Birds. 9439 



October 3 ; wind S.W. Two bramblings (male and female) ; the 

 first snow buntings ; and the first widgeon, an immature male. 



October 4 ; wind S.W. A willow wren. 



October ].3 ; wind N.E. The first tufted duck. 



October 17 ; wind strong N.E. Eighteen glaucous gulls flew south- 

 wards : the first this season. 



October 18 ; wing strong N.E. The first common buntings. 



October 21 ; wind N. Seven fieldfares (first of the season) ; and 

 the first blackbird, a male. 



October 22 ; wind E. The first hooper flew southwards. 



October 2.3 ; wind strong N.E. A very large flock of fieldfares. 

 (Left on the 28th ; wind N.E.) 



October 30 ; wind hght N.E. A chifichaff; and a male chaffinch. 



K 1, ^ eu , , Henry L, Saxby. 



Baltasound, Shetland, 



October 31, 1864. 



Ornithological Notes from Lanarkshire. 

 By Edward R. Alston, Esq. 



ned CroMse.— Without venturing an opinion on the vexed question 

 of the identity of the red and willow grouse {Lagopus scoticus and 

 Z. Saliceti), I have jotted down the following notes on the habits of 

 our native species, as I believe that a fuller account of the "life and 

 conversation" of the two birds may be of some use in deciding the 

 question. Neither Yarrell nor Morris notice the habit of the cock 

 grouse, of sitting on a hillock, or "know," and crowing at dawn, 

 which practice is continued from September until the hen commences 

 to sit, especially on clear frosty mornings : the cry is peculiar, and 

 not easily described ; that of the female is a strange nasal croak, 

 which some poachers can imitate to perfection. As far as can be 

 judged from written words, the notes of our species seem to diff^er 

 considerably from those of the willow grouse, as described by Mr. 

 Wheelwright in Dr. Bree's beautiful work on the 'Birds of Europe' 

 (vol. iii. p. 215). It is very diflicult to express the cries of birds in 

 writing, but the crow of the red grouse mfght perhaps be expressed 

 by " bek-bek-bek," which is very diff-erent from the " errackackackah" 

 which Mr. W. ascribes to the Norwegian species ; nor does the note 

 of our hen grouse answer to his " hjan, hjan." This difference of the 

 notes is, at least, worthy of further investigation . Often the cock may 



