﻿186 
  BIRDS. 
  

  

  wards 
  of 
  seeing 
  it 
  in 
  Edinburgh, 
  and 
  were 
  convinced 
  that 
  his 
  

   identification 
  was 
  correct. 
  

  

  All 
  other 
  records 
  are 
  unsatisfactory, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  

   to 
  judge, 
  especially 
  Edward's 
  slipshod 
  note, 
  ' 
  More 
  rare 
  than 
  the 
  

   Greenshank,' 
  and 
  the 
  giving 
  it 
  a 
  place 
  amongst 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  Strath- 
  

   beg 
  Loch, 
  which 
  is 
  outside 
  his 
  (and 
  our) 
  area. 
  

  

  [Himantopus 
  candidus, 
  Bonnat. 
  Black-winged 
  Stilt. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  mention 
  we 
  have 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  our 
  district 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  

   from 
  T. 
  Macpherson 
  Grant 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Gordon, 
  dated 
  21st 
  November 
  

   1844 
  : 
  — 
  { 
  Some 
  years 
  ago 
  I 
  saw 
  two 
  remarkable 
  birds 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  

   Grantown, 
  which 
  I 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  Black-winged 
  Stilts 
  {Himanto- 
  

   pus 
  melanopterus 
  of 
  Jenyns). 
  They 
  rose 
  out 
  from 
  among 
  the 
  long 
  

   grass 
  by 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  lake 
  in 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  wet 
  meadow 
  

   ground 
  near 
  the 
  Spey, 
  and 
  frequently 
  lighted 
  again, 
  but 
  always 
  at 
  

   a 
  great 
  distance. 
  They 
  were 
  so 
  extremely 
  shy 
  that 
  I 
  found 
  it 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  get 
  within 
  shot, 
  and 
  having 
  no 
  telescope, 
  I 
  could 
  

   not 
  make 
  myself 
  certain 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  They 
  had 
  long 
  legs, 
  with 
  

   much 
  of 
  the 
  plumage 
  pure 
  white, 
  and 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  the 
  

   size 
  of 
  the 
  Stilt. 
  My 
  want 
  of 
  success 
  in 
  procuring 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  

   disappointed 
  me 
  greatly, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  always 
  much 
  hesitation 
  in 
  

   recording 
  a 
  rare 
  species, 
  unless 
  I 
  have 
  actually 
  handled 
  it.'] 
  1 
  

  

  Phalaropus 
  hyperboreus 
  (X.). 
  Red-necked 
  Phalarope. 
  

  

  Edward 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  One 
  male 
  shot 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  at 
  Banff 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring 
  of 
  1855/ 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  only 
  one 
  other 
  positive 
  record 
  of 
  its 
  

   occurrence 
  in 
  our 
  present 
  area. 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  saw 
  one 
  in 
  Brown's 
  

   shop 
  in 
  Forres, 
  which 
  was 
  obtained 
  near 
  that 
  town 
  on 
  the 
  8th 
  

   December 
  1890. 
  

  

  Although 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  Orkney 
  and 
  Shet- 
  

   land, 
  its 
  migration 
  fly-lines 
  trend 
  much 
  more 
  westerly, 
  and 
  along 
  

   that 
  fly-line 
  we 
  find 
  it 
  breeding 
  in 
  the 
  Outer 
  Hebrides. 
  We 
  

   think 
  it 
  extremely 
  unlikely 
  that 
  east 
  of 
  Scotland 
  localities 
  will 
  

   be 
  filled 
  up 
  with 
  breeding 
  Phalaropes, 
  at 
  least 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time. 
  It 
  

   is 
  curious, 
  but 
  undoubted, 
  that 
  our 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland 
  does 
  

   not 
  harbour 
  during 
  migration 
  such 
  species 
  as 
  Red-necked 
  and 
  

  

  1 
  We 
  consider 
  Mr. 
  Macpherson 
  Grant 
  was 
  such 
  an 
  excellent 
  observer, 
  that 
  we 
  

   would 
  be 
  inclined 
  to 
  admit 
  the 
  above 
  without 
  brackets, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  better 
  really 
  to 
  

   adhere 
  to 
  our 
  rule. 
  

  

  