The Rarer Birds of the Solway Area. 435 



Munches, and is given in the very good and authentic list of 

 Colvend parish, hut not one of the European woodpeckers is 

 less given to wandering, and those who say they have not 

 occurred in Scotland are entitled to be heard. 



The Great White Heron is said by two good naturalists, Mr 

 Bruce, Dalshangan, and Mr M'Kie, Kirkcudbright, to have 

 occurred on the Dee in the hard winter of 1879, and as specimens 

 were got in England in that winter probably they were correct. 



The Common Skua is a bird of which the Shetlanders are as 

 proud as an English squire is of his pheasants. An old record 

 says it is occasionally met with on the Solway Firth, but there is 

 nothing to authenticate it. 



The Ivory Gull, an Arctic species, is said to have been seen 

 on the Solway Firth, but as an albino of the herring gull was got 

 shortly after, there seems little doubt the record must be rejected. 



2nd June, 1003. 



Chairman — The President. 



The President stated that a letter had been received from Mr 

 J. A. Moodie, honorary secretary and treasurer, resigning these 

 offices, and that the council had remitted to a committee to draw 

 up a minute expressing the thanks of the Society for his services. 

 The minute was submitted and approved of. It referred to Mr 

 Moodie 's services as secretary for three and as treasurer for sixteen 

 years, and expressed the Society's appreciation of his services in 

 these capacities. 



It was also intimated that Mr Samuel Arnott had consented 

 to act as interim secretary, and Mr Mathew H. M'Kerrow as 

 interim treasurer. The appointments were unanimously con- 

 firmed. 



New Member. — Rev. James Law, South United Free 

 Church, Dumfries. 



Exhibits. — From Mr T. Hope-Bell, Morrington, tiles from 

 Summer Palace, Pekin, a number of fossils, corals, gold quartz 



