VOL. XV.] NOTES. 213 



(probably the same bird) on Loch Fyne and for a few days in 

 the third week in June three males accompanied by a male 

 Tufted Duck {N. fiilignla). I have since confirmed the above 

 identification, as a female Scaup in the Royal Scottish 

 Museum is in an exactly similar phase of plumage to the one 

 mentioned above. W. Stewart. 



EIDER BREEDING IN SOUTHERN 

 ARGYLLSHIRE. 



On June 19th, 1921, on the western side of Loch Fyne, about 

 four miles from the head of the Loch, I surprised a female 

 Eider [Soniateria m. mollissima) accompanied by three very 

 small young ones, and had a very good view of them as they 

 hurriedly took to the water. During the two previous 

 summers I had occasionally seen a female Eider, but never a 

 male, and this actual proof of their breeding affords I believe 

 a slight extension of breeding range. W. Stewart. 



VELVET-SCOTER IN CHESHIRE. 



On January 2nd, 1922, at Hilbre Point, at the mouth of the 

 River Dee, I picked up a female Velvet-Scoter {Oidemia f. 

 fiisca) . The recent gale had washed up a number of Common 

 Scoters {Oidemia n. nigra), but this is the first Velvet -Scoter 

 I have found. This may be of interest in view of Capt. A. W. 

 Boyd's note [antea, p. 158). W. Wilson. 



CORMORANTS INLAND IN ESSEX. 



On August 6th, 192 1, I noted two immature Cormorants 

 {Phalacrocorax carho) on one of the islands in No. 5 of the 

 Metropolitan Water Board Reservoirs at Walthamstow, 

 Essex. On August 20th a single bird was on the Racecourse 

 Reservoir. On August 27th two were on the Racecourse 

 and two were perched on a branch of a tree on an island in 

 the High Maynard Reservoir. Subsequently Cormorants 

 were seen on the Racecourse Reservoir as follows : two 

 September 3rd, one September loth, two September 24th, 

 one October ist, and two October 8th. There are points 

 of interest in these occurrences. On all the visits the birds 

 were resting on an island, on no occasion did I see them 

 feeding but the visits were all made between the hours of 

 one to four p.m. Records of the Cormorant occurring 

 inland in Essex are scarce, only one instance being quoted in 

 the Birds of Essex. The fact that the birds made a 



