NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BANKS OF THE TAY. 71 
last has been seen as far up the fresh water as the Tummel, beyond 
Pitlochry, and both of them have even been got on Loch Tay. 
Possibly, however, in that locality they may have been driven over 
by severe westerly gales. All are expert divers, living entirely on 
fish. The Puffin has been got above the Bridge of Perth, and 
several Little Auks, true oceanic birds, also made their appearance 
in the severe winter of 1879 ^ little below Perth, where they remained 
for some days. Examples of all these sea-birds obtained in fresh 
water from time to time are now in the Society’s Museum. 
It may not be here out of place also to note the occurrence of 
two alien species, stragglers to Europe, that have been got on the 
Tay. These are the Green-backed Gallinule (Porphyrio smarag- 
donotus), which was got in the thick reeds below Errol, and the 
Black-throated Thrush (Turdus atrigularis), which was obtained on 
a marshy spit below the Friarton, Perth. The former is a S.E. 
African species that has occasionally wandered to Europe, the 
latter is a native of Siberia, and of it two examples were seen in 
company, one of which is now in the Museum. Another casual, but 
of the Arctic Regions, which has been observed as high up as Perth, 
though it has not been obtained, is the Ivory Gull. 
This brings our list of winter visitants on the Tay to an end. 
We will now picture to ourselves the arrival of spring, and thence on 
to early summer. The month of March has arrived, and I will ask 
you to come down with me a short way below Perth. It is towards 
the end of the month, and, thanks to the Wild-bird Act, the report 
of a gun has not been heard for some two or three weeks, and birds 
are beginning to gain confidence. Notwithstanding that the nets 
are on, the fishermen busy, and the river everywhere full of life, yet 
the Wild Duck now comes up with his mate at night and returns in 
early morning, in safety and without fear. It is now nearly low water, 
and as we go along the shore we hear the shrill but pleasant piping 
notes of numerous Redshanks, and see them tripping along the mud 
in quiet corners of the tide-left watercourses, their home for a week 
or two before separating for their breeding-grounds on the moors. 
Though we noticed a few down below in the autumn, this is their first 
appearance up here since last spring. On parts of the river where 
the nets are not plying, but not far from where they are being shot, 
a flock of Golden-eye Ducks are fishing, seemingly quite unconcerned. 
Let us watch and we shall see that, all the same, they take very good 
care to keep a sharp look-out. There may be seven to fifteen birds 
or more, but, while most have dived and are out of sight, two or 
three are always afloat, and as one comes up another goes down, till 
all the sentries have been relieved. These Ducks are the last winter 
ones to leave, it being sometimes near the end of April before they 
