OCCASIONAL NOTES. 441 
Morar, in Inverness, at the time, and wrote me this account : — “ One day 
L saw a mole swim across the loch, It must have swam a mile and a half. 
I came across it when it had come about three-parts of the way, and, 
having nothing to do, as it was too still and sunny to fish, we accom- 
panied it to the land, rowing alongside of it, as if it were Captain Webb 
swimming across the Channel. I don't know that this little fact is at all 
curious, but it may be, so I wished you to know of it.” I certainly was not 
aware that the Mole had such powers of endurance in the water, or that it 
possessed such perseverance and strong instinct to make good its point 
over-such obstacles.—ArtHur P. Morres (Britford Vicarage, Salisbury). 
(Mr. Bell, in his ‘History of British Quadrupeds’ (2nd. ed. p. 180), 
says the Mole is “ an expert swimmer,” an action for which the structure 
both of the hands and of the hinder feet are well adapted. Other instances 
of its powers of progression in the water will be found narrated in the 
Natural History columns of ‘The Field’ of 24th August, 1872, and the 
10th, 17th and 24th June, 1876.—Eb. | 
Tur GREEN SANDPIPER IN STIRLINGSHIRE. — On the 26th of August 
last, while walking with a friend down the bank of the River Carron, our 
attention was suddenly attracted by a peculiar note, and almost imme- 
diately I saw two birds flying down the river about a hundred and fifty 
yards off. I at once said “ Green Sandpipers.” The conspicuous white 
rump being distinguishable at a great distance in a favourable light, we 
followed them up, and had two opportunities of seeing them at close 
quarters, when the extremely dark mantles and upper surfaces of the wings 
showed in striking contrast to the large white patch upon the back. On 
one occasion they flew out of a willow tree (the branches of which overhung 
the river, and the roots of which were submerged), and were then joined by 
athird. We did not disturb them further that day, but at half-past five 
on Monday morning we were again at the river-side. That morning we 
found no less than six birds, ‘in all probability a brood, and four with their 
parents. They were extremely wild and quick on the wing, often on being 
flushed rising at once to a great height, flying round, continually uttering 
their low but clear notes, ‘“‘ Tsieu-it” or “ T'sieu-it-tsui, —notes which I do 
not remember having heard at their breeding-quarters in Norway, where 
Mr. Alston and I found them not uncommon in pairs near Skeeien-i-Land 
in 1871. After circling round for some time they would descend almost 
perpendicularly, but on reaching to within a few feet of the surface of the 
water would suddenly open their wings and skim away for quite a hundred 
yards before again alighting. Thus it was sometimes difficult to mark 
them down if willows or alders fringing the banks intervened. After nearly 
two hours’ unsuccessful chase, I at last succeeded in driving a single bird 
which had separated from the others, high over my friend’s head, and he 
secured it by a long shot. We noticed on several occasions how extremely 
8.1L 
