132 BRITISH BIRDS. 



up one of the Pipit's eggs in her beak. This she put aside, 

 about two feet off, and then, walking back, she stooped with 

 her wings half raised, and laid her egg about three or four 

 inches from the side of the nest. She then turned round 

 and pushed the egg most carefully with her beak into the nest. 

 Then she picked up the Pipit's egg in her beak and flew away, 

 dropping it about twenty yards further on. The Meadow 

 Pipits were there, looking on as if they knew what she was 

 doing, for they stopped there and did not follow the Cuckoo." 



" Owen Ephraim." 



TUFTED DUCK IN SCOTLAND. 



In the August number of British Birds, p. 84, some .ad- 

 ditional information is furnished regarding the Tufted Duck 

 as a Scottish bird. Among other items, there is one upon 

 which I, and I am sure others, would welcome further 

 information. I allude to Mr. Harvie-Brown's averment 

 that " Macgillivray states that it was formerly a common 

 bird in the Outer Hebrides." This statement is not only of 

 considerable interest but has highly important bearings 

 on the history of this species as a British bird, and I would 

 ask Mr. Harvie- Brown to tell us where Macgillivray published 

 the information. I have failed to find it in that distinguished 

 naturalist's writings with which I am acquainted, or in any 

 of Mr. Harvie-Brown's faunal works or papers, except in the 

 " Fauna of the N.W. Highlands " (from which you quote), 

 where, however, the desired reference is not afforded. 



Wm. Eagle Clarke. 



STARK'S RECORD OF THE BREEDING OF THE 

 SCAUP-DUCK AT LOCH LEVEN. 



In the August number of this magazine (p. 85) attention is 

 drawn to my old friend, the late Dr. A. C. Stark's, record of 

 the breeding of the Scaup at Loch Leven in 1880, under the 

 impression that it had been overlooked by Howard Saunders. 

 As a matter of fact, however, Saunders did not overlook the 

 record, with which he was perfectly familiar. He specially 

 cited it, both in the fourth edition of " Yarrell," and in the 

 first edition of his own " Manual " (1889). But a note in the 

 Appendix to the latter foreshadowed its suppression in the 

 second edition. The note is as follows : — " As regards Mr. 

 A. C. Stark's very positive and detailed account {Pr. R. 

 Phys. Soc. Edin., VII., p. 203) of the breeding of this species 

 on Loch Leven, Mr. W. Evans informs me that he subsequently 

 accompanied Mr. Stark to that spot several times and they 



