BIRDS. 



319 



In 1896 Mr. Milne, whilst quoting Col. Drummond Hay, adds 

 "resident." 



Godfrey adds "Dunan, Eannoch," as a nesting locality. 



In 1905 I was informed that these birds bred "in swarms "in 

 some parts of Perthshire, but I have not been able to locate these 

 places. Yet I know that a limited number are to be found breeding 

 quite in the south districts near CriefF. And I am aware of other 

 isolated localities where they are to be found in limited numbers.^ 



Tringa subarquata (Gilld.). Curlew Sandpiper. 

 Quite rare. Occasional visitant. 



A Curlew Sandpiper is recorded from Loch Tay (Horn), as 

 having been shot by Mr. D. Dewar. This seems to me a very 

 extraordinary occurrence, and I can find no mention of the fact in 

 the lists received from Mr. Dewar prior to his parting with his first 

 collection to the Perth Museum. 



Col. Drummond Hay had never met with it, even on the tidal 

 shores of lower Tay, until one was shot there and added to the col- 

 lection at the Museum. This was in the autumn of 1882 (Proc. Perth. 

 Soc. Nat. Sciences, vol. i. p. 155). 



Millais designates the Curlew Sandpiper as "a rare autumn 

 visitor associating generally with Dunlins." He says : "I have only 

 once seen a flock of Curlew Sandpipers. This was on the sands near 

 to the ice-house at Tents Muir in September 1888. I killed four 

 birds from a flock of about twenty." It is curious to find such a 

 comparative scarcity of records here with its frequent and regular 

 occurrence at the head- waters of the Firth of Forth. 



Indeed, it would almost appear that it is a more regular spring 

 and early summer passing migrant about the Tay estuary and Eden- 

 mouth than it is as an autumn migrant, examples in full breeding 

 dress being far from uncommon well into summer. 



Tringa striata, L. Purple Sandpiper. 

 Rare winter visitant. 



It seems curious to find how few records of this species are forth- 

 coming. One was added to the Perth Museum collection — appar- 

 ently the first recorded (Proc. Perth. Soc. Nat. Sciences, vol. i. p. 155). 



But early in our chronology this bird appears to have been 

 considered of rare occurrence by Neil, as he announces one as "a rare 



^ Nowhere indeed can Dunlins be truly described as nesting " in swarms " upon the 

 mainland of Scotland, unless possibly they may do so in Caithness. Swarms," of 

 course, is an unscientific and quite unsatisfactory estimate. 



