Ornithological Notes, by Robert Gray, F.R.S.E. 867 



Black-teeoated DrvER {Colymbus a/rcticus). — Has occurred re- 

 peatedly during tlie past winter in the Forth from Leith to Dun- 

 bar. A very small specimen came under my observation : it was 

 shot in the last week of February and shewed considerable traces 

 of the summer plumage appearing on the back. 



Solan Goose (Sola Bassana.) — I observed on the Bass Eock 

 in 1879 several young birds in the down as late as the 13th 

 September. These were probably the offspring of birds that had 

 been robbed of their eggs earlier in the season. 



Common Tern (Sterna Mrundo). ) ^ „, , , , ,„w 



Arctic Teen {kma arctica). \ ^^ ^^^^ ^^g^^«*' '^^79, I 

 observed at the entrance to Dunbar harbour a very large and 

 noisy flock of Terns including both these species. There were 

 several hundred of birds in the flock, and they clustered together 

 like a swarm of bees on one of the outlying rocks near the battery, 

 making all the while so great an outcry as to attract the attention 

 of a number of fishermen on the pier. 



Little Gull {Larus minutus). — A male Little Gull was shot 

 near North Berwick on 15th August, 1879, and sent for preser- 

 vation to Mr. Hope, George Street, in whose hands I saw it. 



Eednecked Grebe {Fodicepsrulricollis). — This species has been 

 rather common in the Firth of Forth during the past winter 

 (1880-1881). I have seen and examined a number of specimens. 

 One of them was killed on the Lammermoors during a snow storm 

 by a shepherd who knocked it down with a stick. Several were 

 obtained near Leith pier. 



Common Sktta (Lestris cataractes) — I examined a specimen of 

 this Skua which was shot at Cramond on 29th December, 1880. 

 It had gone up the Firth in pursuit of a flock of Gulls and located 

 itself in the neighbourhood of Cramond island where Gulls rest 

 in great flocks at low tide on the sands. 



PoMAEiNE Skua [Zestris pomarinus). — I examined between 30 

 and 40 specimens of this Skua that were shot in East Lothian, 

 chiefly in the neighbourhood of North Berwick. The birds made 

 their appearance about the middle of October, 1879. Very large 

 flocks appeared off Dunbar and were so tame as to perch in 

 crowds on the masonry of the pier. They would not leave on 

 being shot at, which shewed they had either come shorewards 

 through fatigue and stress of weathe:^, or been quite unaccustomed 

 to the presence of man. Numbers were killed along the coast 



