NOTES. 79 



except for two white streaks on either side of the crown. 

 May I be allowed to express the hope that it will not be long 

 before Mr. Smalley gives us the results of his work on the 

 sequence of plumages in this species. N. F. Ticehurst. 



COMMON SCOTER BREEDING IN IRELAND. 



The Common Scoter [CEdemia nigra) has again nested in 

 Ireland (c/. Vol. II., p. 86, Vol. III., p. 197, Vol. IV., p. 154). 

 On April 29th, 1911, I arrived on the Lough they have 

 frequented in the nesting season since 1904 inclusive, and was 

 told that one male and two females had been seen. On May 

 6th I saw the three birds and on June 6th the male alone. 

 On July 6th I saw on the lake, not far from an island, where 

 I had searched for and failed to find the nest, a female 

 Scoter with at least eight young ones, probably not many 

 hours hatched out — my boat was at no time nearer to them 

 than about 75 yards (it was my wish not to disturb them), but 

 the old bird uttered cries similar to those in 1905, which 

 .'.ounded to me like the plaintive mewing of a cat, and which 

 no doubt are notes of warning to the young ones. On July 

 7th, while watching the old bird and her brood from my boat 

 at a distance of not less than 200 yards with my Zeiss 

 binoculars, they dived simultaneously, but rose to the surface 

 independently of each other ; on other occasions I saw them, 

 but it was not till July 12th that I definitely ascertained that 

 there were eight young ones, on that da}^ at any rate ; 

 previous to this they had kept too close together for accurate 

 observation. I hope they will arrive at maturity, but they 

 have enemies, e.g. pike. Herons, Greater and Lesser Black- 

 backed and Herring-Gulls. 



In tw^o previous years, viz., 1907 and 1908, there was, as 

 this year, a solitary female on the Lough. 



I am inclined to think that after the female has been sitting 

 a day or two, the male bird leaves the locality, perhaps for 

 the sea — on one occasion only have I seen the male after I 

 knew his mate was sitting, and then she had been incubating 

 for a day or so only. Herbert Trevelyan. 



DOTTEREL IN LANARKSHIRE. 



On May 25th, 1911, on a moor in the Blantyre district of 

 Clyde, while searching a marshy place for young Redshanks, 

 I unexpectedly put up a Dotterel [Eudromias morinelliis) . 

 It was very loth to rise, for I must have passed and repassed 

 it a few times before it took wing, and then it only flew about 

 twenty yards, alighting behind a large grass-grown mole- 



