NOTICES OP NEW BOOKS. 273 



states that although it is probable that the Greylag Goose visits 

 Berwickshire at the same season as the other two species men- 

 tioned, yet there appears to be no record of its positive occur- 

 rence in the county. The White-fronted Goose, too, "pro- 

 bably visits the county in small numbers in autumn and spring," 

 but the author is able to record but a solitary instance of its 

 appearance, i.e. in February, 1884, when one was shot by a keeper 

 on the Kimmerghame estate. 



A propos of wildfowl in Scotland, it will be of interest to 

 quote the following list of species which are enumerated in an 

 Act of the Scottish Parliament (16 James VI. c. 23), passed in 

 November, 1600, "against the slaughter of wildfowles": — 



" Seing in tyme of peace in all tyme bygane the said pastymes of 

 hunting and balking were the onely means and instruments to keepe 

 the haill Leiges bodies fra not becoming altogether effeminat . . . 

 they discharge any persons whatsomever within this Realme in any 

 wyse to sell or buy any fastan reid or fallowe Deare, Daes, Raes, 

 Hares, Partridges, Moore-fowles, Black-cokes, Aith-hennes, Termi- 

 gants, Wyld-dukes, Teilles, Atteilles, Goldings, Mortyms, Schidderems, 

 Skaildraik, Herron, Butor, or any sik kynde of fowles, commonly used 

 to be chased with Halkes, under the paine of ane hundreth pounds to 

 be incurred alswell by the buyer as the seller." 



At pp. 363-3G4 of this volume Mr. Muirhead gives a list of 

 Berwickshire names for birds, but as he does not include Aith- 

 hen, Atteel, Golding, Mortym or Schidderem, we must conclude 

 either that they are now obsolete, or perhaps were never in use 

 in this county. We should nevertheless be curious to know to 

 what species these names were respectively applied in any part of 

 Scotland. 



The chapters on Red Grouse and Blackgame in this volume 

 are especially interesting from the statistical information which 

 they contain, collected by the author from ancient records and 

 little-known histories. The Pheasant, he tells us (p. 170), is first 

 mentioned in Scottish Acts of Parliament in 1594, but how long 

 previously it was known there is uncertain. In the information 

 given by our author concerning game-birds generally he seems 

 well posted up to date, for he quotes Mr. Griffiths' experiments to 

 test the rate of speed of Pheasants and Partridges (pp. 176, 180), 

 and Mr. Ogilvie Grant's remarks on the distinguishing signs of 

 the sexes in Partridges (p. 187). No instance is known to him 



ZOOLOGIST, THIRD SERIES, VOL. XX. JULY, 1896. Y 



