262 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Scotland. — As many readers of ' The Zoologist ' are doubtless looking 

 for records of the occurrence of this interesting species throughout the 

 country during the past fortnight (May 11th to 28th), I venture to send 

 you the following notes regarding their appearance in this district : — The 

 first intimation I received of their arrival was from a birdstuffer in this 

 city, who, on the forenoon of May 17th, showed me three (a male and two 

 females), which he had that morning received from Dunbar. They had 

 been killed the previous day, out of a flock of about twenty, while feeding 

 in a field on a farm in the neighbourhood. Their crops were full of clover- 

 seeds. At midday I had a note from a friend informing me that a person 

 who had been pigeon-shooting the previous evening at Tyne Estuary had 

 fallen in with a flock of about the same number resting on the sand-hills, 

 and had secured three, two males and a female. Being more anxious to see 

 them alive than dead, I proceeded at once to Dunbar, and was soon on the 

 "links " adjoining Belhaven Sands, where I had the good fortune to meet 

 with first a flock of fourteen, and then with a party of four. The same 

 gunner who obtained the three on the sands the previous day, had got 

 another — a female— this morning (the 17th), and I found a fine male bird 

 lying dead on the "links," where another — also a male— was picked up 

 dead the following day. They were again seen on these " links " on the 

 20th, but not since, so far as I am aware. Subsequently I received tidings 

 of their appearance in several other localities, viz. : — At Oldbamstocks, near 

 Cockburnspath, Berwickshire, where a flock of twenty -four were seen on the 

 17th, and five (two males and three females) killed. Near the railway- 

 station, Stow, Midlothian, where one (a male) was killed against the 

 telegraph-wires, and picked up quite fresh on the 18th. Pentlaud Skerries, 

 Orkney, where three (females) were secured out of a flock of twelve on the 

 17th. In Unst, Shetland, where two (a male and a female) were killed on 

 the 18th. To the west of North Berwick, where a flock of about a dozen 

 were seen by a party of golfers on the 24th ; tliey were flying in a westerly 

 direction, and appeared to have come in from the sea. Between North 

 Berwick and Tyne Estuary, where two males and a female (which I have 

 just seen) were shot, I understand, on the 26th. At the foot of the Pent- 

 land Hills, above Baleruo, about ten miles west of Edinburgh, where for 

 over half-an-hour on the 26th I watched a flock of fifteen feeding in a field 

 which had been recently sown with oats and grass ; they came from the 

 west, and, on taking wing again, proceeded on their eastward (and coast- 

 ward) course. Near Aberfeldy: one, a female, having been sent to 

 Edinburgh for preservation ; near Elie, Fife : one, a male, also sent here 

 for preservation. Lastly, I have just heard that a flock was seen a few 

 days ago on the Carse, between Stirling and Alloa, and two of them shot. 

 Up to the present moment I have handled altogether twenty-five (twelve 

 males and thirteen females), and seen in life thirty-three of these Asiatic 



