NOTES AND QUERIES. 349 



some of which must have been fully a week old. This is eight days earlier 

 than on the Saltees, as recorded by Mr. Ussher (Zool. 1890, p. 436). 

 Taking the incubation period for the Shag as a month — that of the 

 Cormorant being twenty-eight to twenty-nine days, according to Mr. Evans 

 "On the Incubation Period of Birds" ('Ibis,' Jan. 1891) — some of the 

 eggs at this locality must have been laid by the end of March. This is 

 perhaps abnormally early, yet the date given, May and June, in the 

 lately published book on Oology by C. Dixon, is far too late, and refers 

 undoubtedly to second layings. Though I have seen many hundreds of 

 Shags' nests, yet I have never till this season found one containing more 

 than three eggs. This year, however, one with four eggs was noted. 

 Another nest contained no less than seven, but these had evidently been 

 laid by different birds, three of them being of one type, and probably 

 belonging to the rightful owner of the nest, while the other four were 

 all different and in different stages of incubation. Other nests in the 

 immediate vicinity of this one contained only one egg apiece. It is reported 

 by the Shetland fishermen that the " Scarf," as it is there called, has 

 greatly increased of late years. The bird is bitterly hated by them, and 

 used to be destroyed to some extent at the nesting period, but this has 

 of course been now stopped. The colony of Green Cormorants on the 

 " Horse of Burrasoe," Yell, certainly numbers over 2000 pairs at a moderate 

 estimate. — Harold Raeburn (81, Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh). 



Arctic Tern and Common Gull breeding in Shetland.— In the loch 

 of Grumnavoe, in the mainland of Shetland, there is a small island which 

 rises several feet above the water, and is densely clothed with a broad flag- 

 like vegetation. On this island, which I visited on June 24th last, I found 

 a colony of the Arctic Tern breeding in company with the Common Gull 

 and other species. Most of the Terns' nests were situated on the grassy 

 upper tract, and each was formed of pieces of dry flags placed together 

 without any tidiness or compactness, but in sufficiently thick layers to keep 

 the eggs dry. This note will be of interest in view of Dixon's statement 

 (' Nests and Eggs of British Birds,' p. 307) concerning the nidification of 

 the Arctic Tern, that no lining is ever used. — Robert Godfrey (46, 

 Cumberland Street, Edinburgh). 



Avocet in Kent. — During the last week of August an Avocet, Recurvi- 

 rostra avocetta, was shot not far from the North Foreland, and was brought 

 to me the following day. It was a bird of last year, in very good coudition. 

 The shooter reported that there were three in company, only one of which 

 he secured. — W. Oxenden Hammond (St. Albans Court, Wingham). 



The Marsh Tit in Dumfriesshire. — About 1840, according to the late 

 Sir William Jardine, Marsh Tits were not uncommon in Dumfriesshire 

 while Coal Tits were scarce. The very reverse is the case now-a-days; 



