184 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



shot by Mr Evans' father near the mouth of the Tyne, East 

 Lothian, on or about 10th January 1859, and exhibited at a 

 meeting of the Royal Physical Society on the 27th of April 

 following. This specimen, which is preserved under the foot 

 of a shrike, still forms part of the collection of the late Dr C. 

 Nelson of Pitcox, near Dunbar, to whom it was presented. 

 Since then the species has been captured on two other occasions 

 in the Tyne estuary — namely, during the winters of 1869-70 

 and 1879-80, and twice at the mouth of the Eden, near 

 St Andrews — namely, in the winters of 1865-66 and 1869-70. 

 Mr M'Leod, of Belhaven, Dunbar, informs me that he saw 

 several in company with skylarks also on Tyne sands in the 

 winter of 1877-78. The species does not appear to have 

 ever been observed in any other parts of Scotland. 



XIII. On the Occurrence of the Great Snipe (Scolopax major) 

 near Glasgow in May 1885. By William Evans, Esq., 

 F.E.S.E. (Specimen exhibited.) 



(Read 17th March 1886.) 



On 16th May last (1885) a pair of great snipes, male and 

 female, were shot on rough pasture at Clydebank, on the 

 north side of the river, about four miles below Glasgow. 

 They were preserved by Mr D. Morrison, taxidermist, Glas- 

 gow, who was also present when they were killed ; and the 

 one now exhibited, the male, shortly afterwards came into 

 the hands of Mr Small, George Street, Edinburgh. It has 

 since become the property of the Earl of Haddington, to 

 whom I am indebted for the privilege of exhibiting it to the 

 Society. 



The great snipe breeds in northern Europe, as far up as lat. 

 70°, and retires during winter to the basin of the Mediter- 

 ranean, and even to southern Africa. In the countries lying 

 between its summer and winter quarters, it is of course known 

 as a spring and autumn visitor. The British Islands, how- 

 ever, lie decidedly to the westward of its area of distribution, 

 and comparatively few appear to pass by this route. In 

 England it occurs with tolerable regularity, but in Scotland 



