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The Annals

OF

Scottish Natural History

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE

WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED

Haturalfet

EDITED BY

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S.

MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS* UNION

JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S.

PROFESSOR OF BOTANY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
AND

WILLIAM EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., MEM. BRIT. ORN. UNION

NATURAL HISTORY DEPARTMENT, MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND ART, EDINBURGH

1894

EDINBURGH

DAVID DOUGLAS, CASTLE STREET
LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES ST., CAVENDISH SQUARE

LIST OF PLATES

I. New and Rare Scottish Spiders.

II. Scottish Desmidiese. Plate II.

III. Paltzospondylus Gunni, Traquair.

IV. Scottish Desmidieae. Plate III.
V. Feathers of Red Grouse ^ .

VI. Feathers of Red Grouse J.
VII. Dictyna arenicola, Cambridge.
VIII. Scottish Desmidieae. Plate IV.

The Annals

of

Scottish Natural History

No. 9] 1894 [JANUARY

*

NOTE ON THE SKELETON OF A SPECIMEN OF
RISSO'S GRAMPUS (GRAMPUS GRISEUS}.

By R. H. TRAQUAIR, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S.

IN the " Annals of Scottish Natural History " for January
1893, p. I, Mr. R. Service records the occurrence of two
specimens of Risso's Grampus Grampus griseiis (Cuv.) in
the Solway Firth. One of the specimens that stranded near
Carsethorn Mr. Service was able to examine in its entirety,
and to his good offices the Museum of Science and Art is
indebted for the opportunity of obtaining its skeleton.

The bones, roughly divested of the flesh, were forwarded
to Edinburgh, and have been prepared in the Natural
History workshop of the museum. Unfortunately, the hyoid
and pelvic bones were found to be missing, while the sternum
was slightly injured ; otherwise the skeleton is perfect. It
is now exhibited in the Mammalian collection of the Museum.

The specimen when recent measured, according to Mr.
Service, 8 feet in length, but the length of the mounted
skeleton is only 7 feet 5 inches ; the difference being due to
the shrinkage of the intervertebral disks in drying, as well as
to the fact that the caudal termination of the vertebral column
does not reach quite to the posterior margin of the tail flap.

The skeleton is that of a young individual (female) ;
9 B

2 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

the epiphyses being ununited, the sternum remaining in
three pieces, and the teeth having been still covered by the
gum. The upper jaw is of course edentulous ; the teeth of
the lower jaw, three on each side, displayed in the prepared
skeleton, being placed near the symphysis. They vary from
-| to -?- of an inch in length, the anterior being the shortest :
calcification, though not complete, has extended considerably
below the margin of the crown.

But the most noteworthy peculiarity of the skeleton is
the remarkable want of lateral symmetry displayed by the
pectoral limbs and by the anterior part of the sternum. The
left flipper is fully one inch longer than the right ; the former
measuring i 3^-, the latter i 2-^ inches in length. No difference
in size is observable in the scapulae or humeri of the two
limbs, but the radius and ulna are at once seen to be larger
on the left side. On the left flipper the 2nd digit has 8
ossifications, the 3rd six ; while on the right these members
are respectively 7 and 4. In the normal adult the number of
these ossifications are 10 in the 2nd, and 8 in the 3rd digit. 1

The sternum consists of three pieces, of which the anterior
is very unsymmetrical, being much larger on the left than on
the right side of the mesial line. The left side of the second
piece has unfortunately been cut away ; the third piece is
symmetrical. This want of lateral symmetry in the limbs
constitutes the principal point of interest in this skeleton, and
I am not aware of any similar case having been recorded in any
of the Cetacea.

ON THE OCCURRENCE OF THE RED-BREASTED
FLYCATCHER (MUSCICAPA PARVA] IN THE
OUTER HEBRIDES.

By J. A. HARVIE BROWN, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S., and
WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S.

THANKS to Mr. Wm. A. Tulloch, one of the keepers at the
Monach Islands lighthouse, we are enabled to add another
record to the few visits of this species to Britain, and to

1 For these and other details regarding the skeleton of Grampus gi'iseiis, see
Sir William Flower's paper in "Trans. Zool. Soc., London," vol. viii. pp. 1-21.

THE STOCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND 3

indicate a considerable extension to its known range as a
wanderer. This is one of the successes accruing to our annual
inquiries into the migratory movements of birds in and around
Scotland, to which Mr. Tulloch is a valued contributor.

A Red-breasted Flycatcher was captured at the Monach
Island, some thirteen miles west of North Uist, on the
22nd of October 1893, and was forwarded to us in the flesh.
This specimen, though " far gone " when received, has by
careful treatment been made into a passable mounted specimen,
and has been presented by Mr. Tulloch to the collection of
British Birds in the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art.

The bird is a young male of the year, and agrees well
with most of the published descriptions, the four central tail
feathers being black. The crop contained, strange to say,
several seeds of the canary-grass (Phalaris canariensis) in a
stained condition, but the gizzard was quite empty.

Though this summer visitor to Central and Eastern
Europe has on one occasion, in 1883, occurred north of the
Tweed, namely at Berwick, yet it has not hitherto been
recorded in Scottish territory at least Mr. Muirhead ex-
cludes the county of the borough and town of Berwick-on-
Tweed from the area treated of in his " Birds of Berwickshire."

ON THE EXTENSION OF THE DISTRIBUTION
OF THE STOCK DOVE (COLUMBA (EN AS}
IN SCOTLAND.

By J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S.

ON the 2 ist February 1883 I read a paper at the meeting
of the Royal Phys. Soc., entitled "On the Stock Dove
(Columba anas], with remarks upon its extension of range
in Great Britain." Since that date I have obtained additional
evidence of the very rapid and remarkable increase of this
species and its farther extensions. This I propose to
epitomise in the present paper, because it is thought that
separate studies of single species whose increase and ex-
tension of range are phenominally rapid and regular are

4 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

amongst the best materials possible to enable naturalists to
arrive at the larger and wider questions connected with
distribution and migration. In my previous paper I have
with sufficient exactitude traced the spread towards the
north through England into Scotland : in the present paper
I purpose simply to record chronologically the facts as
ascertained, and continue my previous series, and make a few
concluding remarks.

From the last-dated records of the former paper there-
fore viz. at Gartmore, Vale of Menteith, I5th January
1883; and Garden (nest and eggs) I4th April 1883 we
start afresh. 1

A very visible increase has since occurred from localities
east of the central range of the Stirlingshire hills, many
localities being known to me where Stock Doves have bred
to the south of Stirling ; and the birds have also become
common as far west of Stirling as Aberfoyle, penetrating in
this direction well up the valleys among the hills, as clearly
shown by our correspondents Mr. James Stirling of Garden,
Col. Duthie of Row, Doune, and others, to whom the bird has
indeed become familiar since its first-recorded advent in 1883.

But while the species has thus spread across between
Forth and Clyde, and penetrated far up the Forth valley, it
is somewhat strange to find that a corresponding increase
has not made itself apparent in the counties adjoining the
Firth of Forth along the north shore. My friend Mr. J. J.
Dalgleish of Brankston Grange, near Alloa, in reply to my
circular, says : " There has been no increase. No further
information has been received beyond the fact of one killed
on the estate on 2nd April 1878 [already recorded in my
previous article]. I have heard of no others in the neighbour-
hood since." Among Wood-pigeons killed in the low Kerse
of Falkirk, I received several Stock Doves, and have seen
others at various times, but that was principally during the
early springs of their first colonisation of the Denny foot-hills
and Vale of Menteith. At first they appear to have been
feeling their way, resting and feeding often. Now it would
almost appear that the migrant birds rush up at once to their
breeding zones, resting little, or not at all, among the low-
1 "Royal Phys. Soc. Proc.," vol. vii. p. 254.

THE STOCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND 5

lying clay kerse lands, which are not adapted to their
requirements. However this may be, inquiries made in the
east of Fife and in Forfarshire have elicited but little
account. Mr. W. Berry of Tayfield, near Tents Muir, knows
of a few pairs breeding there among the sand-hills ; but they
are far from abundant. Mr. Berry further informed us that,
according to the very careful observations of his gamekeeper,
he feels assured that Stock Doves have only "obtruded them-
selves on his notice " within the last two or three years.
They usually come in March ; and he saw three on Friday,
ist April 1892. Wood-pigeons are killed by the hundreds
by all the keepers, and also by the professional pigeon-killer
James Duffus of Pickletillum,who, however, says he remembers
sending one about eight or nine years ago to the British
Museum. A return from Blairadam estate, counties of
Fife and Kinross, filled in by Mr. David M'Diarmid, gives
"none known (i.e. in 1892). One was killed last spring,
that being the only one seen."

In Forfar there is a similar dearth of records. Several
correspondents speak to their scarcity or complete absence.
Mr. A. N. Simpson "a reliable, and experienced ornith-
ologist here," as we are assured by Dr. Thomas F. Dewar,
Arbroath found it breeding some 7 miles inland. This is
the only authentic record of its occurrence near this. "It
may, of course, prove commoner ; but only rarely noted or
recognised, from its resemblance to the Ring Dove." The
above sentence was written upon the 4th April I 892. Of the
area around Montrose I have received the report : " I know
of no occurrence of the Stock Dove in Forfarshire;" and in a
later letter, dated 6th December 1893, he repeats : " I have
no positive information regarding the presence of the Stock
Dove in lowland Forfarshire," whilst " great numbers of Ring
Doves are shot in this quarter." 1 A little higher up Strath
Tay, in the Carse of Gowrie, at Seggieden, Col. Drummond-
Hay writes " Nil " in reply to my circular. But farther in-
land we find them appearing up the Tay valley in Glen
Almond, Lyndoch Hill, and about Blairgowrie (W. Berry).
A correspondent speaks of them as appearing "from a

1 In a still later letter, Dr. Dewar records two, decidedly the first from the
district, brought in on I4th December 1893.

6 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

southerly direction, and when disturbed always flying back
by the same route." At Blackpark, some 9 miles N.W.W.
of Perth, they have been established for some years. Mr.
Athole MacGregor, writing from Cardney, Perthshire, speaks
of them as nesting commonly in rocky slopes and precipices
on the open moors.

Returning to the east coast counties, we have been unable
to obtain a single record from Kincardineshire, but we do
not feel certain that this may not be owing to scarcity of
observers. Meanwhile, so let it be. From Aberdeenshire
I ;have abundant evidence, through our friend Mr. Geo.
Sim, and may shortly state : their first appearance was upon
the Links of St. Fergus to the north of Peterhead, where
they have nested regularly for the past eight or nine years. At
present there may be from 25 to 30 pairs there. They next
appeared upon the " Black Bar," between the Loch of Strath-
beg and the sea, where they have bred for several years back.
Lastly, they appeared at Minnie Links, about 8 miles north
of Aberdeen, in 1888 about 25 pairs. Thus the Stock
Doves appear to have spread southward from their first
residence in " Dee," or, at all events, populated areas south
of their first known place upon St. Fergus Links ; neither Mr.
Geo. Sim nor I have succeeded in obtaining a single record
from either Forfar or Kincardine south of the river Dee.

Coming to the Moray Basin, Stock Doves now swarm
both along the low shores amongst the links, sand-hills, and
rabbit-warrens, as far as Nairn, and penetrate far up the
Findhorn, Spey, Lossie, even into the lower outspurs of the
mountains, to an elevation of 2600 feet. It is needless to
review in this place the more minute steps of advance.
Suffice it to say, in 1883 I first heard of Stock Doves at
Pitgaveny near Elgin. By 1887 I observed numbers there
and near Findhorn (east side), and it is now increasing west
of the River Findhorn rapidly, and reaching up the Findhorn
valley. Curiously enough, however, there is no great appear-
ance of them upon the River Deveron, although in 1893
we saw a few when fishing Laithers and Netherdale waters
on that river. The records as yet to the north of Inverness
are by no means full of detail. But in 1889 Buckley took
eggs in the east of Sutherland for the first time, on I9th

THE STOCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND^ 7

May of that year ; and they had reached as far west as Glen
Cassley ("Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist," April 1892). And other
records here and there have reached us from Sutherland
and Caithness.

Last of all, and singularly interesting, is the record of a
Stock Dove shot near Spiggie in Shetland by the Brothers
Henderson, as recorded in the present number of the "Annals."

Shortly reviewing these known records, there is some
study required to trace the lines of advance to the north.
It would appear that both east and west coasts south of
Forth and Clyde almost equally participated in the earlier
invasions, and probably from pressure at a centre which
appears to have been in existence for many years in York-
shire, where Mr. Boyes informed Mr. Eagle Clarke that the
old warreners on the wolds remembered them as abundant
sixty years ago. Thence they seem to have overflowed to
the north and west, followed both coasts as far as Forth
and Clyde, and then trended north-westward, up the Forth
valley. Somehow, Fife, Forfar, and Kincardine do not appear
to have received any great quota of their numbers ; but the
River Tay above Perth seems to have received them with
open arms ; and on the Forth and Tay upper valleys they are
now fairly abundant. Did they thereafter pass down over
the watershed at, say, Dalwhinnie into Spey, and pass on
down to the lower reaches of Spey, and the great sands of
the south coast of the Moray Firth, and bend back down to
the north-west coast of Aberdeenshire, populating or return-
ing from the coast lines to the higher valleys later on ?
Or, How did they first reach into Moray by 1883 ? Why
are the coast lines east of Speymouth still bare of birds, but
a patch or two populated on the east coast of Aberdeen ?
Why were Fife, Forfar, and Kincardine passed by, if they
came from south to north, and north-west Aberdeen and
Moray densely populated ? Has the invasion really come
to these northern counties direct from the south, or from
other natural increase at other centres of Continental origin ?
I ask the questions without at present attempting to give a
satisfactory reply to any one of them. I think, however, the
subject is one of great interest and of considerable import-
ance to any careful student of distribution and migration,

8 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

and we would ask our readers to carefully collect and
record further developments of the extension of range of
this and of other species which are presenting, and have
presented, phenomenal rapidity in their colonisation. Such
observations cannot fail in time to yield interesting results.

THE PERSECUTION OF THE GREAT SKUA
5 TERCORARIUS CA TARRHA CTES.

By WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S.

THERE is one fact in the history of those birds which have
become extinct within the present century which it is well
should be remembered in connection with some of the rarer
and decreasing forms among our indigenous species, namely
that their extermination had, in all instances, become an ac-
complished fact for several, in some cases many, years before
such was realised to be the case. This knowledge should
assuredly impress upon us the necessity of calling attention
to cases of undue persecution of any species, more especially
of those which are alike limited in their numbers and in their
distribution, rendering them peculiarly liable to extermina-
tion. The Great Skua affords a case in point. Whether
the Great Skua is an increasing or a decreasing species in its
Icelandic and North - western haunts, I know not ; it is,
however, high time we fully realised that it is both a
much persecuted and rapidly decreasing bird in its European
habitats. Indeed, unless some check be placed upon
the wholesale egg-taking in the Shetlands, and its de-
struction in the Faeroes, this fine species must soon cease
to exist in the eastern area of its range. That such per-
secution not only prevails, but is rampant, is made clearly
manifest by the following reports which have been most
kindly furnished by my friends Mrs. Traill and Mr. Frank
Traill for Shetland, and Colonel Feilden for Faeroe.

FOULA.

Before proceeding to report upon the past year, it may
be useful to remark that until the present decade, thanks to

THE PERSECUTION OF THE GREAT SKUA 9

the direct influence of the late Dr. Scott, the proprietor, this
colony had greatly increased. During the breeding seasons
of 1890 and 1891 the Foula colony, now the largest in
Europe, suffered so severely through egg-taking, that practi-
cally no young birds were produced in those years. In
1892 a happy combination of circumstances fortunately
prevented undue molestation.

Let us see how they fared in the summer of 1893. Mrs.
Traill and her son report as follows :

The year 1893 has been a particularly bad one for the Great
Skuas in Foula. They arrived during the first week in April, a little
earlier than usual, and began to lay about i2th May. It is known
that the whole first and second layings and one or two eggs out of
the third were taken, and this is to be attributed to several causes.
In the first place, the poverty of the people made every penny of
great consequence ; and though there were few tourists this year, two
sloops from Orkney, which had come for trading purposes, bought a
great many eggs. Indeed, it was reported that one of these vessels
had taken away between twelve and twenty dozen of Bonxie's eggs.
An egg- dealer from Scalloway also came over and purchased a
considerable number. The entire blame of this wholesale taking
must not be ascribed to the people alone, as a gentleman from
England who paid a short visit here made no secret of the specimens
which he took. That the birds feel disturbed is evident from the
fact that they are shifting their breeding ground from one part of the
hills to another.

It is quite certain that if the Great Skua is not to entirely dis-
appear from Foula, something must be done before next year to
protect their eggs.

Mr. Traill also reports that during his many rambles over the
island during the past summer he never came across a single nestling;
and it seems highly probable that not a single young bird was reared
by the colony. We have already stated that the same result happened
in 1890, and again in 1891. How long can this state of affairs
continue ? If three out of four breeding seasons are to result in no
progeny being reared, the end must surely come before many more
years have elapsed.

FAROES.

Colonel Feilden has kindly communicated the fol-
lowing :

Svabo, writing his memoirs of the Faroes in 1782, which still
remain in manuscript in the archives of the Royal Library at Copen-

io ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

hagen, records that in ancient days the island of Skuce, which
probably derived its name from the bird, produced 6000 young of
the Great Skua yearly. He mentions that they were very numerous
at one time on the islands of Vaagoe and Stromoe. Svabo, observ-
ing the rapacious habits of the Great Skua, and the damage they did
to the Fuglebergs by destroying both the eggs and young of the sea-
fowl breeding in the rock-nurseries, suggested that they should be
taxed as birds of prey, and his recommendations were acted on, and
the Great Skua became incorporated in the "black-list," two bills of
this species being adjudged the equivalent of one of the Raven.
During recent years the laws relating to Nccbbetold in the Faroes,
which obliged every man entering a boat (the equivalent of every
able-bodied man throughout the islands) to deliver yearly to the
authorities the bills of a Raven, or one Raven's brood, the bills of
two Crows, or two Great Black-backed Gulls, or two Great Skuas, have
been repealed, and a small reward is paid to the bringer of the bills
of birds in the." black-list " by the Sysselmand, on behalf of the com-
munity. In the year 1872 I visited the Faeroes, and subsequently
gave a list of the birds in the "Zoologist" for the same year. In
that paper I referred to the diminution in the numbers of the Great
Skua, and pointed out that before many years had elapsed that noble
bird would be exterminated as a breeding species ; I even hazarded
the opinion that probably in the course of another ten years the
Great Skua would no longer be found breeding in the Faroes. I am
happy to say that my predictions have not yet been fulfilled to the
letter, but I do not think the extermination of this grand species can
be much longer delayed. In 1872 I attempted to make a list of the
then breeding places and the number of pairs nesting in each
locality. I enumerated seven breeding stations with about forty
nesting pairs, but I think I rather under-estimated the number ; I
certainly overlooked one breeding station in Stromce, and probably
if I had given the number of pairs nesting throughout the islands in
1872 as fifty, I should have been very near the mark. After a
lapse of twenty years I revisited the Faroes, and passed the month of
June 1892 there. I was struck by the general diminution in the
bird-life from what I remembered twenty years before, but was
pleased to learn that the local legislature had realised the fact,
and stringent laws had been passed to protect the birds, eggs,
and young of all the species, not included in the " black-list," which
nest in the Faroes. These regulations are subsidiary to the old
laws relating to the " Fuglebergs." In many instances both the
Great and Richardson's Skua were shot down for bait by the fisher-
men. I again visited the Faroes in July and August of 1893, and
passed four weeks amongst those islands. During the whole of my
visit I did not see a single Great Skua on the wing. I was informed
that they no longer bred on either the Great or Little Dimon ; that

THE PERSECUTION OF THE GREAT SKUA 11

not more than one, or perhaps two pairs, had nested this year in
Sandoe. On the i4th July I found a young Great Skua, half tame,
in the village of Skaapen, in the island of Sandoe, which had been
taken from the nest about a fortnight previously. I secured it, and
sent it to Herr Milller in Thorshavn, for transmission to the Zoo-
logical Gardens in Copenhagen. Sysselmand Winther of Sandoe
was of opinion that this young bird represented the whole of the
progeny of the species that had been hatched out this year in
Sandoe. On the 25th July, I and my companion, Mr. Folmer
Hansen of Copenhagen, found a healthy young Skua in captivity in
the village of Saxen, which devoured small trout of six inches long
without tearing them in pieces. The owner did not care to part with
the bird. It had been brought from a spot in the neighbourhood
called Eggen, where four pairs had bred. The same day we found
in the kitchen of Mr. Jan David Olsen of Saxen two young Skuas
which had been killed on Eggen in the morning. They were cooked
as part of our supper, and Mr. Hansen and I ate them. On ex-
pressing to our host regret that these fine birds should be put to such
ignoble use, and that we should have much preferred to see them
alive, our kind host, without mentioning the matter to us, despatched
the following day one of his shepherds to the fells. At nightfall the
man returned with a single young bird. This we hoped to send also
to Copenhagen, but unfortunately later on one of its legs got broken,
and it died. In Bordoe we had no time to visit the spot where
formerly a thriving colony existed, but we were informed that, if not
exterminated altogether, certainly not more than one or two pairs
nested there this year. I did not get any exact particulars about the
colonies formerly existing in the north isles of Viderce and Svinoe,
which twenty years ago consisted of five and seven pairs respectively,
but I was led to believe that if not exterminated there they were
reduced to one or two breeding pairs. The ultimate extinction of
the Great Skua as a breeding species in the Fasroes cannot be long
delayed, as the slight protection given to the bird by the owners of
the localities where it still breeds is entirely for the sake of the
young as an addition to their food supply.

Thus we have the declared testimony of the highest
authorities, based upon personal observation and experience,
that unless some measure of protection is immediately
afforded to the Great Skua, this fine bird must soon cease to
exist in Europe. Should this be so, history will in all
probability repeat itself, and then, like the Great Auk, which
in its distribution it so closely resembles, the Great Skua
will be hunted clown to supply " the ruthless trade in its
eggs and skins " in its north-western haunts.

12 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Ornithologists generally are of opinion that some score
of British birds are in great need of protection at all seasons,
and that such protection should apply also to their eggs.
Indeed, more than one measure has been promoted to effect
these desirable ends within the past few years ; and at the
present time such an one is under consideration, which is
only delayed because our authorities unfortunately differ as
to How this protection should be applied. It is greatly to
be hoped that such difficulties as these may be at once over-
come, and that the Great Skua may receive that protection
which all lovers of nature who are familiar with it in its
native haunts are most desirous should be afforded to it.

A LIST OF THE MACRO-LEPIDOPTERA FOUND
IN THE PARISH OF ARDCLACH, NAIRN-
SHIRE.

By R. THOMSON.

THE parish of Ardclach occupies the south-eastern portion
of Nairnshire, and covers an area of about eighty square
miles. It is almost equally intersected by the river Find-
horn, along whose banks are to be found a rich and varied
growth of both mountain and lowland vegetation. The
surface generally overlies the geological formations of granite
and gneiss, and slopes towards the Moray Firth. The average
elevation is about six hundred feet; but, with a fewunimportant
exceptions it is, over all, well under a thousand. In addition
to a considerable extent of highly cultivated arable ground,
there are large tracts of moss, moor, and woodland. Along
the water-courses the margins are skirted with alder, birch,
and various species of willow, with here and there a few
clumps of bird-cherry. But the forest trees are chiefly Scots
fir, and larch, as well as a considerable sprinkling of oak,
ash, and elm. Hitherto, in the interests of science, this field
has seldom, if ever, been trodden by any practical entomologist.
The Rev. Dr. Gordon's " List of Lepidoptera found within the
Province of Moray," published in the " Zoologist " for August
I 86 1, theoretically included the southern portion of Nairn-

MACRO-LEPIDOPTERA FOUND IN NAIRNSHIRE 13

shire ; but hitherto, for this branch of natural history, the
writer has had this district for many years all to himself.
As the result of his labours, however, there are no rarities,
no startling discoveries, in the following list, and its chief
merit must therefore be only some additional aid in settling
more accurately the northern distribution of several species.
Ninety-nine per cent are personal local captures, there being
scarcely one which is not now represented in the author's
cabinet. It is possible that an individual or two may be
misnamed, but they have all been identified with the greatest
care. A few doubtful insects were submitted to an expert
in London, and afterwards minutely compared with the
special description in Newman's " Natural History of British
Butterflies and Moths." So far there has been no desire on
our part to possess a full series of the British Lepidoptera,
but simply an earnest attempt to make the local collection
as complete as possible.

Argynnis aglaia. Occasional. On the hillsides and open woods
partially covered with Pteris aquilina : only a few captures.
A. euphrosym. Occurs in considerable numbers in Ferness
Woods and along the whole valley of the Findhorn.

Vanessa urticce. As common as it is pretty. Bold enough to
familiarly enter our houses, it sometimes hibernates in our
rooms during the winter.

Pyrameis atalanta. Variable in its appearance in Ardclach, but
usually scarce. Several good specimens were taken at Ferness
in August 1893. P. cardui. -Took several insects in the
garden of the Schoolhouse at Ardclach t in 1882 and 1884,
but have not observed any since.

Erebia medea. Appears in great numbers every year on the banks
of the Findhorn. This season it was out on the 6th July.

Epinephek janira. Generally abundant in every meadow.

Cixnonympha damis. Occurs on the moors, but not common.
C. painphilus. Frequent on our heaths and rough pastures,
and ascends to the highest elevations in the parish.

Theda rubi. Never plentiful, but may usually be met with now and
again in our woods and heaths all over the district.

Polyommatus phlozas. Common in the lower reaches of Nairnshire,
but crosses the Findhorn very sparingly towards the moors.

LycKita icarus. Frequent all over the parish.

i 4 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Anthocharis cardamines, Has been taken on the banks of the
Findhorn, but rare.

Pieris napi. Always abundant. P. rapcc, Abundant. P. brassier.
Only too common every year.

Hesperia tages. Occasional on the dry moors and hillsides.
Smerinthus popidi. Rare. Willie Scott, Glenferness, 5th July 1887.

\Cossus ligniperda.- Occurs pretty often in oak woods in Nairnshire,
but no specimen has hitherto been taken in Ardclach.]

Hepialus lupuHnus. Frequent. H. velleda. Frequent. H. humuli.
For the most part the ravages of this insect are confined in
Nairnshire to the roots of the nettle and burdock. Great
numbers are annually caught and devoured on the wing during
the fine summer evenings by the black-headed gulls (Lams
ridibitndus).

Chelonia plantaginis. Frequent on the dry moors and hillsides.
C. caja. The country people always look on this insect as a
butterfly, and often send it to us as a great discovery.

Arctia fuliginosa. The larvae are oftener seen than the perfect
insect, which, being rather sluggish, is frequently caught at
rest. A. menthastri. The larvae show great diversity in their
colouring, from pure black to light brown.

Orgy ia fascelina. Occasional on the heaths. O. antiqua.-
Occasional.

Demas coryli. Occasional.
Trichiura crattzgi. Occasional.

Bombyx rubi. Frequent on the moors, but the imago is usually bred
from the caterpillar. B. qucrcus. Frequent on the heath, but
the perfect insect has usually to be bred.

Sciturnia carpini. Frequent on the moors, but seldom caught on
the wing. Both the insect and its larva are greatly admired
when discovered by the country folk.

Rumia cratxgata. Appears in great numbers throughout the
summer, and is esteemed a beautiful creature by every one.

Venilia maculata. Occasional in Ferness woods and river side.

Metrocampa margaritaria. Occurs in considerable numbers in our
woods, among oak, birch, and elm.

Ellopia fasriaria.- Plentiful in the fir woods. The perfect insect
soon becomes worn.

Sclenia ilhinaria. Rare. 6". lunaria. Rare, as its food plant,
Primus spinosa, is not plentiful.

Odontopera bidentata. Sometimes only too easily captured.

MACRO-LEPIDOPTERA FOUND IN NAIRNSHIRE 15

Crocallis elinguaria. Rare, as its favourite food plant, Lonicera
periclyinemon, is scarce.

Amphydasis betularia. One specimen taken by Mrs. Thomson at
the river side, i5th June 1889.

Boarmia repandata. Often rather too plentiful. B. rhomboidaria.
Not so common as the former.

Dasydia obfuscata. In all I have only taken four specimens.

Ephyra pendularia. Rare.

Vemisia cambricaria. Has occurred, but should be more plentiful.

Acidalia rusticata. Rare. A. remutata. Rare. A. aversata and
var. Rare.

Cabera pusaria. Common along the banks of the Findhorn.
Macaria liturata. Frequent in Ferness fir woods.
Numeria pulveraria. One specimen in 1886.

Fidonia carbonaria.- Frequent among heath. F. atomaria. Plenti-
ful. F. piniaria. The males are very common in the fir
woods, but the females are very seldom seen.

Hybernia defoliaria. One specimen by Mrs. Thomson at the
Ferness Schoolhouse, 26th November 1892.

Cheimatobia brumata. Very plentiful in December 1892.

Oporabia dilutata. Frequent in a mild season. O. filigrammaria
Occasional.

Larentia didymata. Everywhere. L. cizsiata. Very numerous,
and usually good specimens. L. olivata. Generally distributed,
but not common. L. pectinitaria. Its colour is very fugitive,
but if the wing is completely covered up when drying it preserves
much of its original beauty.

Emmelesia alchemillata. Common.
Lobophora lobulata. Occasional.

Thera juniperata. Scarcely frequent. T. simiilata. Frequent.
T. obeliscata. Occurs in fir woods.

Ypsipetes ruberata. -- Common. Y. elutata. Common. Y.
impluviata. Not so frequent.

Melanthia ocellata. Common, and usually in good condition.

Melanippe subtristata. Frequent. M. montanata. Very common.
The normal type is not always constant. M. fluctuata.
Frequent throughout the summer.

Anticlea badiata. Occasional. A, derivata. Rare. Willie Scott,
Glenferness one, 3rd May 1887.

Coremia inunitata. Common. C. ferrugata. Frequent.

16 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Camptogramma bilinea fa.-- Common everywhere. Considerable
differences in markings.

Cidaria psittacata. Occasional if the autumn be mild. C. miata.
A few specimens usually turn up every autumn. C. corylata.
Occasional. C. albo-crenata}- Rare. C. centiiin-notata?-
Very common. C. comma-notata?- Rare. C. immanata. Very
common. C. marmorata? Occasional. C. siiffinnata.
Frequent. C. silaceata. Occasional. C. iestata. Common
on the moors. C. populata. Common. C. fulvata. Frequent.

Eubolia mensuraria. Frequent. E. palumbaria. Seldom found
on the east side of the Findhorn.

Anaitis plagiata. Frequent on the left bank of the Findhorn.

Chesias spartiata. Plentiful where its food plant (Sparthun scoparium}
occurs on the west side of the river Findhorn. C. obliqiiaria.
Occasional in the same habitats as the former.

Tanagra chccrophyllata. Common by the sides of the Findhorn.

Platypteryx lacertula. A scarce insect, though the birch is general
in the parish. P. falcula. Occasional.

Dicranura vinula. The caterpillars are sometimes very destructive
to Populus trcmula, but in Ardclach the perfect insects for the
cabinet have usually to be reared.

Pygtzra bucephala. Occurs in Nairnshire, near the borders o
Ardclach.

Thyatira bails. Has been found sparingly in the sheltered hollows.
Cymatophora duplaris. Occasional in the lower reaches of the
parish. C. flavicornis. Rare.

Acronycta psi. Frequent. A. leporina. One specimen in Dulsie
Wood, by Mrs. Thomson, June 1884. A. megacephala.-
Occasional. A. myricce. Frequent.

Leucania conigera. - - Frequent. L. lithargyria, - - Frequent. Z.
pallens. Frequent.

Hydrcccia nictitans. Common. A few specimens, with little or no
trace of white in the reniform, have occurred. Comes freely to
light. H. micacea. Common throughout the autumn months.
Easily attracted by light.

Xylophasia rurea. Common. It may be often found visiting
bramble flowers. X. polyodon. The larvae do not appear to do
much harm in Nairnshire. A very dark variety is occasionally
met with.

1 A mere variety of C. corylata. ED. " Synonyms of C. tntncata. ED.

3 A variety of C. immanata. ED.

MACRO-LEPIDOPTERA FOUND IN NAIRNSHIRE 17

Cliartzas gm/ninis. Although the perfect insect may be frequently
enough seen on the flowers of Senecio Jacobcea, the caterpillars
do not bear among us their usual reputation of incorrigible
evil-doers.

Luperina testacea. It appears to do little or no harm here.
Mamestra brassicce. The larvae do less harm than the genus Pieris.

Apamea basilinea. Not a destructive insect in Ardclach. A. gemina.
Frequent.

Miana fasciuncula. Is usually found flying over the hay-fields, but
never common.

Caradrina cubicularis. A rather familiar inmate in most houses.

Agrotis ralligera. - - Occurs sparingly. A. nigricans. - - Frequent.
Comes to light. A. tritici. Frequent on the blossoms of
bramble. A. porphyrea. Frequent on the heaths. A. prcecox.
Not common. A. pyrophila. Occasional.

Tryphcena ianthina. Frequent. T, orbona. Frequent. T.pronuba.
Frequent.

Noctua glareosa. Frequent. It comes to light but may often be
taken on the flowers of Senecio Jacobcea at night.

N. augur. Frequent. N. pkcta. Common. N. C-nigrum.
Frequent, and may be taken on bramble flowers. N. trianguluin,
Rare. N. rubi. Common. N. baja. Frequent. N.
x'anthographa. Common.

Toeniocampa gothica. Frequent. T. instabilis. Rare.
Anchocelis rufina. Occasional. Its food plant, oak, is not plentiful.
A. litura. Occasional.

Scopelosoina satellitia, Rare. One specimen taken at Ferness.
Xanthia cerago. Occasional. X. silago. Rare.

Euperia fulvago. One specimen found in the Schoolhouse at
Ardclach, i6th August 1889.

Dianthada ciicubali. Occasional.

Polia chi. Not common, but a season seldom passes without a few
captures being made.

Epunda lutulenta. Rare. E. nigra. Frequent. Attracted by light.
E. viminalis. One specimen at the Schoolhouse, Ferness,
August 1893.

Miselia oxyacanthce. Occasional.

PJilogophora mdiculosa. Bred one specimen, i4th October 1883.

Enplexia lucipara. Occasional.

Aplecta nebulosa. Rare.

9 C

iS ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Hadena adusta. Occasional.

H. glauca. Rare. H. dentina. Frequent. H. okracea. Common.
H. thalassina. Occasional. H. rcctillnea. Occasional.

Calocampa exoleta. One specimen taken by Mr. Ludovic M 'Donald,
Ferness, 24th October 1887.

