NATURAL HISTORY RECORD BUREAU. 



189 



thought that the bird had arrived but had been killed ; happily 

 this rumour proved incorrect, when the bird actually arrived in 

 February of this year. 



We are frequently asked, " Where does this bird spend its 

 summer?" A most difficult question to answer; but we know 

 that the summer breeding range of the Whooper is bounded on 

 the south by Iceland and Lapland. 



This bird has probably not yet paired or bred, and it will be 

 interesting to find what occurs when that does happen. We are 

 sometimes asked if it is not likely to pair with the Mute Swans. 

 We do not consider it likely, as it is a purely wild bird, and the 

 migratory instinct will be too strong for it to resist so far as to 

 spend the summer on the Eden. Pinioned birds have been 

 known to breed in captivity, and Cuvier (Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. 

 xii. p. 119) describes a case of hybridisation between a pinioned 

 Whooper and a Domestic Goose. 



In August and September most of our usual autumn visitors 

 made their appearance, perhaps not in such large numbers as 

 usual, an exception being the Spotted or Dusky Redshank {To- 

 tanus fuscus), a flock of seven being seen at one time by Mr. 

 Nicoll, the most he has ever seen together. The same good 

 observer saw on April 8th a Great Skua, the fourth example he 

 has seen on the Solway ; it was also seen by other observers, 

 and, like the one recorded by T. C. Heysham, was seen in the 

 act of killing a Gull. 



In June a large number of Common Scoters spent several 

 days on the Solway ; on June 4th we estimated the number of 

 birds in mid-Firth at over one thousand birds. Redwings were 

 very numerous in October. 



During the last few weeks of the year cold wintry weather 

 prevailed, and on Dec. 29th snow fell, accompanied by stormy 

 conditions ; on the 30th Mr. W. Nichol saw a fine sight for a 

 wildfowler, Bewick's Swans, Bean Geese, Barnacle Geese, Mal- 

 lards, and several thousands of Oystercatchers being huddled 

 together for shelter on a small patch of sand at Cardurnock, on 

 the Bowuess promontory. 



A new Batrachian — the Palmate Newt (Molge palmate) — was 

 added to the Lake District list, being recorded for the first time 

 for Westmorland in February, 1908. 



