420 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



from Mr. George Dunleany, light-keeper on the Fastnet Rock, Co. Cork, 

 a. Pied Flycatcher, in the flesh, found dead on the rock on Sept. 30th. 

 From Mr. P. Corish, Tuskar Rock Lighthouse, Co. Wexford, I have just 

 received (Octoher 10th) the remains of another of these birds, procured 

 Sept. 2Stb, making the fifth Irish specimen recorded. — Richard M. 

 Barrixgton (Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow). 



Velvet Scoter at Exmouth. — My friend Mr. P. Brutton, of Exmouth 

 has recently presented me with a specimen of the Velvet Scoter, (Edemia 

 fusca, a very rare bird in that neighbourhood ; and what is more rare in the 

 case (it bei; g so purely an oceanic duck), it was shot in the estuary of the 

 Exe, some three or four miles up from the sea, nearly opposite Lympstone. 

 Possibly this may be worth recording. — W. Taylor (10, Chad Road, 

 Edgbaston). 



Manx Shearwater in Skye. — My friend Mr. F. W. Johnson has 

 recently made the interesting discovery that the Manx Shearwater nests on 

 the Skye coast. In proof of this, he was kind enough to send me a fine 

 nestling last August. This is no surprise, for as long ago as in 1882 

 I expressed, in ' The Zoologist,' my impression that colonies of the Shear- 

 water would be found on the Skye coast ; and this has been confirmed by 

 ,my more recent notes, and by those of Mr. Harvie Brown and Mr. Johnson. 

 I have only, however, once visited the locality which Mr. Johnson kindly 

 undertook to search this year, and the Fulmar was then the object of our 

 quest. It is, in fact, a lonely place, and no one but a local resident would 

 be likely to discover it, so that the birds are safe from molestation. But 

 the curious fact about it is that the Herring Gull nests on the same grassy 

 ledges as the Shearwater — a fact entirely new to my experience. Doubtless 

 some other fresh facts will come to light on further investigation, and 

 I have no doubt that other colonies of Shearwaters exist on the coast 

 of Skye, though possib'y they are inaccessible, or nearly so. — H. A. 

 Macphkrson (Carlisle). 



Habits of the Manx Shearwater. — I venture to trouble you with a few 

 remarks on the above subject, in case others have not written to you in the 

 same strain. While at Scilly this year I visited a breeding-colony of 

 the Manx Shearwater. When drawn from their burrows in broad daylight 

 these birds were at first quite unable to rise from the level ground, or even 

 from a "entle slope. This I attributed to the sudden change from darkness 

 toli^ht; but Mr. Barrington's observations show that the supposition was, 

 at any rate, only partially correct. Undoubtedly the Shearwaters' sight was 

 much affected, for I observed that the nictitating membrane was frequently 

 drawn over the eye, and even when I tossed two or three birds into the air 

 they fell helplessly to the ground. After remaining a short time on the 

 ground the Shearwaters took wing with difficulty, acquiring a sufficient 



