﻿122 
  THE 
  VERTEBRATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE." 
  

  

  September 
  2nd, 
  1891. 
  Extent 
  of 
  wings, 
  18 
  inches; 
  from 
  beak 
  

   to 
  end 
  of 
  tail, 
  inches 
  ; 
  weight, 
  2-| 
  ounces. 
  Its 
  stomach 
  

   was 
  crammed 
  with 
  earwigs 
  and 
  beetles, 
  the 
  former 
  in 
  far 
  the 
  

   larger 
  number. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Simpson, 
  

   Aberdeen. 
  

  

  [Strix 
  bubo, 
  Naum. 
  Eagle 
  Owl. 
  

  

  Gray, 
  in 
  his 
  Birds 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  pp. 
  55 
  and 
  56, 
  

   records 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  Aberdeenshire. 
  " 
  It 
  

   had 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Wilson 
  at 
  Methlick 
  on 
  the 
  

   2nd 
  of 
  February, 
  1866, 
  and 
  followed 
  by 
  him 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   distance, 
  and 
  he 
  got 
  near 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  sure 
  of 
  what 
  was 
  

   before 
  him. 
  Mr. 
  Wilson 
  has 
  been 
  long 
  a 
  keen 
  and 
  careful 
  

   ornithologist, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  he 
  saw 
  what 
  is 
  

   reported." 
  Gray 
  further 
  adds 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  month 
  "an 
  adult 
  Eagle 
  Owl 
  found 
  its 
  way 
  to 
  

   Aberdeen 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Wilson's 
  neighbourhood." 
  The 
  above, 
  

   Gray 
  adds, 
  had 
  been 
  " 
  kindly 
  forwarded 
  to 
  me 
  by 
  my 
  corres- 
  

   pondent, 
  Mr. 
  Angus." 
  Having 
  had 
  conversation 
  with 
  Mr. 
  

   Wilson 
  regarding 
  ornithological 
  matters, 
  he 
  informed 
  me 
  

   that 
  the 
  above 
  story 
  is 
  defective. 
  Mr. 
  Wilson 
  says 
  he 
  never 
  

   asserted 
  or 
  wished 
  anyone 
  to 
  believe 
  he 
  was 
  sure 
  of 
  the 
  

   identity 
  of 
  the 
  bird, 
  which 
  was 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  morning 
  

   while 
  the 
  light 
  was 
  yet 
  indifferent 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  this, 
  

   the 
  date 
  1866 
  is 
  wrong. 
  His 
  journal 
  shows 
  the 
  real 
  time 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  1862, 
  from 
  which 
  he 
  argues 
  that 
  the 
  one 
  

   said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Angus 
  from 
  the 
  Methlick 
  

   district 
  can 
  have 
  little 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  bird 
  which 
  he 
  (Mr. 
  

   Wilson) 
  saw.] 
  

  

  Strix 
  noctua, 
  Scopoli. 
  Little 
  Owl. 
  

  

  A 
  female 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Blairs 
  College, 
  Deeside, 
  on 
  February 
  

   1st, 
  1902, 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  for 
  preservation. 
  It 
  was 
  killed 
  

   while 
  flying 
  about 
  in 
  daylight. 
  Its 
  stomach 
  contained 
  the 
  

   beak 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  portions 
  of 
  a 
  starling. 
  

  

  Genus 
  SURNIA, 
  DumSril. 
  

  

  Surnia 
  ulula, 
  Linn. 
  European 
  Hawk-Owl. 
  

  

  An 
  adult 
  female 
  of 
  this 
  rare 
  species 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Gight, 
  

   November 
  21st, 
  1898, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Smith, 
  factor 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  