EDITORIAL NOTES 99 



ornithologists has been brought to a conclusion. Its publica- 

 tion began in 1910, but was delayed by the war, and we 

 are glad now to be able to congratulate the author, Dr 

 Hartert, on the thoroughness and excellence of his work. 

 In it the birds of the Palsearctic region are treated on 

 modern lines, all subspecies described up to the present 

 time being dealt with, and a comparison between the two 

 volumes now published, and Dresser's Maniial of Palcearctic 

 Birds published in 1902, shows to what a great extent, in 

 these last twenty years, the investigation and naming of 

 subspecific forms has occupied the attention of ornithologists. 

 Though new racial forms are still being described, perhaps 

 in many cases on barely sufficient grounds, for many years 

 this will remain the standard work on Palsearctic birds. That 

 it is written in German may present difficulties to many 

 British and American ornithologists, who, we feel sure, would 

 welcome an English translation, even though abridged. 



We commend to the notice of Scottish naturalists, a 

 scheme designed to commemorate the great scientific work 

 of the late Dr W. S. Bruce. The memorial is to take the 

 form of a medal and monetary award to be given to authors 

 of outstanding contributions to the geography or natural 

 history of the Polar Regions. Contributions may be sent 

 to Mr A. N. G. Aitken, ^-j Queen Street, Edinburgh. 



Nesting of the Golden Eagle in Galloway. — Reports 

 having been circulated that the Golden Eagles which nested in the 

 Galloway hills in 1921 had been robbed of their eggs, it is only due 

 to the Marquess of Ailsa, his keepers and the shepherds on his 

 estate, that the true facts should be placed on record. So soon as 

 Lord Ailsa was informed that the eagles had arrived on his ground 

 he gave strict instructions to all game-keepers and shepherds in the 

 district that the birds were not to be molested or disturbed. The 

 eyrie was in the Slock of Mulwharker,^ the exact position being 

 known only to three persons. It could only be viewed from the 



1 Maol-ahairce, Gaelic for "hill of the hunting horn." It is situated in the 

 Forest of Buchan which, in the thirteenth and fourteenth century, was the chace of 

 John Comyn, Earl of Buchan, Warden of the Western Marches under Edward I. 

 of Ens;land. He died in 1^08. 



