite believe that flank-feathers are found occasionally in nests, 

 and no doubt breast- feathers too. The chesnut-tipped feathers 

 fovuid in small quantities in Sbeld-Ducks' nests come from the breast 

 rather than the belly. But for purposes of identification one cannot 

 depend on " accidental " circumstances, which may or may not be 

 present. — F.C.R.J.l 



