BIRDS. .117 



Passer montanus (.). Tree-Sparrow, 



In reference to a question regarding a previous note sent 

 us by Mr. Moodie-Heddle that most sparrows in Orkney (? Hoy) 

 were Tree-, not House-, Sparrows, that gentleman writes us : 

 "I don't say this of my own knowledge, as I have not 

 examined the point ; but the late Dr. Traill, of Woodwick, and 

 also a gentleman from near Manchester (I cannot recall his 

 name) who came about eggs of Richardson's Skua more par- 

 ticularly, both said that the sparrows about Melsetter were 

 nearly all Tree- Sparrows, after examining some." 



All the sparrows seen by us in 1888 at Melsetter and else- 

 where were the common House-Sparrow.] 



Fringilla ccelebs, L. Chaffinch. 



By no means a common bird everywhere, even in winter, and 

 decidedly rare, as yet, in summer. 



Mr. Ranken's father saw a pair in some willows at Papdale 

 on May 24th, 1839; and again, on the 4th of July, a male in 

 the shrubbery surrounding St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. 

 The same gentleman also remarks that many were seen in 

 Orkney during the season of 1845. 



At the present time Mr. T. W. Ranken thinks they breed, 

 though he has never actually seen a nest. Mr. Irvine-Fortescue 

 informs us that he has Chaffinch's eggs, taken by Mr. Robert 

 Spence in Kirkwall, but that, previous to the winter of 1887-88, 

 he had only seen one Chaffinch, a male, at Swanbister. At 

 the end of November 1887, and again in 1889, a small flock of 

 both sexes appeared in the bushes about that place, and they 

 remained all the winter, mixing with the Greenfinches and 

 Common Buntings. 



Buckley saw nothing of these birds in Rousay during the 

 summer of 1883, though there were plenty of trees in the 

 Westness garden. The first seen were on October 22d, and they 

 got more numerous as the winter advanced. 



Mr. Moodie-Heddle says that Chaffinches are now more 



