Notes on the recent Immigration of Mealy Redpolls. 201 



however, I could see among the birds I examined was one of size, which led 

 me to surmise that the larger examples might be what is known as Holboll's 

 Bedpoll (A. I. holboelli). Bill and wing measurements of a few bore this out, 

 and a specimen I obtained on the sea-braes at Skateraw, near Dunbar, on 29th 

 October is, Dr Hartert considers, correctly referred to this form. Others — some 

 of them still larger examples — were noted from Prestonpans, Tranent, Mussel- 

 burgh, Leith Docks, Bo'ness, etc.; and it is recorded from Fair Isle, Shetland 

 (W. E. Clarke, Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist, Jan. 1911, p. 53) 1 , and the Isle of May 

 (Misses Baxter and Bintoul, ibid., p. 4). But after examining more or less 

 closely several hundreds of the recent immigrant Bedpolls, I am not impressed 

 with the claims of holboelli to rank even as a subspecies. No clear line of 

 separation between it and typical linaria exists so far as I can see. Bidgway 

 and Hartert, the two most recent authorities on the subject, give the following 

 definitions of it. The former's is, "Exactly like A. I. linaria in coloration, 

 but averaging decidedly larger, especially the bill, the latter usually relatively 

 longer" ("Birds of North and Middle America," part 1., 1901, p. 89); the 

 latter's, " Ganz wie A. f. Jtammea [ = A. I. linaria'] aber grosser, der Fliigel 

 liinger, Schnabel starker und meist merklich langer. Fliigel 75-81|, Schnabel 

 9-11 mm." ("Die Vogel der palaarktischen Fauna," Heft I., 1903, p. 79). 2 

 For A. I. linaria the wing and bill measurements given by Hartert are 74-78, 

 and 8 mm. respectively, the latter being, no doubt, the average, though not so 

 stated. Bidgway's data, derived from the examination of twenty-seven 

 specimens of holboelli, and eighty of linaria, and published in some detail, give a 

 range of 69-77|, and 9-10 J mm. for wing and bill, respectively, in the case of 

 the former, as against 70-76^, and 7|-9i mm. in the latter, which represents a 

 considerable amount of overlapping, a point my own observations abundantly 

 confirm. In assigning his specimens to the one form or the other, the 

 " locality," I presume, was the guiding principle. But even this test, as we 

 shall see, does not appear to be free from objection. In any case, it is not 

 available for the separation of our visitors, as regards which size alone has to 

 be relied on. 



The following measurements — taken by myself — of birds captured in the 

 Lothians will serve to show the extent to which variation in this respect 

 occurred among the recent immigrants: — 74, 7£ ($); 69, 8 (juv. ?); 73$, 8 

 (ad. $) ; 75, 8 ; 73, 8$ ($ ) ; 74$, S$ (74-75 m.m. wings in combination with 

 8-9 mm. bills were frequent) ; 75, 8$ ; 72, 9 ( $ ) ; 74, 9 ; 75, 9 ( $ ) ; 75, 9$ 

 ($); 75, 10(?); 76, 10 {$ , juv.?); 78$, 10 ; 77, 10 Had. £); 80, 11 (ad. 



1 It has since been recorded from the mainland of Shetland — near Lerwick, on 28th 

 October (J. S. Tulloch, A.S.N.H., April 1911, p. 115). 



2 See Heft VI. 1910, p. xviii, as to the substitution of the name linaria (ovjlammea. 