Cucullia nmbratica. Half a dozen specimens taken in the dusk on
the flowers of Lychnis vespertina.

Anarta cordigera. One specimen taken on the moor of Aitnoch,
Glenferness, by Willie Scott, Drummore, 26th May 1885. A.
myrtilli. Took one specimen in Ferness Wood, 2oth June
1891, and another in the Schoolhouse Garden on the gth May
1893.

Brephos parthcnias. Occasional in the early spring.'
Abrostola nrticce. Common.

Plusia chrysitis. --Occasional. P. bractea. - - Rare. P. festuccE.
Rare. P. iota. Rare. P. gamma. This destructive
insect seldom causes much injury here. It may be met with
from spring to autumn. P. interrogationis. Rare.

A mphipyra tragopogonis. Common.

ON SOME NEW AND RARE SCOTCH SPIDERS.
By the Rev. O. P. CAMBRIDGE, M.A., F.R.S., etc.

PLATE I.

IT gives me great pleasure to comply with the suggestion
of Mr. William Evans (to whose researches the capture of
many rare and some new Scotch Spiders is due) that I should
describe some which he has had the kindness to send to me,
in the "Annals of Scottish Natural History"; and my thanks
are due to the editors of that journal for their ready ac-
quiescence in Mr. Evans's suggestion.

The List of Scotch Spiders has now reached a very
respectable length, but there is reason to believe that numerous
other species yet remain to reward the collector's work, not
only on the higher mountain ranges but also in the valleys
and lowlands, none of which localities can be said to have
yet had any at all extensive areas thoroughly worked. In
addition to those sent to me by Mr. Evans, 1 have described

ANN. SCOT NAT. HIST. 1894

PLATE I .

^ uu ^
6 00^

i q

CL

Z

4

MEW AND RARE SCOTTISH SPIDERS.

? Cambridge del
A T Holhck lith

ON SOME NEW AND RARE SCOTCH SPIDERS 19

here also one species sent to me by my cousin, the late Colonel
Pickard, R.A., V.C., etc., from the island of Colonsay, many
years ago, but only just now determined to be new.

ARACHNIDA. 1
ARANEIDEA.

Fam. THERIDIIM:.
Gen. TYPHOCRESTUS, Sim. (Nertene, Bl., adfartem).

TITHOCRESTUS DIGIT A TUS, Camb.

Erigone digttata, Camb., " Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond.," 1872, p. 758,

Plate LXVI. Fig. 14.

TypJwcrestus digitatus, Camb., Sim., Aran. de France, 1884, tome v.
part 3, p. 584, Figs. 399-401.

ADULT MALE. Length, frds of a line. Cephalothorax, oval,
obtuse at each end, scarcely any lateral marginal constriction at the
junction of the caput and thorax, rising gradually from the hinder
margin to the occiput, which is a little, but not abruptly, gibbous ;
clypeus a little prominent, and equal in height to half that of the
facial space. On each side, behind the lateral pairs of eyes, is a con-
spicuous, deep, longitudinal excavation or indentation running to a
point backwards ; the upper margin of this is marked (in the example
under consideration) with a strong black line which runs round
behind the occiput, forming there an obtuse point, and giving the
impression, when looked at from above and behind, of the portion
enclosed being divided horizontally from the thorax. This, however,
is only apparent, as in fact there is no such division, though doubt-
less that would be at some period the result of an apparently pro-
gressive development. No such line as that above mentioned was
visible in the German type of this species, nor is it in an example
once received for examination from Holland ; something, however,
of the kind is represented in the figure given (loc. at. supra] by M.
Simon. The caput has a few short hairs on it ; and the colour
of the cephalothorax is a greenish olive brown, with black con-
verging lateral markings and margin. Eyes, small, in two transverse,
slightly curved or nearly parallel rows; the laterals are largest,
the hind lateral eye largest of the eight ; the posterior row,
looked at from above and laterally, very nearly straight. The hind-
central eyes are scarcely more than an eye's diameter apart, but are
farther from the hind-laterals and a little closer to the fore-centrals,
which last are smallest of the eight, and contiguous to each other.

1 The arrangement of the Spiders included here is not intended to be rigidly
systematic.

20 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Legs, not very long, subequal, 4, i, 2, 3, slender, furnished simply with
fine hairs, and of a yellower brown hue than the cephalothorax.
Palpi, similar to the legs in colour, excepting the radial joint, which
is strongly suffused with dark yellow-brown. They are rather short,
the cubital and radial joints about equal in length. The latter is
strongest, and has its fore extremity on the upper side produced into
a rather short, finger-like, tapering apophysis on the inner side, and a
shorter but broader and squarely truncated one close to it on the
outer side. The digital joint is small. The palpal organs are rather
complex, prominent near the middle on the outer side, with a slender
coiled black spine at their extremity ; and within its coil is another
prominent black spine, rather bent in the middle, and at first sight
giving the appearance of a duplex termination to the coiled spine.
Falces, moderately strong, about equal in length to the height of the
facial space, and slightly divergent towards their extremity, where, on
the inner side, they are furnished with a few very fine denticulations.
Maxilla, moderate in length, very strong at their base, and their
extremities almost touching over the labium. Labium, small, rather
broader than long, its apex somewhat rounded. Sternum, large,
very convex and glossy, heart-shaped, with the posterior point rather
broad and obtuse ; it is of a sooty-olive hue, the fakes, maxillae, and
labium being like the legs in colour. Abdomen, oval, sooty-black,
shining, and furnished sparingly with short fine hairs.

The example above described was found at Aberlady, Scotland,
by Mr. William Evans of Edinburgh, and kindly sent to me through
Mr. G. H. Carpenter of the Museum of Science and Art, Dublin.
Although differing in some slight respects from T. digitatus, Camb.,
I feel tolerably certain (in the unfortunate absence of the type for
comparison) that it belongs to that species. The occurrence of this
spider in Scotland is its first record in Great Britain.

Gen. nov. CALEDONIA.

Cephalothorax, broad-oval, obtusely rounded in front, lateral
marginal constrictions at the caput scarcely perceptible. Caput broad,
obtuse, well rounded, but not elevated ; in profile the rise is gradual
from behind to the occiput, where there is a slight dip, and which is
roundly convex, but scarcely gibbous. The height of the clypeus,
which is nearly vertical, is scarcely more than one-third that of the
facial space. Eyes, of moderate size, sub-equal, excepting those of
the fore-central pair, which are smallest. They occupy the whole
width of the caput and form a large triangle whose base is much
longer than its perpendicular height, and its apex (formed by the fore-
central eyes) truncated. Legs, moderately long, 4, i, 2, 3, slender,
furnished with hairs and a few erect, slender, bristle-like spines
i on the genua, and i to 2 on the tibiae. Falces, not very strong,
rather long, divergent, and furnished on the inner side near their

ON SOME NEW AND RARE SCOTCH SPIDERS 21

extremities with some fine sharp teeth. Maxillcc, rather long,
strong at the base, somewhat narrowing to their extremities, which
are strongly inclined, but do not meet over the labium. Labiuw,
short, somewhat semicircular, with a transverse groove or impression.
Sternum broad, heart-shaped, and convex, its hinder extremity
obtusely pointed.

CALEDONIA EI'ANSII, sp. nov.

Plate I. Fig. 4.

ADULT MALE (abdomen wanting). Length of cephalothorax, \
of a line. The cephalothorax and fakes are yellow-brown, the legs,
palpi, and fakes of a paler hue, and the sternum dark brown. The
eyes are in two transverse rows, or four pairs, on small black spots ;
the posterior row (looked at from above and on the side) is straight,
or if anything it has a very slight curve, whose convexity is directed
forwards, the anterior row greatly curved forwards. Those of the
hinder row are divided by equal intervals. The lateral pairs are
placed on a very slight tubercle, quite on the side of the caput, and
almost squarely to the line of the hind-central pair ; and the fore-
central pair is placed far below, its eyes being not quite contiguous
to each other. IL\\Q. palpi are short, similar to the legs in colour;
the radial and cubital joints are very short the former has its
fore extremity on the upper side produced into a tapering, rather
hooked, sharp-pointed apophysis directed downwards. The digital
joint is rather large. The palpal organs complex, with prominent
lobes and processes, and a tolerably strong, coiled, prominent spine
near their extremity.

Although strongly averse to the needless multiplication of the
genera of these minute spiders, I cannot at present find a place
for the one here described in any genus yet characterised. It
appears to come nearest to Tapinocyba, Sim., but the position of
the eyes is peculiar and very different from that genus, and there is
no longitudinal groove or indentation running backwards from the
lateral pairs of eyes, as in all known males of Tapinocyba. The
fragment from which the above description has been made (destitute
of several legs, one palpus, and the abdomen) was sent to me, through
Mr. G. H. Carpenter, by Mr. William Evans, by whom the spider
was found on the Pentlands in Scotland, and whose name I have
great pleasure in connecting with it.

Gen. GONGYLIDIUM, Menge (Neriene, Bl., ad partcui).

GONGYLIDIUM MORUM, Sp. nOV.

Plate I. Fig. 2.

ADULT FEMALE. Length, y^th of an inch. Cephalothorax,
oval, much longer than broad, obtuse, and narrowest in front; lateral

22 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

marginal constriction very slight, profile line very slightly hollow just
behind the occiput, otherwise tolerably uniformly curved, occiput
fairly convex and rounded ; height of clypeus rather less than half
that of the facial space. Colour, deep glossy blackish brown. Eyes,
in two transverse rows, of moderate size, sub-equal, posterior row
curved, the convexity of the curve directed backwards ; anterior
row nearly straight, the convexity of its slight curve directed for-
wards. The eyes of the hind- central pair are separated by a
diameter's interval, and from the laterals by a very little more. The
fore-centrals are near together, but not contiguous to each other,
and each is a diameter's distance from the fore-lateral eye on its
side. The four centrals form a trapezoid perceptibly longer than
broad, and narrowest in front. Each lateral pair is placed slightly
obliquely on a very small tubercle. Legs, moderate in length and
strength, 4, i, 2, 3, furnished with short hairs and a single slender,
erect, bristle-like spine on the genua, and two or more still finer on
the tibia. Their colour is orange yellow. The tarsi of the fourth
pair are very slightly shorter than the metatarsi. Falces, tolerably
long, strong, straight, dark olive brown. Maxilla, Labiitin, and
Sternum, blackish brown. Abdomen, oval, black, and clothed fairly
with short fine hairs. Genital aperture not conspicuous, but of
characteristic form.

Found at Aberlady, Scotland, by Mr. William Evans, and
received from him through Mr. G. H. Carpenter.

Gen. TMETICUS, Menge (Neriene and Linyphia, Bl., ad parteni).

? TMETICUS XEGLECTUS, sp. nov.
Plate I. Fig. 3.

ADULT FEMALE.- Length, i line. Cephalothorax, considerably
longer than broad ; the fore extremity tolerably broad, rounded ;
the lateral marginal impressions at the junction of the caput and
thorax well marked, but not abrupt. The profile line follows a
tolerably even curve from the hinder extremity to the eyes, a little
flattened from the occiput to the hinder slope ; colour, clear yellow
brown. Clypeus, slightly impressed, its height being a little less
than half that of the facial space. Eyes, on black spots, in two
transverse curved rows forming a transverse oval figure, broader
than long. The posterior row is much the most strongly curved, so
that a line drawn to touch the anterior rims of the hind -central pair
would run well above the upper rims of the hind-lateral eyes. The
interval between the hind-centrals is equal to a diameter, and is
considerably less than that between each and the hind-lateral eye
next to it. The lateral eyes are placed rather obliquely, each pair
on a tubercle ; they are the largest of the eight, but are not quite
contiguous to each other. The interval between the fore -centrals

ON SOME NEW AND RARE SCOTCH SPIDERS 23

is about half a diameter, and is rather greater than that between each
and the fore -lateral eye next to it. The four central eyes form a
trapezoid much longer than broad, its posterior side being shortest.
Legs, rather short, i, 4, 2, 3, tolerably robust; similar in colour to
the cephalothorax. They are furnished with hairs and a few erect
spiniform bristles one on the genua, two on the tibiae, and one
or two near the extremity beneath the femora. The tarsi of
the fourth pair are considerably shorter than the metatarsi. Palpi,
similar in colour to the legs. Falces, long, strong, straight, similar
to the cephalothorax in colour ; armed with a row of 4 to 6 teeth
near the inner extremity, the second and third from the inner side
longest and strongest, and five very minute ones in a row a little
behind them, also several small scattered tubercles above them, each
surmounted by a fine bristle. Maxillce, moderate in length, strong,
straight, obliquely truncate on the outer extremity, rather rounded
on the inner side, inclined towards but not nearly touching over the
labium ; its colour is similar to that of the falces. Labium, of
moderate size, broader than high, nearly semicircular, but rather
flattened at the apex ; yellow brown suffused with blackish. Sternum,
heart-shaped, cut off in nearly a straight transverse line in front, and
drawn out behind into a strong obtuse point between the coxae of
the fourth pair of legs. Colour, yellow-brown highly suffused with
blackish brown. Abdomen, short-oval, olive brown, thickly covered,
when seen under a lens in spirits of wine, with pale yellowish spots
and markings disposed with some regularity in variously directed
lines. Spinners, short, rather strong ; and immediately in front of
the inferior and strongest pair is a transverse angular slit with a
distinctly free lip, and evidently the orifice to some tracheal organs.
Genital aperture large, and rather complex ; only a figure can give
any adequate idea of it.

An example of this spider was received many years ago from my
cousin, the late Colonel Pickard, R.A., by whom it was found in the
island of Colonsay. I do not feel certain as to the exact generic
position of this spider, but it seems to agree best with Tmeticus, Sim.

i

Fam. LYCOSID.E.

Gen. TROCHOSA, C. L. Koch.

TROCHOSA BIUNGUICULATA, Camb.

Plate I. Fig. i.

Trochosa biunguiculata, Camb., " Trans. Linn. Soc.," xxvii. p. 526,
Plate XIV. Fig. 2., and " Spid. Dors.," p. 544.

ADULT FEMALE. Length, 5 lines; length of cephalothorax, 2\
lines ; breadth of cephalothorax, 1 f lines. Cephalothorax, yellow-brown
tinged with orange-brown, suffused on the sides of the thorax with

24 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

darker, clothed with short gray hairs and some strong bristles at the
fore part of the caput ; the two oblique lateral indentations at the
junction of the caput and thorax are strong, and marked by a strong
black stripe on each side, which is continued on the margin of the
fore extremity of the caput, and there is a black patch on either side of
the middle of the posterior slope. The thoracic indentation is indi-
cated by a blackish longitudinal line, furcate at its fore extremity ; the
lateral converging indentations are also indicated by dark brown,
dusky lines. Eyes, in normal position; the line formed by those of the
posterior pair is rather the longest ; the other two lines are nearly
equal. The eyes of the middle line are largest. Legs, moder-
ately long, strong, tapering, fairly but not densely clothed with
gray and other hairs, and armed with spines ; these are strongest on
the legs of the third and fourth pairs. All the tibiae and metatarsi
have three pairs in two parallel rows beneath them, excepting the
metatarsi of the fourth pair, beneath which the spines are stronger,
rather more numerous, and not so symmetrically disposed as on the
metatarsi of the first and second pairs. The colour of the legs is of
an orange yellow hue ; the coxal, exinguirial, and posterior half of the
femoral joints are more or less suffused and marked with black and
deep brown ; the other joints are faintly and imperfectly annulated, or
marked with brown or blackish. The hairs beneath the tarsi and
metatarsi are blackish ; beneath the former they almost amount to a
scopula. The Fakes are long and powerful, and of a black hue, with
an orange-brown patch in front, and clothed with hairs and bristles.
The Maxilla, Labiitm, and Sternum are black, the two former slightly
tipped with whitish. Abdomen, oval, of an orange-yellow-brown
colour, brightest above, especially towards the fore extremity,
clothed with short gray and, thinly, with longer dark hairs. Along
the middle of the anterior half the position of the dorsal vessel is
indicated by a longitudinal, tapering stripe densely clothed with
short white hairs or pubescence, broadest and slightly angularly
prominent near the middle, and obtusely pointed at its hinder
extremity. The angular prominences and the hinder extremity of
this stripe are rather strongly dashed or marked on the margins with
black, and following it towards the spinners are 3 to 4 transverse
angular lines or small chevrons ending in a black spot on each side ;
just above the spinners are two short, pale, whitish yellow, nearly
parallel longitudinal lines. The anterior extremity of the abdomen
is marked with a short curved black bar on each side of the central
white stripe, and the sides have each two nearly straight rows of black
spots directed obliquely backwards. The under side is dark brown
with a broad, longitudinal, central black-brown band. The genital
aperture is not conspicuous, but of characteristic form.

The example above described was found by Mr. William Evans
at Aviemore in Scotland, and kindly sent to me through Mr.

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS FLORA OF EAST SUTHERLAND 25

G. H. Carpenter. This sex (female) is new to science, the male
only having been previously met with at Braemar by Professor Trail

(loc. at. supra}.

EXPLANATION OF PLATE I.
FIG.

1. Trochosa biunguicztlata, Camb. $

a, Spider enlarged ; b, do. natural length.

2. Gongylidhun morum, sp. nov. $

a, Profile of cephalothorax ; b, cephalothorax from above and behind ;
c, eyes do. ; d, genital aperture ; e, length of spicier.

3. Tmeticiis iiegi'ectns, sp. nov. $

a, Cephalothorax from above and behind ; b, eyes do. : c, cephalothorax
in profile ; d, sternum ; e, genital aperture ; f, length of spider.

4. Caledonia Evansii, sp. nov. $

, Cephalothorax from above and behind ; b, do. nearly in profile ; c,
eyes from in front ; d, sternum, maxilke, and labium ; e, left palpus ;
/, radial and cubital joints of palpus in profile ; g, length of cephalo-
thorax.

CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS A FLORA OF EAST
SUTHERLAND (continued}.

By ARTHUR BENNETT, F.L.S.

POTAMOGETON PERFOLiATUS. Synie, sp., in Herb. Brit. Museum ;
near Invershin, Dr. Craig, I.e.

POTAMOGETON NATANS. Forsinard. Grant, sp.
POTAMOGETON POLYGONIFOLIUS. Grant, sp.
ZOSTERA MARINA. Seashore, East Golspie, Grant, sp.

SPARGANIUM MINIMUM. Oliver, sp. ; H. C. Watson; near Invershin,
Dr. Craig, I.e.

(SPARGANIUM SIMPLEX AND S. RAMOSUM. Not recorded.)
JUNCUS CONGLOMERATUS. Golspie Burn, Grant, sp.
JUNCUS EFFUSUS. Between Kinbrace and Kildonan, Grant.
JUNCUS LAMPROCARPUS. Golspie Tower, Grant, sp.

JUNCUS SUPINUS, var. KOCHII. East side of Ben Clibrich, Marshall.
var. ULIGINOSUS. Bealich Pass, below Ben Clibrich, on east
side, Marshall.

JUNCUS GERARDI. Ferry Wood, at Golspie, Grant.

JUNCUS BUFONIUS AND J. SQUARROSUS. Between Kinbrace and
Kildonan, Grant.

JUNCUS TRIFIDUS. East side of Ben Clibrich, Marshall.

LUZULA SYLVATICA AND L. piLOSA. Between Kinbrace and Kil-
donan.

26 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY
LUZULA CAMPESTRIS AND L. MULTIFLORA. H. C. WatsOU.

LUZULA SPICATA. East side of Ben Clibrich, Marshall.

SCHCENUS NIGRICANS. C. Babitigton, sp. ; H. C. Watson ; between
Kinbrace and Kildonan, Grant.

RHYNCHOSPORA ALBA. Campbell, sp. ; H. C. Watson; Loch Shin,
Murray's '''Northern Flora."

BLYSMUS RUFUS. Ferry Wood, at Golspie, Grant.

ERIOPHORUM VAGINATUM. Between Kinbrace and Kildonan, Grant.

ERIOPHORUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM. H. C. Watson.

ERIOPHORUM LATIFOLIUM. Near Invershin, Dr. Craig, I.e. ; Oykell
Bridge, Marshall and Hanbury, I.e.

CAREX DIOICA. "Stables, sp." ; H. C. Watson.
CAREX PULICARIS. Between Kildonan and Kinbrace, Grant.
CAREX PAUCIFLORA. " Graham, sp." ; H. C. Watson.
CAREX STELLULATA. Between Kinbrace and Kildonan, Grant.
CAREX OVALIS. Between Kinbrace and Kildonan, Forsinard, Grant.
CAREX REMOTA. Side of burn, Dunrobin Nurseries, Grant, sp.
CAREX ARENARIA. Links west of Golspie, Grant, sp.
CAREX VULGARIS. Between Kinbrace and Kildonan, Grant.
CAREX RIGIDA. East side of Ben Clibrich, Marshall.

CAREX FLAVA, var MINOR. Between Invershin and Oykell Bridge,
Marshall and Hanbury.

CAREX CEDERI, Ehrh. (non Auct.) Golspie, Grant, sp.
CAREX PALLESCENS. Near Rosehall, Marshall and Hanbury.
CAREX FULVA. Oykell Bridge, Marshall and Hanbury.

CAREX BINERVIS. Between Kinbrace and Kildonan, Grant ; Lairg,
Miller, sp.

CAREX PANICEA. H. C. Watson.

CAREX GLAUCA. Near Invershin, Dr. Craig, I.e. ; Burn near Golspie
Tower, Grant, sp.

(CAREX PR^COX. Not recorded.)

CAREX PILULIFERA. Between Kinbrace and Kildonan, Grant, sp.

CAREX FILIFORMIS.

CAREX AMPULLACEA. Grant, 1883? (West Sutherland?) Record

Club.
PHALARIS ARUNDINACEA. H. C. Watson.

ANTHOXANTHUM ODORATUM. Between Kinbrace and Kildonan,
Grant.

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS FLORA OF EAST SUTHERLAND 27

PHLEUM PRATENSE, var. NODOSUM. Golspie, Grant, sp.

ALOPECURUS PRATENSIS. H. C. Watson.

ALOPECURUS GENICULATUS. Near Free Church, Golspie, Grant, sp.

MILIUM EFFUSUM. Dunrobin Glen, Grant, sp.

AGROSTIS CANINA. Oykell Bridge, Marshall and Hanbury.

AGROSTIS VULGARIS, var. PUMILA. Shores of Loch Brora, Grant, sp.

AGROSTIS VULGARIS ^

PSAMMA ARENARIA > all H. C. WatSOH.

PHRAGMITES COMMUNIS J

AIRA CiESPiTOSA, var. PSEUDO-ALPINA. Kildonan, Grant ; Ben
Clibrich, Marshall.

AIRA FLEXUOSA. East side of Ben Clibrich, Marshall.

AIRA CARYOPHYLLEA. Roadside near Golspie Tower, Grant, sp. ;
Rosehall, Marshall and Hanbury.

AIRA PR/ECOX 1 , t , . , .

both H. C. Watson.

HOLCUS LANATUS j

(HOLCUS MOLLIS. Not recorded.)

AVENA PUBESCENS. Golspie Links, Grant, sp.

AVENA STRIGOSA. Between Bonar Bridge and Loch Shin, Murray's
"Northern Flora."

ARRHENATHERUM AVENACEUM. H. C. Watson.

TRIODIA DECUMBENS. Near Torbol, Grant, sp.

KCELERIA CRISTATA. Links west of Golspie, Grant, sp.

MELICA UNIFLORA. " Extinct, " Journ. Bot., p. 363, 1889.

MELICA NUTANS. Near Invershin, Dr. Craig, I.e.

CATABROSA AQUATICA. The Mound, Golspie, Grant, sp.

GLYCERIA FLUITANS. H. C. Watson.

PDA ANNUA, forma CONGESTA. Roadside at Golspie, Grant, sp.

POA PRATENSIS, z'fif. SUBCCERULEA. Sea-shore at Golspie, Grant, sp.

(PoA TRIVIALIS. Not recorded.)

CYNOSURUS CRISTATUS. H. C. Watson.

(DACTYLIS GLOMERATA. Not recorded.)

(FESTUCA DURIUSCULA. Not recorded.)

FESTUCA SCIUROIDES. Pict's House, Dunrobin, Grant, sp.

FESTUCA OVINA. Ferry Wood, Golspie, Grant, sp.

FESTUCA RUBRA. Roadside at Golspie Tower, Grant, sp.

(FESTUCA PRATENSIS AND F. ARUNDINACEA. Not recorded.)

28 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

BROMUS ASPER. Near the Falls, Dunrobin Burn, Grant, sp.
BROMUS MOLLIS. H. C. Watson.

BRACHYPODIUM SYLVATICUM. Near Invershin, Dr. Craig, I.e.
TRITICUM REPENS. Sea-shore near Golspie Burn, Grant, sp.
TRITICUM JUNCEUM. Marshall and Hanbiiry.

LOLIUM PERENNE \

ELYMUS ARENARIUS > all H. C. Watson.
NARDUS STRICTA j

POLYPODIUM VULGARE. Lairg, Miller.

POLYPODIUM PHEGOPTERIS. -Johnston, M. S. ; H. C. Watson ; Inver-
shin, Dr. Craig, I.e.

POLYPODIUM DRYOPTERIS. Gordonbush, near Golspie, Grant, sp. ;
Invershin, Dr. Craig.

CYSTOPTERIS FRAGILIS. Kildonan, Grant, R. C. 1883.

(POLYSTICHUM LOBATUM. Grant, R. C. 1883; but from W.
Sutherland.)

POLYSTICHUM LONCHITIS. Ben Griam, Henderson.

LASTREA FILIX-MAS. H. C. Watson.

LASTREA MONTANA. Between Kinbrace and Kildonan, Grant.

ATHYRIUM FILIX-FCEMINA. H. C. Watson.

ATHYRIUM ALPESTRE. East side of Ben Clibrich, Marshall, sp.

ASPLENIUM TRICHOMANES. Not recorded.

ASPLENIUM MARINUM. Sandstone rocks, Strathsteven, Grant, sp.

ASPLENIUM ADIANTUM-NIGRUM. Kildonan, Grant, R. C. 1883.

BLECHNUM BOREALE ") , , TT

>both H. C. Watson.
PTERIS AQUILINA )

BOTRYCHIUM LUNARIA. Golspie Links, Grant, sp.
LYCOPODIUM SELAGO. Hillside, Loch Brora, Grant, sp.

LYCOPODIUM ANNOTINUM. Free Vater, 3rd August 1833, W. A.
Stables (" Phytologist," 147, 1842). '

LYCOPODIUM SELAGINOIDES. -- Invershin, Dr. Craig; near the
Mound, Golspie, Grant, sp.

ISOETES LACUSTRIS. In the river Oykell, above Invershin, Graham,
exs.

PILULARIA GLOBULIFERA. Roadside above Invershin, Graham, exs. ;
Campbell, sp. ; H. C. Watson.

EQUISETUM ARVENSE. H. C. Watson.

EQUISETUM PALUSTRE. Kildonan, Grant, R. C. 1883.

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS MOSS-FLORA OF PERTHSHIRE 29

EQUISETUM LIMOSUM. Marshall and Hanbury.
NITELLA OPACA. " Campbell 1-833," ^ " Watson.
NITELLA TRANSLUCENS. Lochiuver, O. Nordstedt, in 1885.
CHARA FRAGILIS. O. Nordstedt, in 1885.

A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE MOSS-FLORA

OF PERTHSHIRE.

By T. D. SADLER.

ALTHOUGH much has been written concerning the flora in
general of Perthshire, yet very few papers have been specially
devoted to its Moss-Flora. Many botanists have given, in
accounts of their excursions to various places in Perthshire,
the names of the interesting or rarer mosses with which they
have met ; and these accounts are to be found in several of
our scientific periodicals.

The first, so far as I know, who wrote on the mosses of
Perthshire was William Gardiner, jun., of Dundee. In 1839
he wrote a short paper entitled " A Catalogue of Mosses,
collected in Forfarshire and Perthshire." In this paper he
embodies the results of two muscological excursions which
he had made ; and enumerates (including mosses of Forfar-
shire not found in Perthshire, at least in his time) 155 species
and varieties, belonging to 26 genera. This paper was not,
I think, ever published, and the manuscript is now in the
Library of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, having
been presented to the Botanical Society by the author. Its
present scientific value is not very great.

Among subsequent botanists who have given us lists of
mosses which they have gathered in this county, may be
mentioned Messrs. Holt, Sadler, and Sim, and Drs. Greville,
Lauder Lindsay, Stirton, and, last but not least, F. Buchanan
White. The publications in which their lists are chiefly to
be found are the " Scottish Naturalist," and the " Proceed-
ings and Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh,"
and of the " Perthshire Society of Natural Science." I give
a list of eight of these papers further on ; so that any one

30 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

wishing it may obtain more information regarding the bryology
of Perthshire.

The following list is largely taken from a reference
manuscript book of what may be called a Moss -Flora of
Britain by my father, the late Mr. John Sadler, Edinburgh.
I have, however, added many species and localities, which I
have found principally in books. Some mosses may be
extinct in the localities given, as it is between 20 and 30
years since many of them were gathered. Still they will be
of historical interest. The whole list must be looked upon
as a " contribution " only to the Moss-Flora of Perthshire.
There are about 260 species and varieties enumerated in this
list, which I have arranged according to Hobkirk's " Synopsis,"
1873, as probably being the book, after Wilson's " Bryologia
Britannica," by which they were determined. There are
found on Ben Lawers alone quite 200 species and varieties ;
and probably all the rest of Perthshire could not add another
hundred to this number. Most of the mosses of Mr. Sadler's
large collection are now in the Herbarium of the Royal
Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, where they may be consulted.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

1. GREVILLE, Dr. R. K. On Mosses collected at Bridge of Allan.

Proc. Bot. Soc. Edin., 1856, p. 3.

2. GREVILLE, Dr. Report on Musci of Ben Lawers. Proc. Bot.

Soc. Edin., 1856, p. 4. See Nichol.

3. HUNT, G. E. Notes on the Rarer Mosses of Perthshire and

Braemar. Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc. Manchester, 1871, p. 314.

4. NICHOL, W. Additional List of Mosses. Proc. Bot. Soc. Edin.,

1856, p. 5. See Greville.

5. SADLER, J. Muscological Excursions to Ramsheugh and Glen

Farg, Perthshire, and Habbie's Howe, Pentland Hills, in
September last. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin., 1857, p. 151.

6. STIRTON, Dr. JAMES. New and Rare Mosses from Ben Lawers.

Proc. Bot. Soc. Edin., 1870, p. 426.

7. WHITE, Dr. F. B. Notice of two Mosses new to Science

Hypnum rupestre, Buchanan White's MS. ; and Hypnum
Breadalbense, Buchanan White's MS. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin.,
ix. p. 198.

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS MOSS-FLORA OF PERTHSHIRE 31

3. WHITE, Dr. F. B. The Fungi, Mosses, and Ferns of Kinnoull
Hill. Proc. Perth. Soc. Nat. Sci., i., 1886.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EMPLOYED.

W. B. B. =W. B. Boyd, Esq., of Faldonside.

Card. = William Gardiner.

A. M'K. = Alexander M'Kinlay.

J. S. =John Sadler.

hb. J. S. In herbarium of J. Sadler.

F. B. W. = Dr. F. Buchanan White.

The meanings of all other abbreviations are obvious.

ACROCARPI.

ANDRE^EA petrophila, Ehr. Common, Ben Lawers, etc.
A. alpestris, Schimp. "Perthshire."

A. alpiua, Turn. Rocks on Ben Lawers above Loch-na-Cat, Ben
Ledi, Killin (J. S.)

A. rupestris, Turn. (A. Rothii, W. and M.) Killin, Ben Lawers
(hb. J. S.)

A. falcata, Schimp. Ben Lawers, Ben Voirlich.

SPHAGNUM cymbifolium, Ehr. Shores of Loch Lomond, Ben Lawers
(hb. J. S., 1 86 6).

S. acutifolium, Ehr. Ben Lawers, Glen Turret, Crieff (J. S.)

5. ciispidatum, Ehr. Glen Turret, Almondbank Bog, Perth, Peat-
holes, Braes of Doune (A. M'K.), Craig Chailleach (Dr. Nichol,
in hb. J. S.)

S. contortiun, Schultz. Glen Turret, Shores of Loch Lomond.
. curvifolium, Wils. Glen Falloch (A. M'K., 1862).
S. squarrosum, Pers. Killin (J. S., 1871).

PHASCUM cuspidatum, Schreb. Glen Farg.

8 piliferum. Dunkeld (Card., 1837), Kinnoull (F. B. W.,
1866, in hb. J. S.)

P. subulatum, L. Bridge of Allan.

GYMNOSTOMUM tenue, Schrad. Den of Dupplin (Arnott).

G. rupestre, Schw.

ft ramosissimum. Ben Voirlich (A. M'K.)
8 compactum. Glen Falloch (A. M'K.)

WEISSIA controversy Hedw.

y densifolia. Callander (A. M'K.)

W. crispu/a, Hedw. Ben Lawers, Ben Voirlich, by Loch Lomond.
W. verticillata, Brid. Glen Tilt.

32 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

SELIGERIA pusilla, Br. and Sch. Blair- Athole (Miss M'Inroy).

S. tristicha, Brid. Blair-Athole, Glen Tilt, and Ben-y-Gloe (Rev. J.
M. Crombie).

ANODUS Donianus, B. and S. (Gymnostomiiin Domanntn, Sm.) Den
of Dupplin (G. Don), Blair-Athole (Miss M'Inroy).

STYLOSTEGIUM azspitirium, B. and S. Summit of Ben Lawers, very
rare (G. Lyon). See Sir W. J. Hooker's " British Flora," vol. ii.

BLINDIA acitfa, B. and S. Ben Lawers, Ben Ledi, Trossachs (Mrs.
Robertson).

A.-RCiOA.fulvella, B. and S. Ben More (Dicks.), Ben Lawers (Greville).

DICRANUM polycarpum, Ehr. Trossachs, Ben Lawers, and Loch
Achray (A. M'K.), Ben Ima (Dr. Stirton), Killin (J. S.)

f3 strumiferum. Dalnaspidal (W. B. Boyd, 1870, in hb. J. S.)
D. virens, Hedw. Abundant on Ben Lawers.
D. pdluridum, Hedw. Dalnaspidal (W. B. B., 1870, in hb. J. S.)

D. Grevillianum, B. and S. (D. Schreberianum, H. and T.) Glen
Tilt. Not found since 1823. See the " Bryologia Britannica."

D. squarrosum, Schrad. Wet rocks Ben Lawers (hb. T- S.)

D. cerviculatum, Hedw. Dalnaspidal (W. B. B., in hb. J. S., 1870).

D. heteroiiialhun, Hedw.

8 sericeii/n, Schp. Soccoth Hill, Arrochar (A. M'K.)

