;384 BRITISH BIRDS. 



but as they were amongst flocks of Twites it is extremely 

 likely that others escaped detection. 



Lapland Bunting {Calcarius lapponicua). — For the third 

 season in succession Lapland Buntings were observed in fair 

 numbers. Some arrived at a remarkably early date — August 

 25th. 



Carrion-Crow {Corvvs corone). — ^An example of this 

 species, which is an occasional visitor to the Orkneys and 

 Shetlands, was seen continually during the author's visit in 

 the autumn. 



Short-toed Lark {Alauda hrachydactyla). — An example of 

 this remarkable visitor from the south was detected among a 

 small party of Skylarks on November 11th. It is the second 

 Scottish specimen, the first being captured on Flannan Isle in 

 September, 1904. 



Hoopoe (Upupa epops). — An adult male of this species, 

 another remarkable \\anderer to so far north, visited the island 

 on September 9th. 



Snowy Owl [Nyctea sccmdiaca). — One was seen on October 

 26th. 



Green Sandpiper [Totanus ochropus). — Single specimens 

 were seen on July 31st and August 22nd. This species has 

 now been recorded for three years in succession on its autumn 

 passage ; but it has not been detected elsewhere in the Orkneys 

 or Shetlands. 



H.F.W. 



MELANISM IN THE COAL-TITMOUSE. 



On a recent visit to Mr. F. C. Selous, at Worplesdon, Surrey, 

 while watching some Tits busily feeding on the cocoa-nuts 

 hung uj) in the trees in front of the house, I noticed among 

 them a very dark bird, which, with the naked eye, was almost 

 unrecognisable, but on examining it through my binoculars, 

 I saw that it was a Coal-Titmouse (Pants ater). On 

 mentioning the matter to Mr. Selous. I was not surprised to 

 find it had not gone unnoticed, and he informed me that 

 there were t\Ao of them, and on looking out of the window 

 later in the day, I had the pleasure of seeing them both. 

 Ha\'ing never before seen a case of melanism in the Paridce, 

 I made the following notes, assisted by powerful prism 

 glasses : — General appearance, entirely greyish-black ; head, 

 beak, feet and legs, back and wings, jet black ; belly, breast. 



