EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND. 5 



Writing again on 21st October, Mr G. says : " I again beg 

 to send you two schedules. Since the 4th we have had a great 

 rush of migrants. The prevailing wind being from the east, as 

 soon as it shifted round to the west birds began to leave ; but 

 were back again as soon as the wind shifted to east. I send 

 you wings and feet for identification, and will be much obliged 

 by an early reply if I have named the species correctly." 1 

 Later he has the note : " Solans ceased going east about the end 

 of September ; only a straggler seen now and again during this 

 month (October)." Besides the above, Mr Gilmour has many 

 interesting notes, which, however, come to be more easily worked 

 from the schedules into the text under species. 



Dunnet Head. — David Laidlaw (principal) sends one schedule, 

 in which are the following notes : " On the 23d May a swallow 

 entered Dunnet Established Church during the forenoon service 

 (one of the doors being open), and after flying through the 

 church for about half an hour, made its exit by the same door 

 that it entered by. S.E., fresh breeze, clear." Under date of 

 January 15, 1887, he writes : "For the last month I see a good 

 many Song Thrushes about the fields daily. Starlings and 

 Linnets are to be seen here in large flocks all the year round. 2 

 "No birds struck or lighted on the lantern during the year ex- 

 cept the Wren mentioned in schedule. As to sea-birds, the 

 Gulls 3 came to breed about the 1st of March, and left about 

 the latter end of September. The other birds arrived about 

 six weeks later, and took their departure about a month earlier 

 than the Gulls. During the latter end of July, and the months 

 of August and September, almost every minute of the day, 

 Solan Geese pass and re-pass in flocks of two or three up to 

 twenty or thereby." [A day-to-day return of numbers in a 

 schedule devoted to the species might prove valuable to our 

 Committee. — J. A. H.-B.] 



JSfoss Head. — James Ferrier sends a schedule, with the 

 note : " Sorry I cannot give you as full a return (but I have 



1 Correctly named : — Blackcap and Great Spotted Woodpecker [Recorded Proc. 

 Roy. Phtjs. Soc. Edinb., vol. for 1885-86, pp. 298, 299.— J. A. H.-B.]. Also im- 

 mature Pied Flycatcher, 7th October. 



2 These are probably true Rose-Linnets, which abound in the north of Caith- 

 ness. The Twite is comparatively rare, at least in summer. — J. A. H.-B. 



3 Herring Gulls breed in astonishing numbers all round the coast from Dwar- 

 wick Head. — J. A. H.-B. Lesser B. B. Gull is rare. 