D. Starkii, W. and M. Ben Lawers, and all the Breadalbane range.
(3 inolle. Ben Lawers.

D. falcatnm, Hedw. Summit of Ben Lawers, Ben More, etc.
D. glaciate, Berg. Ben-y-Gloe.

D. Scottianuin, Turn. Killin (J. S., 1870), rocks by Loch Lomond
(hb. J. S.)

D. longifolium, Hedw. Ben Lawers (Dr. Stirton, 1866), Ben
Voirlich, Ben-y-Gloe.

D. circinnatiiin, Wils. Ben Voirlich.

D. scopariiu/i, Hedw. Glen Tilt, Loch Tay, Ben Lawers (hb. J. S.,
1866).

var. paludosum, Schimp. Glen Ogle (Boswell, 1873).

D. palustre, Brid. Kinnoull (Croall, 1855), Doune and Blair-
Drummond (A. M'K.)

/3 juniperifoliuin^ Sendt. Ben Lawers (Wils., 1855).

LEUCOBRYUM glancmn, Hampe. Loch Lomond, Ben Lawers (hb.
J. S., 1866).

DICRANODONTIUM longirostre, B. and S. Ben Lawers, Ben Ledi,.
and Trossachs (A. M'K.)

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS MOSS-FLORA OF PERTHSHIRE 33

CAMPYLOPUS brevipilus, B. and S. Mael Ghyrdy (W. B. B., 1870,
in hb. J. S.), Doune.

C.flexuosus, Brid. Ben Ledi.

C. Swartzii, Schpr. Ben Voirlich, Ben Ledi, Ben Arthur, Ben Ima,
and Ben More (A. M'K.), hills behind Callander (Dr. Stirton).

C.fragilis, B. and S. Ben Lomond (Dr. Stirton), Ben Ledi (Dr.
Braithwaite).

C. Schimperi, Milde. Ben Challum, Ben Lawers, Ben Ledi, Ben

Lomond, Mael Ghyrdy.

POTTIA truncafa, B. and S. Abundant.

ANACALYPTA latifolia, N. and H. Glen Tilt (Barker, 1871).
ft pilifera. Near Aberfeldy (Dicks.)

DISTICHIUM capillaceum, B. and S. Ben Lawers (hb. J. S., 1870).

D. inclinatum, B. and S. Ben Lawers (Fergusson, 1868).

DIDYMODON eylindricits, B. and S. Ben Voirlich (A. M'K.) ; Ben
More, Ben Lawers, and Trossachs (Hunt); Ben Arthur
(Stirton) ; Moy Laggan, Perth (Mrs. Farquharson).

D.flexifoliuS) Hook, and Tayl. Ben Ledi and adjacent mountains.
D. recurvifolius, Tayl. Ben Voirlich and Ben Lomond (A. M'K).
TRICHOSTOMUM littorale. Mitten. Rannoch (F. B. W.)
T. tenue, Hedw. Cam Lochan and Mael Ghyrdy (Crombie).

T.fexicaii/e, B. and S. Kinnoull (hb. J. S.), Dalnaspidal (W. B. B.,
1870, in hb. J. S.)

P dcnsum, Ben Lawers (Stirton).

T. hoinoinallum, B. and S. Dunkeld (Borrer), Abernethy (Howie).

TORTULA muralis, Timm. Bridge of Allan.

8 rupestris, Wall opposite Parish Church, Bridge of Allan, 1855

(in hb. J. S.)

T. ungiticulata, Hedw. Bridge of Allan, 1855 (in hb. J. S.)
T. fallax, Hedw. Walls, Bridge of Allan.
T. rnfa, Lorenz. Ben Lawers (Dr. Stirton).

T. princeps, De Not. (T. Millleri, B. and S.) Blair- Athole (hb. J. S.)
T. ruralis, Hedw. Finlarig (Wils.)

T. icevipila, Brid. On wall opposite Parish Church, Bridge of Allan,
" This species is usually found on trees, and is rare on walls ;
but near Bridge of Allan the variety is abundant on walls and
rare on trees " (Grev.)

T. intermedia, Brid. Killin (A. M'K., 1862, in hb. J. S.), Kinnoull
(F. B. W., 1865, in hb. J. S.)
9 D

34 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

T. papillosa, Wils. Killin (Hunt).

T. tortuosa, W. and M. Glen Farg, Killin (J. S.)

T. fragilis, Wils. Ben Lawers, Ben Laoigh (Ewing).

ENCALYPTA committata, N. and H. Ben Lawers and Breadalbane
Mountains.

E, riliata, Hedw. Killin (J. S., 1871).

E. rhabdocarpa, Schw. Ben Lawers and Breadalbane Mountains.

HEDWIGIA riliata, Hedw. Glen Farg, Ben Lawers.

GRIMMIA apocarpnm, B. and S. Bridge of Allan (in hb. J. S.)

G. subsquarrosa, Wils. Kinnoull Hill (F. B. W.), Moncreiffe Hill.

G. torquata, Grev. Ben Lawers, and other Breadalbane Mountains,

G.fiinalis, Schw. Ben Lawers.

G. ovata, W. and M. Breabalbane Mountains.

G. commutata, Hueb. Moncreiffe Hill (Stirton), Dunkeld (F. B. W.)

G. atrata, Mielich. Summit of Ben Lawers, rare (Gard., 1838).

RACOMITRIUM aciculare, Brid. Ben Lawers (hb. J. S.)

R. lanitginosmn, Brid. Ben Lawers (hb. J. S., 1866).

R. canescens, Brid. Walls by Allan Water, 1855 (in hb. J. S.)
Frequent.

y ericoides. Pass of Killiecrankie (Gard.)
GLYPHOMITRIUM Daviesii, Schw. New Kilpatrick, Killin (A. M'K.)

PTYCHOMITRIUM polyphyllum, B. and S. Loch Tay, Glen Lyon,
Banks of Teith above Callander.

ORTHOTRICHUM cupiilatitin, Hoffm. Callander (A. M'K.)

O. affine, Schrad. Glen Tilt, etc.

O. anomalum, Hedw. Dalnaspidal (W. B. B., in hb. J. S.)

O. Litdwigii, Schw. Killin (W. B. B., in hb. J. S.)

O. crispuin, Hedw. Ben Lawers (hb. J. S., 1866).

O. Dfiimmondii, H. and G. Glen Tilt.

O. Hiitchinsice, Sm. Loch Lomond.

ZYGODON Lapponicus, B. and S. Ben Lawers.

Z. Moiigeottii, B. and S. Ben Lawers, Craig-na-Lochan, and Campsie
Hills (Stirton) ; Glen Farg and Killin (J. S.)

BUXBAUMIA aphylla^ Haller. Ben Ledi.
DIPHYSCIUM fo/wsum, W. and M. Ben Ledi.
ATRICHUM undulatum, P. Beauv. Glen Tilt.
A. angustatum, Brid. Braes of Doune (A. M'K.)

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS MOSS-FLORA OF PERTHSHIRE 35

A. tenellum, Roth. Killin.

OLIGOTRICHUM hercynicum, DC. Ben Ledi, Ben Lawers, Killin
(J. S.)

\3n.foliis secundis. Ben Lawers [and Ben Nevis] (A. M'K.,
1862).

PoGONATUiM alpimuii) Brid. (Polytrichum alpinum, L.) Ben Ledi,
Ben Lawers, Ben Lomond, Glen Tilt, Lady's Isle (Loch
Katrine) (J. S.)

POLYTRICHUM sexangitlare, Hoppe. Ben Lawers.
P. gracile, Menzies. Callander, Ardlui.

P. formosum, Hedw. (P. commune, L. (3 atfenuafum),

" The var. (3 attenuatum I found on Craigiebarns Hill, Dunkeld,
in September 1837, 15 in. in height" (Gardiner).

P. commune, L. Ben Lawers, etc. Common.

P. strictiim, Menzies. Bridge of Allan.

TIMMIA austriaca, Hedw. Plentiful on summit of Ben Lawers (J. S.)

T. mcgapolitana, Hedw. Ben Lawers (Stirton).

AULACOMNION palustre, Schw. Ben Ledi and Ben Lawers (J. S.)
y fasciculare. Ben Ledi.

BRYUM acuminatnm, B. and S. Ben Chonzie, Craig Chailleach,
Ben Cruachpen, Ben Lawers, Mael Ghyrdy, and near
Callander (J. S.)

B. polymorphism, B. and S. Ben Lawers.

B. elongafum, Dicks. Loch Lubnaig and Ben Lawers (J. S.),
Loch Tay.

B. crudum, Schreb. Ben Ledi, Craig Chailleach, and Ben Lawers
(J. S.); Dalnaspidal (W. B. B., in hb. J. S.)

B. nutans, Schr. Glen Tilt (Balfour), Ben Lawers (hb. J. S.),
Dalnaspidal (W. B. B., 1870, in hb. J. S.)

B, annotinum, Hedw. Ben More (J. S.)

B. Wahlenbergii, Schw. Craig Chailleach, Glen Farg, near Bridge
of Earn (J. S.) ; Ochils.

B. Ludwigii, Spr. Ben Lawers.

(3 gracile. Ben Lawers, Ben Lomond.

B. pseiido-triquetrum, Schw. Glen Turret, Crieff, Strath Tummel
(Grev.), Ben Lawers, Ben Ledi.

B. alpinum, L. Ben Lomond (Balfour), Ben Lawers and
Killin (J. S.)

B. latifolium, Schl. Ben More.

36 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

B. Duvalii, Voigt. Ben Lawers. See "Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin.," vol.

vii. p. 6.
B. pattens, Swartz. Ben Lawers, Glen Ogle (Grev.), Glen Turret

and Killin (J. S.)

B. barbatum, Wils. Ben Ledi (Stirton).
B. pallescens, Schw. Lochearnhead, Dalnaspidal (W. B. B., in

hb. J. S.)

ft boreak. Ben Lawers (A. M'K.)

B. IriwHin, Schreb. Ben Lawers (Card.)

B. capillare, Hedw. Glen Farg, Glen Tilt, Glen Ogle, Strath
Tummel, Blairlogie, etc. (J. S.)

B. ccespiticium, L. Ben Lawers, Ben Ledi, Glen Turret, and
Doune (J. S.) "Common in wet situations."

B.julaceum, Sm. Ben Ledi, Ben Lawers, Mael Ghyrdy, Lochearn-
head, Glen Turret, Glen Ogle, and Glen Queich (J. S.)

B. Zierii, Dicks. Ben Ledi, Ben Lawers, Mael Ghyrdy, Craig

Chailleach, and Killin (J. S.)
B. demissum, Hook. Glen Ogle, Craig Chailleach, and Ben

Lawers (J. S.)

B. roseum, Schreb. Aberfeldy (Macmillan).
MNIUM ctispidatuw, Hedw. Glen Turret (Balfour).
M. rostratum, Schr. Ramsheugh.
AT. spinosum, Voigt. Ben Lawers (A. M'K.)
M. serratum, Brid. Bridge of Allan.
M. honuan, L. Frequent.
M. undulatum, Hedw. Ramsheugh.
M. cindidioides, Hueb. Craig Chailleach (Nichol, 1855, in hb. J. S.),

Ben Challum (A. M'K., in hb. J. S.)
M. pimctahtm, Hedw. Ben Lawers, Ramsheugh, etc.
M, snbglobosum, B. and S. Moness Woods (Bell), Upper Kilfauns

(F. B. W., 1865, in hb. J. S.)

CINCLIDIUM stygium, Sw. Craig Chailleach (W. B. B., in hb. J. S.)
MEESIA iiliginosa, Hedw. Craig Chailleach and Ben Cruachpen

(Dr. Nichol, 1885, in hb. J. S.), Dunbarnie Links.

AMBLYODON dealbatus, P. Beauv. Killin (J. S.)

FUNARIA hygrometricdi Hedw. Common.

BARTRAMIA arcuata, Brid. Loch Lomond, Ben Lawers, Glen Falloch,

Trossachs near Callander.
B.fontana, Brid. Ben Lawers, Bracklin Bridge, 1855 (in hb. J. S.)

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS MOSS-FLORA OF PERTHSHIRE 37

B. adpressa, Fergusson. Glasmeal (Hunt).

B. ealcarea, B. and S. Middle range of Ochils (T. Lyle, 1852).

B. pomiformis, Hedw. Glen Farg, Ben Lawers, Killin.

B. gracilis, Floerke. Ben Lawers, Larig-an-Lochan.

CONOSTOMUM boreale, Sw. Ben Lawers (J. S.)

CATOSCOPIUM nigritum, Brid. Plentiful on Ben-y-Gloe, near Blair-
Athole, Dunbarnie Links (Howie).

DISCELIUM midum, Brid. (Weissia in/da, H. and T.) Perth (Don).

SPLACHNUM vasculosum, L. Ben More, Ben Lawers above Loch-
na-Cat, Strath Tummel.

S. sphcericum, Hedw. Ben Lawers.

TETRAPLODON nnrioides, B. and S. Mael Ghyrdy (Nichol, in hb. J. S.)

TAYLORIA serrata, B. and S.

y tennis. Ben Lawers, Forest of Glen More.

DISSODON splachnoides, Grev. Craig Chailleach (Wils.)

CEDIPODIUM Griffithianum, Schw. Ben Ledi, Mael Ghyrdy, and
Killin (J. S.); Ben Lomond (G. Lyon) ; Ben Lawers.

FISSIDENS bryoides, Hedw. Bridge of Allan.

F. adiantoides, Hedw. Glen Farg and Ben Lawers (J. S.), Ben
Ledi. Wet rocks by Allan Water.

F. decipiens, De Not. Ben Voirlich (Shaw).

PLEUROCARPI.

ANCECTANGIUM compactum, Schw. Ben Lawers and Killin (hb. J. S.),
Dalnaspidal (W. B. B. in hb. J. S.)

LEUCODON scinroides, Schw. Strageath (Grev.)
ANTITRICHIA curtipcndula, Brid. Ben Ledi (hb. J. S.)
ANOMODON viticulosus, H. and T. Finlarig (J. S.)
A. longifolius, Hartm. Ben Lawers (Grev.)

HABRODON Notarisii, Schpr. Killin (A. M'K., 1865; W. B. B.,
1870); Ben Lawers (Hunt).

PTEROGONIUM^//^?/-;;/!?, Hedw. Ben Lawers. Common.

CLIMACIUM dendroides, W. and M. Bridge of Earn. Frequent on
Breadalbane Mountains.

CYLINDROTHECIUM Montagnei, B. and S. Craig Chailleach (W. B. B.,
in hb. J. S.)

LESKEA moniliformis, Wahl. Ben Lawers, etc., in Breadalbane.
Z. apiculata, Hueb. Ben Lawers.

38 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

L.polycarpa, Ehr. Kinnoull (F. B. W., 1865, in hb. J. S.)

L. rufescens, Hall. Craig Chailleach (Nichol, in hb. J. S.) ; upper
end of Finlarig Burn (Wils.)

L. subrufa, Wils. Trossachs (A. M'K., in hb. J. S.)

HYPNUM obictinnm, Dill. Breadalbane Mountains, etc.

If. Blandovii, W. and M. Trossachs (Mrs. Robertson).

H. decipiens, De Not. Ben Lawers (Stirton), Glasmeal (Hunt).

H. deh'cattthiiu, L. Kinnoull (F. B. W., in hb. J. S.)

H. plicatum, Schl. Ben Lawers (G. Lyon).

H. albicans, Dill. Kinnoull (F. B. W., in hb. J. S.)

H. reflcxum, Seliger. Ben Lawers.

var. "fil.fol. acuneat." Ben Lawers (F. B. W., in hb. J. S.)

H. nitabulum, Dill. Blairlogie, (hb. J. S.)
H. plumosnm, Swartz. Ben Lawers (J. S.)

H. myositroides, L. Near the Hermitage, Dunkeld (Card., 1837);
Bracklin Bridge, Callander, and rocks by Loch Earn (Grev.)

H. dimorphum, Brid. Ben Lawers.

H. caienulatnm, Schw. Ben Lawers, Loch-na-Hine.

H. circinnatum, Brid. Bracklin Bridge.

H. striatum, Hedw. Walls by Allan Water.

H. pUifcritin, Vaill. Keir near Bridge of Allan (J. S.)

H. cirrhosum, Schw. Ben Lawers.

H. Srvartzii, Turn. Banks of the Forth, and Allan Water near
Bridge of Allan (J. S.)

If. depression, Bruch. Allan Water near Bridge of Allan, in fruit
(J. S.) ; Trossachs (Lyle).

H. murale, Dill. Kinnoull (F. B. W., in hb. J. S.)

H. riiscifoliii/n, Dill. Ben Lawers (hb. J. S.)

If. alopccnriim, Dill. Ochils.

H. pulchelhim, Dicks. Trossachs (A. M'K.), Den of Rechip.

H. Miihhnbeckii, B. and S. Ben Lawers and Ben Ledi (A. M'K.)

H. Silesiacum, Seliger. Ben Lawers.

H. denticulcitum, Dill. Ben Ledi.

H. elegans, Hook. Kinnoull (F. B. W., in hb. J. S.)

H. nndnlatum, Dill. Ben Lawers (hb. J. S. )

If. atro-virens, Dicks. Ben Lawers.

If. serpens, Dill. W T alls above Blairlogie.

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS MOSS-FLORA OF PERTHSHIRE 39

H. irrignuiii, Hook. Callander (J. S.)

If. Jfal!cn\ L. jun. Ben Lawers, very rare.

H. stella fit /n, Dill. Dunkeld (Card.)

H. revolvens, Swartz. Dunbarnie Links (Howie).

H. itncinatitni, Hall. Dalnaspidal (W. B. B., in hb. J. S.)

H. commutatum, Dill. Banks of the Teith near Keir.

H. sjilcatum, Schpr. Ben Lawers (Hunt).'

H. fakatuiii, Brid. Ben Lawers and Ben Ledi (A. M'K.), Loch
Rannoch (Dicks.)

H. filitinuin, Dill. Rocks by the Teith at Keir.

H. rugosum, Dill. Ben Lawers, etc., in Breadalbane range.

H. Breadalbense, Buchanan White. Ben Lawers and Breadalbane
Mountains (F. B. W., 1865).

H. hamulosum, Frolich (?)

(3 micranthum. Ben Lawers, Ben Voirlich, Craig-an-Lochan.

H. callichroum, Brid. Ben Voirlich [and Ben Nevis] (A. M'K.)

[Marginal note in " Bry. Brit.," in Mr. Sadler's writing, as are
most of the other localities with ' (A. M'K.) ' after them.]

H. rupestre, Buchanan White. Ben Lawers (F. B. W.)

H. Bambergeri, B. and S. Ben Lawers (Dr. Fraser).

H. cupressiforme, Dill. Blairlogie. A variety on trees on Ben Ledi.

H. palustre, Dill. Ben Lawers (Card.)

H. molle, Dicks. Ben Challum, Dalnaspidal (W. B. B. in hb. J. S.)

H. arcticiun, Sommerfelt (ff. atpestre, Grev.) Ben Lawers, Ben
Challum near Tyndrum.

H. ochraccuin, Turn., var. Ben Lawers (F. B. W., in hb. J. S.)
H. sarmentosiim, Wahl. Ben Ledi (A. M'K., 1867). Near Killin.

H. Schreberi, Dill. Trossachs and Ben Voirlich (A. M'K.), Ben
Ledi (Stirton).

H. stramineum, Dicks. Abundant on the Breadalbane Mountains,
but rare in fruit.

H. trifarium, W. and M. Ben Challum, Ben Lawers, Craig Chail-
leach.

H. scorpioides, Dill. Killin, Dunkeld (Card.)

H. splendens, Dill. Heaths and woods.

If. umbratitin, Ehr. Trossachs near Loch Katrine, Ben Voirlich.

H. Oakesii, Sulliv. Ben Lawers.

H. brevirostre, Ehr. Frequent in Perthshire.

40 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

If. loreum, Dill. Common.

NECKERA complanata, B. and S. Walls by Allan Water.
N. crispa, Dill. Dunkeld (Card.), Ben Lawers (hb. J. S.)
CRYPHCEA heteromatta, Dill. Bridge of Earn (J. S.)
FONTINALIS antipyretica, L. Ochil Glens (T. Lyle).

ADDITIONAL AND EXCLUDED SPECIES.

OREOWEISSIA surrulata, Funck. Ben Lawers (Dr. Stirton).
BRYUM Schiwpcri, Wils. Ben Lawers.
HYPNUM chrysopkyllum, Brid. Dunbarnie Links (Howie).
If. polygamum, B. and S.

var. stagnatum. Dunbarnie Links (Howie).

H. aduncum, Dill. (H. exanmdatum, Giimb.) Dunbarnie Links
(Howie).

H. Kneiffii, B. and S. (H. adnncum, Hedw.) Dunbarnie Links
(Howie).

H. Sendtneri, Schpr.

ft Wilsoni. Dunbarnie Links (Howie).

H. Starkii, W. and M. Ben Lawers (Hunt., 1865, in hb. J. S.)

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE/E.

By JOHN ROY, LL.D.

[ Continued from page 245 (1893).]

PLATE II.

2. A. convergens, Ehr. General.

3. A. Incus (Breb.), Hassall. General. Abundant in one or

other of its forms, . and (3 Ralfs are not uncommon ; a
small form of a is very abundant, and very frequently con-
jugated. The form given by Grunow from " Insel Banka "
in Rabenh. "Beitrage," Heft II. p. 15, Taf. II. fig. 29, is
rare, but has been gathered abundantly on the Clova Table-
land, in Forfar, by Rev. J. Fergusson.

Var. intennedius, Wittr. Widely diffused, but scarce.

4. A. longicornis, n. sp. Rare. Like A. Incus, but differs in the

very long, nearly parallel, or slightly diverging spines, and
(in front view) triangular semi-cells. Length, 26 /j. ; breadth,
with spines, 76/7.; isthmus, 8 /^. (Our Plate III. fig. i.)

ANN SCOT. NAT HIST 18 94-.

PLATE II

JPBifset, Del

SCOTTISH DESMID1E.& PLATE II

P. <5: 1

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE^E 41

Inverness in Skye, at the head of Glen Sligachan ; Aber-
deen n ear Bridge of Potarch ; Kincardine at Dalbrake in
Strachan.

5. A. octocornis, Ehr. General. Conjugated : Aberdeen Brim-

mond, and Powlair in Birse ; Kincardine Cammie, and

Glen Dye in Strachan ; Perth near Buchanty in Fowlis.

Zygospore globose, or ovoid, with long, slender, tapering,

acute, simple spines.

(3 major, Ralfs. - - Not common. Orkney, Sutherland,
Ross, Inverness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth,
Argyle. Conjugated : Aberdeen old road near
Aboyne. Zygospore similar to the common form,
only larger and with longer spines. Diameter, with-
out spines, 26 /A; length of spine, 20 /A. (Our Plate

II. fig. 20.)

y iinpar, Jacobs. Very rare. Aberdeen in a pool on
Culblean, beside the old road from Tarland to Bal-
later.

6. A. snbulatiis, Kg. Rare. Aberdeen at Slewdrum, Cambus

O'May, and Glen Clunie.

7. A. tenuissiniiis, Archer. Not common. Sutherland, Ross,

Aberdeen, Forfar, Perth.

COSMARIUM (Corda), Ralfs.

1. C. abbreviate ?n, Racib. Rare. Ross Loch Kinellan ; Inver-

ness Brin ; Nairn ; Aberdeen Scotston, south side of
Birsemore, Heugh-head, Milton Moor, Culblean, Lochnagar;
Kincardine Nigg, Cammie, Kerloch, Dalbrake; Forfar-
Clova Table-land ; Perth Moncreiffe Hill.

2. C. abrupt urn, Lund. Rare. Nairn; Aberdeen Howford,

Alford, Birsemore Loch, Bogwartle ; Kincardine Dalbrake;
Forfar Menmuir, Barrelwell near Brechin.

3. C. alpestre, n. sp. (C. rotundatum, R. and B.'s MSS.)

Species large, rounded oblong, a little longer than broad,
constriction very slight'; semi-cells smoothly rounded, from
a very broad isthmus ; side view circular, from a broad base ;
end view very broadly oval ; membrane closely and finely
punctate ; isthmus very broad, with a row of rather larger
punctae on each side. Length, 90-105 //, ; breadth, 75-90 /A;
isthmus, 79 //, ; thickness, 60 //,. (Our Plate I. fig. 6.) This
species seems sufficiently distinct to render it unnecessary
to compare with other species. Delponte has a species
closely resembling it in size and shape, but his species is
roughly granulated, while this is finely punctate.

42 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

It is very rare, and has not hitherto been found under
2000 feet. Aberdeen Press Whin on the north side of
Morven ; Perth north-west side of Glas Mhoel, above the
Cairnwell.

4. C. ainxnuin, Breb. Not common. Shetland Unst ; Suther-

land, Inverness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Argyle.
/3 Lunddlii, n. var. (Forma major, Lundell, "De Desmid.,"
p. 46. Not common. Ross, Inverness, Aberdeen,
Kincardine, Forfar, Perth.

y mediolave, Nord. Very rare. Kincardine Dalbrake
in Strachan.

5. C. anceps, Lund. Not common. Ross, Inverness, Banff,

Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Stirling.

6. C. angulosum, Breb. General. Conjugated near Blackball

in Kincardine. Zygospore globose-octahedral, with eight
subacute undulations round the margin ; found once only.

7. C. angustatnin (Wittr.), Nord. Not common. Ross, Inverness,

Banff, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Stirling.

8. C. anisochondrum, Nord. Very rare. Kincardine pool near

Crathes station.

9. C. annulatum (Nag.), De Bary. Not common. Ross, Aberdeen,

Kincardine, Perth.

(3 elegans, Nord. Not common. Aberdeen, Kincardine,

Forfar, Perth, Kirkcudbright.
10. C. Archerii, n. sp.

Species large, somewhat irregularly oval, truncate, about a
fourth part longer than broad; semi-cells from slightly
reniform base, with close constriction, opening out widely
into the broadly rounded sides, which converge upwards,
gradually becoming slightly undulated to the sharply and
somewhat irregularly drawn-out truncate ends ; side view
circular, with a narrower rounded part upwards ; end view,
smoothly oval. Constriction deep, close. Isthmus, moderate.
Membrane, finely punctate. Length, 107-112 //,; breadth,
80-87 /z; isthmus, 32-35 //; truncate end, 33^; length of
drawn-out end, 10 /j.. (Our Plate I. fig. 5.)

This species bears much resemblence to C. cymatoplainuu,
Nordst., but it differs so completely in the peculiarly drawn-
out ends, which is a constant feature from all the localities
where we have seen it, that we feel compelled to give it a
separate place ; and as Mr. Archer was the first to discover it
in this country, we have associated his name with it.

Aberdeen in Glen Callater, beside the " Break Neck "
AVaterfall ; Forfar in Canlochan ; Perth north shore of
Loch Tay, where it was found by Mr. Archer.

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE/E

43

11. C. arctouin, Nordst. Very rare. Aberdeen Braes of Gight ;

Kincardine Muchalls ; Forfar Clova Table-land.

12. C. attenuatum, Breb. Extremely rare. Inverness Brin (Mrs.

Farquharson).

1 3. C. bicardia, Reinsch. Rare. Aberdeen near Old Mill, Birse-

more Loch, near Craigendinnie Farm, Birkhill, and Bogwartle
in Cromar, Cambus O'May, Dalbagie, Ballochbuie ; Kincar-
dine Crathes, Bishop's Dam.

14. C. bioculatum, Breb. -- Not common. Orkney, Sutherland,

Inverness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth.

15. C. biranc, Nordst. Extremely rare. Perth, Spital of Glen

Shee (Mr. W. West). Length, 1 2 /x ; breadth, i o /x ; isthmus,
6 P .

1 6. C. biretum, Breb. Rare. Aberdeen Bridge of Don ; Kincar-

dine Garrol.

ft supernumeraria, Nordst. Extremely rare. Perth
Keithick, near Coupar-Angus (Mrs. Farquharson).

17. C. Blytii, Wille. Not common. Ross, Aberdeen, Kincardine,

Dumbarton, Argyle (Mull), Fife, Kirkcudbright.

1 8. C. Boeckii, Wille. Pretty common. Sutherland, Ross, Inverness

(in Skye), Banff, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Stirling.

19. C. Botrytis (Bory), Menegh. General. With zygospores, Loch

Kinellan, Ross (Mrs. Farquharson).

f3 subtumidum, Wittr. - - Rare. Aberdeen, Kincardine,

Perth (Lake of Monteith).
y emarginatum, Hansg. Is not uncommon on wet rocks.

20. C. Brcbissonii, Menegh. General.

21. C. Brooind, Thwait. Rare. Inverness near Brin ; Aberdeen

near Alford ; Kincardine a few localities in Strachan.

22. C. calcareuin, Wittr. Not common. Ross, Inverness, Aberdeen,

Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Stirling, Argyle (Mull).

23. C. cirailare, Reinsch. Very rare. Inverness Loch Ruthven

(Mrs. Farquharson) ; Perth near Loch Mharc, in Athole.

24. C. ctxlatuin, Ralfs. Common, especially on wet rocks.

ft spectabile, De Not. Is nearly as common, and occurs
in similar localities.

25. C. commissurale, Breb. Rare. Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar

(in Glen Clova).

ft acutum, Breb. Very rare. Aberdeen near Bishop's
Loch, and near Aboyne ; Kincardine formerly at
Mavis Bank, Loch of Lumgair, near Stonehaven, and
Dalbrake in Strachan.

44 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

26. C. continuum, Rabenh. Not common. Sutherland, Ross,

Inverness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Argyle.

27. C. confusuin, Cooke.

Var. regular ins, Nordst. Perth Ben Lawers ; Kirkcud-
bright New Galloway.

28. C. connatum, Breb. Not common. Sutherland, Ross, Inver-

ness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Perth, Argyle, Stirling.

29. C. conspersum, Ralfs. Very rare. Perth Glen Tilt and Ben

Laoigh (Mr. W. West).

/? rotundatum, Wittr. Not common. Ross, Inverness,
Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Stirling.

30. C. contraction, Kirch. Very rare. Aberdeen near Alford,

south of Birsemore ; Perth Buchanty.

Forma cracowiense, Racib. Very rare. Aberdeen -
Dinnet.

31. C. corbula, Breb. Not common. Ross, Inverness, Aberdeen,

Kincardine, Forfar, Perth. Conjugated near Crathes, Kin-
cardine. Zygospore globose, with about nine rather slender,
slightly trifurcate spines round the margin. (Our Plate III.
fig. 18.)

32. C. Corriense, Bisset, n. sp.

Species moderate sized ; oblong, rounded, a half longer
than broad ; surface finely granulated ; perpendicular rows
of granules, about 1 1 to 1 2. Horizontal rows, about 6 to 7.
The semi-cell somewhat semicircular, with an open, acute
constriction, lower angles acute, upper rounded ; side view
globular, end view very broadly oval. Length, 43 p.;
breadth 32 ^ ; isthmus 15 /./,. (Our Plate II. fig. 6.)

This species may be compared with Cos. Portianion,
Archer, and C. orbiculatum, Ralfs. From the former it
differs in having the lower angles acute, and from the latter
it differs in the arrangement of the granules.

Extremely rare. Arran, in a quarry at Corrie, where it
was detected by Mr. Bisset.

33. C. costatum, Nordst. Very rare. Banff Iron Hill; Aberdeen;

Argyle in Mull (Dr. F. B. White).

34. C. crcnatum, Ralfs. Common in one or other of its forms.

The form figured by Ralfs, " Brit. Desmid." Tab. XV. fig. 7 a,
is scarce ; fig. 7/> is abundant, especially on wet rocks.
This form has been found conjugated on Caerloch, near
Muchalls, in Kincardine, and in Rannoch in Perth.

The forms bicrenatum and tricrcnatum, Nordst,, are scarce,
but occur in all the counties examined.

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE^E 45

35. C.cristatnm, Ralfs. Very rare. Aberdeen Steps, Glen Tanner;

Kincardine Cammie ; Perth Ben Lawers.

36. C. cruriatum, Breb. Not common. Aberdeen Alford ; Kin-

cardine Cammie, Cowie, etc.

37. C. cructferum, De Bary. Not common. Aberdeen Loch-

nagar, etc. Kincardine Durris, etc. ; Perth in Rannoch.

38. C. cucumis, Corda. General.

Forma major, Nordst. Pretty common.
ft helvcticum, Nordst. Not common. Inverness, Aber-
deen, Kincardine.

39. C. cucurbita, Breb. General.

40. C. cyclicuin, Lundell.

ft arcticuin, Nordst. - - Rare. Aberdeen, Kincardine,
Forfar, Renfrew.

41. C. cylindricuin, Ralfs. Not common. Aberdeen, Kincardine,

Forfar, Perth, Arran.

42. C. cytnatophurum, Nordst.

ft tyrolicum, Nordst. Very rare. Aberdeen near
Aboyne, Corry of Loch Kandor ; Forfar in Can-
lochan, where it is associated with C. Archcrii.

43. C. Danicutii, Boerg. Very rare. Aberdeen near Alford.

44. C. Davidsonii, n. sp. Medium sized, hexagonal, sides and ends

undulated, the undulations increasing in size upwards, and
having the crenate, truncate end produced ; constriction,
straight, narrow, not deep ; lower angles acute ; sides nearly
straight, converging upwards, with about four undulations ;
upper angles rounded ; ends broad, straight, with two un-
dulations ; from all the undulations, rows of minute granules,
about three in a row, extend inwards, radially, a very short
distance ; centre of semi-cell smooth ; isthmus broad ; starch
granules single. Length, 37-40^; breadth, 25-26^;
isthmus, 1 5-1 6 /z. (Plate I. fig. 8.)

Rare. Aberdeen at Press Whin, on Morven, and near
Aboyne ; Kincardine near Gillan in Strachan Forfar
near Balquhadly in Fern, and in Canlochan.

45. C. De Haryi, Archer. Not common. Inverness, Aberdeen,

Kincardine, Perth, Kirkcudbright.

46. C. dentiferum, Corda. Very rare. Has been passed over as a

form of C. latuni. It occurs both in Aberdeen and Kin-
cardine. At present localities are doubtful,

47. C. dcpressitni, Nag. Not common. Sutherland, Ross, Inver-

ness, Aberdeen, Perth.

