The Rarer Birds of the Solway Area. 427 



The Whiskered Tern is an exceedingly interesting bird of 

 the gull family. It was found in 1894 in the little loch at Friars' 

 Carse, and I had it sent to Edinburgh, where it is one of Ihe 

 particular treasures in the museum, being the only one recorded 

 from Scotland. 



II. 

 Autumn or Winter Visitants. 



The Great Grey Shrike— One of the butcher-bird family, a 

 very rapacious lot, distinguished by their curious habit of catching- 

 bumble bees, mice, small birds, etc., and impaling them upon 

 thorns for convenience in taking them for food. Every winter 

 for a long series of years one or more visitants of the kind was- 

 reported, but during the last half-dozen years I have not been 

 made aware of any more occurrences here. 



The Mealy Redpole— One of the Arctic forms of the 

 common redpole. It is bigger than our own, is of a peculiar 

 mealy tinge, and only visits us when we have somewhat Arctic 

 conditions of weather. We had them in 1879, again in 1895, 

 and none afterwards occurred till the winter of ,1900. 



The Greater-spotted Woodpecker may have bred in this, 

 area at one time, but does not do so now, although there is- 

 more than a suspicion that it has bred in Eskdale in recent years, 

 but in the ordinary way it never comes to us till early in the 

 winter. 



The Wood Sand Piper — An occurrence of this bird was 

 recorded by Mr Bell of Castle O'er, who read an interesting^ 

 paper on the subject to this Society some years ago. 



The Green Sand Piper is of tolerably frequent recurrence 

 now, although at one time a rarity. The Smellie Watson cata- 

 logue says of it: — "This beautiful little bird I shot on the 

 marshy ground behind Carlingwark House, Castle-Douglas, when 

 shooting snipes. On the wing it appeared so white that it re- 

 sembled a snowball, and its flight was not unlike that of a 

 common snipe, but not so quick. None of my friends in that 

 neighbourhood had ever met with one of the species before. Sir 

 William Jardine thought this a very fine specimen." 



The Spotted Redshank is a very scarce bird, and it is only 

 within the last few years that we were able to establish it as a 

 real migrant here. Those acquainted with the cries of the wild 

 fowl were quite convinced of having heard it, but until Mr M'Call 



