80 The Zoologist — January, 1866. 



in addition, the outer side of each remaining two-thirds was also 

 feathered, though more scantily, a peculiarity which I have never 

 observed before, nor can I find it mentioned in any work on Orni- 

 thology. 



Knot. — I saw the first knots on the morning of the 25th, after a 

 strong N.W. wind. I shot several, and found that all of them had at 

 least a slight tinge of chestnut upon the under parts. In some it was 

 so deep as to be conspicuous at a considerable distance, and in those 

 specimens in which it was deepest there was a very strong tinge of it 

 upon the edge of many feathers of the upper surface. 



Henry L. Saxby. 



Baltasound, Shetland, August 31, 1865. 



OrnUhological Notes from Lanarkshire. 

 By Edward R. Alston, Esq. 



(Continued from p. 9710.) 



Water Ouzel — In this neighbourhood these birds make a curious 

 local migration, which is not noticed in any work to which I have 

 access. Soon after the young birds can fly well the whole family 

 leaves the sheltered glens in which they breed, and retire to the smaller 

 burns of the moors and upland pastures. Here they remain until 

 September or October, when they return to the lower valleys. I did 

 not notice this fact in my former notes on the species (Zool. 943*2), as 

 I wished to confirm my former observations. This summer I only 

 saw one or two stray dippers on the lower waters until quite lately. 

 Is this habit observed in other places, or is it caused by some local 

 plenty or scarcity of food ? As Mr. C. Smith observes (Zool. 9795) 

 the water ouzel is a very early breeder : even in these northern and 

 backward regions the eggs are usually hatched by the end of April. 

 The nest is usually built on a rock, often protected by some projecting 

 ledge, and always artfully concealed. I know of one authentic 

 instance of a pair of water ouzels building in a hole in a wall, which 

 they could only reach by darting between the revolving spokes of a 

 mill-wheel. In their first plumage the young birds want the dark 

 chestnut belly of the adult; all the feathers of the under parts are dull 

 white, tipped with gray, giving the bird a soiled appearance ; the 

 flanks are smoke gray ; the under tail-coverts tinged with rufous. At 

 the first moult (in autumn) the bird acquires the brown head and pure 