46 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

48. C. didymochondrum, Nordst. and Wittr. Very rare. Ross-
near Tain ; Inverness Glen Urquhart.

DESCRIPTION OF SCOTTISH DESMIDIE/E, PLATE II. Fig. i. Cosmarium
plicatuvi, Reinsch, x 400. Fig 2. C. plicatiini, Reinsch, var. Scoticiun, Roy and
Bisset, x 400. Fig. 3. G. nephroideum (Witt.), R. and B. : a, front; b, side; c,
end ; x 600. Fig. 4. C. Garrolense, R. and B. : a, front ; b, side ; c, end ;

x 600. Fig. 5. C. elegans, R. and B., x 400. Fig. 6. C. Corriense, Bisset:
a, front ; l>, side ; c, end ; x 400. Fig. 7. Cosinocladiiini constrictum, Archer :
a, front ; /;, end ; c, zygospore ; x 600. Fig. 8. Cosmaritiin granu/itsculiim, R.
and B. : a, front ; b, side ; c, end ; x 400. Fig. 9. C. cyclicitm, Lund., *arcticnm,
Nord., x 400. Fig. 10. C. latni/i, Breb., x 400. Fig. II. C. latiini, Breb., var.
minor, R. and B., x 400. Fig. 12. C. margaritatiim (Lund.), R. and B.,

x 400. Fig. 13. C. odontopleumm, Archer : a, front ; />, zygospore ; x 600.
Fig. 14. Cosmocladium pcrissum, R. and B. : a, front ; ^,'side ; c, end ; d, zygo-
spores ; x 600. Fig. 15. C. Logiense, Bisset, x 400. Fig. 16. C. Siinii, R. and
B., x 400. Fig. 17. C. flavuin, R. and B. : a, front ; l>, zygospore ; x 400. Fig.
18. C. Corbula (Breb.), Archer: a, front; b, end; x 600: <-, zygospore; x 400.
Fig. 19. C. Slewdrumense, Roy : a, front ; b, zygospore ; x 600. Fig. 20. Arthro-
dcsimts octocornis, Ehrb., jl major, Ralfs : zygospore, x 400.

ARCTIC PLANTS IN THE OLD LAKE DEPOSITS

OF SCOTLAND.

By JAMES BENNIE
(H.M. Geological Survey of Scotland).

IN a report of the Royal Society's Soiree, published in
"Nature" (i4th May 1891), Arctic plants from Hailes, near
Edinburgh, were noticed as exhibited by the Director-General
of the Geological Survey ; and a list of species was given
by Mr. Clement Reid. At the meeting of the British
Association in 1892 a paper " On Fossil Arctic Plants found
near Edinburgh " was read by Mr. Reid ; and an abstract
was published in the Report for that year, page 716.
Besides Hailes, it included Corstorphine, and the list
enumerates the plants found at both places. A list of
mosses is also given. As the abstract is short, it may be
quoted in full as the best introduction to those who are as
yet unacquainted with the facts it proves, and as being also
the best means to enforce the lesson or moral to which we
wish to draw the attention of Scottish Naturalists, namely
the probability that at the bottom of almost all our lake
deposits Arctic plants may be found. Much knowledge of
the climate to which they testify may be learned from similar
deposits in other places besides those near Edinburgh.

ARCTIC PLANTS IN OLD LAKE DEPOSITS OF SCOTLAND 47

Mr. Reid's abstract is as follows :

" FOSSIL ARCTIC PLANTS FOUND NEAR EDINBURGH.
By CLEMENT REID, F.L.S., F.G.S.

Recent discoveries by Mr. Bennie, of the Geological Survey,
have brought to light a series of silted-up tarns or small lochs in the
neighbourhood of Edinburgh. These tarns seem to have lain in
irregular hollows left on the retreat of the ice, for the lowest deposits
usually yield remains of Arctic plants. The principal localities for
these plants are Corstorphine and Hailes. Trees, except perhaps
the alder, are entirely missing in the lower deposits, and the
vegetation consists mainly of dwarf willow and birch, with a few
herbaceous plants, of species still living within the Arctic Circle.
The list now includes the following plants, those marked with an
asterisk being Arctic species no longer living in the lowlands of
Scotland :

Ranunculus aquatilis, Linn. : ' f Oxyria digyna, Hill.

,, repens, Linn. ; Betula nana, Linn.

Viola (?). Alnus (?).

Stellaria media, Cyr. Salix repens, Linn.

Rubus sp. '" herbacea, Linn.

'"Dryas octopetala, Linn. - f polaris, Wahlb.

Potentilla sp. * ,, reticulata, Linn.

Poterium sp. Empetrum nigrum, Linn.

Hippuris vulgaris, Linn. Potamogeton sp.

Myriophyllum spicatum, Linn. Eleocharis palustris, R. Br.

Taraxacum officinale, Web. Scirpus pauciflorus, Lightf.

Andromeda polifolia, Linn. ,, lacustris, Linn.

Menyanthes trifoliata, Linn. Carex, 2 sp.

MOSSES (determined by ANTONY GEPP, F.L.S.)

Barbula fallax, Hedwig. Hypnum polygamum, Schimp.

fragilis, Bruch and Sch. ,, fluitans, Linn.

Grimm ia sp. ,, revolvens, Swartz.

Racomitrium sp. ,, rugosum, Ehrh.

Philonotis fontana, Brid. ,, cupressiforme, Linn.

Aulacomnion palustre, Schw. sarmentosum, Wahl.

Webera sp. cuspidatum, Linn.

Bryum sp. ,, trifarium, Web. and
Pogonatum sp. Mohr.

Polytrichum sp. ,, scorpioides, Linn."
Camptotheciumnitens, Schimp.

As in Mr. Reid's abstract no details are given of the
circumstances of the deposits in which the Arctic plants

48 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

occurred, it has been suggested that, in order to enforce the
moral of the story these plants tell, some of the details might
be of advantage in leading to searches for the same plants
in similar deposits.

I. Arctic plant -bed at Hailes Quarry, four miles west of

Edinburgh.

The bed was found at the bottom of a series of deposits
which proved the existence of a lake in a hollow space between
boulder hillocks in the north-east corner of Hailes Quarry.

The section exposed was as follows :

1. 'Boulder clay, lying in a hollow of the sandstone rock.
Its apparent thickness in 1886 was only about 2 or 3 feet ;
but this increased to 12 or 14 feet as the rock was quarried
farther into the hollow trough. This boulder clay was hard,
stiff, almost rock-like, and crowded with stones of all sizes,
from a pebble to a boulder. It was doubtless genuine ground-
moraine matter.

2. Immediately overlying the boulder clay was a layer
of large stones, which had evidently been washed out of the
boulder clay by the first water which filled the hollow after
the ice had melted off the land.

3. Next occurred an Arctic plant-bed of fine sandy mud
or silt i or 2 feet in thickness, with many rootlets of plants.
In this silt the Arctic plants occurred, generally as thin
layers, and sometimes scattered through the silt as single
leaves, sometimes along with fruits and twigs. By careful
washing they could be easily separated from the silt. Along
with the Arctic plants there were found numerous remains
of a freshwater crustacean, including body segments, tail
segments, and supposed feet, and the more characteristic
mandibles with tooth-like processes resembling combs. These
have been recognised as those of Apus gladalis (or a kindred
species), now found only in freshwater lakes in Greenland and
Spitzbergen.

4. Immediately above the Arctic plant -bed other silts
occurred, with seeds of Potamogeton in great numbers, and
many sprigs of light feathery mosses, and occasionally patches
of solid peat with other seeds of Potamogeton^ Menyanthes
(Bogbean), and Carices. There were found also little round

ARCTIC PLANTS IN OLD LAKE DEPOSITS OF SCOTLAND 49

circular bodies, supposed to be statoblasts of a freshwater
Polyzoon, also much of the chitine of Daphnia, like mica
scales, and many black shining bodies, like black diamond
dust, said to be water-mites.

5. A series of coarse sands, gravels, and silts, 8 or
10 feet in thickness, in which hazel nuts, acorns, alder seed-
cones, and stones of fruits abounded, with much drift-wood
in the shape of twigs, pieces of bark of trees, and in two or
three cases tree trunks 8 or 10 inches in diameter.

6. Five or six feet of ochrey sand with only holes formed
by rootlets in it, but containing no actual organic remains.

7. Vegetable soil, 2 feet or so in thickness.

Such is a rough account of the section at Hailes, which
shows deposits made in a lake extending from the times of
the boulder drift up to recent times.

Ere I pass from it I may note that in a fine silt or mud
near the bottom several species of freshwater mollusca, one
or two land shells, and several species of Ostracoda were
found in 1886, as recorded in the " Ancient Lakes of Edin-
burgh" (Proc. Roy. P/ij/s. Soc., vol. x. pp. 135-145). It is
there also stated that two large boulders, 4 or 5 feet in
diameter, occurred in the lake deposits in such a way as
proved that they must have been deposited in it after the
lake had been for some time in existence. Lately some of
the vegetable drift which is stated to have been found in the
cleft between the two boulders has been re-examined, and
Apus remains have proved to be abundant in it, as well as
fragments of the Arctic leaves. This further confirms the
view as to the period of their deposition.

The extent of the lake at Hailes cannot be given with
any precision, as we cannot say how far it extended over the
rock which has been quarried away. But it cannot have
been extensive, and must have been a tarn, or lochan, as Mr.
Reid has described it.

The course of events in Hailes is simple and easily read.
First existed a small pool or tarn in which water-plants
grew, and into which Arctic land-plants were drifted, and in
which some few freshwater shells lived and the Apus crawled
in great numbers. Into this a current of water flowed,
bringing the drift-wood, the hazel nuts and fruit-stones,
9 E

50 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

and the very coarse sand and gravel with which they are
associated ; and then followed the vegetable soil, and now
the quarry.

II. The Arctic plant-beds and other beds in Corstorphine Lake.

This lake lay in the hollow that stretches along the
south side of Corstorphine Hill, from Coltbridge to west of
Corstorphine village, a distance of 3 miles or more. The
deposits in it were exposed in 1890-93 by a cutting for a
sewer in connection with the Water of Leith Purification
Scheme. This cutting was about 20 feet in depth, and 5
feet in width ; and all the beds that lay in its course were
exposed to that depth. The cutting may be treated in
three parts or divisions.

1. From Coltbridge to Ballgreen Road, about a mile.
This was the lowest level, and the beds in it were wholly
mud or sand, with intercalated beds of vegetable drift or
compressed peats. All the organic remains from it were
recent, such as hazel nuts, acorns, seeds, pieces of driftwood
of pine or oak, and bones of the pig or ox, etc.

2. From Ballgreen Road westward to the Corstorphine
Station Road, nearly two miles in length, the chief beds
were lake-marls full of freshwater shells. The thickness of
these beds was sometimes only 2 or 3 feet, but at other
places it reached 20 feet or more. Next came the Arctic
plant-bed, in fine lake-mud of varying thickness, sometimes
only one inch in thickness, sometimes a foot or more. In
some places it lay within six or seven feet of the surface,
at others it went down to the bottom of the cutting. It lay
in some places on laminated clay, in others on a coarse gray
sand.

3. Above the Station Road, as far as South Gyle, for
about a mile the marl alone was cut into, as the cutting was
there only 12 or 14 feet in depth. The marl was the same
as in section 2, full of freshwater shells and flat stems of
water-plants, evidently representing the later stage of the
lake's history. Probably if the cutting had been deeper the
Arctic plant-bed would have been found below the marl here
likewise.

ARCTIC PLANTS IN OLD LAKE DEPOSITS OF SCOTLAND 51

The course of deposits in Corstorphine Lake from first
to last would be :

1. Boulder clay of unknown thickness, but irregular ; as
it sometimes comes to the surface, and at other times sinks
out of reach of the sewer cutting.

2. A coarse gray sand, with occasional stones, evidently
the residue of the boulder clay, from which the finer silt had
been washed away. It was always wet, and doubtless acted
as an underground drain to carry off the surplus rain-water,
which sank down through the upper lake marl, etc., but
could not go through the impervious boulder clay, and
flowed along the top of it to lower levels.

3. Fine laminated clay, red like tile or brick clay.
This is evidently the finer silt washed out from the boulder
clay of the grounds surrounding the hollow in which the
lake lay. It was free from peat and marl, and had nothing
organic in it except shreds of vegetable tissue, the remains
of rootlets of water-plants.

4. The Arctic Plant Drift-beds. Sometimes of pure drift,
with no clay or mud, but oftenest as layers of fine clay, mud,
or silt, with the leaves in thin layers ; at other times with
the leaves scattered singly through the deposits, sometimes
with much debris, consisting of vegetable fibres, dried root-
lets, or epidermis of water-plants of which the soft tissue had
decayed and only the coriaceous rind had been left, some-
times with quantities of twigs an inch or so in length,
stripped of bark, rounded at the ends, and water-worn,
evidently the shore wrack of the lake. Fruits of the Arctic
Willows are frequent, sometimes with the cottony wool still
inside them, and sometimes with the stigmas projecting.
As Arctic Willows are land-plants, these must have grown
on the slopes of Corstorphine Hill, or on the knowes on the
south side of the lake ; and been wafted by the wind, or
drifted by water, into the middle of the lake, and finally
have sunk in its waters.

5. These Arctic plants are regarded as a proof of the
climate of Corstorphine having been 20 Fahr. colder than
at present, and that the glacial period was still in session in
this latitude. But the best things got in these Arctic plant-
beds were the remains of Apus glacialis, the crustacean

52 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

already mentioned as now living only in the lakes of Green-
land and Spitzbergen. They were exceedingly plentiful in
Corstorphine lake, since many hundreds of the different
parts have been obtained there. In some parts freshwater
shells were got in company with the Arctic plants, showing
that these plants still flourished in Midlothian while the
Mollusca that distinguish the marl came in to possess it.

6. TJic Lake Marl. This consisted of calcareous mud,
crowded with the ordinary lake-shells, and felted with long
ribbon-like stems of water-plants, betokening a long period
during which these shells lived and died in millions in the

o

quiet water of the lake.

7. The upper bed of ochrey sand and gravel, 6 or
7 feet in thickness, often laminated, and sometimes very
beautifully false-bedded, but with little or nothing organic
preserved in it.

Such is a rude sketch of the deposits of these old lakes
of Hailes and Corstorphine, which seem to suggest that in
most of the old lake deposits of Scotland, Arctic plants may
be found if sought for, and that much knowledge might be
eot from them of the condition of the land in the times

O

succeeding the Glacial Period, or even, it may be, in the
latter portions of that period. As warrant for this, I may
quote the fact that at Faskine, near Airdrie, Mr. Peter
Jack has found nests of lake silt, about 14 feet down in
boulder clay, from which leaves of Arctic plants have been
obtained, identical with those from Hailes and Corstorphine.
These nests must be considered as vestiges of some old
glacial lake which existed near Faskine ere yet the ice had
finally disappeared, and over which the ice had been driven,
carrying portions of the leaf- charged mud with it, and
burying them under the above thickness of boulder clay.

OBITUARY.

Alexander Stephen Wilson, C.E. On the i6th November there
died in Aberdeen, in his sixty-seventh year, after brain disease of
several months' duration, one who combined a keen interest in
botanical science, more especially in its practical application to

OBITUARY 53

agriculture, with literary ability, and also with a wide knowledge in
curious and little-known antiquarian lore.

Mr. Wilson was the son of a farmer in the parish of Rayne, in
Aberdeenshire, and was educated in the parish school there. He
was trained in Aberdeen as a land surveyor and civil engineer and
in 1 86 1 he acted as resident engineer during the construction of the
section of the Buchan branch of the G. N. S. Railway on the section
between Dyce and Ellon. Having married Miss Stephen of North
Kinmundy, Newmachar, he turned his attention chiefly to agriculture
as a profession during the rest of his life, studying it as a science,
and carrying on many and varied experiments. Among the subjects
of his experiments may be noted the growth of various cereals and
other plants with a view to obtaining evidence on the alleged
transmutation of species in cultivation ; the singling of turnips so as
to secure the heaviest yield ; the pollination of grasses and other
plants ; and the ascertaining by volume and weight the true value
of the crops of various cereals, and of the best commercial measure
for these. He also made very careful observations and experiments
on the growth of various fungi parasitic on agricultural plants. Nor
did he refrain from experimenting upon himself, trying the effects of
ergot in food, fortunately without ill effects. Even at the age of
eighteen his literary tastes were manifested in a magazine, called the
" Rural Echo," which he edited, and in great part wrote, but which
continued only about half a year. While resident at North Kinmundy
he published the results of his scientific studies in several books,
as contributions to various societies of which he was a member, and
in agricultural journals. Other results were published by correspon-
dents to whom they were communicated for the purpose, e.g. by Mr.
W. G. Smith, in his little work on " Diseases of Plants." " The
Botany of Three Historical Periods," published in 1878, and "A
Bushel of Corn," published in 1883 (which gained him the gold medal
of the Highland Society), are excellent examples of Mr. Wilson's
method of work in this field, of the wide range of topics that the
subjects as treated by him suggest, and of the curious and interesting
information from many sources that he brings to bear upon them.
More speculative are his " Unity of Matter " and " Creation the
Work of To-day." His shorter scientific papers will repay perusal,
such as "Experiments with Turnip Seeds" (Trans. Edin. Bot. Soc.
1877) and on " Ergot," as all are based on acute and careful experi-
ments and observation.

He also published works in the widely different realm of poetry.
The first of these appeared upwards of twenty years ago under the
name "A Creed of To-morrow." In 1884 appeared a volume of
" Songs and Poems," of short pieces, several of them being jeux
d'esprit of a botanical nature, such as "Fungus Hunting," and "A
Mycological Serenade." A longer work, " The Lyric of a Hopeless

54 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Love," was issued in 1886, and was followed a few years later by
another volun\e of " Songs and Poems."

Mr. Wilson was for many years a member of several societies
such as the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, the Cryptogamic Society
of Scotland, and the Highland and Agricultural Society. His
sensitive and retiring disposition made it necessary to know him for
some time before his merits could be appreciated ; but by all those
who had the pleasure of sufficiently intimate acquaintance he was
much esteemed and is greatly missed. He was indeed one of the
best type of the union of the field-naturalist and scientific agriculturist,
combined with a strong bent to poetry and philosophical speculation.

Rev. George Gordon, M.A., LL.D. We have to record, with
the deepest regret, the death of this venerable and distinguished
naturalist, at the advanced age of 92 years, on the i2th of
December last. Dr. Gordon has been inseparably associated
with the promotion of the Natural History of the North of Scot-
land for nearly three-quarters of a century, and we hope to give
some account of his great worth and labours in the cause of science
in the April number of the ' Annals.'

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES.

Early appearance of the Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris). On the

24th of September last, Mr. Eagle Clarke and I saw a specimen of
this bird, the earliest that it has ever been our fortune to come
across in the autumn. It was in company with Missel Thrushes and
Blackbirds in a meadow adjoining a plantation near the base of
the Pentland Hills, about five miles west of Edinburgh. T. G.
LAIDLAW, Edinburgh.

Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida) in Mull. On the i7th of November
last, while shooting with Maclaine of Loch Buie at the west end of
Loch Uisk, a Kingfisher was observed to flit by and pass down the
stream that flows out of the loch and into the sea near to the Castle.
As I never saw or heard of a Kingfisher in Mull before, I venture to
place the occurrence on record in the "Annals." C. A. M'VEAN,
Isle of Mull.

The Roller (Coracias garrula] in East Ross-shire. When in
Ross-shire recently, I saw a specimen of this rare visitor to Scotland
in the house of Mr. Brotherston, Swordale, by whom it was shot.
The bird, an adult female, was obtained on Swordale Hill on the
3<Dth September 1892. It frequented a piece of broken ground of
whin and heather, and often alighted on an upright post. No sign
of shyness was exhibited, nor did it appear to be in the company of
any birds in particular. When shot at, being allowed well out in

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES

55

order to preserve the plumage, it was only wounded ; and as Mr.
Brotherston was in the act of picking it up, it seized his hand with
its beak, and speedily drew blood. The bird had been observed in
the neighbourhood for some days before being shot. ROBERT B.
BELL, Edinburgh.

Stock Dove (Columba outlets) in Shetland. The first specimen

of this species that is known to have occurred in Shetland was shot

on the 1 4th of November last, at Dunrossness, by Messrs. R. and T.

Henderson, who kindly forwarded its skin to me for identification.

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN.

Quail (Coturnix commit nis) in Elginshire. Mr. James Brown
of Forres informs me that an unusual number of Quail made their
appearance in that district during the months of September and
October. Mr. Brown examined two shot near Forres, and several
more were seen. Specimens have also been obtained in the parishes
of Kinloss and Alves. J. A. HARVIE-BROWN.

Little Auk (Alca alle) in the Outer Hebrides in Summer. On

the 24th of June 1893 a Little Auk was captured at the Monach
Islands, and its skin kindly forwarded to us by Mr. Wm. A. Tulloch,
one of the keepers at the lighthouse there. Mr. Tulloch informs
us that he observed the bird in the vicinity of the lighthouse for
several days before its capture was effected, and that on skinning
the specimen he found " a hard substance on the back of the head,
growing from the bone, and about the size of a sparrow's egg."
This diseased condition may account for its occurrence in the Outer
Hebrides at this unusual season of the year. This specimen is in a
phase of plumage which we do not find described in the standard
works devoted to our birds. It may be described generally as being
in winter plumage, with the addition of a broad dusky band across
the breast. This band is quite black at the sides, but becomes
admixed with white in the centre, where the proportions of the two
colours are equal. That this particular phase of plumage is not
abnormal is borne out by the fact that a specimen in the Edinburgh
Museum of Science and Art, and procured at Port Seaton on the
1 8th November 1861, is in identical dress. J. A. HARVIE-BROWN
and WM. EAGLE CLARKE.

Buffon's Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) in Orkney. While my
brother-in-law Mr. Hebden of Eday was driving over his estate
on the 4th September last, he informed me that he had seen a
strange bird in company with a large flock of gulls on a grass field.
This bird appeared to be feeding, and was so tame as to allow of its
being approached to within about five yards ; and from the description
given to me I concluded it must be either Richardson's or Buffon's
Skua. On the day following the bird was sent to me, and proved to
be a male specimen of Buffon's Skua. It is the only specimen I

56 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

have seen in Orkney. I was told that another was seen in Eday at
the same time, and I saw in a Caithness paper a few days after the
date mentioned that a bird of this species had been obtained in the
parish of Rendall, Orkney, and was in the hands of Mr. Dunbar,
naturalist, of Thurso. T, W. RANKEN, Kirkwall.

Bird Notes from Barra. BLACKCAP (Sylvia atricapilla), On the
1 3th of October I noticed a Blackcap (a female) flitting about among
the bushes in my garden. It remained for about a week, and was very
tame. This is the first of the species ever noticed by me in the Outer
Hebrides. WILLOW WREN (Phylloscopus trochihis). A specimen of
this pretty little warbler was caught by Mr. William Macgillivray in the
garden at Eoligary, on the 1 3th November, which he showed to me.
And in about a week after this he noticed another one, which remained
only for a day. These were late migrants, but, from what Mr.
Macgillivray tells me, it seems that a pair of these birds used to nest
in their garden for several years in succession, up till about two
years ago, when they failed to put in an appearance, although they
were never interfered with during their visits. GRAY WAGTAIL
(Motadlla melanope). On the 6th of October 1893, Mr. Murdo
MacDonald, gamekeeper, brought me a Gray Wagtail which he had
got on the east side of the island. The White Wagtail (M. alba)
visits us regularly during the spring and autumn migrations, but I
think this is the first record of the occurrence of the Gray Wagtail in
the Outer Hebrides. JACKDAW (Corvus moncdula). Every winter we
are visited by a few Rooks, but this season, about the end of October,
large flocks arrived, and more than a hundred can be counted here
and there all over the island. On the 2nd of November I observed
three Jackdaws with one of these flocks, and since then I have observed
several others. I believe the Jackdaw has been seen in Barra on
previous occasions, but I never met with it in the Outer Hebrides
before, and I think its visits are not common. JOHN MACRURY,
Barra.

Sesia culieiformis, Z., in Strathspey. As this is a scarce
insect in any part of Scotland, and is not entered for " Moray " in Dr.
Buchanan White's "Lepidoptera of Scotland," it may be well to place
on record the fact that I saw two examples in Strathspey in May
last one (which I captured) at Loch Alvie ; the other at Aviemore
Station. WILLIAM EVANS, Edinburgh.

Perthshire Heteroptera. I am able to add four species to the
list of Perthshire Heteroptera which appeared in the last number of
the "Annals." I took at Pitlochry, at the end of August 1892,
Dicyphus globifer, Campyloneura virgitla, Macrocoleus tanaceti, Psallus
alnicola. ALFRED BEAUMONT, Lewisham.

Some further Scotch Localities for Arachnids. In connection
with Mr. G. H. Carpenter's article on " Some New Scotch Localities

BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS 57

for Arachnids" in the "Annals of Scottish Natural History" for
October last, I should like to put on record the following captures
made by myself, mainly in the neighbourhood of Corrie, Arran ; and
about Dairy, Ayrshire. The specimens have been shown at the
Andersonian Naturalists' Society and the Glasgow Natural History
Society. I must mention my indebtedness to the Rev. O. P.
Cambridge, to whom the specimens have been submitted for
identification.

Clubiona holosericea, De Geer. Corrie.

Amaurobius fenestraliS) Str. Corrie and Dairy.

Textrix denticulata, Oliv. Ailsa Craig.

Tegenaria derhamii, Scop. Corrie and Dairy.

Phyllonethis limata, Clk. Corrie.

Erigone a/ra, Bl. Corrie.

E. dcntipalpes, Wid. Corrie.

Bathyphantes concolor, Wid. Dairy.

Linyphia thoracica, Wid. Corrie.

Meta seg/nentata, Clk. Dairy.

M. meriance, Scop. Corrie.

Zilla x-notata, Clk. Corrie and Dairy.

Z. affica, C. L. K. Corrie and Stepps.

Epeira diademafa, Clk. Corrie.

E. quadrata, Clk. Corrie.

Xysticus pini, Hahn. Ailsa Craig.

Trochosa pulverulenta, Clk. Corrie.

Lycosa aincntata, Clk. Dairy

L. annulata, Thor. Corrie.

L. pullata, Clk. Dairy.

L. riparia, C. L. K. Corrie.

L. wonticola, C. L. K. Corrie.

FRANK L. GRANT, Glasgow.

[Mr. Win. Evans informs us that, as far as he can discover, Lycosa
riparia and L. annulata have not hitherto been recorded for Scot-
and. EDS.]

BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS.

First Records of Scottish Plants. In the continuation in the
"Journal of Botany " (October) of " First Records of British Flower-
ing Plants," compiled by Win. A. Clarke, F.L.S., the following species
are recorded as having been first noted from Scotland as British :

Campanula rapunculoides, "1800. At Blair in Scotland ; Fen-
wick Skrimshire, M.D. Sm. ' Fl. Brit.,' i. 238."

Arctostaphylos alpina, " 1777. Upon many of the Highland

58 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

mountains, particularly on those to the south of Little Loch Broom
in Ross-shire, etc. Lightfoot, ' Fl. Scot.,' i. 215."

Loiskuria proaanbens, "1777. Upon dry barren ground near
the summits of the Highland mountains, in many places, as in Ben-
mor, etc. Lightfoot, ' Fl. Scot.,' i. 140. See Pennant, 'Voy.,'ii.

245 (i774)."

Phyllodoce taxifolia, " 1812. Discovered at Aviemore, in Strath-
spey, and in the western isles of Shiant. ' E. B.,' 2469. First noticed
near Aviemore by Mr. Brown of Perth. Sm. ' E. Fl.,' ii. 222."

Pyrola rotittidifolia, " 1640. In Yorkshire, Lancashire, and
farther North, yea, even in Scotland in the woods everywhere.
Park, 'Theatr.' 510."

Moneses graudiflora, "1793. Found in 1792 near Brodie
House, Scotland, by James Brodie and Mr. James Hoy, near Gordon
Castle in Moray. Both these gentlemen, we believe, are equally
entitled to the honour of its first discovery. ' E. B.,' 146."

Primula scofica, " 1819. Found by Mr. Gibb of Inverness on
Holborn Head, near Thurso in Caithness. Hooker in Curtis, ' Fl.
Lond.,' i. 133."

Trientalis europcea, "1620. In betuletis Scotise natans, D.
Cargillus ex Scotia misit. C. Bauhin, 'Prod. Th. Bot.,' p. 100."

Some unexpected " Aliens " in the flora of Aberdeen. Owing
to somewhat extensive alterations on the surface of the ground in
and near Aberdeen, a very considerable number of " aliens " have
sprung up during the last two or three years. This has been especi-
ally marked on ground made up of rubbish of all kinds carted into a
former portion of the channel of the river Dee. In 1892 part of this
ground was enclosed within a high paling ; and, thus protected from
passers by, aliens in surprising variety have grown more or less
vigorously on the rubbish-heaps. I have endeavoured to secure
examples of all the species ; but a full statement of these must be
deferred meantime. A curious proof of the uncommon warmth of the
summer of 1893 is afforded by the growth on this ground, in con-
siderable numbers, of such unexpected aliens as Tomatoes (flowering
freely, and producing fruits an inch or more in diameter), Oranges,
and Date Palms. The two last also sprang up as accidental intro-
ductions in my garden. The Oranges reached a height of about
four or five inches, and formed as many as four leaves before being
nipped by frost in November. The Palms bore a leaf from four to
eight inches long, and resisted two slight snowstorms with rather
sharp frost. Of course our winter is too severe for all three species
named. JAMES W. H. TRAIL.

Botanical Exchange Club of the British Isles, Report for 1892
by G. Claridge Druee, M.A., F.L.S. Among the numerous notes
on forms of British plants, a number relate to examples from Scot-

CURRENT LITERATURE 59

land. The more interesting are noted below. Ranunculus acris, L.,
var pumilus, Wahl., " Corrie Sneachda, Cairngorm " (G. C. D. ) Arabis
petrceci) Lamk., var. grandifotia, Druce, on Ben Laoigh, differs from
the form (or ? sub-species) on the Cairngorms. " It may be known
from A.petraa " (restricted) " by its broadly ovate, nearly entire dark
green leaves, thickly covered with bifid and trifid hairs, and by its
flowers, which are twice the size of ordinary A. petraa " (G. C. D.)
Erythrtza littoralis, Fr., var. minor, Hartm., " Inver Bay, near Tain,
E. Ross" (E. S. Marshall) j " Munlochy, in the Black Isk of Cromarty"
(G. C. D.), with a reference to "English Botany," pi. 2305, where
this form is figured from Elginshire coast. Euphorbia dulcis, L.,
" Conan River, in Brahan Castle grounds, E. Ross ; quite naturalised,
August 1892" (E. S. Marshall). Srirpus Taberncemontani, Gmel.,
"Between Forres and the Culbin Sands, Elgin, August 1889"
(G. C. U.) Carex vaginata, Tausch, f. borealis, " Braeriach, Easter-
ness, August 1888 " (G. C. D.) C. bimrvis, Sm., f. or var. nigrescens,
Druce, "Ben Eay, W. Ross, August 1889. Some of the specimens
closely approach the plant from Corrie Ceander called C. frigida "
(G. C. D.) C. xanthocarpa, Deseg., "Glen Spean, Westerness "
(G. C. D.) Agrostis canina, L., var. scotica, Hackel., " Ben Eay,
W. Ross, August 1889. Still in cultivation at Oxford, and now
scarcely differing from type" (G. C. D.) " Poa laxa" of British
botanists, from Lochnagar, is stated by Prof. Hackel to belong un-
doubtedly to P. alpina, L.

CURRENT LITERATURE.

The Titles and Purport of Papers and Notes relating to Scottish Natural His-
tory which have appeared during the Quarter October-December 1893.

The Editors desire assistance to enable them to make this Section as complete as
possible. Contributions on the lines indicated will be most acceptable and
will bear the initials of the Contributor. The Editors will have access to the
sources of information undermentioned.]

ZOOLOGY.

WHITE MOLES. Robert Service. Zoologist (3), xvii. p. 425
(November 1893). Specimens from S.W. Scotland described.

DECADENCE OF THE VOLE PLAGUE IN SCOTLAND. Robert
Service. Zoologist (3), xvii. p. 426 (November 1893).

A REMARKABLE SCOTTISH DEER'S HEAD. The Field, 3oth Sep-
tember 1893, p. 527. One with seven points on the top on either
side, or twenty points in all, shot in the Glenquoich Forest, Inverness-
shire, by Lord Burton.

GOLDFINCH AND TREE- SPARROW IN NORTH UIST. Sir John
Campbell Ord, Bart. The Ibis (6), v. p. 592 (October 1893).

60 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

HOOPOE IN ORKNEY. G. M. Mackay. The Field, ;th October
1893, p. 553. One shot on the Calf of Eday Island.

LATE STAY OF TURTLE DOVE IN SCOTLAND. J. M. D. The
Field, 1 8th November 1893, p. 792. One shot in Wigtownshire on
25th October 1893.

CAPERCAILLIE IN STRATHSPEY. A female shot on the Rothie-
murchus estate, Aviemore, was considered to be the last of a brood
brought up under a hen at Pitcroy Lodge. See The Field, 4th Nov-
ember 1893, p. 712, and 1 8th November 1893, p. 791.

QUAILS IN PERTHSHIRE. G. D. Clayhills Henderson. The
Field, 23rd September 1893, p. 491. Several near Meigle.

QUAILS IN ROSS-SHIRE. Bryan Cookson. The Field, 7th October
1893, p. 554. Several shot and others observed during the past
week at Strathpeffer, where they had been all the summer.

QUAILS IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. C. H. S. The Field, i4th
October 1893. One shot at Brocklehurst on the 3rd October.

QUAILS IN LINLITHGOWSHIRE. H. The Field, 1 8th November
1893, P- 79 2 - Seen and heard at Preston in September.

BLACK GUILLEMOT IN THE SOLWAY FIRTH. J. J. Armistead.
Zoologist (3), xvii. p. 395 (October 1893). Shot on ist August.

ON THE REPTILIA OF THE BRITISH TRIAS. By E. T. Newton,
F.R.S., F.G.S. Geol. Mag. (3), vol. x. p. 555 (December 1893).-
Deals with Scottish species from the Elgin Sandstone.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LIFE-HISTORIES AND DEVELOPMENT OF
THE FOOD AND OTHER FISHES. By Prof. M'Intosh. Eleventh Ann.
Rep. Fishery Board for Scotland (1892), part. iii. pp. 239-248 (plates
viii.-xii.)

AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON THE MIGRATION AND
RATE OF GROWTH OF THE FOOD FISHES. By Dr. T. Wemyss Fulton.
Eleventh Ann. Rep. Fishery Board for Scotland (1892), part. iii. pp.
i 76-196.

ON THE RATE OF GROWTH OF CERTAIN MARINE FOOD FISHES.
By H. Charles Williamson. Eleventh Ann. Rep. Fishery Board for
Scotland (1892), part. iii. pp. 265-273.

GENERAL REPORT ON THE PELAGIC EGGS, LARV/E, AND YOUNG
FlSHES PROCURED BY THE 'GARLAND' IN 1892 AND 1893. By
Arthur T. Masterman. Eleventh Ann. Rep. Fishery Board for Scot-
land (1892), part iii. pp. 250-264.

