Ornithological Notes. By George Bolam. 367 



and watched it for some time through a glass. On March 19th two flew 

 past onr boat as we crossed from the Old Law to Holy Island, which 

 brought forth the remarks from the fishermen who were rowing us, that 

 " Tam?ny Alluna" (the generic name for Grebes upon the Island) "had 

 been very plentiful this year, and were now getting into fine feather," and 

 that one with a good deal of red upon its neck had been shot about a 

 fortnight before. On 22nd March a single bird, in adult winter dress, was 

 fi-equenting the rocks at Marshall Meadows near Berwick, and in Mr 

 Cowe's collection at Old Castles I saw a specimen in unusually dark 

 plumage, which had been obtained during the winter on the Berwickshire 

 coast. One, shot on the Teviot, about the end of January, was preserved 

 by Mr Brotherston at Kelso, and several other captures might without 

 difficulty be mentioned. 



ScLAVONiAN Grebe, Podicipes auritus, Linnseus. 

 Is a pretty regular winter visitant, and the most common of the Grebes 

 upon the coast ; we generally see one or two of them in the course of a 

 season about the mouth of the Tweed, and in some other favourite resorts. 

 In common with the other members of the family, the Sclavonian Grebe 

 was rather more plentiful than usual in 1890-91, but not I think to so 

 marked an extent. The earliest arrivals were on 27th October, when some 

 half dozen of them were swimming about amongst the Eed-throated and 

 other Divers, off the Tnouth of the Tweed ; others were noticed on January 

 l()Lh at Holy Island, and on 28th of the same month at Berwick. 



Eared Grebe. Podicipes nigricoUis, C. L. Brehni. 

 This is far from being a common bird with us, but like its congeners 

 was rather plentiful in 1890-91. Several were seen and one killed along 

 with the Red-necked and other Grebes at Holy Island on 16th January ; 

 and I saw two near the same place so late as the 19th March 1891. One 

 of these still retained the white neck, etc., of the winter dress, but the 

 other appeared to have quite completed the change to its breeding 

 plumage, and is the only example in this state which I have met with in 

 the district. The whole of the upper parts were very dark, the head, 

 chin, and neck being practically black, whence the most appropriate name 

 of nigricoUis, and the fine spray or 'ear' of golden orange feathers upon 

 the head, seemed to have attained its full growth. When first seen the 

 birds were diving about close in shore, and my attention was at once 

 arrested by the very black appearance of the one, which a minute later, 

 the telescope showed to be the Eared Grebe in summer plumage. 



Scaup Duck. Fuligula marila, Linnaeus. 

 During the general prevalence of wild fowl in the winter of 1890-91, 

 Scaup Ducks far outnumbered everything else in point of actual abundance. 

 They commenced to arrive as early as about the 24th of September, when 

 I saw a young male which had been killed near Alnwick ; and on 10th 

 October two immature birds occurred near Goswick. With December, 

 however, the real rush began ; and on 3rd of that month there were 



