GREY PHALAROPE. 327 



me, and appear to be in full breeding plumage. Captain Feilden 

 has suggested to me that when the four birds were shot the 

 males had been sitting on the nests. Single birds have also been 

 seen in Harris late in May, and I have myself observed solitary 

 birds on the island of Scalpa at the entrance to Loch Tarbert. 

 Mr Graham has met with various specimens in complete summer 

 dress on the islands of lona and Staffa, where a few pairs appear 

 to linger every year. 



On the east coast the Purple Sandpiper is also met with in 

 summer in equal numbers ranging from Berwickshire to the 

 Shetland islands. Small parties were observed in the last-named 

 district by Mr Hewitson about thirty years ago. Mr Selby found 

 the young more than once on the Fame islands in the month of 

 June, when they were scarcely able to fly, and I met with, and 

 shot stray specimens, fully fledged, near D unbar, in the end 

 of July, 1851. Sir William Jardine also saw a pair on the 

 Bass Rock at a time when all the other birds had young, and 

 Macgillivray mentions having seen one on the same rock on 20th 

 May, 1831. 



Dr Saxby remarks that the Purple Sandpiper is very abundant 

 in Shetland during winter, remaining till late in spring, and 

 that he has three eggs taken on the island of Hunie which he 

 suspects belong to this species. 



THE GEEY PHALAEOPE. 

 PHALAROPUS LOBATUS. 



IN its summer plumage, the Grey Phalarope is totally unknown in 

 western Scotland all the specimens that have occurred being in 

 the plain garb of winter. Even at that season, the species is of 

 rare occurrence, single specimens only being met with. I have 

 seen examples from DunstafFnage Bay near Oban, the banks of 

 Loch Fyne, and the Frith of Clyde: one was obtained as far up 

 the estuary as Port-Glasgow in the winter of 1866. I have also 

 examined specimens from the shores of Loch Etive and the 

 coast near Helensburgh, where they were shot in December, 

 1868. 



On the east coast of Scotland it is much oftener seen, and appears 

 to visit all the shores from Berwick to Orkney, sometimes arriving 