OCCURRENCE OF STRIPED WRASSE OFF SUTHERLAND. James
Grahame. The Field, nth November 1893, p. 715. Several cap-
tured between Lochinver and Stoer Point in 1892.

CURRENT LITERATURE 61

ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAICE (Pleitronectes platessd).
By Dr. J. H. Fullerton. Eleventh Ann. Rep. Fishery Board for
Scotland (1892), part iii. pp. 274-283 (plates xiii.-xvi.)

WEST COAST EXPEDITION OF THE ' GARLAND ' DURING JULY AND
AUGUST 1892. REPORT ON MOLLUSCA. By Alfred Brown.
Eleventh Ann. Rep. Fishery Board for Scotland (1892), part iii
pp. 172-175.

LAND AND FRESHWATER MOLLUSCA OF OBAN AND THE ISLAND
OF LISMORE. R. Standen and J. R. Hardy. Joitrn. of Conch., vol. vii.
No. 8 (October 1893), pp. 266-274. Thirty-five land and ten fresh-
water species. W. D. R.

MARINE MOLLUSCA OF THE UPPER PART OF LOCH LINNHE,
ARGYLESHIRE. G. A. Frank Knight, M.A. Journ. of Conch., vol. vii.
No. 8 (October 1893), pp. 232-237. Includes a list of one hun-
dred and four species dredged in 1891. Special attention drawn
to discovery of Rissoa abyssicola, Forb., in great numbers.
W. D. R.

COLEOPTERA IN MoRAYSHiRE. A. J. Chitty. E/it. Mo. Mag.
(2), iv. pp. 258-260 (November 1893). Four hundred and fifty
species taken in the autumn near Forres, the more important of
which are mentioned.

NOTES ON NEUROPTERA. By Kenneth J. Morton, F.E.S. Ent.
Mo. Mag. (2), iv. p. 249 (November 1893). One < and two ? of
Agapetus delicatulus, M'L. (new to Scotland), taken last July in
Arran, and Drepanopteryx phalrenoides, L., taken at Cleghorn
Notes also given on two species of Tasniopteryx.

DREPANOPTERYX PHAL/ENOIDES AT PITLOCHRY. Alfred Beau-
mont. Ent. Mo. Mag. (2), iv. p. 263 (November 1893). A single
specimen taken on 29th August 1892.

A FEW DAYS' COLLECTING IN THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS. By
J. W. Tutt, F.E.S. Ent. Record, vol. iv. pp. 285-288 (November
1893). Records of Lepidoptera captured.

NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. LANARK. (Rev.) J. A. Mackon-
ochie. Ent. Record, vol. iv. p. 277 (October 1893). Thirty species
of Lepidoptera recorded.

ON VARIATION IN VANESSA URTIOE AND EREBIA BLANDINA IN
SCOTLAND. By Kenneth J. Morton, F.E.S. Ent. Mo. Mag. (2),
iv. p. 223 (October 1893).

NOCTWE IN FORFARSHIRE. M. S. W. Gunning. Entomologist,
vol. xxvi. p. 362 (December 1893). Fifty-two species taken near
Montrose, between 27th July and 3rd October 1893.

THE PELAGIC FAUNA OF THE BAY OF ST. ANDREWS. By Prof.

62 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

M'Intosh, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S. Eleventh Ann. Rep. Fishery Board
for Scotland (1892), part iii. pp. 284-389. A series of tables given,
showing in detail the contents of tow-nets put down from November
1887 to December 1888.

ON SOME NEW OR RARE CRUSTACEA FROM SCOTLAND. By

Thomas Scott, F.L.S. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (6), vol. xii. pp. 237-
246, plates xi.-xiii. (October 1893). Includes descriptions of five
species new to science, one of which forms the type of a new genus.

THE INVERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE INLAND WATERS OF SCOT-
LAND. PART III. By Thomas Scott, F.L.S. Eleventh Ann. Rep.
Fishery Board for Scotland (1892), part iii. pp. 220-238 (plates vi.
and vii). Deals with the Crustacea (Copepoda, Ostracoda, Clado-
cera, and Gymnomera) of Loch Morar, Inverness-shire.

ADDITIONS TO THE FAUNA OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. By
Thomas Scott, F.L.S. Eleventh Ann. Rep. Fishery Board for Scot-
land (1892), part iii. pp. 197-219 (plates ii.-v.) Records fourteen
species of Copepoda, ten Amphipoda, and one Cumacean as new
to the Firth, of which four of the Copepoda are new to science.

BOTANY.

FIRST RECORDS OF BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS (continued].
Compiled by William A. Clarke, F.L.S. Journ. Bot., October-
Enumerates several species first recorded as British from Scotland.

DURATION OF COCHLEARIA GRCENLANDICA, L. By Rev. Edward
S. Marshall, M.A. Journ. Bot., October. Specimens taken from
East Ross to a garden in Surrey, in 1891, have flowered in 1892
and 1893, and have retained their distinctive characters.

PYROLA ROTUNDIFOLIA AND ITS EUROPEAN FORMS. By Arthur
Bennett, F.L.S. Journ. Bot., November. Referring to Nyman's
unconfirmed record for var. arenaria of " Scotia," Mr. Bennett asks
for examples of P. rotundifolia from any seaside locality in Scotland.

NEW OR CRITICAL BRITISH ALG.E. By E. A. L. Batters, B.A.,
etc. Grevillea, December. Quotes from Dr. Nordstedt, as found
by him at Ballachulish in Scotland, Phormidinm uncinatum, Gomont.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ALG/E. By E. A. L. Batters. Grevillea,
December. In an analysis of three recent papers on Norwegian
Algee (one being by M. Foslie, and two by H. H. Gran.), Mr.
Batters quotes the description of species and varieties that will
probably be found on the coast of Scotland.

ON THE FOSSIL PLANTS OF THE KILMARNOCK, GULSTA, AND
KILWINNING COAL-FIELDS, AYRSHIRE. By R. Kidston. Trans.
Roy. Soc. Edin., vol. xxxvii. part ii.

REVIEWS 63

REVIEWS.

THE BIRDS OF DERBYSHIRE. By F. B. Whitlock. Annotated,
with numerous additions, by A. S. Hutchinson. (London : Bemross
and Sons, 1893.)

Mr. Whitlock's book treats of a comparatively small district, not
exceeding 1030 square miles, yet considering the limited area pos-
sessing a more diversified surface than any other English county :
from fruitful plain to high barren moorlands over 2000 feet above the
sea level ; river valleys also like the Denvent and Trent. These two,
but especially the latter, as lines of migration followed in the spring
and autumn, have added many species both of shore and sea-bird
to the county list, and undoubtedly have been the main factor in
enriching the avifauna in number of species.

The total of various birds occurring, or reputed to occur in
Derbyshire, is 241, which includes 84 residents, 72 migrants, and
the unusually large number of 85 casual visitors. Of the migrants,
however, the pied-flycatcher, blue-headed wagtail, and stone curlew
must be considered to hold a very doubtful place in the list.

No less than 8 terns, 7 gulls, and 3 skuas are recognised
as occurring, and the list of waders and shore-birds is remarkable
for so inland a county. It is pleasant to learn that the red-shank is
now thoroughly established as a breeding species in the Trent valley,
and this holds good, as we can certify, in the neighbouring county
of Nottinghamshire.

The volume contains a good map of the county, and the illustra-
tions of Derbyshire scenery add much to the interest of the work.
Mr. Whitlock has long been recognised as an accurate and pains-
taking observer, and his book is full of interesting local information
in connection with the haunts and habits of birds, the result of years
of careful research and inquiry by himself and his colleague Mr. A.
S. Hutchinson.

BRITISH FUNGUS FLORA. By George Massee. Vols. II. and III.
(George Bell and Sons.)

In this Journal (vol. ii. p. 62) we have already noticed, with the
commendation it deserves, the first volume of the " British Fungus
Flora." In the later volumes, issued in 1893, the same plan is adhered
to as in Vol. I., in respect to the descriptions and illustrations.
Vol. II. is devoted to a portion of the Agaricini, including
Ochrosporce, Rhodosporce, and Leucosporce, down to Laccaria. Of
Vol II. more than half is occupied with the remaining Leucosporce.
The remainder of the volume contains the Hyphomycetes : a group
that may be looked on as composed almost entirely of forms or stages
of reproduction of species that belong chiefly to the Ascomycetes,
though in our present lack of information it is not possible in more
than a small proportion of cases to refer these forms with certainty

64 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

to the perfect types of their respective species. It is necessary
therefore to retain them as provisional species in the meantime.
Mr. Massee's book will prove useful to students of Fungi beyond,
as well as within, the British Isles, especially if (as it may be
anticipated will be done) an appendix at the close of the work
adds species and forms omitted, or that may be published too late
for inclusion in their proper situation.

We observe a note in Vol. III., that the Flora will be concluded
in another volume ; but this we venture strongly to doubt, in view
of the 'great groups that yet remain to be dealt with. We hope
that the author will find himself able to carry his enterprise to a
successful conclusion.

A DICTIONARY OF BIRDS. By Alfred Newton, assisted by Hans
Gadow, with contributions from Richard Lydekker, B.A.F.G.S.,
Charles S. Roy, M.A., F.R.S., and Robert W. Shufeldt, M.D. Parts
I. and II. (London: Adam and Charles Black, 1893.)

Parts I. and II. of the very excellent " Dictionary of Birds " have
been issued ; and it is intended by the authors to complete the work
in two more parts, and with the concluding portion, an introduction
containing a comprehensive account of the rise and progress of
ornithology from the earliest period to the time of going to press.

The series of articles in the present parts are based on Professor
Newton's contributions to the Ninth Edition of the Encyclopedia
Britannica, but now with larger additions from himself and the
others named on the title page, and of those perhaps the most im-
portant are the anatomical papers contributed by Dr. Gadow, and
for the first time made available in a handy form for students and
general readers wishing to acquire a sound and practical knowledge
of ornithotomy.

Of the character of this work it is impossible to speak too highly.
We recognise in it a splendid and learned production, the accumu-
lated knowledge of a lifetime, representing in a condensed form
the available information connected with the most fascinating study
of birds ; each separate subject being treated so that, without detract-
ing in any degree from its scientific value, it will be found available
both for the inquiring student as well as those numerous readers who
wish to obtain information on some special point.

In a short notice like the present it is not easy to point out the
chief attractions. The articles by Professor Newton on Eggs, Ex-
termination, Geographical Distribution, and Migration, the excellent
notices of various family groups, and the exhaustive papers of the
other learned contributors, are each admirable in their special fields,
display an amount of erudition not to be found elsewhere, and will
bear reading again and again. The work should have a place in
every good library, and we think also a spare corner in the port-
manteau of wandering ornithologists at home and abroad.

The Annals

of

Scottish Natural History

No. 10] 1894 [APRIL

THE LATE REV. GEORGE GORDON, M.A., LL.D.

THE Rev. GEORGE GORDON, M.A., LL.D., was born in July
1 80 1, in the Manse of Urquhart, of which parish his father
was minister for many years. His mother was a daughter of
the Rev. Joseph Anderson, minister, during forty-two years,
of the parish of Birnie, near Elgin.

In the autumn of 1815 George Gordon entered as a
student of Arts in the Marischal College and University in
Aberdeen ; but, owing to the meagre records of under-grad-
uates then kept in the University, there is no indication of
his progress as a student, beyond that implied in his grad-
uating M.A. in 1819. He thereafter studied Divinity in the
universities in old Aberdeen and in Edinburgh, was licensed
by the Presbytery of Elgin in 1825, and in 1832 received
a presentation to the parish of Birnie, no doubt already a
very familiar locality to him. Here he spent the long period
of fifty-seven years, amid the esteem and veneration alike of
his parishioners and colleagues, and of a large circle of friends,
with many of whom he had become acquainted through his
wide scientific tastes.

During the stormy period that preceded the Disruption

of the Church of Scotland in 1843, ne took a conspicuous

part, being recognised as a leader in the district of Moray of

those that adhered to the Church ; but such controversy was

10 B

66 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

distasteful to him, and when the call for his services became
less urgent he gladly retired from this field. His life affords
an admirable example of exemplary devotion to his duties
as a clergyman, combined with keen enthusiasm and great
ability as a naturalist, in the truest sense of the term. To
him no part of natural science was without interest ; but
most of all did he delight in its study in the field. Few parts
of Scotland, if any, have been investigated with such loving
devotion by any single observer as he bestowed on his native
district of Moray, alike as regards the native animals and
plants, and the most interesting but perplexing Red Sand-
stone geological formations, with their very remarkable as-
semblages of fossil fishes and reptiles.

Dr. Gordon's physical energy was very great. Indeed, in
his later years he looked much younger than his real age ;
and he retained his love and his fitness for outdoor exercise
till almost the close of his well-spent life. Even when over
eighty years of age he enjoyed boating among the Shetland
Islands. He explored Moray thoroughly ; and extended his
excursions, usually with some definite investigation in view,
to various parts of the Highlands of Scotland. He noted
what he observed ; and his published papers, as will be more
fully noticed below, relate to a wide range of topics, though
mostly connected with the natural history of Morayshire.

This width of interests prevented the narrowness of view
into which specialists are sometimes apt to fall, and rendered
him a delightful companion. No one that ever enjoyed the
pleasure of spending a little time in his company in Birnie
or Elgin can forget the pleasure, or the thoroughness of his
knowledge of Morayshire. He delighted alike in showing
hospitality, and in giving freely of the fruits of his wide ex-
perience to all students of natural history who visited the
district, attracted not seldom by the desire to learn from him.
His scientific investigation of Morayshire began with the
plants, which he sought out most diligently, often in company
with the late Mr. Stables of Cawdor, who fully shared his
love for Botany, and whose name is very frequently quoted
in A. Murray's "Northern Flora," published in 1836. In
this work the author refers also to " Mr. Gordon, minister of
Birnie," in connection with the discovery of Pingnicula alpina

THE LATE REV. GEORGE GORDON, M.A., LL.D. 67

as a British plant on Rosehaugh, in the Black Isle, near
Inverness. His name occurs as early as 1827, in Jameson's
u Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal," as an authority on
the plants of the North of Scotland.

Dr. Gordon, in 1839, published the results of his labours
in the " Collectanea to the Flora of Moray," a work the value
of which has been heartily recognised by H. C. Watson in

his great " Topographical Botany." Mr. Watson states
further that he had had the advantage of a copy of the " Col-
lectanea " checked at a later date by Dr. Gordon, and also
of a catalogue of British plants checked by him for the county
of Ross in 1834 ; and he adds : " Without the valued assist-
ance of Dr. Gordon, with his friend and fellow-worker in
Natural Science, Mr. W. A. Stables, my own writings would
have been sadly deficient in the botany of Moray and Ross."
He gave much attention to the archaeology of Morayshire,

68 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

collecting objects of antiquarian interest, including coins ; and
many years ago he published a paper on the subject.

He extended his studies to the Zoology and Geology of
the north of Scotland. The results in Zoology he published
at intervals in the " Zoologist," in which, besides numerous
short notes, we meet with the following longer articles on the
fauna of Moray from his pen, the volume, and the number
of pages in each of which papers are indicated in the
brackets: "Mammalia" (ii. pp. 421-428); "Birds" (ii. pp.
502-515,551); " Reptiles " (ii. p. 55 i) ; " A List of Fishes
that have been found in the Moray Firth and in the Fresh
Waters of the Province of Moray" (x. pp. 3454-62, 3480-
89) ; "List of the Crustaceans of the Moray Firth" (x. pp.
3678-87) ; " List of the Echinodermata hitherto met with in
the Moray Firth" (xi. pp. 3781-85); "List of the Mollusca
hitherto found in the Province of Moray and in the Moray
Firth" (xii. pp. 4300-18, 4421-35, 4453-62); "List of
Lepicloptera hitherto found within the Province of Moray "
(xix. pp. 7663-75).

He also took a great interest in the success of the
" Scottish Naturalist," and contributed to its pages, usually
on zoological subjects. In the " Lepidoptera of Scotland,"
compiled by Dr. White, and in the " Coleoptera of Scotland,"
compiled by Dr. D. Sharp (both commenced in 1872, and
continued during several years), Dr. Gordon's name appears
as having contributed information from Moray. In October
1887 appeared a paper by him on the Hymenoptera (but
chiefly the genus Boinbus] of the province of Moray.

But valuable as were Dr. Gordon's researches in throw-
ing licfht on the flora and fauna of the north of Scotland, his

o o

interest in the Geology of his native land was no less strong ;
and the results of his labours were even more striking, and
are probably more widely kno\vn.

Not long after he settled in Birnie, he was drawn into
the study by Dr. John Malcolmson, then home from India,
where he had studied Geology in the field. Dr. Malcolmson
was shown by Hugh Miller the bed at Cromarty in which
occur the fossil remains of the Old Red Sandstone fishes.
It had been assumed that the sandstones of Moray were not
fossiliferous ; but after his visit to Cromarty Dr. Malcolmson

THE LATE REV. GEORGE GORDON, M.A., LL.D. 69

resolved to test this, and, with the aid of Dr. (then Mr.)
Gordon and Mr. Stables, the sandstone beds from Buckle to
Culloden were searched where sections could be found, and
fossils similar to those of Cromarty were found at Altyre
and in other localities.

Dr. Malcolmson in 1839 laid the result of this work
before the Geological Society of London. He also induced
his friends to join him in the search for traces of ice-action
among the Scottish Highlands similar to those pointed out
not long before by Agassiz in Switzerland. They made a
careful exploration of several of the valleys and mountains
of Inverness-shire and Ross-shire, especially around Mam Soul,
finding abundant evidence of the former existence of glaciers
on a great scale.

The publication of " The Old Red Sandstone," by Hugh
Miller, in 1841, served to stimulate Dr. Gordon's zeal in the
investigation of the Morayshire deposits, and led to subse-
quent discoveries of an unexpected and even perplexing
nature. In 1 844 a quarry at Lossiemouth yielded fossils
that were regarded by Agassiz as scales of a fish, to which
he gave the name Stagonolepis Robertsoiii. A fossil found in
1851 at Spynie was examined by Mantell, and was deter-
mined by him to be a reptile, named by him Telerpcton
Elginense. The Stagonolepis was subjected in 1855 to a
careful examination by Huxley, with the aid of better speci-
mens than had been within the reach of Agassiz, and was
proved to be a reptile related in structure to crocodiles. In
1858 Dr. Gordon procured portions of another reptile, named
by Huxley Hyperodapedon Gordoni, which showed a close
relationship to a genus found in Triassic rocks elsewhere.
He published in the "Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal "
in January 1859, pp. 14-56, a very valuable paper " On the
Geology of the Lower or Northern Part of the Province of
Moray : its History, Present State of Inquiry, and Points for
Future Examination." The title indicates the scope of the
paper (which sums up all that was then known of the geolog-
ical deposits of the lower part of Moray), and calls attention
to the value of Malcolmson's work. The physical character-
istics of the sandstones of the district, he therein maintains,
give no indication that the lower and upper beds belong to

yo ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

widely different periods ; nor is there any evident break be-
tween those beds that contain fossils of typical Old Red Sand-
stone fishes and those that enclose the reptilian remains, which
show strong affinities to Triassic forms. Dr. Gordon's labours
were continued with unflagging interest ; and from specimens
forwarded by him in 1891, Mr. E. T. Newton has described,
in the " Transactions of the Royal Society," two previously
unknown types of the very peculiar group of Dicynodont
reptiles, one of which he has named Gordonia ; and in Decem-
ber 1893 he described a third, provisionally referred to
Dinosauria, and named Ornitkosuchus. These new types
also show strong Triassic affinities. The apparent absence
of unconformability in these beds, along with their identity
in composition, caused Dr. Gordon to hesitate about accepting
the conclusion that geologists for the most part have arrived
at as to the age of the upper and of the lower beds of the
Elgin sandstones; and in 1892 he published a short paper
in the " Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society "
calling attention to these facts.

He had continued to acquire information regarding local
antiquities ; and in 1862 he published a description of shell-
mounds on the southern shore of the Moray Firth, which
induced Sir John Lubbock to visit these relics of the past.
Dr. Gordon pointed out the value of such investigations in
showing changes in the distribution of species ; and mentions
the curious fact that in the mounds examined by him the
shells of Tapes decnssata are abundant, though this species
does not now live in the neighbouring seas ; it having retreated
considerably southwards, contrary to the direction of retreat
of most of the Mollusca that have abandoned our coasts since
the Tertiary period.

About sixty years ago he took an active part in forming
the Elgin and Morayshire Literary and Scientific Associa-
tion, and in originating the Elgin Museum. From the
commencement of the Museum he laboured unceasingly
and earnestly to promote its usefulness alike with gifts
of specimens, with advice, and with personal assistance in
the work of naming and arranging the collections. His
influence has been most valuable in shaping its growth and
development, and it is now one of the most successful

THE LATE REV. GEORGE GORDON, M.A., LL.D. 71

provincial museums in Scotland. He frequently visited the
Museum, and till almost the close of his life he was ever on
the outlook for additions to its collections.

In 1859 the University of Marischal College in Aberdeen
conferred on him the degree of LL.D., in recognition of his
scientific merits. His jubilee as minister of Birnie was cele-
brated in 1882 by his parishioners, by his colleagues in the
Presbytery of Elgin, and by the members of the Elgin
Literary and Scientific Association, amid conspicuous proofs
of the high respect and love in which he was held.

In 1889 he retired from the parish of Birnie on account
of his great age, and took a house (Brabirnie) in Elgin,
where he resided to the time of his death. Mrs. Gordon
died in 1889, at Braebirnie. Dr. Gordon possessed excellent
health, and showed little sign of loss of strength till about a
fortnight before his death, when he was attacked by influenza.
Congestion of the lungs followed, and he sank peacefully to
rest on the I2th December 1893. He is survived by four
sons and two daughters.

Dr. Gordon's life was almost wholly spent in the pro-
vince of Moray, except for occasional visits to Shetland or to
other parts of Scotland ; and his work was so largely done
in Moray that one is apt to overlook such of it as related to
other districts ; but a good many notes and short papers pass
beyond Moray. It may be said that there are few books or
important papers on the natural history of Scotland, published
in the latter part of this century, that have not profited by
information contributed by him. We understand that
there is some probability of the copious manuscripts left by
him being revised with a view to the selection and publica-
tion of such material as may seem to be of most interest and
value ; but as yet it is difficult to estimate aright in what
form this may best be done. There can be but one opinion
as to the desirability of preserving from oblivion, and of
making useful to his fellow-workers, whatever can be gathered
of the matured wisdom of one, the recollection of whom will
remain with those who had the privilege of his friendship as
that of no ordinary man, but of a leader in all that doth
become the truest and best type of manhood.

J. W. H. T.

ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

with the

coming
taught

THE LATE JOHN ROY, LL.D.

THE death of Dr. Roy has left a gap in the ranks of Scottish
botanists that will not easily be filled ; while his researches
among the freshwater Algae, and especially among the Des-
midiecc, brought him into wide correspondence with students
of these groups in foreign lands. He was born on 24th
February 1828 at Ardoch, in the Parish of Fovvlis Wester
in Perthshire. He received his education in the parish school
there, and afterwards in the Normal College of the Church of

Scotland, in Edinburgh,
view to be-
a teacher. He
for five or six
years in the school of
Brackmuirhill in Kincar-
dineshire. Thereafter he
was appointed teacher in
a school at the Old Bridge
of Don, near Aberdeen,
where he remained for
three or four years. In
1863 he received the
charge of Dr. Brown's
school in Skene Square,
Aberdeen, which was
afterwards taken over by
the School Board, and is
now known as Skene
Square Public School.

He remained in this position till last year, when he retired
because of ill health, on a retiring allowance, after long and
honourable public service. Of robust nature, not readily
fatigued, he took great pleasure in long rambles in search of
plants. Probably few persons were better acquainted with
Mid and Northern Scotland, from the sea-level to the corries
and summits of the highest mountains. In such rambles he
was a most agreeable companion ; and his accurate know-
ledge of the plants themselves, and of the habitats of the

THE LATE JOHN ROY, LL.D. 73

rarest species, and his readiness to communicate his know-
ledge to any one in want of it, rendered his companionship
no less helpful than agreeable. It was, indeed, only his more
intimate friends of similar tastes that were in any way in a
position to estimate aright his ability and intellectual power,
and the extent of his varied acquirements. Whatever work
he undertook was done without thought of personal interest.
The love of truth, as such, made him refrain from publishing
anything of the accuracy of which he was not absolutely
convinced ; and the drudgery of school routine prevented
him from having the time at his command to reach the com-
pleteness that he aimed at before making public the results
of much labour. Several important pieces of work were only
waiting their final revision when he should have leisure to
give it after demitting public duties ; but when the time of
demission arrived, his health was such as to put the possi-
bility of any work, save the lightest, out of his power. There
is reason to hope, however, that part at least of the \vork
prepared by him, and now in manuscript, is in such a state
as to be ready for publication as it stands. Having made
himself familiar with the flowering-plants, ferns, and mosses
of this country, alike in their native habitats and in the
herbarium, Dr. Roy devoted his attention more especially to
the freshwater Algae of Scotland, his knowledge of which
was, we believe, unequalled. After a time, he concentrated
his labours chiefly on the Desmids, a group of unicellular
algae very rich in species, of which many are singularly
beautiful. He extended his study of these plants to material
from all parts of the world from which he could procure it ;
and with this object, as well as to procure the literature
of the subject, he entered into wide correspondence with
botanists beyond the limits of Great Britain. He became a
recognised authority in this group, the determination of the
species in which demands long-continued and minute research.
His labours and merits as a botanist are very inadequately
represented by his published papers, a list of which, so far
as known to the writer, is appended to this notice.

He was engaged for a number of years in collaboration
with the Rev. John Fergusson of Fearn, in Forfarshire, in the
preparation of a flora of the north-east of Scotland, from

74 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Forfar to Elgin, a prospectus of which was issued several
years ago. His share in the work was, he informed us,
practically completed about five years ago. It is hoped that
the valuable information contained therein will yet be pub-
lished. He had also in hand an account of the Desmids of
the Amazon valley and of Demerara, in which he proposed
to describe and figure a large number of new species. In
the course of correspondence with Mr. Hewett C. Watson
and with Dr. Boswell Syme he supplied these gentle-
men with numerous data, embodied in the well-known
" Cybele Britannica," " Topographical Botany," and " English
Botany."

Dr. Roy was also an excellent mathematician; and he did
not a little valuable work in the calculation of astronomical
results, e.g. reduction of double-star measures, construction
of tables for latitude and longitude of astronomical stations
at Dunecht, in Mauritius, in connection with the transit
of Venus in 1874, etc. Most of these researches were
made in connection with the reports of the Dunecht Obser-
vatory.

Dr. Roy took a warm interest in the local societies
devoted to the encouragement of scientific studies. Among
these may be mentioned especially the Aberdeen Natural
History Society, of which he was for many years secretary
and treasurer, and for some years president. He was also
a president of the East of Scotland Union of Naturalists'
Societies, and was one of the founders and office-bearers
of the Scottish Cryptogamic Society. He frequently com-
municated papers to these bodies, and also to the Aberdeen
Philosophical Society.

In March 1889 the Senate of the University of Aberdeen
conferred on him the honorary degree of LL.D., in recognition
of his scientific merits. About five years ago he contracted,
(it was supposed from impure water in summer lodgings), what
appeared to be a form of typhoid fever. With no very acute
symptoms, it left permanent injury in. the lower intestine and
impaired general health. His condition became gradually
worse. His lungs were affected ; and death ensued very
suddenly, from rupture of a lung, on Monday, 1 8th De-
cember 1893.

THE LATE JOHN ROY, LL.D. 75

LIST OF PAPERS BY DR. ROY.

" Recent Additions to the Flora of the North-East of Scotland " (Scot.
Nat., 1872, i. p. 272). A short note enumerating twenty-five
species and varieties new to the district.

" Anacalypta latifolia in Perthshire," I.e. (Glen Tilt, found by Prof.
Barker).

"Double Flowers," I.e. (of Cardain. prafensis, Lep. Smithii, and
Veron. saxatilis}.

" Contributions to the Desmid Flora of Perthshire " (Scot. Nat.,
1877, iv. pp. 68-74). A brief introduction on mode of
collecting material, followed by a list of all known species from
Perthshire, including P. rufopellitum, n. sp., described.

"List of the Desmids hitherto found in Mull " (Scot. Nat., 1883,
New Ser. I., pp. 37-40). With a supplementary list of twenty-
six species from Ben Blaven, in Skye.

" Additions and Corrections to Topographical Botany, Ed. II., for the
Counties from Forfar to Elgin, inclusive," by Professor Trail
and John Roy (Trans. Aber. Nat. Hist. Soc., 1885, pp. 13-
20). Many new county records.

" The Fauna and Flora of Snow and Ice " (Scot. Nat., 1885, New Ser.
II., pp. 122-127). This is based on Prof. Wittrock's paper on
the same subject.

" Notes on Japanese Desmids, No. I.," by John Roy and J. P.
Bisset (Jonrn. Bot., 1886, pp. 193-196, 237-242, Plate
CCLXVIII).

" Historical Sketch of the Freshwater Algae of the East of Scotland "
(Scot. Nat., 1887, New Ser. III., pp. 148-159). Some marine
Algae also are referred to.

"Sciadium Arbuscula, Braun, at Alford in Aberdeenshire" (Scot. Nat.,
1890, New Ser. IV., p. 198).

"The Desmids of the Alford District" (I.e., pp. 199-210). Descrip-
tions are given of Closterium pseudodiana, n. sp., Cosmarium
gradation, n. sp., and C. Slewdnunense, n. sp.

"The Desmidieoe of East Fife" (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1892, vol.
i. pp. 193-197).

"On Scottish Desmidieae " (I.e., 1893-94, vol. ii. pp. 106-111, 170-
180, 237-245; vol. iii. pp. 40-6, 100-5). This paper is at present
appearing in our pages, is the most complete yet treating of
British Desmids, and is likely to remain so for some time.

J. W. H. T.

76 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

NOTES ON "A BILL TO AMEND THE WILD
BIRDS' PROTECTION ACT, 1880."

By ALFRED NEWTON, M.A., F.R.S., etc.

[As the question of the Protection of Birds' Eggs is likely to again
occupy the attention of Parliament and the public, we have pleasure
in making known some of the views held by Professor Newton
upon this important and admittedly very difficult question. While
refraining from expressing any opinions of our own upon the subject,
we may remark that Professor Newton brings into the discussion of
this matter an amount of experience which is unequalled and
renders his opinions and criticism of unusual value and worthy of
the most careful consideration. We have to express to Professor
Newton our thanks for acceding to our request to be allowed to
publish his Notes.

It should be explained that these Notes were written concerning
the Bill introduced into Parliament last year, by Sir Herbert Maxwell,
Bart., to amend the Wild Birds' Protection Act, 1880; and copies
of them were privately circulated among influential members of both
Houses. The aim of the new Bill was to enable County Councils
to prohibit the taking of the eggs of such species of birds as it
might seem desirable to name in different localities. Those who
followed the course of this proposed measure are aware that the Bill
duly passed the House of Commons ; that it was amended in the
House of Lords, chiefly at the instance of Lord Walsingham,
somewhat in accordance with the views expressed by Professor
Newton ; that it was, unfortunately we think, reconstructed by the
Chancellor in the Standing Committee ; and, finally, the Bill was
dropped because in its altered form it was not acceptable to its
original promoter. EDS.]

THE question of protecting Birds' Eggs was several times
carefully considered by what was known as the " Close Time "
Committee (of which I was for a long while chairman)
appointed by the British Association for the Advancement
of Science, with which body originated modern legislation in
Bird Protection in this country. That Committee consisted
of some well-informed ornithologists and others, who had
especially paid attention to the subject. In their Report for
1 874 they stated that they "take this opportunity of declaring
their belief that the practice of birds'-nesting is, and has
been, so much followed in England, that no Act of Parliament,

" A BILL TO AMEND THE WILD BIRDS' PROTECTION ACT " 77

except one of the most severe character, could stop it; while
any enactment of that kind would, by filling the gaols with
boys (often of a tender age), excite a strong and uniform
hostility against all measures for the protection of indigenous
animals, even among many of those who are at present
favourably disposed to it." They proceed to say : " Your
committee believe that the effect of birds'-nesting on such
kinds of birds as are known to be diminishing in numbers is
altogether inappreciable, while its effect on those whose
numbers are not decreasing may be safely disregarded ; and
consequently that there is no need of any legislative inter-
ference with the practice. They again repeat their conviction
that the only practicable mode of checking the diminution
of such birds as have been proved to be decreasing is the
effectual protection of the adults from destruction during the
breeding-season."

In their preceding Report (for 1873) they na d submitted
for consideration, among other remarks as to future legislation
for the Protection of Birds, the following :

" A Law protecting birds which cannot be shewn to want
protection is a mistake. The crucial test of whether a bird
wants protection or not, is whether its numbers are decreasing
or on the contrary. With some very few exceptions (nearly
each of which can be satisfactorily explained), none of what
are commonly known as 'Small Birds' are decreasing through-
out the United Kingdom generally. Most ' Small Birds ' are
generally increasing in numbers ; some remarkably so."

Now it seems to be admitted that the chief object of the
introducers of the present Bill is the protection of " Small
Birds," which the " Close Time " Committee found was not in
a general way needed.

Nevertheless, since that Committee ceased to exist, the
question has been revived ; and in 1891, as well as in 1892,
the British Association appointed a Committee " to consider
proposals for the Legislative Protection of Wild Birds' Eggs."
It undoubtedly appears that it might be advisable to some
extent to give effect to the desire expressed by many people,
that some restrictions on what, for brevity's sake, may be
called " egging," should be enacted. The question then
arises of what nature these restrictions should be. It seems

7S ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

very simple to those who have not fully considered it ; but
those who have seriously reflected upon it find it beset by
many complications, and very difficult of solution. Most
people, however, will admit that birds' eggs are much more
exposed to depredation in certain places than in others, and
this only at certain times.

Proof of this, if wanted, is supplied by the fact that in
several parts of England private persons have formed small
local associations to pay watchers, during a few weeks in
the breeding time, for the protection of the birds frequenting
particular localities, such as the Fame Islands, the sand-
hills near Wells in Norfolk, Breydon Water between Norfolk
and Suffolk, which I mention because I myself subscribe to
them. It may be that there are others.

To me one way of treating the question seems preferable
to any other that has been suggested, and indeed after many
years' consideration the only one practicable. This is to
give the local authority (County Council or Justices in
Quarter Sessions), subject to the assent of a central authority,
power to prohibit all egging in certain definite places for a
certain definite time. Such prohibition would probably be
confined to comparatively small bounds an island, a sea-
beach, cliffs or sandhills adjoining the shore, a heath, common,
wood, or forest, a public park, a mere or broad with the
surrounding land, or so on, and would be locally known, so
that the risk of boys being sent to gaol would be greatly
lessened. Moreover, all egging being prohibited within the
prescribed limits during the inhibited period, there would be
no need of attempting to prove that an egg found in the
captor's possession was that of a protected species, such
proof being in many, if not in most cases, as every practical
ornithologist knows, absolutely impossible, if the defendant
were advised by an ingenious counsel ; for, in the greater
number of cases, an egg could not be proved to be that of
any particular kind of bird, unless a witness could swear
that he saw the bird lay it.

