4 REPORT ON THK MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



due to actual scarcity of birds there, or to want of observing and 

 recording ? I cannot tell, as I never receive any communications 

 positive or negative from these stations, except from Girdleness, 

 whence last year I had a brief return. At Montroseness scarcity 

 of birds, indeed almost utter absence, is the reason of no returns 

 in most years, and we can hardly ever expect much from it owing 

 to its position — " So near the town and all the paraphernalia of 

 commerce," as Mr. P. E. Reid, the lighthouse-keeper, informs 

 me. He says, '' I have never been at a station where fewer birds 

 come near the light ; not over half a dozen for the past year, and 

 these were, we suspect. Gulls." At Nosshead, Mr. Alex. Greig, 

 not knowing the names of some of the birds, thought it " better 

 not to send in a report that would be incorrect"; but if he sends 

 me in a report on those he does know the name of ; or some dates, 

 and the winds prevailing at the time of great rushes of birds, 

 without the names of the birds, such would be very useful. 

 *' Small birds " or " large birds " have a value to me in recording, 

 though the names are not given. That a migration was 

 observable in 1882 at Nosshead is a fcictf obtained from Mr. 

 Greig's reply to my post-card, and may prove a useful fact in 

 arriving some day at conclusions. 



I fear it is not to be expected that we get any returns from 

 the Whaling Captains, the arduous duties they are engaged in 

 making them always too glad of complete rest when obtainable. 

 Our thanks are due to Mr. T. Southwell, however, for speaking 

 to some of them on the subject ; our. own application, by 

 distributing circulars at Dundee with the assistance of Mr. P. 

 Henderson, naturalist of that town, not having produced any 

 results. 



I have received occasional notes from Mr. Anderson's log, 

 through Mr. R. Gray (see Gannet, &c.). Mr. Anderson has 

 again taken duty on an Atlantic Liner, after a temporary 

 engagement in the Mediterranean, so we may hope to hear 

 further of him and his observations.- 



As before, notes I have received from other sources besides 

 the lighthouses I will enter after the paragraphs on each species 

 or group. These are to be taken simply as corroborative evidence, 

 or otherwise, of the lighthouse reports, or as supplementary to 

 them. 



Notes have been kept upon about twenty-two species of Water- 



