334 APPENDIX. 



in the west of the county, but has been known to breed at a certain 

 locality on the south shore of Loch Assynt. We have seen it in autumn 

 (August) when cover-shooting ; or, at other times, in the birch-woods 

 at Loch Letteressee ; at the west end of Loch Assynt, or nearer Loch 

 Inver. It is known to some natives, but not to all. Breeds occasionally 

 at Tongue (J. Crawford) ; and rarely, or occasionally, about Rosehall. 



Tengmalm's Owl — Nyctale tengmalmi (Gin. ). 



St. John records a specimen of this owl killed at Spinningdale in May 

 1847, by Mr. Dunbar. 



PASSERES. 



Family LANIID.E. 



Great Gray Shrike — Lanius excubitor (Linn. ) 



Irregular autumn visitant ; more common perhaps than is supposed. 

 Observed as long ago as 1S45, a specimen in the Museum being dated 

 that year. We have ourselves observed one or two specimens on the 

 south-east coast, and there is in our collection at Dunipace a male 

 bird shot near Tongue, and sent to us in the flesh by Mr. Crawford, on 

 7th December 1875. 



Family MUSCICAPID^. 



Pied Flycatcher — Muscicapa atricapilla (Linn. ) 



An irregular spring visitant. The first known to have occurred in the 

 county was obtained by ourselves in a very wild burn, some eight or nine 

 miles from Brora, on the 27th of May 1872. After that none were ob- 

 served again until the year 1SS1, when a pair came into Mr. Houstoun's 

 back garden at Kintradwell, and took up their quarters there for some 

 days, feeding about the window that looks into the garden ; they 

 eventually disappeared, though never disturbed, as Mr. Houstoun had 

 good hopes of their breeding there. About the same time — May 2 — two 

 of these birds were picked up dead at the Meikle Ferry, near Tain, in 

 Rosshire, and on the 4th another was found dead, and brought, along 

 with the preceding two, to Sheriff Mackenzie. The latter is in our 

 collection at Dunipace. 



Spotted Flycatcher — Muscicapa grisola (Linn.) 



Summer visitant ; commonest in the south-east ; more rare in the north 

 and centre, but has been found nesting all the way in suitable places 

 between Dornoch and Tongue by Sheriff Mackenzie. In 1878 we met 

 with it for the first time at Inchnadamph, where a pair took up their 

 quarters. We also, in the same year, saw one bird on the Loch Inver 

 Road, near Assynt shooting -lodge. It does not seem to progress 

 where birch only grows, at least such has been our experience hitherto. 



Family CINCLID^;. 



Dipper — Cinches aquaticus (Bechst. ) 



Common, and resident in all the rivers and burns of the east. When 

 driven out of these by ice, the birds hang about the mouths at the sea- 

 coast, where the water does not freeze. At one time a reward was 

 given for their heads, on the ground that they ate the salmon spawn, 



