THE ZooLoGisT—MaArcH, 1872. 2965 
examination of the species in the county of Kast Lothian, it was remarked 
by Mr. Sinclair and myself, that the greater number of dunlins shot by us 
were birds fully as large as the curlew sandpiper, and had bills of equal 
length and curvature.” 
This variation of the dunlin is in our mind a conspicuous instance 
of a fact which obtains with respect to most birds, viz. that there is 
a larger and a smaller race of the same species. It used to be well 
known to the old falconers that certain breeding-stations were 
famous for larger and more powerful falcons than others, and a cast 
of hawks from any eyrie of repute could always command a high 
price. We have ourselves seen hobbies and merlins which differed 
remarkably in size, and this difference was not one which was due 
to age or sex. Sportsmen are well acquainted with larger and 
smaller races of partridges. It is not long since a smaller race of 
Charadrius hiaticula has been observed on our coast, and speci- 
mens of this smaller plover have sometimes been regarded as the 
continental C. minor. : 
Mr. Gray furnishes us with a charming picture of the rednecked 
phalarope as observed by him at one of its breeding-stations in the 
Outer Hebrides. He says that the birds on their arrival in the 
summer at once take up their quarters on the small lakes,— 
“Where they may be seen swimming on the calm surface, and moving 
in circles with great elegance. Any one who chooses to wade near enough, 
and make up his mind to stand knee-deep in very cold water, may sketch 
the beautiful creatures as they paddle about like so many miniature ducks, 
and write down a pleasant chapter on their habits in his note-book. They 
seem to have no fear, but come right forward as if curious to know what the 
intruder is about, uttering all the time a feeble note with every motion of 
their head, not unlike the ticking of a clock. The little half-clad boys of 
Benbecula, who of late years have heard of the esteem in which their 
familiar visitor is held, often attempt to catch the phalaropes by wading 
through their haunts; and the sight of half-a-dozen such young rascals in 
full pursuit, and getting soused occasionally, through a false step in the 
eagerness of their clutch, is very diverting.” 
We might reasonably expect that a history of the birds 
frequenting such a country as Scotland would be rich in the 
information it gives us of the various Anatide which are to be 
found in its salt and fresh-water lochs, its firths, and on the rough 
tides which sweep round the thousand islands of its western coasts. 
SECOND SERIES—VOL. VII. N 
