Ornithological Notes. 
183 
Mr Shearer also informs me he saw in the neighbourhood 
of Ulbster a beautiful mature specimen of the Strix nyctea 
(Snowy Owl), on the 3d of June last, but was unable to 
capture it. 
8. Mergulus melanoleucos — the Eotche or Little Auk, an 
occasional winter visitor. One was shot near Kinghorn, 
Fife, in the beginning of February. 
9. Circus cyaneus — the Hen Harrier. A beautiful adult 
male of this species, now unfortunately become rather rare 
here, like many of its allied species, from the wholesale 
destruction of all the interesting birds of this Class by 
our excessive game preservers. It was shot at Thrumster, 
Caithness, in the month of March, and is still common, I 
believe, in the north of Scotland. 
10. Parus crisfatus — the Crested Titmouse. No less than 
nine specimens of these rare birds are now exhibited. 
Twelve of these birds, males and females, were shot in the 
beginning of March at Ballindalloch, the property of Sir C. 
Macpherson Grant, Bart. It seems to be local in its distri- 
bution, and from its small size, is perhaps not easily seen in 
our great pine forests of the north of Scotland. These rare 
birds appear to be more abundant, or at least have been 
more frequently observed, in the great forests of Speyside 
than in any other part of Scotland.* In 1859 I exhibited 
* In the recently published and interesting volume on " Natural History 
and Sport in Moray," collected from the Journals and Letters of the late Mr 
Charles St John (Edin. 1863), the following details are given of the history of 
this rare and little known bird : — " I know no bird so confined to particular 
spots as the Crested Titmouse. Their only regular place of abode, as far 
as has been ascertained, is the large forest near Grantown on the Spey ; 
there they build tolerably abundantly in the decayed clefts and holes of the 
old fir trees, making a smaller nest than most other birds of the same genus. 
They lay about six eggs, white, with dark-red spots. Their habits are like 
those of other titmice, searching the trees for small insects, and flying from 
branch to branch, uttering a loud shrill cry Tliis is the dullest 
coloured of all the titmice, but easily distinguished by its remarkable crest, 
which it erects with great facility. It is little known as a British bird. My 
attention to it as such was first called by Mr Dunbar (formerly of Inverness, 
now of Brawl) ; since then, I had frequent opportunities of obtaining both the 
bird and the nest from the forest of Glenmorc, near Granlown, ami T have 
every reason to believe that it frequents some of the upper woods of the Find- 
horn, near Diilsie, though not so commonly as the first naiucd forest.'"— r. 20. 
