Zoological Notes, by Andrew Brotherston, Kelso. 501 



shows only one, although apparently the most mature specimen 

 otherwise. Besides the whitish rump, the two outer tail feathers 

 are wholly white, except a narrow oblong spot, about one-third 

 the length of the feather, on the inside of the inner web of the 

 second. The contents of the stomachs of Mr Cowe's two speci- 

 mens may be interesting to some. In the one got at Lochton, 

 besides numerous beetles, were the remains of a newt {Triton 

 punctatus), the " A.sk " of the Borders ; and in that from Scremer- 

 ston, there was nothing but beetles. I had another Butcher-bird 

 (a male) from Bowden, on March 25th, 1876. It had been eat- 

 ing a mouse ; the head, quite fresh, but much crushed, being all 

 that was in the stomach, except a very few small pieces of the 

 elytra of beetles. The remark of Morris, that the spots in the 

 wing are either one or two, " according as the upper one is or is 

 not hid by the superincumbent feathers," is correct in regard to 

 this specimen. The great wing covers being a little farther up 

 or down, either expose or hide the upper spot. 



Shoveller, {Anas clypeata), Penn. — I got a male, in fine plum- 

 age, which was shot on Hoselaw Loch, April 8th, 1876. There 

 are, at this date, a few more of them on the Loch. I never got 

 it inland before. I have an example shot some years since at 

 Fenham, Holy Island. 



Light coloured variety op Wild Duck? {Anas Boschas) Penn. 

 — A very light coloured bird — a female — which I take to be an 

 accidental variety of the Wild Duck, was shot on the Teviot, near 

 Roxburgh, in the beginning of November, 1875. The bill and 

 feet are of the same size, form, and colour as in the Mallard, the 

 size of the bird is also the same, besides it was in the company of 

 Wild Ducks, all of which is strongly in favour of its being that 

 species. The following is a description of it : — Iris, brown ; head 

 and neck, very pale dun (this colour limited to the same part 

 which is dark metallic green in normal form), darker with a num- 

 ber of dark brown spots about the cheeks and forehead ; breast 

 and belly white, the breast with a slight yellowish tinge ; the 

 back white, with a few dark freckles near the centre of the 

 feathers, gradually becoming darker near the tail. In th,9 wings, 

 the relative lengths of the primaries are the same as in the Wild 

 Duck. The greater wing coverts, dark in the centre gradually 

 shading off into a broad white margin ; lesser wing coverts 

 mostly white, a few of the largest with a dark streak in the 

 centre ; tertiaries, some of them white, others chesnut, with a 

 darker centre ; primaries, outer webs white, inner, brownish 

 grey ; secondaries, very light speckled grey on the inner webs, 

 outer webs black with green and purple reflections, bordered 

 and tipped with white. Tail, outer webs light brown ; inner, 

 greyish brown ; a dark streak in the centre, which widens near 

 the tip. 



