The Zoologist— February, 1868. 1069 



By the 24th of June Fungi were very plentiful, and I gathered the 

 following : — Boletus edulis, B. scaber, B. lurid us, Cantharellus cibarius, 

 Agaricus arvensis, Russula alutacea and Amanita rubescens : many 

 of these are excellent as food. Among insects I noticed Smerinthus 

 Populi and Biston betularia : Erebia blaudina was in great pro- 

 fusion. 



Goatsucker. — Goatsuckers are very abundant here, and T obtained 

 several specimens. On the Califer Hill 1 saw as many as six or seven 

 on the wing together, and even after tenVclock at night I could easily 

 distinguish the males from the females by the white spots on the 

 tail. This bird, in addition to its well-known jarring note, often utters 

 when flying a shrill piping cry. 



Woodcock. — Frequently I have seen the woodcock flying over the 

 woods just before dark, and" have then remarked that this bird also 

 utters a shrill piping cry, although invariably mute when flushed 

 during the day-time. 



Dunlin, Redshank, Spotted Flycatcher and Water Ouzel. — On the 

 30th of June I took a walk down to the " Carse," a tract of low-lying 

 waste ground bordering the Bay of Findhorn, in hopes of finding a 

 late nest of the dunlin : among the tufty hillocks I found several old 

 nests. Picked up a dead redshank, and on cutting it open found an 

 egg quite uninjured. Spotted flycatchers are not uncommon ; and the 

 water ouzel, as might be expected, is found on every burn : I noticed 

 under an old bridge over the Forres Burn a nest of this species, and 

 was told that it builds there every season. 



Califer Hill.— On the 8th of July I took a walk to the Califer Hill, 

 and noticed several pretty plants, Pyrola, Narthecium ossifragum, 

 Goodyera repens, Erica cinerea and Habenaria bifolia. In the pine 

 woods there I found a fruity-smelling fungus, with blue cap and stem 

 and cinnamon-coloured gills : this I take to be Cortinarius glaucopus : 

 it seems very abundant in this locality. 



Culbin Sands.— On the 23rd of July I walked down to the Culbin 

 Sands, by way of Biodie and the Dalvey woods. Found an abund- 

 ance of Cantharellus cibarius, Lactarius rufus, and the singular but 

 offensive Phallus impudicus, by the way. On the Cidbin Sands I saw 

 hundreds of teal, shieldrakes and oystercatchers. I was much amused 

 by watching the numerous Richardson's skuas, here called " dirten- 

 allens." These sat in numbers on the sands, closely watching the 

 fishing operations of the various gulls and terns: immediately a catch 

 was observed the crafty skua would fly up, and attack the poor bird 



