OCCASIONAL NOTES. 337 
that he had no doubt of this one having been obtained in the vicinity, but 
he could say nothing definite about it. The authenticity of the remaining 
bird, however, is undoubted, Mr. Dunn having shot it himself very near 
the same spot in which my two specimens were met with. I questioned 
him closely concerning the occurrence of these birds amongst the Orkney 
group, knowing what an experience he had had there. He was always very 
careful in his ornithological statements, and in this case contented himself 
with declaring that he had only got that one specimen during his long 
residence at Stromness; he might have seen others,—in fact, he hinted 
that he did see them occasionally, but preferred to make positive mention 
only of the one he had actually obtained; he appeared to think these birds 
very wild and difficult to get within shot of, my experience in this respect 
conflicting with his, the two I met with being particularly tame. In addition 
I made enquiry of the boatmen who live on the low eastern end of Hoy— 
locally known as “ Walls”—bordering on the sound of Fara, a spot much 
frequented by the Velvet ducks.. These men declared that amongst the 
black ducks they occasionally see a strange-looking one with a white head, 
but “not every year.” The year following I was again in Orkney, but saw 
no Surf-duck, the weather being so unfavourable that during six weeks’ 
stay I was only able to get down to Bara once. Since that time I have 
heard every year from the Stromness boatman, James Sutherland, who was 
with me on the two occasions, and who accompanies any accidental visitors 
to that town intent on sporting, but he has never since that time seen a 
similar bird; his visits, however, would probably be limited to two or three 
annual trips,—scarcely a fair trial of the question,—and there are several 
other localities in Orkney quite as likely to reward a search—notably so 
some of the water to the northward of Kirkwall. On the whole I am inclined 
to believe that the Surf Scoter not very unfrequently (if not every year) pays 
visits to the Orkneys. —T. M. Pixs (Malvern). 
[In addition to the specimens referred to by Mr. Pike as recorded in 
the ‘Handbook of British Birds’ (twelve in number), and to those now 
mentioned by him, may be noticed two others recorded by Capt. Clark- 
Kennedy in ‘ The Field’ of March 11th, 1876, one of which was obtained 
at Longhope, Hoy Island, in 1872, and the other at the Brig of Waithe, 
at the entrance of Loch Stennis, Stromness.—Ep.] 
EARLY MENTION oF THE Hoopokr as A Britisu Brrp (A.D. 1395).— 
Amongst the documents preserved in the muniment room of Merton 
College, Oxford, is “An Account of the Charges incurred at the Determina- 
tion Feast of Richard, son of Thomas Holand, half-brother of Richard IT., 
in February, 1895.” From internal evidence it would appear that the feast 
was conducted by the University. In this curious document an inventory 
is furnished of the bread and meat, poultry, game and other birds, purchased 
2x 