Egging may be considered to be carried on chiefly by
three classes of persons :

First, there is the man who for years has gathered the
of Plovers and certain marsh- or sea-birds for edible

" A BILL TO AMEND THE WILD BIRDS' PROTECTION ACT ' 79

purposes, whereby, if he be an adept, he is able by their sale
in the open market to add considerably to his own livelihood.
This man, I believe, would rejoice at a " close time " being
enforced, after the first, second, or third laying of the birds,
for the places where he plies his calling, so as to allow the
hatching of the second, third, or fourth laying (as the case
may be), and most of the birds with which he is concerned
lay twice, thrice, or four times in the season, and so ensure
the unimpaired continuation of the breed.

Secondly, there is the ordinary school-boy, whose depre-
dations are at times extremely annoying to the owners or
occupiers of gardens, plantations, and the like, but declared
by the " Close Time " Committee to have little or no effect
in reducing the number of birds in general, though their
continuance year after year in particular districts may locally
produce that effect. Now it is to be remarked that the
ordinary school-boy, as a rule, is quite indifferent as to the
kind of bird whose nest he may rob, and any restriction as
to protected or unprotected species would be wholly lost
upon him. To this rule there are some exceptions, and the
exceptions often grow up to be fair naturalists.

Thirdly, there is the " collector," who is only sometimes
a naturalist in the true sense of the word. When he is one,
he may be safely trusted to do no harm ; but more often he
is a dealer, and his influence on the whole is destructive to
the less common kinds of birds, though even to this there
are exceptions as for instance the notable case of the
Golden Eagle, which in Scotland would have become extinct,
as the Sea Eagle has, were it not that the price the " col-
lector " pays for its egg ensures its preservation at the hands
of shepherds, foresters, and gillies but these exceptions
are not numerous, and it cannot be doubted that the dealing
" collector " is in these days an evil, so that no true naturalist
could object to see obstacles put in his way. Whether he
would not be astute enough to escape the meshes of any Act
of Parliament could only be ascertained after trial ; but
certainly an Act to check his proceedings must be very
different from the present Bill, which, I feel sure, would hardly
touch him. He is well enough off to employ counsel if
charged, and of his own knowledge would be able to indicate

So ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

a line of defence that would ensure his acquittal perhaps in
19 cases out of 20, whatever might be the evidence of the
prosecution.

On the other hand, the ordinary school-boy could not
afford counsel ; and, being ignorant of the mode of escape,
would be almost invariably convicted. If the Bench before
whom he was brought let him off with a reprimand and a
nominal penalty, a few cases of the kind would render the
Act ridiculous. If the Bench inflicted a serious fine, and in
default of payment, as would commonly happen, he went to
gaol, the country would very properly ring with an outcry
against an Act which brought that fate upon him for doing
what an ancient authority still respected by some people-
held to be irreprehensible (see Deuteronomy xxii. 6, 7).

But, as already hinted, there are places in which the
school-boy may do real harm, and I see no injustice in limit-
ing him to some extent, while the " collector " is generally
baneful ; and, as I have tried to shew, the man who gathers
eggs to eke out a living would be content, if not pleased, with
restrictions that would tend to multiply the birds which pro-
duce them --just as professional gunners now admit that,
since the passing (in 1876) of the Wild-Fowl Preservation
Act, there are more wild-fowl to shoot. I therefore strongly
urge that the present Bill be amended so as to enable places
and not species to be protected. It is an historical fact that
old laws, which certainly did not err on the side of leniency,
prohibiting the taking of the eggs of the Bustard, Crane,
Spoonbill, and Wild Goose, have not saved those species
from extirpation in England, and a naturalist may well
doubt whether any law of that kind would have a beneficial
effect on any species whose numbers are now dwindling ; but
no one can doubt that if certain localities, judiciously chosen,
were reserved as breeding-places by inhibiting in them for a
longer or shorter time, as may seem advisable, the molesta-
tion of all birds frequenting them, a considerable number of
species, the numbers of which are surely decreasing, would
thereby take benefit, and this with proper precautions, with-
out much risk of mischief, which I believe the Bill in its
present shape will inevitably produce.

Of these precautions, I would remark that it appears to

" A BILL TO AMEND THE WILD BIRDS' PROTECTION ACT ' Si

me a very important part of the business. Places should not
be protected indiscriminately, or merely to indulge a senti-
ment ; but only where need of protection is shewn, and the
local authority, with whom the initiatory steps rest, would do
well to consult local naturalists before applying for leave to
put the Act in operation within its jurisdiction. But, most
of all, I would urge that the very fullest notice should in each
year be given concerning the reserved places. Few school-
boys read newspapers ; and, if they do, they scarcely glance
at the advertisements. The notice required by the Bill
seems therefore ludicrously inadequate. It should be per-
emptory that notice be given at the door of every place of
worship in the district, and more especially in every school-
room, and should be repeated year after year at the proper
season. Still further, I would urge for it to be at least
suggested that the local authority should give warning by
placards, or the like, at the boundaries of every reserved spot
The conditions under which this is possible must necessarily
vary so greatly that all could not be specified in an Act ;
but the principle of the Act should be prevention, and not
punishment. Great as is the interest I take in the welfare of
the British Bird, I take still greater in that of the British boy.

I would therefore suggest that Clause 2 (i) of the Bill
should run as follows : x

" One of Her Majesty's principal Secretaries of State as
to England and Wales, the Secretary for Scotland as to
Scotland, and the Lord Lieutenant as to Ireland, may, after
passing of this Act, upon application by any County Council
as to any county in Great Britain, and the Justices in Quarter

1 Clause 2 (i) of the Bill ran as follows :

"One of Her Majesty's principal Secretaries of State as to England and
Wales, the Secretary for Scotland as to Scotland, and the Lord Lieutenant as to
Ireland, may, after the passing of this Act, upon application by any County
Council as to any county in Great Britain, and the Justices in Quarter Sessions as
to any county in Ireland (which bodies are hereinafter respectively referred to as
'the Authority'), by order prohibit the taking or destroying any species of wild
bird, or the eggs of any species of wild bird, in any place or places within the
county ; and any person who shall take or destroy, or incite any other person to
take or destroy, any species of wild bird, or the eggs of any species included in
such order, in any place specified therein, shall, on conviction before any two
Justices of the Peace in England, Wales, or Ireland, or before the Sheriff' in Scot-
land, forfeit and pay for every bird or egg so taken or destroyed a sum not exceed-
ing one pound."

10 C

82 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Sessions as to any county in Ireland (which bodies are here-
inafter respectively referred to as ' the Authority '), by order
wholly prohibit the taking or destroying of Wild Birds' Eggs
for a certain period in any year or years, in any place or
places within the jurisdiction of the Authority ; and any person
who shall take or destroy, or incite or procure any person to
take or destroy any egg of any wild bird within such period
in any such place or places, or convey or aid any person
by land or water with the intent to contravene this Act,
shall on conviction before any two Justices of the Peace in
England, Wales, or Ireland, or before the Sheriff in Scotland,
forfeit and pay for every egg so taken or destroyed a sum not
exceeding one pound (1), provided that such period and
such place or places be adequately defined in the order set-
ting forth the prohibition, and printed notice thereof be
exhibited at the door of every school -house, church, and
chapel within the jurisdiction of the Authority, not less than
twenty-one days before the commencement of the period in
each year, together with placards at the boundaries of such
place or places, and such other notice as the Authority may
determine."

gth May 1893.

SOME FURTHER BIRD NOTES FROM NORTH

RONALDSHAY.

By ALLAN BRIGGS.
1893.

SONG THRUSH (Turdus musicus). No nests here this season, as far
as I could find out. A few birds came in along with Red-
wings about the middle of October.

REDWING (Turdus iliacus). First for the season 4th October, when
I saw a single bird. By the loth there were numbers about
the garden and fields near the house ; after this date, and until
the end of the month, every turnip-field was full of them.

FIELDFARE (Turdus pilaris). Single bird near house 2nd October.
On the 1 6th I saw a flock of perhaps one hundred and fifty ;
after this date there were always a few to be seen about the
island.

FURTHER BIRD NOTES FROM NORTH RONALDSHAY 83

BLACKBIRD (Turd us merula). Increasing as a breeding species,
three pairs having their nests in Holland garden. A few
migrants came in along with Redwings about the middle of
October.

WHEATEAR (Saxicola otnanthe). First seen, four or five, on 7th
April. Last seen, a single bird, on lyth October.

REDSTART (RuticiUa phanicurus). On the 4th October there were
three in Holland garden ; from this date until the gth there
were always a few about. On the latter date I counted five at
one time. Most of those seen appeared to be females.

REDBREAST (Erithacus rubecula). Two or three Robins in garden
on the Qth October.

WHITETHROAT (Sylvia rufa). I shot the only one seen, in Holland
garden, 4th October.

BLACKCAP (Sylvia atricapilhi). I shot one on 4th October. Three
in garden on the gth October.

GARDEN WARBLER (Sylvia salicaria}. I shot one on the 4th, and
another on the 5th October. The first time I have seen this
bird in North Ronaldshay.

GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN (Reguhts cristalus). A few seen in the
garden or in turnip-fields from the 4th to the nth October.
About six or eight all told.

CHIFFCHAFF (Phylloscopus collybita\ I shot one on the 1 6th, and
another on the 23rd October, both in Holland garden.

WILLOW WREN (Phylloscopus trochilus). One seen 2yth April, and
another on the nth August. One shot on 4th October.

HEDGE SPARROW (Accentor modularis). I saw one in garden on
4th October. Rarely seen in North Ronaldshay.

PIED WAGTAIL (Motadlla lugubris}. Small flocks among the
rotting seaweed along the shore on the 22nd August. They
remained only a few days.

MEADOW PIPIT (Anthus pratensis). A few about the Mill Loch
during September and the early part of October. This bird
does not breed here.

PIED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa atricapilla). One seen i6th May,
another along with Redstarts 4th October.

MARTIN (Chelidon urbica). I saw Uvo 4th June ; and again on the
9th a pair, very possibly the same birds. In the evening of
the i yth June five were circling about the house. On the
1 8th I counted six.

GREENFINCH (Ligitrimts chloris). I shot a Greenfinch cock from
a flock of about a dozen on the nth of October. Another

84 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

small flock in Holland garden on the 25th. I have not seen
this bird in North Ronaldshay before.

CHAFFINCH (Fringilla calebs). First seen for the season on 4th
October, when large flights were about the garden and stack-
yard ; a few Bramblings accompanied them. I shot two of
the latter, and saw three or four more. The wind during the
night had been strong from the S.E., as also the day before.
Fresh flocks of Chaffinches came in during this month ; large
numbers on the gth, but no Bramblings along with them.

BRAMBLING (Fringilla montifringilld), A few of these birds in
large flocks of Chaffinches on 4th October. None seen after
that date.

SNOW-BUNTING (Plectrophanes nivalts). The last I saw in Spring
was on the ist of May, when I saw a single bird in full breed-
ing plumage. The first of the autumn migration was on the
1 9th September, when I again saw a single bird. On the
22nd September a flock of eight; after .this they came in
rapidly in small lots. On the Qth October I saw a flock of,
I should think, one thousand birds. Nothing like the numbers
that were here at the same time last year.

STARLING (Stitrmis ntlgaris). A flock of several thousand starlings
visited this island in the evening of the loth October; by the
next morning all had disappeared. Whether these were actual
migrants from farther north, or just a collection of the birds
from the neighbouring islands, is difficult to determine.

CROW (Con'us comix). Three seen yth October, and six on

the 3 1 st.
ROOK (Corvits frugilegi/s). Numbers seen during the latter half ot

February and the first fortnight of March ; as many as thirty

in a flock.
RAVEN ( Cor-cus corax). Only a single Raven seen up to November;

this was on the nth October in a fearful gale of wind and

rain from the S.W.

COMMON NIGHTJAR (Caprimulgits europceus). On Sunday, the 4th
June, when taking a walk along the west rocks, I flushed a
Nightjar from a bunch of nettles ; it settled again among the
boulders about fifty yards ahead ; I flushed it a second, and
again a third time, after which it disappeared. This is the
first Nightjar I have seen here.

SHORT-EARED-OWL (Asia accipitrinus). I shot a female on the gth
October. On the i3th of same month, six were seen in a
turnip-field at the north end, near the lighthouse. It had
been blowing a gale from the west or S.W. for several days
previously.

FURTHER BIRD NOTES FROM NORTH RONALDSHAY 85

SNOWY OWL (Nyctea scandiaca). A bird of this species was shot on
the 2yth of February, while sitting on a ruined building. It
was still alive when brought to me. On dissection it proved
to be a female, and weighed 5! Ibs., with a spread of wing of
5 feet 3 inches. Some time after this, another was seen near
the lighthouse, but it did not stay any time.

FALCON (Falco}. On the 8th September, when standing at the
house door, I saw a large Falcon soaring in circles at a con-
siderable distance from where I was ; I went towards it, but it
sailed away towards the north, and I did not follow. Next
day, when out after Snipe, I again saw the bird sitting on the
sheep-dyke, about one hundred yards distant ; he was facing
towards me, and there was no means of getting nearer. I saw
the bird well through my binocular ; he was nearly pure white
on the breast and under parts, and when it rose and went
gliding along the dyke which it presently did I noticed
that it was rather darker on the upper portion of the plumage.
The bird remained about the island for several days, and I saw
it on several occasions, but I could never approach nearer than
100 or 150 yards. I was informed that it killed several tame
ducks during its stay.

MERLIN (Falco izsaloii). Very plentiful this autumn ; much more so
than usual. On one ocasion I saw a pied bird.

BRENT GOOSE (Bernicla brenta). On the 23rd October I saw two
Brent at the north end, near the lighthouse. I was informed
that four Geese of a larger size had been seen there about ten
days before. While Snipe-shooting on the 2yth October, my
firing roused three Geese off the sea, close to which I was
shooting ; these were large birds, but being a good distance
out and the day being dull, I did not identify them.

SHOVELLER (Spatula clypeata}. Numbers of Shovellers seen during
the breeding season, but scarce after shooting began ; indeed I
only saw four after ist August. During the month of June
I have counted as many as nine Shoveller drakes on the Mill
Loch at one time. In all likelihood the ducks were sitting in
the marshes of Sanday, where Meiklejohn and myself found
four nests one day in May.

PINTAIL (Dafila acitta). A pair of these birds remained about a
week on the Mill Loch during the latter half of May. I first
saw them on the i5th of the month, and after seeing them for
several consecutive days, had hopes of their remaining to
breed ; however, they eventually took their departure. On the
23rd October I shot a young male on Garso Loch.

WIGEON (Mareca penelope). During May and June there were
always pairs, or odd drakes about the Mill Loch ; we searched

86 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

well, but could find no nests ; I fancy they, like the Shovellers,

bred in Sanday, where Meiklejohn and myself took eggs

about the end of May. On the 2nd of October I noticed

numerous small flocks of Wigeon frequenting the lochs in

North Ronaldshay.
TUFTED DUCK (Fuligiila eristata). On the 24th of April I noticed

a Tufted Drake on the Mill Loch ; he remained a few days.
LONG-TAILED DUCK (Harelda glacialis). On the 26th September I

shot a male on the Mill Loch ; it was a single bird, and the

first seen for the season.
RING-DOVE (Cohtmba palumlnis). Two seen near Holland farm

towards the end of October.
WATER-RAIL (Rallus aquatiats). Two shot on 4th October ; one in

Holland garden. After this I saw one or two single birds

before I left in November.
LAND-RAIL (Crex pratensis). Abundant, as usual, during the

breeding season ; I saw six nests in one rushy field. Last bird

seen i4th October.
GOLDEN PLOVER (Charadrius plurialis). Very abundant during

the first ten days of August ; scarcer than usual after that.

They put in an appearance very early this season, small flocks

occurring towards the end of June.
GREY PLOVER (Squatarola helvetica}. I shot one on the i2th

October it was along with Turnstones, and proved to be a

bird of the year.
TURNSTONE (Strepsilas interpret). I have seen this bird in small

numbers during every month of the year in North Ronaldshay.
WOODCOCK (Scolopax rusticola). Two seen loth October.
COMMON SNIPE (Gallinago ccelestis). Up to the beginning of

November one of the worst seasons I have known for Snipe

here. Most plentiful during August.
JACK SNIPE (Gallinago gallinuld). First seen for this season two

on the 1 6th September. Very numerous in October; during

that month I shot seventy. Most plentiful on the 2nd, the

9th, and the 24th October.
LITTLE STINT (Tringa minuta}. On the 8th September I saw six

Little Stints at a small loch near the house. On the gth, two at

the Mill Loch. On the i4th October one, and on the i6th five.
PURPLE SANDPIPER (Tringa striata}. Comparatively scarce up to

the time of my departure. From my own observations, I

think that a few of these birds remain here all the year round.

KNOT (Tringa camitus). On the i5th August I saw two. On the
22nd August I saw a flock of about forty, and again on the
nth September I saw four.

FURTHER BIRD NOTES FROM NORTH RONALDSHAY 87

RUFF (Machetes pugnax). The best year I ever remember for Ruffs.
Four occurred on the 24th August, which were the first seen;
during the remainder of August, and up to the 22nd September,
there were numbers about. On one occasion I saw as many as
eleven in a flock. On the 22nd September a single bird, the
last seen.

SANDERLING (Calidris arenarid). First seen for the season 2ist
August.

GREENSHANK (Totanns canescens). I shot one on the iSth of
August ; during this month I saw several, single birds, four or
five all told. Last seen 29th August.

BAR-TAILED GODWIT (Liinosa lapponica). A few odd birds about
this season, always singly. I shot three : the first on the 4th of
August, the last on the 2oth of September.

WHIMBREL (Nnmenins phaopus). Often seen from May till end of
August. I saw eleven on the i4th, and two on igth May;
three on the 4th June. A single bird remained the most of
July in a corn-field close to the house. During August they
were plentiful.

SANDWICH TERN (Sterna cantiaca). This season (1893) a small
colony of Sandwich Terns bred among the Black-headed Gulls
in the Mill Loch here. They chose a clear space among the
reed-beds, where a short thick grass grows, and where a few
Arctic Terns also place their nests. There were sixteen pairs
in all ; and so close were the nests placed together that an
ordinary table-cloth would have covered the lot. By the i6th
May most of the nests contained two eggs ; in three, however,
there were three eggs, which, I believe, is an unusual number.
It seems a most curious spot for birds of this species to nest ;
but the loch had very little water in it, owing to the protracted
drought, and the place where they nested was quite dry. This
is the first record I have of the Sandwich Tern breeding in
North Ronaldshay.

GLAUCOUS GULL (Lams glaiicus}. I saw a mature bird on the
23rd October.

RICHARDSON'S SKUA (Stercorarius crepidatus). - - Appeared earlier
than usual this summer, many being seen during the month
of July ; seldom observed later in the season.

GREAT NORTHERN DIVER (Colymbus glacialis). A single bird
close to the rocks on the south shore on the pth of April.
Some ten days after I again saw a single bird in Otterswick
Bay, Sanday, when crossing over to that island.

LITTLE GREBE (Podiceps fluviatilis). On the 23rd October I saw a
Little Grebe on Garso Loch : on the same loch I had shot one
the previous winter.

88 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

ON MR. E. T. NEWTON'S MEMOIR "ON SOME NEW
REPTILES FROM THE ELGIN SANDSTONES." 1

By R. H. TRAQUAIR, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S.

OWING to its more northerly situation and consequently
colder climate, Scotland cannot in a general way compete
with England as a hunting-ground for the ordinary collector
of natural history objects. We do not find with us that pro-
fusion of insect life, or that abundance of lovely flowering
plants, with which the southern naturalist may fill his cabinet
or his herbarium. Geologically too, Scotland consists almost
entirely of crystalline and Palaeozoic rocks, with only a few
very small and isolated patches of secondary or tertiary strata,
so that the collector of pretty fossils need not come to us if
he wishes to load himself with those beautiful Jurassic ammon-
ites, Cretaceous echini, and Eocene volutes, which he can
obtain in abundance in those new r er rocks which cover so
much of the surface of the southern part of our island.

But it is precisely in the field of palaeontology where lies
the distinguishing feature of Scottish natural history. It is
the peculiar richness of its Old Red Sandstone and Lower
Carboniferous fish-fauna which has hitherto invested Scotland
with a peculiar interest in the eye of the investigator of
ancient vertebrate life. Now another and newer formation,
the Triassic of the neighbourhood of Elgin, has been coming
to the front, and we have here to deal with vertebrates of a
higher grade than fishes, namely with Reptilia of Mesozoic
type. And the above-quoted paper by Mr. E. T. Newton,
F.R.S. , of the Museum of Practical Geology, London, dealing
as it does with recent discoveries in the Reptiliferous Sand-
stones of Morayshire, may be considered to be the most im-
portant contribution to Scottish palaeontology which has
appeared for many years, and one on which the author may
most heartily be congratulated.

In a short introduction Mr. Newton tells the well-known
tale of the history of these Morayshire fossil reptiles : how the
earliest kno\vn of them, the crocodilian Stagonolepis, was first,

1 "Philosophical Transactions," vol. 184 (1893) B. pp. 431-503, Plates
XXVI-XLI. By E. T. Newton, F.R.S.

ON ELGIN SANDSTONE REPTILES 89

from its bony scutes, described by Agassiz as an Old Red
Sandstone ganoid fish ; and how, after the description by
Mantell of the little lizard-like Telerpcton Elginense, the
Scottish Upper Old Red became credited with a reptilian
fauna. It was afterwards that Huxley determined Stagonolepis
to be a crocodilian of Mesozoic type, and that he described two
additional genera, Hyperodapedon and Dasygnathus> from the
same beds ; and as the former of these, Hyperodapedon, also
turned up in Triassic strata in England and in India, the faith
of geologists in the Palaeozoic age of the Reptiliferous Sand-
stone was completely shaken, and the necessary inference of a
long break in time between it and the undoubted Upper Old
Red Holoptyckius-\>Qaxmg beds of the same district came to
be acknowledged. Finally, in 1885, an imperfect skeleton
from the same region was determined by Professor Judd and
the present writer to belong to the Dicynodontia : a group of
reptiles previously unknown in Europe, but occurring in
Triassic rocks in India and Africa. All doubt as to the
Mesozoic age of these reptiliferous beds may now be said to
have disappeared from the minds of the overwhelming majority
of geologists.

The last-mentioned skeleton, from Cuttie's Hillock, near
Elgin, along with other reptilian remains subsequently col-
lected in the same locality, has furnished Mr. Newton with
the material which, after much pains and labour, he has
worked up into the present elaborate memoir. In these fossils
the osseous substance itself has entirely disappeared, leaving
the bones represented only by hollow cavities in the rock. To
gain an accurate conception of their original shape is therefore
a matter of some difficulty, especially when we have to deal
with objects of such complicated configuration as the skull of
a reptile. This difficulty Mr. Newton has surmounted by
making casts of these cavities in gutta percha ; and in many
cases these casts had to be made in separate pieces, which
were afterwards fitted together.

The whole of these reptiles from Cuttie's Hillock are new
to science, generically and specifically, and have been referred
by Mr. Newton to three genera and six species, belonging
to the extinct groups of Dicynodontia and Pareiosauria, as
follows :

90

ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

A. - DlCYNODONTIA.

Gordonia Traquairi.

Huxleyana

Geikia Elinensis.

Gordonia Duffiana.
Juddiana.

B. PAREIOSAURIA.

Elginia mirabilis.

Of the Dicynodontia, the new genus Gordonia is closely
allied to the type genus Dicynodon in having the jaws edentu-
lous, with the exception of two large, pointed tusks, one in the

FIG. i. Skull of Gordonia Traquairi, Newton, one-half natural size, taken from
a cast in gutta percha. Reduced from E. T. Newton's figure, Plate XXVI.
/, Tooth ; ;;, nasal opening ; orb, orbit ; tan, temporal fossa ; p, palate ;
qti, quadrate.

maxilla of each side, and growing from permanent pulps like
the tusk of a boar or the incisor of a rabbit, but specially
characterised by the presence of two post-temporal fossee on
each side of the occiput and the comparative slenderness of
all the bones of the skull. Four species, characterised by
slight di (Terences in the shape of the cranial bones, are recog-
nised, viz. G. Traquairi, G. Hnxleyana, G. Dnffiana, and G.
Juddiana. The first of these is the original Elgin Dicynodont
noticed by Professor Judd and myself at the British Associa-
tion Meeting at Aberdeen in 1885 ; and in Fig. i, Mr. New-

ON ELGIN SANDSTONE REPTILES 91

ton's figure of its skull, seen from the side, is reproduced,
about one-half less than the natural size.

The other Dicynodont genus Gcikia is, like the South
African Oudenodon, entirely edentulous ; but, according to Mr.
Newton, its affinities are mmevfi\;hPtyckognathus(Ptyckosiagum
Lydekker), a genus occurring both in Africa and India.
Ptychognatlms, however, has, like D icy no don and Gordonia, a
pair of large tusks, and the maxillary and pre-maxillary bones
are much produced, whereas Geikia has not only no teeth, but

FIG. 2. Side view of the skull of Geikia Elginensis, Newton, two-thirds natural
size, from a cast in gutta percha. Reduced from E. T. Newton's figure, Plate
XXXVI. Fig. 2. Lettering as in Fig. i. Ij, Lower jaw.

the skull in front of the orbits is extremely short, as is shown
in the accompanying Fig. 2. One species is recognised :
Geikia Elginensis.

The Pareiosauria are a group of extinct reptiles, con-
sidered by Seeley to be most nearly related to the Anomo-
dontia, and which in many respects bear a remarkable
resemblance to the Labyrinthodont Amphibia ; as, for
instance, in the roofing over of the temporal fossae, the pitted
sculpture of the external cranial bones, and the presence in
Pareiosaurus, at least, of the so-called mucous canals. The
pelvis is also described as being of Labyrinthodont type. To

9 2

ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

the Pareiosauria Mr. Newton refers the last genus and species
of the present series of Elgin fossil reptiles under the name
of Elginia mirabilis.

Nothing of this creature is known as yet but the skull ;
and, as the accompanying figures will show, a most bizarre-
looking skull it is, reminding us, as Mr. Newton observes, of
the head of the American Horned " Toad " (Phrynosomd) on
a large scale. The extreme development of " horns " on the
skull also recalls to us Professor Marsh's American Dinosaurian
genus Triceratops. The figures here given show, besides the

FIG. 3. Side view of the skull of Elginia mirabilis, Newton, rather less than one-
half natural size, from a cast in gutta percha. Reduced from E. T. Newton's
figure, Plate XXXVII. Fig. I. Lettering as in Figs, i and 2. The lower
jaw is absent.

extraordinary arrangement of horns, the covering in of the
temporal fossae, the pitted sculpture of the surfaces of the
external bones as in Labyrinthodontia and Crocodilia, and
the comparatively small teeth with their spatulate and
serrated crowns ; these teeth, also pleurodont in their arrange-
ment, strongly resembling those of the Lacertilian Iguana.
Mr. Newton considers that Elginia finds its nearest ally in
the South African Pareiosaurns, from which it also obviously
differs in the possession of largely developed horns, and in
the dentition ; the teeth of Pareiosaurus being said to be
implanted in sockets. The skull of Pareiosaurns is also
proportionally broader and more depressed, and there are
" mucous canals," which do not exist in Elginia.

ON ELGIN SANDSTONE REPTILES

93

The descriptive part of Mr. Newton's paper concludes
with the consideration of a sacrum and some vertebrae, the
exact determination of which he leaves over for the present.

One remarkable circumstance brought out by Mr. Newton's
paper is that the fossil reptiles of Cuttie's Hillock, though
doubtless belonging to the same great geological epoch, are
all generically and specifically different from those found in
the Reptiliferous Sandstone of other localities near Elgin.
Both geologically and zoologically, there must still be an

M H;\. N - \ ^ ' A *" 'V

FIG. 4. View of the top of the skull of Elginia mirabilis, Newton, also from a
gutta-percha cast, rather less than one-half natural size. Reduced from E. T.
Newton's figure, Plate XXXVIII. In the middle line is seen the large oval
pineal opening.

immense hidden treasure lying below the surface in the Elgin
district; and the wealth of material is further indicated by the
fact that, since the publication of the present memoir, Mr.
Newton has presented another to the Royal Society in which
he describes two additional new reptiles from the district :
one from Lossiemouth, a small parasuchian crocodile which
he names Erpetosiichus Gmuti, and another which he refers
to the Theropodous Dinosauria under the name of Omit ho -
suchus Woodwardi. This memoir will be noticed in detail

94 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

when it appears in full in the " Philosophical Transactions."
Hopes of future material are, however, for the present very
low, as I hear that the working of the quarries at Cuttie's
Hillock has been abandoned, and that elsewhere in the
district builders are finding it more profitable to work the
sandstones of the Upper Old Red than of. the Reptiliferous
horizon.

In naming one of his new genera after the late Rev. Dr.
Gordon, Mr. Newton has paid a fitting tribute to the worth
of that indefatigable minister of religion, and worker in
science, \vho has just passed away after a long life unselfishly
devoted to his professional calling and to the pursuit of
knowledge. Dr. Gordon's merits are fully set forth in
another part of the present number of this journal ; here, I
need only say that all, who are interested in the Elgin
Reptiles, know well the active part which he took in bringing
their remains to light, and in consigning these to the care of
experts for description and illustration.

The specimens described in Mr. Newton's memoir are to
be found partly in the collection of the Geological Survey of
Scotland, partly in the Elgin Museum. The memoir itself
extends to 72 quarto pages, and is illustrated by 16 plates, the
execution of which by Mr. A. T. Hollick leaves nothing to
be desired.

PAL^EOSPONDYLUS GUNNI, TRAQ., FROM THE
CAITHNESS FLAGSTONES.

By R. H. TRAQUAIR, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S.
PLATE III.

FROM an evolutionary point of view, it has often been thought
that the Marsipobranch fishes, now represented only by the
Lampreys (Petromyzontidae) and the Hags (Myxinidae), must
have existed abundantly in ancient geological times ; and
it is very probable that they did. But as their purely carti-
laginous skeletons are not readily conservable in a stony
matrix, and as Nature does not preserve anything for us in

PALsEOSPONDYLUS GUNNI FROM CAITHNESS FLAGSTONES 95

alcohol, it must be admitted that the difficulty in the \vay of
getting any evidences of fossil Marsipobranchs is extreme.

The minute tooth-like bodies known as conodonts, which
have been found in the greatest variety of form in Silurian and
Carboniferous rocks both in Europe andAmerica,have by many
been supposed to have possibly belonged to Marsipobranch
fishes, while others have been inclined to refer them rather
to Mollusca or to Annelides. In an elaborate paper pub-
lished in 1886, Professor von Zittel and Dr. Rohon, 1 after
careful microscopic study of the bodies in question, totally
discard the Marsipobranch theory, and record their belief that
the entire series of conodonts must have belonged to the
oral apparatus of Worms.

In 1890 I briefly noticed (i) a small organism from the
Old Red Sandstone of Achanarras, Caithness, which I named
Palceospondylns Gunni after its discoverers Dr. Marcus Gunn
and Mr. Alexander Gunn, and whose head, apparently formed
of calcified cartilage, seemed to me to suggest a Marsipo-
branch affinity ; but as it also possessed a segmented
vertebral column, I admitted that a Myxinoid with ossified
skeleton including differentiated vertebral centra was rather
a startling idea. The idea was, however, favourably received
by Professor Howes (3) and Mr. Smith Woodward (4), and last
year I was able to follow it up by publishing a more detailed
account (5) of the structure of this remarkable fossil from
fresh material. In August last (1893) I obtained still more
perfect specimens from Achanarras, a description of which
(7) I read before the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh
in the following December.

As this little organism is of great zoological interest, and
has as yet been found nowhere else than in one locality in
the north of Scotland, a brief resume of its structure may be
considered a suitable contribution to the " Annals of Scottish
Natural History."

Pal&ospondylus Gunni is a very small organism, usually
under one inch in length, though exceptionally large
specimens occasionally measure one inch and a half: its
appearance, natural size, is shown in Plate III. Fig. 7. It has

1 " Ueber Conodonten." Sitzitngsb. der bayer. Acad. dcr H T issenschaften 1886.
Mathem.-phys. Classe, pp. 108-136.

96 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

a head and vertebral column, but no trace of jaws or limbs ;
and, strange to say, all the specimens are seen only from the
ventral aspect, as is shown by the relation of the neural arches
to the vertebral centra. The head is in most cases much
eroded, but its surface is fairly well seen in the specimen
represented in Plate III. Fig. 5. It is divided by a notch on
each into two parts : anterior (A/.) and posterior (/>..) The
anterior part shows a groove the edges of which are elevated,
while the surface on each side shows two depressions like
fenestrae (b. and c.\ though perhaps they are not completely
perforated, and also a groove partially dividing off, posteriorly
and externally, a small lobe (a.} In front there is a ring-
like opening (;/.) flattened by pressure, surrounded by small
pointed cirri, four ventrally (v.c.}, at least five dorsally (d.c.},
and two long lateral ones (I.e.} which seem to arise inside the
margin of the ring instead of from its rim like the others.

o *-*

The posterior part of the cranium is flattened, but the median
groove is still observable. Connected with the posterior or
occipital aspect of the skull are two small narrow plates (.r.)
which lie closely alongside the first half dozen vertebrae.

The bodies of the vertebrae are hollow or ring-like, and
those immediately in front are separated from each other by
perceptible intervals (restoration, Fig. 8) ; their surfaces are
marked with a few little longitudinal grooves, of which one
is median. They are provided with neural arches, which are
at first short and quadrate, but towards the caudal extremity
lengthen out into slender neural spines, which form the

o

dorsal expansion of a caudal fin, while shorter haemal ones
are also developed on the ventral aspect. In one specimen
which has the tail exceptionally well preserved, these neural
rods or spines are seen to be twice bifurcated towards their
extremities (Fig. 6).

As I have already stated, none of the numerous specimens
which have occurred show the smallest trace of jaws or of limbs.

The anterior moiety of the skull (t.p.} I interpret as
equivalent to the trabeculo- palatal part of the cranium of
the Lamprey, the posterior to the parachordal part and
auditory capsules. The cirrated ring (;/.) receives its most
obvious interpretation as the median nasal opening of a
Marsipobranch, while the small lobe (a.} strangely suggests in

PAL/EOSPONDYLUS GUNNI FROM CAITHNESS FLAGSTONES 97

its relation to other parts the styliform or epihyal process
of the skull of the Lamprey. The dichotomisation of the
elongated neural spines in the caudal region may also be
compared with the same condition in the caudal spinous
processes : the so-called fin rays of the Lamprey.

