54 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
same locality as that in which several Great Bustards were shot 
at the time of their immigration in 1871. On the 24th I 
examined an adult common Guillemot, which was in nearly full 
summer or breeding plumage, the whole head, neck and throat 
being of a sooty black; such a state of plumage is difficult to be 
accounted for at this time of the year. Kittiwakes have been 
very plentiful this winter; but up to the present time I have not 
seen a single Black Redstart or Kingfisher on the coast. 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
Bravers tn Norway.—The colony of Beavers noticed on p. 23 is the 
one mentioned by me in ‘The Zoologist’ for June last (p. 235) as at 
“the R Beek, near P. The names printed on p. 23 are not 
quite correct. ‘“ Voldifjord” should be “ Voldsfjord.” “ Omli on Nedences” 
should be ‘Omlid in Nedencs.”—-Atrrep Hernieace Cocks (Great 
Marlow, Bucks). 
” 
Late stay oF THE WHEATEAR IN KirkcupBriGHT.—An unusually late 
stay of this species recorded at Slogarie, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, 
on the 7th December last, caused me to address Mr. Robert Service, of 
Dumfries, on the subject, especially having regard to the occurrence of 
Saaicola deserti of Riippell this winter at Alloa, as recorded by Mr. J. J. 
Dalgleish at the meeting of the Royal Philosphical Society of Edinburgh, 
January 12th, 1880. Unfortunately for us—fortunately for the birds—none 
were obtained, and so we cannot say if they belonged to the common species 
or not. The recorder felt positive that they were two of the Common 
Wheatear which he saw, and which “stayed for a day or two in a young 
larch and Scotch fir wood, sometimes mixing with a flock of Bullfinches.” 
Finally he reports “they were observed one day flying off northwards.” 
Now Mr. Bruce is a good observer, and may be quite correct in assigning 
them to our common species; but some of the Sawicole are so closely 
allied that I think it quite possible that one of the rarest Chats, from its 
similarity to another less uncommon species, might escape observation. 
Birds on migration are known to have, in some places in 1880, reversed the 
direction of their line of flight, and have been seen to cross regularly, 
between August 16th aud December 8th, from France to England, 
instead of from England to France—i. e., going N.W. or N. It is therefore 
not so curious that the Wigton birds should have been ‘observed one 
day flying off northwards,” and this may account for the lateness of the 
