146 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



have been obtained in areas far removed from the northern isles 

 (Shetlands), namely, at Kew in Surrey and at Spean Bridge in 

 West Inverness-shire (23rd June 1903), and it is probably at present 

 more prevalent than is suspected." I think it is therefore of 

 interest to record the occurrence (within the limits of the City 

 of Edinburgh this year) of a brood of these dark coloured young 

 Starlings. My attention was first drawn to them in May through 

 a dead young bird which had fallen from the nest. When found 

 it was too decomposed to preserve, but an idea of the depth of 

 its dark colour may be obtained when it is stated that the first 

 description given of it to me was that it was a young Blackbird. 

 Later the parents were observed with three young, all equally 

 dark ; one of these has since been shot and is now in the Royal 

 Scottish Museum ; the two remaining young are at present (August) 

 moulting into adult plumage. Only one brood seems to have 

 been reared. I invite all interested in birds throughout Scotland 

 to watch carefully in the future for further occurrences of these 

 dark broods ; reports regarding such will be gratefully received 

 by the Editors, at the Natural History Department, Royal Scottish 

 Museum, Edinburgh. — J. H. Stenhouse, Edinburgh. 



Nesting of Slavonian Grebe in Scotland. — There is no 

 doubt the Slavonian Grebe now nests regularly in Scotland. About 

 thirty years ago a pair nested on a loch in Inverness-shire, and, 

 as far as I could gather from various bird-lovers in the locality, 

 founded a small colony. This is likely to grow, as gamekeepers 

 in the neighbourhood are now doing their best to protect the birds 

 and nests. Even when the earlier clutch of eggs may fall to the 

 egg-collector, to Gulls or to Hooded Crows, the second attempt 

 may be more successful, the more particularly as the reeds later 

 in the year afford better concealment for the nest. 



I was fortunate enough to watch at close quarters five different 

 nests with eggs this season. Three clutches of eggs to my knowledge 

 hatched out, and by the end of July the young birds had attained a 

 good size. One nest was harried by a Hooded Crow. The nest was 

 then deserted by the parent birds, but in a fortnight another nest 

 was built close to the first, and in it four eggs were laid and 

 duly hatched out. 



I have sent for the collection in the Royal Scottish Museum 

 two eggs from the forsaken nest of 1922. — Richard M. Watson, 

 Edinburgh. 