If I am right in my interpretation of these facts in the
structure of Paltzospondylus there seems no escape from the
conclusion that the little creature must be classed as a Mar-
sipobranch ; and the calcification of its cranium, with the
development also of calcified ring-vertebrne in the sheath
of the notochord, need be no bar to the acceptation of this
view of its affinities, especially if the modern representatives
of the group are degenerate forms, as some suppose. It
must here be noted that there is no basicranial fontanelle ;
so that there could have been no posterior nasal canal, either
opening into the pharynx as in Myxinc, or ending in a blind
sac as in Petromyzon:

It is also clear that the hyolingual apparatus, whose
absence in the living state can scarcely be conceived, must
have been composed of a softer variety of cartilage, uncalci-
fied, and therefore incapable of preservation in the rock. It
is well known that in the recent Marsipobranchii two varieties
of cartilage enter into the formation of the cranio- facial

o

apparatus, one of which is considerably harder and more
solid than the other ; and a similar condition may have
existed in Palceospondylus, the hard cartilage becoming in
addition actually calcified.

Sir J. W. Dawson (6) has suggested an Amphibian affinity
for Palceospondylus; but the facts which have come out regard-
ing its structure since the work in which he expresses that
opinion went to press, render it hardly necessary to discuss
that question here, though I have done so in my last paper
(7) communicated to the Royal Physical Society. No
Amphibian, adult or embryo, with which I am acquainted
shows a median cirrated opening, presumably a nose, in the
front of the head.

To sum up the evidence of the Marsipobranch affinity
of Palceospondylus we have the following facts : -

i. The skull is apparently formed of calcified cartilage,
and devoid of discrete ossifications.
10 D

98 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

2. There is a median opening or ring, surrounded with
cirri, and presumably nasal, in the front of the head.

3. There are neither jaws nor limbs.

4. The rays which support the caudal fin -expansion,
apparently springing from the neural and haemal arches, are
dichotomised (at least the neural ones), as are the correspond-
ing rods in the Lamprey,

And if Paltzospondylus be not a Marsipobranch, it is quite
impossible to refer it to any other existing group of Verte-
brata.

LITERATURE OF PALJEOSPONDYLUS.

1. Traquair, R. H., "On the Fossils found at Achanarras Quarry,

Caithness," Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. (6), vol. vi. (1890),
p. 485.

2. Woodward, A. Smith, Catalogue of the Fossil Fishes in the British

Museum, part ii. (1891), p. 553. Reference to the above.

3. Howes, G. B., " On the Affinities, Inter-relationships, and

Systematic Position of the Marsipobranchii," Trans. Biol.
Soc. Liverpool^ vol. vi. (1891).

4. Woodward, A. Smith, "The Forerunners of the Back-boned

Animals," Natural Science, October 1892, pp. 597-599,
Fig. i.

5. Traquair, R. H., " A further description of Palczospondylus Gunni"

Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edin., vol xii. part i. (1893), pp. 87-94,
Plate I. Reviewed by Mr. Smith Woodward in Natural
Science, August 1893, p. 128, and in Geol. Mag. (3), vol. x.
p. 471.

6 Dawson J. W., Salient Points in the Science of the Earth (London :
1893), pp. 285, 286. With a figure.

7. Traquair, R. H., "A still further Contribution to our Knowledge
of Palceospondylies Gunni" Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edin.,
vol. xii. pp. 312-321, Plate IX.

EXPLANATION OF PLATE III.

{For permission to reproduce this plate, the author is indebted to the Council of the

Royal Physical Society.)

The lettering is uniform throughout all the figures, t.p., Anterior or trabeculo-
palatine part of the cranium ; p. a., posterior or parachordal part ; a., lobe divided
off from the anterior part ; b. , anterior depression or fenestra ; c., posterior depres-
sion or fenestra ; ., nasal ring ; v.c., cirri of the ventral margin of the ring ; I.e.,
long lateral cirri ; d.c., cirri of the dorsal margin ; v., vertebral centra ; x., post-
occipital plates.

Fig. i. Head of Palaospondylus Gunni, seen from the ventral aspect, and
showing the presumed nasal ring with its cirri. The rest of the cranium is eroded.
Magnified five diameters.

ANN. SCOT. NAT. HIST. 1894.

PLATE III.

Fig. 2.

Fig

R.H.Traqua'-r del

M'Firiane & Ershme. Lithr? Edm r

PAL^OSPONDYLUS GUNNI,

HEMIPTERA COLLECTED IN PERTH DISTRICT IN 1893 99

Fig. 2. Another head ; the two inner cirri of the ventral part of the ring lost ;
the rest of the cranium eroded. Magnified six diameters. The entire specimen
represented of the natural size in Fig. 7.

Fig. 3. Another head still more eroded, but the position of the nasal opening
indicated by the remains of the cirri around it. Magnified six diameters.

Fig. 4. Anterior part of another head, magnified six diameters. The dorsal
margin of the nasal ring with stumps of cirri is seen, but the ventral margin is
broken through in the middle.

Fig. 5. A head figured in my former paper (5, ; Plate I. Fig. 2), but here mag-
nified up to seven diameters. Only the ventral margin of the nasal ring is seen,
with obscure traces of cirri externally on each side. In this specimen the surface
of the skull is wonderfully entire and uneroded, but it seems just a little frayed
along the margins.

Fig. 6. Part of the tail of the specimen the anterior part of whose head is
represented in Fig. 4, to show the dichotomisation of the neural spinous processes.
Magnified thirteen diameters.

Fig. 7. The specimen, natural size, whose head is represented in Fig. 2.

Fig. 8. Restored outline of Pahcospondylus Gnnin', altered from the figure
previously given (5, p. 90) in accordance with the present state of knowledge.

LIST OF ADDITIONAL HEMIPTERA COLLECTED
IN PERTH DISTRICT IN 1893.

By T. M. M'GREGOR.

(Perthshire Society of Natural Science.)

Peritrechus luniger, Schill. Minkie Moss in October, under bark of
stumps growing out of marsh.

Gastrodes ferrugineus, Lin. Woody Island in October, dead
specimen under spruce bark.

Sa/da sanatoria, Lin. Minkie Moss in October, under bark of
upright stumps in marsh.

Salda rincta, H. S. Minkie Moss in October, under bark of upright
stumps in marsh.

Ceratocombus muscorum, D. & S. Minkie Moss in August, in
sphagnum.

Tetraphleps vittata, Fieb. Woody Island in June and July, by
beating spruce and larch.

Myrmedobia tenella, Zett. Minkie Moss in June.

Labops nuttabilis, Fall. Top of North Inch, June and July,

sweeping.
Orthotylus fuscesans, Kb. Bankfoot, June.

Psallus obscurellus, Fall. Woody Island, June ; Scots fir, spruce,
larch, by beating. Countless specimens were got off one

too ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY^

particular tree (Scots fir) ; and on this identical tree I found
on 1 4th and 3oth June Plesiodema pinetelhim quite as
numerous. It is worth noting that while Pies, pinetelhim
was common this year throughout the district, on no par-
ticular tree (except this one) was the species numerous.

Plagiognathus Wilkinsoni, D. & S. Minkie Moss, June, under
sphagnum.

Corixa hieroglyphica, Duf. Perth, North Inch Ponds, 3oth May.
Corixa fab ricii, Fieb. Perth, Wild Orchard Pool in April.
Corixa condnna, Fieb. Perth, North Inch Ponds, 3oth May.

Corixa carinafa, Fieb. Dalguise, in April. In pools and hills

between Dalguise and Dunkeld.

Strongylocephalus agrestis, Falc. Minkie Moss, October, sweeping.
Eupelix ciispidata, Fal. Minkie Moss, August, sweeping.
Deltocephalus salmlicola, Curt. Linn of Campsie, May, off wild

thyme by sweeping.
Limotettix nigricornis, J. Sahl. Bankfoot, June, sweeping.

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE^E.

By the late JOHN ROY, LL.D., and J. P. BISSET.

\Continued from page 46.]

PLATE IV.

49. C. De Notarisii (Wittr.), Nordst. Very rare. Ross Falls of

Connon ; Kincardine south from Portlethen ; Stirling
Fintray Hills.

50. C. eboracense, W. West. Very rare. Perth Craig-an-Lochan.

51. C. eJiictiun, Roy and Bisset (" Desmidieer from Bornholm,"

O. Nordstedt, 1888). Very rare. Aberdeen -- Powlair,
Heughhead near Aboyne ; Kincardine Crathes, Durris.
(Our Plate I. fig. 9.)

52. C. elt'ga/is, n. sp. Medium sized; unequally hexagonal; sides

minutely undulated and converging towards the truncate
produced and more boldly undulated ends ; minute crenu-
lations extend from all the undulations towards the centre
of the frond, which appears to be smooth ; constriction
narrow, of medium depth ; frond from side view of nearly
equal thickness. Length, 43-45 />-; breadth, 28-30 // ;
isthmus, 17 IL. (Our Plate II. fig. 5.)

Very rare. Aberdeen Logie-Coldstone and Glassel.

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE/E 101

53. C. elegantissiinu/ii, Lundell. Very rare. Aberdeen Powlair

and Slewdrum ; Kincardine near Bridge of Bogandreep
and Blackball in Strachan ; Perth Glen Garry, Ben Lawers.

54. C. Etchachanense^Vi.^. Medium sized ; semi-orbicular; about

one-third longer than broad ; semi-cells semi-orbicular ; basal
angles bluntly acute ; sides unequally undulated ; ends rather
flattened and more obscurely undulated ; surface finely granu-
lated ; granules in perpendicular rows, about nine in a row ;
constriction deep and narrow. Length, 38-40 //,; breadth,
30-32 [j.; isthmus, 12-13 1 L - (Our Plate I. fig. 15.)

Very rare. Aberdeen Corrie Etchachan (Ben Macdhui).

55. C. excavatum, Nordst. Rare. Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar.

56. C. exiguum, Archer. General, but scarce.

57. C. flavum, n. sp. Small sized; length and breadth equal;

semi-cells reniform, in side view circular ; constriction deep
and opening widely ; frond smooth ; zygospore orbicular,
smooth. Length, 32 //, ; breadth, 32 //, ; isthmus, i o ^ ;
diameter of zygospore, 40 /z. (Our Plate II. fig. 17.)

This species is closely allied to C. Jacobsenii, Roy, C.
ellipsoidcum, Elfv., and C. contraction, Kirch., but appears
to be sufficiently distinct.

Rare. Sutherland Loch Inver; Aberdeen Scotston,
Birsemore, Craigendinnie, Dinnet, Dawin, Auchnerran, Glen
Clunie ; Kincardine Crathes, Cammie, Dalbrake.

58. C. fontigenum, Nordst. Not common. Ross; Inverness

Skye, and near Brin ; Aberdeen ; Kincardine ; Perth.

59. C. formosulum, Hoff. Rare. Argyle Ben Laoigh ; Wigtown.

60. C. galeritum, Nordst. Rare. Sutherland near Loch Inver ;

Inverness near Loch Coruisk (Skye) ; Aberdeen Ben-na-
Chie, Morven, Birse, Aboyne ; Perth ; Arran near Corrie.

6 1. C. Garrolense, n. sp. (C. latereundatus, R. and B.'s MSS.)

Medium sized ; about one-sixth longer than broad ; sub-
quadrangular ; sides, with 3 to 4 undulations, converging
slightly towards the ends, which are slightly curved, and
obscurely plicated ; constriction linear and moderately deep ;
membrane sparingly and obscurely punctate. Length, 30 /* ;
breadth, 25 //,; isthmus, 9-11 /JL. (Our Plate II. fig. 4.)

Very rare. Kincardine Den of Garrol ; Forfar Clova
Tableland.

62. C. gemmiferum, Breb. Rare. Ross Loch Kinnellan and

Falls of Connon (Mrs. Farquharson) ; Inverness^Loch
Ruthven, etc. (Mrs. Farquharson) ; Aberdeen near Alford
and Cambus-o'-May ; Fife.

102 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

63. C. globosum, Bulnh. Not common. Inverness, Aberdeen,

Kincardine.

64. C. gradatum, Roy (" Desmids of the Alford District," in " Scot.

Nat.," January 1890, p. 203). Not common. Caithness,
Ross, Inverness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Fife,
Wigtown.

65. C. granatum, Breb. General.

/3 elongatum, Nordst. Rare. Aberdeen near Aboyne,
at Homehead in Logie-Coldstone ; and in Balloch-
buie near Balmoral; Kincardine at Muchalls ;
Forfar at Reeky Linn.

y Grunovii (Grunow, in Rabenhorst's " Beitrage," Heft
II. p. 15, Taf. II. fig. 27). Extremely rare. Aber-
deen in Glen Callater, at the Break Neck Fall.

66. C. Grantii, n. sp. (C. didymopcntachondrum, R. and B.'s MSS.)

Medium sized ; nearly as broad as long ; sides and ends
almost straight, with prominent undulations, which do not
extend beyond the edges, minute granules or crenulations
taking their place on the front of the frond ; five pairs of
more prominent granules at the base of each semi-cell ; con-
striction deep and narrow. Length, 34-35 //. ; breadth, 30-31
\L ; isthmus, 13-14 p. (Our Plate I. fig. 10.)

Named in honour of Mr. P. Grant, a pioneer collector of
Desmidiea in the north-east of Scotland.

Very rare. Found only on wet rocks as yet. Aberdeen
Glassel and Slewdrum ; Kincardine Letterbeg in Strachan.

67. C. granulusculum, n. sp. Small sized; orbicular; nearly as

broad as long ; basal angles rounded ; sides curving rapidly
towards the rounded ends ; constriction very deep and
narrow ; surface rather closely covered with minute pointed
granules ; semi-cells in side view globose, in end view oval.
Length, 35 //, ; breadth, 31 //, ; isthmus, 8 p. (Our Plate II.
% 8.)

Very rare. Aberdeen Howford near Inverurie ; Kin-
cardine Gillan near Banchory ; Perth Folotry.

68. C. Gregorii, Roy and Bisset (Gutwinski, "Flora Glondw Okolic

Lwowa," Krakow, 1891). Small sized; slightly longer
than broad ; constriction narrow, linear, deep ; sides rect-
angular at first, then with two large rounded undulations ;
end truncate, half the breadth of the base, indistinctly 4 to 6
undulate; sides with minute granules on each undulation,
from which rows of about 3 in each converge towards the
centre, which is usually very obscure, but has 3 perpendicular

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE/E 103

rows of 3 to 4 slightly larger granules in each, placed close
together ; two rows of granules close to the end ; end view
oval, no central protuberance ; side view of semi-cell globular ;
isthmus about one-third the diameter. Length, 25-27-5/7,;
breadth, 23-24-5 /x ; isthmus, 7-8 //. (Our Plate I. fig. u.)

Named in honour of the Rev. Dr. Gregor of Pitsligo,
from whom the first example was received.

Very rare. Banff Iron Hill (Aberdour) ; Aberdeen
Collieston and Castleton, Braemar ; Perth Loch Lundie ;
Wigtown.

69. C. Hammeri, Reinsch.

Forma A. majus. This certainly comes very near C.
homalodennuni, Nordst., but differs from the latter in
" margo terminalis rectus." If the two are really
distinct, Reinsch's form does not seem to occur with
us. For distribution, see C. homalodermwn .

Forma C. octogibbosum, Reinsch. Rare. Aberdeen
Scotston Moor, near Aboyne, in Birse, near Ballater,
and in Glen Clunie. Kincardine Cammie, Strachan.

70. C. hexalobum, Nordst. Rare. Ross in the Black Isle;

Aberdeen - - Koynach Moor and Presswhin, Cromar ;
Craigendinnie, Aboyne ; and head of the Forest of Birse ;
Kincardine Den of Garrol, Durris ; Perth Glen Shee.
/3 minor, n. var. Smaller than the type ; ends less pro-
duced, and the undulations not nearly so bold.
Length, 32-35 ^; breadth, 28-30 /z; isthmus, 10-11
//,. (Our Plate I. fig. 12.)

Very rare. Aberdeen Presswhin, Cromar, along with
the type.

71. C. hexastichum, Lundell. Very rare. Aberdeen Dalbagie

near Ballater.

f3 octastichum, Nordst. Very rare. Inverness Loch
Ruthven (Mrs. Farquharson).

72. C. Holmiense, Lundell. Not common. Ross at Strome ;

Inverness Glen Urquhart, and in Skye at the Quirang and
near Loch Coruisk ; Aberdeen several localities in Cromar,
and Upper Deeside ; Kincardine Clochnaben ; Forfar
Canlochan and Reeky Linn ; Perth Ben Lawers, and at
Bracklin near Callander ; Stirling Fintray Hills and Alva
Glen ; Arran at Corrie.

(3 integrntu, Nordst. Not common. Inverness Glen

Urquhart ; Aberdeen Cromar and Upper Deeside ;

Forfar Lundie and Reeky Linn ; Perth Glen

Shee and Craig-an-Lochan.

104 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

A large form occurs in Aberdeen at the Vat and in the
Corrie of Loch Kandor, and in Perth on Ben Lawers and
at Bracklin.

73. C. homalodernnim, Nordst. Not common. Ross Poolewe ;

Inverness Glen Urquhart ; Aberdeen Auchterless, Birse,

Cambus-o'-May, Culblean, Glen Callater, etc. ; Kincardine

- Durris ; Forfar Clova Tableland and Canlochan ;

Perth - - Durdie, Ben Lawers, Rannoch, Lochearnhead,

Bracklin ; Stirling Alva Glen ; Argyle Mull.

74. C. impressulum, Elfv. General, but scarce.

75. C. intermedium, Delp. Rare. Inverness- in Skye, near Por-

tree ; Aberdeen near Aboyne ; Argyle in Mull, near
Tobermory (Mr. George Ross).

76. C. isthmochondrum, Nordst. Not common. Inverness Loch

Ruthven (Mrs. Farquharson) ; Aberdeen not uncommon ;
Kincardine Bishop's Dam in Strachan : Forfar Tannadice
Curling Pond and Clova Tableland ; Perth Durdie, and
near Fowlis Wester ; Argyle Glen Coe.

77. C. Jiaco&senii, Roy (C. moniliferuin, forma., Jacobsen, " Desmid. du

Danemark," p. 200, Tab. VIII. fig. 24). Not common.
Aberdeen Slewdrum, Presswhin, Logie-Coldstone, Glen
Clunie ; Kincardine Crathes, Dalbrake in Strachan.

78. C. jenisejense, Boldt. Very rare. Inverness Cairngorm.

79. C. Kjellmani, Wille. Very rare. Aberdeen Dalbagie near

Ballater, Slewdrum.

Sub. sp. grande, Wille. Very rare. Aberdeen Bourtie.

80. C. Iccve, Rab. Very rare. Aberdeen Tonley ; Perth Glas

Mhoel.

(3 septentrionale, Wille. Rare. Inverness Loch Ruth-
ven (Mrs. Farquharson) ; Aberdeen Slewdrum in
Birse ; Kincardine Nigg ; Perth Bracklin ; Stir-
ling Alva Glen ; Kirkcudbright New Galloway.

8 1. C. latifrons, Lundell. Extremely rare. Forfar Barrelwell

Moss near Brechin (Mr. Scott).

82. C. latum, Breb. Not common. Sutherland near Loch

Inver ; Ross Falls of Connon ; Inverness Loch Ruthven
(Mrs. Farquharson) ; Aberdeen many localities ; Kincar-
dine Cammie in Strachan ; Forfar- Menmuir, Balquhadly
in Fern ; Perth Durdie and Glen Shee ; Stirling Fintray
Hills. (Our Plate II. fig. 10.)

ANN. SCOT NAT HIST 18 94-.

PLATE IV

J.PBisset,Del

B, &R.Claxk i

SCOTTISH DESMIDIE^ PLATE III

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE.E 105

Var. minor, n. var. (C. simililatum, R. & B.'s MSS.) Very
like the type in form, but smaller and more closely
granulated. Length, 60-67 /* > breadth, 48-55 /A;
'isthmus, 20-22 /z. (Our Plate II. fig. 1 1.) Very rare.
Aberdeen above Loch Etchachan, Ben Macdhui ;
Forfar in Canlochan.

83. C. Z,ogiense,BisseL Not common. Inverness near Brin (Mrs.

Farquharson) ; Aberdeen Moss of Logic (Cromar), Cambus-
o'-May, Dalbagie near Ballater, near the summit of Loch-
nagar, Glen Callater at the Breakneck Waterfall and on the
Tableland above ; Forfar Canlochan, at the west end of
Rescobie Loch ; Perth Glen Tilt and at Lochearnhead :
Dumbarton between Loch Lomond and Loch Long (Dr.
Watson). (Our Plate II. fig. 15.)

84. C. lepidum, W. West. Extremely rare. Perth Ben Chroin.

(To be continued. )

DESCRIPTION OF SCOTTISH DESMIDIE/E, PLATE IV. Fig. i. Arthrodesmns
longicornis, R. and B., x 400. Fig. 2. Staurastrum horametrum, R. and B. : a,

end ; b, side (of larger specimen} ; x 400. Fig. 3. S. rostellum, R. and B. : a, end
(slightly tilted) ; b, side ; x 400. Fig. 4. S. monticulosum, Breb. : a, end ; b,
front ; x 400. Fig. 5. S. cormitiim, Archer : a, end ; b, side ; x 600. Fig.
6. S. graniilosnni (Ehr. ), Ralfs, and zygospore, x 400. Fig. 7. S. orbicularc (Ehr.),
Rnlfs (forma?}, and zygospore, x 400. Fig. 8. S. polytrichitm (Perty), Rab. : a,
end ; b, front ; x 400. Fig. 9. S. setigerum, Cleve. : a, end ; b, side ; x 400.
Fig. 10. S. saxonicum, Buln. : a, end ; b, front ; x 400. Fig. II. S. avicula, Breb.
(forma?}, and zygospore, x 400. Fig. 12. S. armigerum, Breb., and zygospore,

x 400. Fig. 13. Xantliidiiim antilopicum (Breb. ), Kg., and zygospore (immature},

x 400.

ON THE FOOD OF UTRICULARIA VULGARIS,
AN INSECTIVOROUS PLANT.

By THOMAS SCOTT, F.L.S.
Naturalist to the Fishery Board for Scotland.

EVER since Darwin, in his important work on " Insectivorous
Plants," brought together such a mass of information, some
of it of a startling description, bearing on the habits and
structure of various species of plants, which, though in some
cases differing widely in their position in classification, are yet

106 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

alike as to their power of preying upon insects, more than
usual interest has been excited in regard to them. Several
of the plants that formed the subjects of Darwin's experiments
belong to comparatively common species, such as Utricularia
vulgaris, Drosera rotundifolia, and Pingnicula vulgaris ; and
this no doubt has tended still further to increase the interest
in the peculiar and remarkable habits possessed by such
plants.

Utricularia vulgaris is an aquatic plant, and in the
Edinburgh District occurs in moderate abundance in pools
at Gullane Links, near Aberlady. The utricles of this species
are large and numerous, and very frequently contain micro-
organisms that have found their way into what has proved to
them a living tomb.

Many years ago I examined a number of utricles of
another species Utricularia minor discovered in pools by
the side of the road between Port Glasgow and Kilmalcolm
(west of Scotland) ; and a Note of the organisms observed in
the utricles was published in the " Greenock Telegraph " ;
but for various reasons I had not till lately the privilege of
examining the much larger and finer Utricularia vulgaris.
During the month of May last year my son, Mr. Andrew
Scott, and I made a partial investigation of the locality about
Gullane and Aberlady and collected some specimens of
Utricularia vulgaris, which were placed in spirit till a con-
venient opportunity occurred to look over them. A con-
siderable number of the utricles on these specimens have
now been examined, and the following is a record of some of
the results obtained.

In the first place, I examined five hundred utricles, none
of them being smaller than about the one-twelfth of an inch
across the longest diameter. They were taken from the
plants indiscriminately, except as regards size, and their
contents were carefully investigated and recorded. Of the
500 utricles, Si were empty, that is, they did not contain
organic matter ; 3 5 contained organic matter, but so much
decomposed as to be indistinguishable ; while 384 contained
organic matter that could be identified.

Of the 384 utricles containing matter that could be
identified

ON THE FOOD OF UTRICULARIA VULGARIS 107

70 contained only one organism each (equal to 70 specimens). Of
these 34 were Cyclops (24$, 4?, 6?); 9 Canthocamptus ; 25
Cypris ; i Cladoceran ; and i Tardigrada.

59 contained two organisms each (equal to 118 specimens). Of
these 62 were Cyclops (47 c , 1 1 9 , 4 ?) ; 7 Canthocamptus ; 48
Cypris ; and i Rotifer.

51 contained three organisms each (equal to 153 specimens). Of
these 51 were Cyclops (42 $ , 4$, 5?); 8 Canthocamptus; 90
Cypris ; 3 small Annelides ; and i insect larva.

28 contained four organisms each (equal to 112 specimens). Of

these 29 were {Cyclops 28c?, i ?) ; 5 Canthocamptus; and 78
Cypris.

19 contained five organisms each (equal to 95 specimens). Of these
20 were Cyclops (18 6*, 2 $); 5 Canthocamptus; and 70
Cypris.

15 contained six organisms each (equal to 90 specimens). Of these
28 were Cyclops (25 <, 3 9 ) ; and 62 Cypris.

27 contained seven organisms each (equal to 189 specimens). Of
these 34 were Cyclops (24 c?, 10 $); 6 Canthocamptus; 148
Cypris ; and i small Annelide.

29 contained eight organisms each (equal to 232 specimens). Of

these 68 were Cyclops (59 c? , 7$, 2 ?); 5 Canthocamptus;
158 Cypris; and i Cladoceran.

1 9 contained nine organisms each (equal to 171 specimens). Of
these 50 were Cyclops (49 $ , i$); 2 Canthocamptus; and
119 Cypris.

21 contained ten organisms each (equal to 210 specimens). Of
these 49 were Cyclops (47 $ , i $, i ?); 5 Canthocamptus;
and 156 Cypris.

1 1 contained eleven organisms each (equal to 1 2 1 specimens). Of
these 27 were Cyclops (26 <, i 9); i Canthocamptus; and 93
Cypris.

9 contained twelve organisms each (equal to 108 specimens). Of

these 31 were Cyclops (27 $ , 3 $, i ?) ; Canthocamptus ; and
72 Cypris.

10 contained thirteen organisms each (equal to 130 specimens). Of

these 20 were Cyclops (ir <, 2 $, 7?); 2 Canthocamptus;
and 1 08 Cypris.

1 contained fourteen organisms each (equal to 98 specimens). Of
these 1 8 were Cyclops (17 <$ , i ?); So Cypris.

5 contained fifteen organisms each (equal to 75 specimens). Of
these 6 were Cyclops (2 <$ , 4 ?) ; and 69 Cypris.

io8 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

2 contained sixteen organisms each (equal to 32 specimens). Of
these 7 were Cyclops (allc?); i Canthocamptus ; 23 Cypris ;
and i insect larva.

i contained seventeen organisms (equal to 1 7 specimens). Of which
i was a Cyclops ( c? ) ; and 1 6 Cypris.

The total number of organisms in the 384 utricles con-
taining matter that could be identified, as shown by the
preceding records, was 2021. The total numbers were:
Cyclops, 535 (454^, 509, 31 ?); Canthocamptus, 6 1 ; Cypris,
1415; 2 Cladocera ; 4 small Annelides ; i Rotifer; i
Tardigrada ; and 2 insect larvae.

Dividing 2021 (the total number of organisms) by
384 the (number of utricles containing matter that could be
identified), we get an average of about 5^- organisms to each
utricle, or more correctly 5^2629 organisms.

Some weeks after the first lot of five hundred utricles had
been worked up, three hundred more from the same ponds
were examined. This was done in order to ascertain if some
of the results brought out by the examination of the first lot
would be repeated, as for example the preponderance of
Cypris, and the large proportion of males to females among
the Cyclops. In the examination of this second lot, empty
utricles were discarded.

Of the 300 utricles, 1 1 contained organic matter, but too
much decomposed to be distinguishable ; the remaining 289
contained matter that could be identified.

50 of the 289 utricles contained one organism each (equal to 50
specimens). Of these 23 were Cyclops (206*, 2$, i ?) ; 8
Canthocamptus ; 18 Cypris; and i "Water-mite."

36 contained two organisms each (equal to 72 specimens). Of
these 31 were Cyclops (276*, 3?, i?); 2 Canthocamptus;
37 Cypris; i "Water-mite"; and i small Annelide.

29 contained three organisms each (equal to 87 specimens). Of
these 24 were Cyclops (22$ , i <j? , T ?)j 3 Canthocamptus ; 58
Cypris ; and 2 insect larvae.

23 contained four organisms each (equal to 92 specimens). Of
these 1 4 were Cyclops (no, 2 ? , i ?) ; i Canthocamptus ; 7 7
Cypris.

19 contained five organisms each (equal to 95 specimens). Of these
20 were Cyclops (all $ ) ; 3 Canthocamptus ; and 72 Cypris.

ON THE FOOD OF UTRICULARIA I'ULGARIS 109

20 contained six organisms each (equal to 120 specimens). Of

these 24 were Cyclops (all $ ) ; 3 Canthocamptus; 91 Cypris ;
i small Annelide ; and i insect larvse.

30 contained seven organisms each (equal to 210 specimens). Of
these 56 were Cyclops (all $ ) ; 3 Canthocamptus; and 151
Cypris.

23 contained eight organisms each (equal to 184 specimens). Of
these 27 were Cyclops (246% i?, 2?); 5 Canthocamptus ; and
152 Cypris.

21 contained nine organisms each (equal to 189 specimens). Of

these 33 were Cyclops (31^, i ? , i ?) ; 4 Canthocamptus;
151 Cypris ; and i small Annelide.

12 contained ten organisms each (equal to 120 specimens). Of
these 32 were Cyclops (all $ ) ; 4 Canthocamptus; and 84
Cypris.

12 contained eleven organisms each (equal to 132 specimens. Of
these 43 were Cyclops (all $ ) ; 2 Canthocamptus; and 87

10 contained twelve organisms each (equal to 120 specimens). Of
these 23 were Cyclops (21 , 2 ? ), and 97 Cypris.

4 contained thirteen organisms each (equal to 52 specimens). Of

these 12 were Cyclops (all c? ) ; 2 Canthocamptus; and 28

The total number of organisms in this second lot of
utricles was 1523, and comprised 362 Cyclops (343 $, 12$,
7 ?) ; 40 Cantlwcamptus ; 1113 Cypris ; 2 " Water-mites " ;
3 small A nnelides ; and 3 insect larvae.

Dividing 1523 (the number of organisms) by 289 (the
number of utricles containing matter that could be identified),
we get an average of about 5^- specimens to each utricle, or
more correctly 5 '2 69 8 specimens. The average number of
specimens to each utricle in the two lots is thus remarkably
close, and on that account is worthy of note. But though in
this instance the averages are practically the same, it is highly
probable that they would have varied more or less if the two
lots had been from widely different localities.

Having ascertained so much concerning Utriadaria
vulgaris from Gullane ponds, I next endeavoured to find out
approximately the average number of utricles on a piece of
stem of a given length ; and for this purpose I carefully

110

I

ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

counted the number on one piece of stem, and my son (Mr.
John Scott) counted the number on other four pieces that
had previously been all accurately measured. The minimum
size of the utricles included in our enumeration was, as in
the former experiments, about the one-twelfth of an inch
across the longest diameter.

TABLE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF UTRICLES ox THE FIVE PIECES OF

UTRICULARJA STEM.

No. of the piece of stem
examined.

Length
in inches.

No. of utricles
containing
organic matter.

No. of empty
utricles.

Total number
of utricles.

First piece .

5-375

222

43

265

Second piece .

8

452

32

484

Third piece .

6

27O

34

304

Fourth piece

6-25

219

24

243

Fifth piece .

7

208

27

235

Totals for five pieces

33-I25

1371

1 60

1531

The total number of utricles (excluding those under the
one-twelfth of an inch across the longest diameter) on the
five pieces of stem was 1531, and the total number of these
containing organic matter, 1371. If from this latter number
we deduct the 7 I utricles as probably containing matter that
could not be identified, and multiply the remaining 1300
by 5^ (the average number of specimens to each utricle), we
get 6825 as the number of organisms captured by the
utricles on these five small pieces of stem.

Should the number of specimens captured, as brought
out here, be only approximately correct for the rest of the
Utricularia growing in the ponds, and the statistics I
have given tend to prove that it may be so, it becomes
evident that the number of micro-organisms destroyed in the
Gullane ponds during the year by the Utricularia must be
very great.

It was observed, during the examination of the Utricularia
stems, that the utricles were proportionally much fewer in
number on the lower (or older) portions than on the upper
(or younger) portions ; and one of the questions consequently
suggested was, Had the utricles on the lower part of the stem

ON THE FOOD OF UTR1CULAR1A VULGAR1S in

fallen off by reason of the disorganisation of their tissues
from their having become gorged with animal matter, or had
they fallen off as the result of normal development similar
to that which causes the leaves of trees, etc., to fall in the
autumn ? A second question suggested was, If becoming
gorged with animal matter does not injure the utricles and
cause them to fall off, is the animal matter they contain
gradually, and more or less continuously, assimilated by the
plant, so that the utricles remain more or less permanently
active and able to go on adding fresh captures to those
previously made ? I find no satisfactory evidence bearing
on these questions.

Darwin's investigations certainly proved that animal
matter is absorbed by the quadrifid processes that so
thickly beset the internal surface of the utricles ; but whether
they can continue for a lengthened period to absorb such
matter as it would be necessary for them to do if the utricles
are to remain active and capable of adding to their captures,
is still doubtful. My own opinion is that the utricles, after
becoming gorged with animal matter, gradually decay and
fall off. '

From what has been said above, it is clear that Utricularia
growing in any quantity in ponds must be a formidable
enemy to the smaller active organisms living in the same
water. A tow-net examination of the pond-water of Gullane,
from which the Utricularia were taken, shows that while
almost all such organisms may be occasionally captured,
certain of them fall a prey to the Utricularia-traps in far
greater proportion than others. Cypris is the most abundant
in both lots of utricles examined, while Cyclops comes next.
It seems that the proportion in which the different organisms
are captured by the utricles depends to a large extent upon
peculiarities in their structure or shape. For instance, it
will be observed that, among the Cyclops captured, there is
a far larger number of males than females. The statistics
given above show that the number of organisms in the two
lots of utricles examined (which together amounted to 800)
was 3544. Of this number 897 were Cyclops, and comprised
799 males, 61 females, and 37 doubtful ; or, in other words,
over 89 per cent were males, while less than 7 per cent were

ii2 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

females. What can be the reason for such a large percentage
of male Cyclops ? It was certainly not due to an abnormal
abundance of that sex in the ponds at Gullane ; for my
own and my son's observation proved that males were not
unusually numerous, compared with the number of females
present. Our experience tends rather to show that in tow-
net collections males are usually in the minority. It
becomes necessary, therefore, to seek some other explanation
of the remarkable difference in the percentage of the two
sexes ; and probably the most satisfactory explanation is to
be found in the difference in the structure of the anterior
antennae of the male and female. In the male, both of the
anterior antennae are modified for grasping, being distinctly
hinged near the middle as well as near the end ; they can,
therefore, at the will of the animal, be bent or folded over so
that the amount of the horizontal extension of the antenna;
is very much reduced. The female's anterior antennae are
not hinged in the middle ; and when the animal is swimming
they are always extended at, or nearly at, right angles to the
axis, of the body. The female is likely, in this way, to meet
with greater obstruction than the male when attempting to
enter the door of this natural trap. Whether the above
explanation is sufficient to account for the large percentage
of male Cyclops captured by the utricles, or whether the
difference is due to other causes, the fact that there is such
a difference is of interest as indicating the influence such
plants possess over the destinies of these lowly organisms in
their struggle for life.

