The Zoologist— December, 1874. 4051 



oTositr -d^" ^"'°^ °"^ -' '- '-'''' '^'^'^-^^^y -a. to the 

 Connoranis-A few noticed every day. At low tide they were 

 generally to be observed sitting on the sand-banks dryin ' The 

 w ngs or sleeping, but were excessively wary, and would n pe^ 

 one to approach wuhm shot. The boatn^an mentioned above who 

 ha a large stock of wonderful stories relating to his shoo L: Ind 

 fish.g expenences, has frequently told n,e the following -!o"e 

 day when out shooting, he saw an old shag sitting on a spit of 

 sand wuh xts wn.gs widely expanded. He thought he would trv 

 nd have a shot at it, and, having a large duck'gun loaded wS 

 about three ounces of No. 3 shot with him, he succeeded n 

 n.ancBUvr>ng ns boat so well that he managed to get wtlin about 



Tort: ^t%r aptr trte^ '''fr -' ^'" 



^.eCaptai^Mmagineir^^dt^l^rird:^^^^^^^^^^ 

 beg,nn,ng to congratulate himself on his good fortune, but in a 

 moment or two the wily old shag recovered itself, shook tself well 

 and then flew off as if nothing had happened. "The Capt" " 

 says he felt as ,f ''he looked Hke a fool," for he was positive e 

 never massed the bird, as he heard the shot distinctly ratt e 

 against us p umage, so he got out of his boat and walked to 

 he spot and there, ,ust where the shag had been sitting, was 

 whi TTTr:V' *'' ''''''' '' ^^°' 'y'"S - ^he san? and 



fle^l a«ay . ' '^"''" °"^ '' "^ ^'"'^''^ before it 



fVhhnb,eL—On\y two or three seen. 

 Jr«.^.-Several flocks were generally to be seen feeding on the 



mud-flats on Islay, but as they were invariably accompanied by 



curlews there was no getting near them. 



Tarnsto.es.-These birds were more numerous than usual and 



tolerably tame, feeding together in family flocks of five or seven 



among the kelp-covered rocks. When they fancy they are not 



observed, they crouch and keep perfectly quiet among the stones 



until one has passed them. 



Curlew Sandpiper. -One day I observed a flock of small birds 

 which appeared to differ in size and colour from dunlins, and as' 

 the day was dull and gloomy, and I could not make them out satis- 

 iactonly, I fired and killed one of the outside birds, and on picking 

 It up It proved to belong to this species. This example had not 