When we come to the question of the great preponderance
of Ostracoda over all the other organisms observed in the
utricles, we find the explanation much easier. 2528 speci-
mens of Ostracoda were obtained in the 800 utricles ; and
they nearly all belonged to two species, Cypria Icevis
(O. F. Muller) and Cypria serena (Koch), which, from their
active habits, small size, and globose form, could more easily
make their way into the Utricularia-traps than any other
Entomostracan inhabiting the ponds. A few specimens of
Cypria opJithalmica (J urine) a somewhat larger species, and
much compressed in form were the only other Ostracods
observed.

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 113

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES.

Polecat (Mu stela pittorius) in Aberdeenshire. In a little glen
a few miles from Peterhead, a Polecat (or perhaps a pair) has taken
up its winter quarters, and up to this date (December 1893) has
eluded the gun and trap. The schoolmaster of the district saw the
last one in the parish about ten years ago, and that was on the Ugie
bank at the ruins of Ravenscraig Castle. WILLIAM SERLE, Peter-
head.

The Dipper (Cinclusaquaticus) in Barra. When riding, on the
25th of January last, accompanied by Mr. William MacGillivray, we
observed a Dipper at the side of a loch that bordered on the road.
It was quite close to us when observed, and on flying off uttered
his lively notes. I have not met with this species either here or
in Uist before, although I believe a few have been seen by others.
The only other strange visitor that I have seen in Barra this winter
was a young Iceland Gull (Larus leucopterus, Faber) on the i4th of
December. JOHN MACRURY, Barra.

Albino Bunting- (Emberiza miliaria) in Aberdeenshire. I saw

on December 1 2th last an albino specimen of the Common Bunting
of which I had been previously told. It was pure white, with the
exception of two feathers in the wing, and I am told it is whiter this
year than it was last. It has lived continuously in the district of
Newseat Station for two years, and is familiar to the work-people on
the farm. It reared a brood of young this summer, but her progeny
was quite normal in colour. WILLIAM SERLE, Peterhead.

The Hoopoe (Upupa epops) in West Ross-shire. One day in

September 1877 I was shore-shooting near Loch Duich, when one
of these birds rose in front of my companion, and was shot. It is
a great pity that such a fate almost always awaits this beautiful
stranger, which would certainly breed in South, if not in North
Britain, were it hospitably treated. EDWARD S. MARSHALL.

Snowy Owl in Shetland. A fine specimen of the Snowy Owl
(Nyctea scandiaca) was shot on the 26th of January, near Balta Sound
in the island of Unst. It is a considerable time since one of these
birds was last seen on the island. Shetland Times, 3rd February,
1894.

Sparrow Hawk (Accipiter nisus) preying 1 upon a Magpie (Pica
rustica). While walking down the carriage drive, Dalmeny Park, on
the 3rd March, I heard a fluttering of wings under a privet bush.
On going forward to the spot, a female Sparrow Hawk made off
carrying something heavy in her talons, and flying close to the
IO E

114 'ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

ground. The Hawk, however, alighted after proceeding a short dis-
tance, and on my approach flew away, leaving a fine Magpie freshly
killed and partly eaten about the neck. I do not find any mention
made of the Sparrow Hawk preying upon such a formidable bird as
the Magpie, and I think the incident worthy of record. BRUCE
CAMPBELL, Edinburgh.

Golden Eagle attacking a Stag. On September 22nd I saw a
Golden Eagle attack an ordinary-sized stag and strike it about the
head ; but the stag got clear, and made a desperate rush into the
thickest part of the wood. The Eagle then hovered above the trees,
and seemed puzzled at losing its prey. Two more Eagles then made
their appearance. They seemed to be young ones, but in full plum-
age. This took place in the wood above Glasonoic known as the
Black Wood (in Glen Kishorn). I have never before seen a case
of an Eagle attacking a full-grown deer, although I have seen one
kill and devour a young deer calf. DONALD MATHESON, Kinloch,
Shieldaig, West Ross.

Widgeon (Mareca penelope) on the White Loeh of Myreton,
Wigtownshire. The White Loch of Myreton, a sheet of water about
half a mile in length, lies in the park at Monreith, Wigtownshire.
Camden, Holinshed, and other chroniclers followed one another in
declaring that it never froze in the hardest winters. This I can
testify to be incorrect, for I have repeatedly seen it sheeted with
strong ice from end to end. For forty years it has been treated as a
sanctuary for wild-fowl. It is regularly frequented by great numbers
of Mallard, Teal, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Coots, and Waterhens. A
few brace of Golden-Eye visit it occasionally, and among rarer
visitors have been Wild Swans, Goosanders (I once counted nine of
these), and Bittern. Cormorants and Seagulls of various kinds
disport themselves on it, and Herons sometimes breed in the woods
around, but not regularly. But long as I have known this lake, and
much time as I have spent with the spy-glass examining birds on its
surface, I never saw the common Widgeon there till three years ago.
This is the more remarkable, because on the sea coast, not a mile
distant, and in Wigtown and Luce Bays, and also on other fresh-
water lakes in the county, Widgeon are extremely plentiful. Three
years ago I spied five Widgeon, much to my delight ; for they are the
liveliest and most graceful of all British ducks, and their wild whistle
adds a great charm to the winter landscape. Since that time Widgeon
have visited it in ever-increasing numbers, until, during the present
season, there is a flock of 150 or 200 constantly upon it. I
attribute this to the great increase in Canadian pond-weed (Elodea
canadensis, Hooker ; Anachcris alsinastrum, Babington). The winter
winds drive this ashore in great swathes, much to the benefit of my
delightful visitors. I need hardly observe that unless this lake were
treated as sanctuary, Widgeon, the shyest of all wild-fowl, would not

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 115

make themselves at home within a few hundred yards of the
mansion-house, and in view of people constantly passing along the
shore. HERBERT MAXWELL, Whauphill.

Pochard (Fuligula ferina) on the River Carron, Stirlingshire.
Although this bird is common enough on the Firth of Forth, and
probably breeds within the area, in all my experience of this part of
the district I do not remember to have ever met with the Pochard
upon the river Carron or Bonny until to-day, the gth January
1894, when I shot a fine male J. A. HARVIE-BROWN.

Smew in Aberdeenshire. On the i6th January 1894 a
female Smew (Mergus albellus, Linn.) was shot on the Don, near
Fintray. Its stomach contained a large number of aquatic insects,
and small pieces of quartz. G. SIM, Aberdeen.

Stock Dove (Columba anas) in West Lothian. When shooting
Wood Pigeons (Columba palumbus) on iyth February near
Cramond in the county of West Lothian, I was fortunate enough to
secure a Stock Dove. I may mention this is the first specimen I
have observed in the district. BRUCE CAMPBELL, Edinburgh.

Stock Dove (Columba ocnas) in Forfarshire. On the i4th of
December, two Stock Doves (one male, one not dissected), were
shot to the west of the town, about a mile inland. Though I have
been carefully on the outlook for this species for over two years,
this is the only case of their occurrence here of which I have learnt.
-T. F. DEWAR, Arbroath.

The Stock Dove (Columba anas) in West Ross-shire. Mr.
Harvie-Brown's very interesting paper in the January number seems
to imply that the Stock Dove is little, if at all, known as a bird of
the North-West Highlands. It may therefore be worth while to
record the fact that in late August or early September 1877 I shot
a specimen close to the shooting-lodge of Dorisduan, Kintail, West
Ross, and frequently saw birds of this species while fishing the River
Croe. I cannot, of course, speak with any confidence upon the
question of their having bred thereabouts, or immigrated after the
nesting season ; but the comparatively early time of year and the
tolerable frequency of their occurrence make it quite as likely as not
that they had been resident throughout the summer. Is it not
probable that in many cases there are, so to speak, "cycles" of
bird-occurrence, i.e. that a migratory species visits a given district in
yearly increasing numbers, and then, for reasons which we do not
yet know, diminishes, at length ceasing to arrive at all ? EDWARD
S. MARSHALL.

[These records of first occurrences of the Stock Dove are useful
and interesting. That the bird should have been found in West
Ross-shire is a surprise ; and it does not appear to have come under
the notice of other observers either before or since. EDS.]

u6 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Nesting of Quails in Shetland. Numbers of Quails bred
in Unst this season. I have not known the bird to breed here
before. One was killed at Haroldswick with a scythe, and the eggs
taken. JAMES FERRIER, Burrafiord, North Unst.

Knot (Tringa camttus) in Tiree in Winter. On the iyth of
January last I found a Knot with a broken wing under the telegraph
wire here. Although a few small parties of this bird call here in the
early autumn, I have never seen one here in winter before. PETER
ANDERSON, Tiree.

Little Gull (Lams minutiis) in Inverness-shire. On the 8th of
January last a specimen of the Little Gull was found dead on the
shore of Loch Ness in sufficiently good condition to admit of its
being preserved. T. E. BUCKLEY, Inverness.

Great Skua (Stercorarius catarrhactes) in the Outer Hebrides.
In September last I examined a specimen of the Great Skua which
had been shot at Abhuinnsuidh in North Harris. As this bird has
not hitherto been observed, to my knowledge, in the Outer Hebrides,
it is well that the occurrence should be placed on record. T. E.
BUCKLEY, Inverness.

Great Crested Grebe (Podicipes cristatus) on the Aberdeenshire
Coast. On the i9th or 2oth of December 1893 a man shot a fine
female specimen of the Great Crested Grebe in the south bay of
Peterhead. Mr. Sim of Aberdeen is preserving it for the local
museum recently opened. WILLIAM SERLE, Peterhead.

Scottish Newts Wanted. With a view to ascertaining the dis-
tribution of the various species of Newts in Scotland, I desire to
receive specimens for examination from all parts of the country. All
assistance will be fully and gladly acknowledged. They travel well
alive in a little damp moss. WILLIAM EAGLE CLARKE, Museum of
Science and Art, Edinburgh.

Valvata piseinalis in Loch Tay; Perthshire. I happened to
visit the pretty village of Kenmore, Perthshire, during September
last year, and had the privilege of making a partial investigation of
the invertebrate fauna of the east end of this fine loch. Among the
species obtained were a few Molluscs, including the species named
above. I have been unable to find any records of the occurrence
of Valrata piseinalis in Loch Tay, and therefore the present note
may be of interest. Mollusca appeared to be scarce round the east
end of the loch, but I was only able to examine the bottom where
the water was shallow ; it is therefore probable that a careful examin-
ation of the loch might yield other species not yet recorded for
"Mid-Perth." THOMAS SCOTT, Leith.

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 117

Note on the Life -History of a Weevil (Hypera plantaginis,
De Geer). At North Berwick, about the second week of last June
(1893), my attention was attracted by the unusually brilliant red
colour of a large patch of Lotus corniculatus growing at the edge of
the links, almost on the beach itself. A little observation showed
that the flowers were not only abnormally coloured, but also
deformed ; for though of fully the normal size, their petals had
never expanded, and the mature blossoms presented the appearance
of bright red, greatly swollen, and inflated buds. On examination,
every organ in the flower showed the same swelling, which was
especially marked in the stamens and ovary; and at the base of
these, especially inside the stamenal tube, I found numerous minute
whitish larvae about two millimeters in length. Though every flower in
the patch (which covered fully a square yard of ground) was thus dis-
coloured and deformed, and more or less eaten into holes, at the
time I examined them only the younger specimens were still
occupied by the larva?, which at a very early age seem to eat their
way out and disappear. I was not fortunate enough to find the
eggs in a single instance ; but, as the youngest larvas were always found
at the base of the staminal tube, especially inside it, I concluded the
eggs had been deposited there, and the great deformity of the ovary
tended to strengthen this belief. I gathered a number of the still
occupied flowers, and kept them under a bell-glass. The young
larvae were very much given to wander, and somehow most of them
disappeared. In about ten days one or two of them had grown to
the length of about three-eighths of an inch, and were then pale green.
Only one made a cocoon, which was also of a light green colour,
oval in shape, and of a silky texture, very thin, but not transparent.
About a fortnight afterwards the beetle ate its way out. I found
the lame on no other flowers but those of the patch mentioned.
The numerous neighbouring patches were entirely free from them.
L. H. HUIE, Edinburgh.

[This beetle is recorded by Sharp in " Insecta Scotica " ("Scot.
Nat.," 1879, vol. v. p. 143), from the Forth and Solway areas only.
-EDS.]

Rare Lepidoptera in the Solway District. The following note
of captures of Lepidoptera last year will, I think, be of interest to
the entomological readers of the " Annals." I do not wish, in these
days of professional collectors, to specify the exact locality, for obvious
reasons " the south-west of Scotland " will suffice. The insects
in question are two specimens of Polyommatus Phlccas var. Schmidtii
Gerh., and five specimens of Phtsia bradea, L., with several others
seen at bramble flowers. The butterfly mentioned is of very rare
occurrence in this country. Lang mentions a specimen from Perth-
shire, which he figures. On the Continent it occurs most frequently
towards the southern portion of the range of the type. It is a very

ii8 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

beautiful insect, and may generally be described as an albino of the
type, pure white taking the place of the red in that insect. Plusia
bractea has not, I believe, turned up in this country for some years,
though it occurs occasionally in Ireland. A. BUCHAN HEPBURN,
Smeaton-Hepburn.

Humming-bird Hawk-moth (Macroglossa stellatarum) in Moray.
I have just had a specimen of this moth brought to me, which
was found dead under the eaves of an outhouse, in a garden in
Elgin. When relaxed, I find that the wings are in good preservation,
and it has probably been dead about two months. The species is
rare here, occurring by single specimens. HENRY H. BROWN, Elgin.

Scottish Diptera Wanted. I am at present engaged in working
out the distribution of Flies in Scotland, with a view to publication,
and should be grateful for specimens of any species, however
common, from any part of the country. All assistance in this way
will be duly acknowledged. PERCY H. GRIMSHAW, Museum of
Science and Art, Edinburgh.

Scottish Arachnids Correction and Additions. In the

"Annals" for 1893, p. 224, I recorded a species of Phalangid from
Morven as Oligolophus palpinalis^ Herbst. Comparison of the
specimens with undoubted Continental examples of that species has
convinced me that my determination was erroneous, and that the
Morven Phalangids are really young examples of O. tridens, C. L.
Koch : a species hitherto recorded from Dorset, the Cheviots, and
Ireland in the British Isles. I have now received an undoubted
specimen of O. palpinalis from Mr. W. Evans, who captured it at
the Bridge of Allan in December last. G. H. CARPENTER, Dublin.

On the occurrence of Cytheropteron humile (Brady and
Norman} in the Firth of Forth. A few specimens of this rare
Ostracod have recently been obtained in the Firth of Forth. Two
specimens were taken in the vicinity of Largo Bay in the valve of a
dead Cyprina islandica, and another was obtained among hardened
mud a few miles west of Queensferry. Cytheropteron humile was
first observed in the Clyde near Fort Matilda, Greenock, and was
afterwards obtained by the Marquis de Folin off Vigo ; these being
the only records of the occurrence of this little species. It is easily
overlooked from its small size, and this may account for its apparent
rarity. It forms an interesting addition to the invertebrate fauna
of the Forth. Those interested in the species will find it well and
fully described and figured in the " Monograph of the Marine and
Freshwater Ostracoda of the North Atlantic and North-Western
Europe," by Drs. Brady and Norman. THOMAS SCOTT, Leith.

On the occurrence of Cerebratulus angulatus (O. F. Miiller)
in the Firth of Forth. On the 1 6th of February last, a fairly good

BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS 119

specimen of this Nemertian was captured in the vicinity of Largo
Bay, Firth of Forth. When alive, it measured about 14 inches in
length by about three-quarters of an inch in breadth, but as it was
continually changing its form, these measurements are only approxi-
mate. It was of a slate -blue colour, but the under surface was
scarcely so dark in colour as the dorsal surface. Cerebratulus has
a short horizontal slit on each side along the lateral edge and close
to the anterior extremity, in addition to the longitudinal oral aperture
which is situated in the middle of the ventral surface and also near
the anterior end : the edges of the oral slit are incurved in our
example. The specimen unfortunately broke into three portions
ere it could be preserved. When alive it had somewhat the appear-
ance of a Hag-fish (]\fyxinc glntinosa) at first sight. I can find no
previous record of the occurrence within the Forth area of this
Nemertian ; but in the " Monograph of the British Annelida," by
Professor Macintosh, part i. p. 195 (1874), the author states that
it occurs "generally in deep water throughout the British coasts."
H. D. S. Goodsir published in the "Annals and Magazine of
Natural History," vol. xv. p. 377, Plate XX. figs. T, 2 (1845), a
description of what appears to be this species, under the name of
Serpentaria. Reference is made to his having received three speci-
mens, the longest portion of the three being about a yard in length
by about seven-eighths of an inch in breadth, but the locality where
they were obtained is not stated. Sir John Dalzell in his fine work,
"The PowersoftheCreator,"vol.ii. p. 55, Plates VI., VII., VIII. (1853),
describes the species under the name of Gordius fragilis^ but he also
does not give the locality from whence his specimens were obtained.
' A fine specimen " was sent to Professor Macintosh from the neigh-
bourhood of Montrose Bay by Dr. Howden (" Marine Fauna of St.
Andrews," p. 105) (1875). For further details of this curious
Annelid see the works of the authors referred to. THOMAS SCOTT,
Leith.

BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS.

Gentians. Herr Svante Murbeck, in a paper entitled " Studien
liber Gentianen aus der Gruppe Endotricha Froel." (Stockholm,
1892), describes six forms, most of which are found in Britain.
Mr. Beeby has drawn attention to his conclusions in the " Journal
of Botany " for January of this year, and to it we must refer our
readers for full information on the distribution of the several
forms in Britain, and also for a discussion by Mr. Beeby of the
synonymy of the forms. It is desirable that the Gentians of this
group in Scotland should be revised ; and to promote this we give
a summary of the forms and of their distinguishing characters, after
Herr Murbeck.

120 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

A. Calyx 4-partite ; two broadly ovate segments enclosing two

much smaller segments.

Gentiana baltica, Murb. Annual ; basal leaves few, ovate or lanceo-
late, each broadest below middle ; corolla-tube usually shorter
than calyx, rarely longer. Fl. mid-August to October. Not
known from Scotland ; occurs in West Cornwall, South Devon,
Carnarvon, and (?) Norfolk.

G. campestris, L. Biennial; basal leaves in a rosette, spathulate,
broadest above the middle; corolla-tube usually longer than
calyx, rarely shorter.

Sub-sp. suedca, Murb. Internodes usually much longer than their
leaves ; middle and upper stem-leaves strap-shaped or oblong,
rounded or obtuse at apex; middle leaves erect or erect-
patent. Fl. mid-June to end of July, in high northern or
alpine regions. A Shetland gathering by Mr. Beeby approaches
this in its very long internodes.

Sub-sp. gcrmanica, Murb. (non Willd.) Internodes slightly shorter
or slightly longer than their leaves ; middle and upper stem-
leaves lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, more or less acute, spread-
ing, especially the upper leaves. Fl. end of July to September.
The common British plant.

B. Calyx 5- (or 4-) partite ; segments all lanceolate or linear-

lanceolate, subsimilar, not overlapping.

G. itliginosa, Willd. Annual ; basal leaves few, ovate or lanceolate,
broadest below middle ; corolla-tube equalling or slightly
exceeding the calyx. Fl. mid-August to October. Recorded
by Nyman for Scotland.

G. amarella, L. Biennial; basal leaves in a rosette, strap-shaped
or spathulate, broadest above middle; corolla-tube usually
longer than calyx, rarely shorter.

Sub-sp. lingiilata, C. A. Agardh. Middle internodes mostly much
longer than their leaves ; middle and upper stem-leaves strap-
shaped or oblong, rounded or obtuse at the apex; middle
leaves erect or erect-patent. Fl. mid -June to end of July,
or, in extreme north, to August. Represented by the form
pracox from the south of England. This form differs from
Murbeck's in flowering earlier (May-June), and in being
dwarfer, with fewer internodes, scarcely longer than their
leaves.

Sub-sp. axillaris, Murb. Middle and lower internodes rather shorter
than their leaves, or slightly longer; middle and upper stem-leaves
ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, more or less acute, usually spread-

BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS 121

ing, upper leaves greatly so. Fl. end of July to September.
This is the common British Amarella.

Herr Murbeck has cultivated the several forms, and finds (from
two or three years' results) that they retain the above characters in
cultivation ; but in dealing with so closely allied forms it is evidently
desirable to have fuller evidence as to specific value. The close
parallelism of the series A and B is certainly curious. It may be
questioned whether there is not a very serious risk of attaching
undue importance to minute differences, in the tendency to give
specific or sub -specific rank where the differences are found to
continue after two or three years' cultivation ; the distinctive
characters often being exceedingly minute, and not proved to be
more constant than the far greater differences recognised to exist
in cultivated species. There is much in a name in the tendency
to attribute to named " species " a permanence and value not
always justly due ; and the relationships of the several forms may
be thus obscured to us.

The Common Nettle (Urtica dioica) in Scotland. In " Botanical
Notes from North Cardiganshire " (see " Current Literature " in
this number, p. 126), Messrs. Burkill and Willis say of the Common
Nettle : " A septal plant up to 800-900 ft. ; beyond this it is dependent
on man ; our highest records are for places where man has disturbed
the ground, i.e. under walls of ruined cottages and sheepfolds.
Highest record 1350 ft." In the following (Feb.) number of the
" Journal of Botany " the Rev. E. S. Marshall says, in allusion to
this : "I have seen Urtica dioica up to about 1700 ft., but by no
means especially where man has disturbed the ground ; indeed it
is often abundant miles away from habitations, in the heart of a
deer-forest."

It is of course most difficult in the case of so wide-spread and
abundant a plant as the Common Nettle to prove that it owes its
introduction to man's agency ; but in the north of Scotland at least
its distribution is suggestive that it was probably introduced by man.
Once established, its fruits can very readily be distributed, so that
it might well be very widely diffused, even where no traces of man's
occupancy can be detected in the immediate vicinity. Indeed the
marvel is that its distribution is not even more plentiful than we
find it to be in Scotland. All are familiar with the plant as an
abundant weed by roadsides and ditches, around houses and ruins,
or in clumps in arable land ; but, so far as observation continued
for a good many years may be reliable, I believe that it seldom
occurs at a distance from ground occupied at some time by man,
and that in the rare cases where it does so the fruits probably may
have been carried by sheep. Its prevalence around sheepfolds is
suggestive of this mode of distribution. JAMES W. H. TRAIL.

122 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Juneus alpinus, VilL, in Easterness. Among some forms of
rushes which I gathered in Glen Eunich, in 1887, I have lately
seen that one is Juneus alpinus, Vill., a new county record for
Easterness. J. CLARIDGE DRUCE.

Poa laxa on Loehnagar. I notice, on p. 59, that Prof. Hackel
has determined Loehnagar specimens of Poa laxa as belonging
to P. alpina. No doubt he is correct, so far as the specimens
submitted to him go. But that by no means disproves the existence
of the true plant, about which I know that Prof. Babington entertains
no doubt. In 1886 Mr. F. J. Hanbury and myself paid two visits
to the mountain, and gathered three forms, viz. P. minor, P. /axa,
and viviparous P. alpina. The second of these was cultivated in
the garden at Clapton, and remained quite distinct from P. alpina.
Whether it be the true P. laxa or not, I am unable to say ; but it
is certainly not ordinary British alpina. I have cultivated two
curious states of the latter from Ben Lawers, which at once reverted
to type, except that they remained viviparous. I do not think that,
until better evidence is forthcoming, we ought to expurge from our
list a species recorded on very high authority. It is easy for a
collector to be taken in by a peculiar state of the common alpine
meadow-grass. EDWARD S. MARSHALL.

First Records of Scottish Plants. In the continuation in the
"Journal of Botany" (January, 1894) of "First Records of British
Flowering Plants," by Wm. A. Clarke, F.L.S., the following are
recorded as having been first noted in Britain from localities in
Scotland :

Erythrcea linarifolia, Pers., 1805. "Mr. Winch finds it abun-
dantly near Newcastle, and Mr. Brodie . . . equally copiously near
Brodie House, in Elginshire."- -Dawson Turner in " Bot. Guide,"
469.

Gentiana nivalis, L., 1794, Ben Lawers. James Dickson in
" Linn. Trans.," ii. 290.

Symphytum tuberosum, L., 1777. " Mr. Yalden found it growing
sparingly opposite the new well at the Water of Leith."- Lightfoot
in " Fl. Scot," 1092.

Myosotis repens, D., 1821. "Moist hills about Glasgow, D.
Don ; and Ochil Hills, G. and D. Don." - - Hooker in " Fl.
Scot.," 67.

M. alpestris, Schmidt, 1813. Found "long ago" by G. Don,
J. Mackay, and others, on Highland mountains in Scotland (E. B.,
2559, AT. rupicola), but first published in Don's "Herb. Brit,"
205, in 1804, as M. alpina.

Cuscuta europcza, L., 1797. " Mr. Sowerby last autumn received
wild specimens of the real enropcea from Mr. Alexander Smith
of Aberdeen" (E. B., 378).

BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS 123

Scrophularia umbrosa, Dumort. ( = S. Ehrharti, C. A. Stevens),
1840, Edinburgh. " Mr. W. H. Campbell, Cramond Woods ; West
Lothian, D. A. Hunter." C. A. Stevens, in " Annals Nat. Hist," i.
1840.

Veronica Tournefortii, C. C. Gmel. ( = V. Buxbaumii, Ten.),
1829. "In the shrubbery in front of the house at Whiterig, Ber-
wickshire. Borrer . . . found it several years ago near Henley
[Henfield] in Sussex." G. Johnston in "Flora of Berwick-upon-
Tweed," p. 225.

V. alpina, L., 1790. Found by James Dickson "in montibus
prope Garway Moor, et in Ben Nevis" in 1789 ("Trans. Linn.
Soc.," ii. 287).

V. frnticans, Jacq. (= V. saxati/is, Scop.), 1790. Found by
James Dickson on Ben Lawers in 1789 ("Trans. Linn. Soc.,"
ii. 288).

[NOTE. It is curious that Cuscuta europcea should have been
recorded as British from Aberdeen, as the above note implies. It
could have occurred only as a " casual " ; and I am not aware of its
ever bavins; been found again near Aberdeen. It is almost needless

o o

to add that no Cuscuta is indigenous there. Veronica Tournefortii is
now common in the north-east of Scotland ; indeed, its larger size
and more showy flowers make it often more noticeable than V.
agrestis in our cultivated ground. J. W. H. T.]

Notes on Parka deeipiens. Four slides of the sporocarps of
Parka received from Mr. James Reid through Sir William Uawson,
1 8th December 1893, were examined by me under the numbers
i, 2, 3 (a, b, c, d\ and 4.

No. i shows a fine macrospore 43*2 //, in diameter, and many
smaller round bodies of somewhat variable size, chiefly i4 - 4/x-i6//,
in diameter. These are probably the microspores, though they do
not show the oval form of, and are rather larger than, the original
specimens.

No. 2 shows an undoubted cellular structure, which probably
represents the macrospores in an early state of development, possibly
the sporangia.

No. 3 shows in all four sporocarps undoubted cellular tissue.
From the fact that the cells are loosely aggregated, and that they
measure about 38-4^ in diameter, I conclude that they must be
macrospores in situ. But as the walls of these bodies are thin, I
infer that they are in an undeveloped state ; and this view would
seem to be strengthened by the occurrence of numerous isolated
bodies of a similar nature in the neighbourhood of $d.

No. y shows the spores in situ particularly well, as also
does a.

No. 4 shows nothing beyond one or two macrospores.

124 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Prothalli were not found, and this would be consistent with the
supposed state of development of the structures represented in the
preparations.

It may also be pointed out that the occurrence of prothalli in
sporocarps must be regarded as very exceptional. Hence one
could expect to find them only by examination of a very large
amount of material. D. P. PENHALLOW.

CURRENT LITERATURE.

The Titles and Purport of Papers and Notes relating to Scottish Natural His-
tory which have appeared during the Quarter January-March 1894.

[The Editors desire assistance to enable them to make this Section as complete as
possible. Contributions on the lines indicated will be most acceptable and
will bear the initials of the Contributor. The Editors will have access to the
sources of information undermentioned. ]

ZOOLOGY.

MAMMALIAN REMAINS FOUND IN PEAT Moss AT DUNBLANE.
By David B. Morris. Trans. Stirling Nat. Hist, and Arch. Soc.,
1892-93, pp. 104-106.

RED DEER SHEDDING HORNS IN DECEMBER. John Hargreaves.
The Field, 3oth December 1893, p. 1005. A stag, a royal, shed
his horns in Gaigh Forest, Inverness.

THREE-HORNED STAG. The Field, loth March 1894, p. 356.
A stag shot at Struy, Inverness-shire, on the gth of October 1893,
had three distinct horns, each springing from its own coronet.

MORTALITY AMONGST SHORT-EARED OWLS IN SCOTLAND. R.
Service. Zoologist (3), vol. xviii. p. 57 (February 1894). In the
districts lately infested with Voles, from want of food.

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. H. A. Macpherson.
Zoologist (3), vol. xviii. p. 114 (March 1894). One shot lately be-
tween Annan and Gretna. This species has of late years to some
extent replaced the Bean Goose on the Solway Firth.

LITTLE GULL ON THE SOLWAY FIRTH. H. A. Macpherson.
Zoologist (3), vol. xviii. p. 115 (March 1894). An immature bird
shot in January last between Annan and Dumfries.

BLACK GUILLEMOT ON THE SOLWAY FIRTH. R. Service.
Zoologist (3), vol. xviii. p. 55 (February 1894). Not so rare as
generally understood. Breeds on Ailsa Craig.

A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS A LIST OF THE MARINE MOLLUSCA
AND BRACHIOPODA OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF OBAN. G. W.
Chaster and W. H. Heathcote. Journ. of Conch., vol. vii. No. 9

CURRENT LITERATURE 125

(January 1894), pp. 289-312. A very fully annotated list of 196
species, with introductory remarks and including all previous
records. Special attention drawn to the occurrence of Cyclostrema
millepunctatum, Friele. W. D. R.

SECOND REPORT ON STIRLINGSHIRE LAND AND FRESHWATER
SHELLS. By A. M'Lellan. Trans. Stirling Nat. Hist, and Arch.
Soc., 1892-93, pp. 106-109.

NOTES ON THE CONCHOLOGY OF CLACKMANNANSHIRE AND

SOUTHERN PERTHSHIRE. By Gilbert M'Dougall. Trans. Stirling
Nat. Hist, and Arch. Soc. (1892-93), p. 49.

THE RAISED BEACHES OF THE FORTH VALLEY. By David B.
Morris. Trans. Stirling Nat. Hist, and Arch. Soc., 1892-93, pp.
18-47. Contains an account of the various fossils found.

MESOLEIUS BIGNELLII, BRIDG.M., AT PITLOCHRY. A. Beaumont.
Ent. Mo. Mag. (2), vol. v. p. 40 (February 1894). Two examples
taken on 5th September 1892.

AGRIOTYPUS ARMATUS, CURTIS, IN PERTHSHIRE. Kenneth J.
Morton. Ent. Mo. Mag. (2), vol. v. p. 62 (March 1894). Speci-
mens taken on ist May 1893 on the shores of Loch Ard.

ON THE VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA.
By W. Harcourt Bath. Entomologist, vol. xxvii. pp. 2-6 (January
1894), and pp. 37-40 (February 1894). Five vertical zones are
denned, with the limitations of each in Scotland.

BlSTON HIRTARIA AND CLEORA VIDUARIA IN SCOTLAND. J. B.

Hodgkinson. Entomologist, vol. xxvii. p. 65 (February 1894).
Specimens bred from pupse taken near Kinloch Rannoch.

MICRO - LEPIDOPTERA FROM . . . SCOTLAND. By the Right
Hon. Lord Walsingham. Ent. Mo. Mag. (2), vol. v. pp. 50-52
(March 1894). --Three examples of Argyresthia illuminatella, a
species not hitherto recorded as British, taken at Forres.

ERIOPELTIS LICHTENSTEINII AND SIGNORETIA LUZULAE IN
SCOTLAND. J. W. Douglas. Ent. Mo. Mag. (2), vol. v. p. 1 7
(January 1894). The sacs of both species found in Argyleshire,
though not hitherto recorded north of Cheshire.

SPECIES OF THE DIPTEROUS GENUS DIASTATA NEW TO BRITAIN.
Alfred Beaumont. Ent. Mo. Mag. (2), vol. v. p. 64 (March 1894).
D. nebulosa, Fall., taken at Pitlochry in August 1892.

NEW GENERA AND SPECIES OF BRITISH SPIDERS. By the Rev.
F. O. Pickard-Cambridge. Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. (6), vol.
xiii. pp. 87-111, Plates I. and II. (January 1894). Lepthyphantes
Whymperi, sp. n., captured on the summit of Ben Nevis in the
autumn of 1892 by Mr. Edward Whymper. Porrhomma pygmasum,
Blackw., also recorded for Scotland.

126 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

ON SOME NEW AND RARE CRUSTACEA FROM SCOTLAND. By

Thomas Scott, F.L.S. Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. (6), vol. xiii. pp.
137-149, Plates VIII. and IX. (February 1894). Notes on 16
species, including descriptions and figures of seven species new to
science.

ON A BIFID EARTHWORM (LUMBRICUS TERRESTRIS). By Henry
C. Williamson, M.A., B.Sc. Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. (6), vol.
xiii. pp. 217-225, Plate X. (March 1894). The specimen described
was sent to Professor MTntosh by Dr. Fulton, Superintendent of
Scientific Investigations of the Fishery Board for Scotland.

BOTANY.

PLANT SUPERSTITIONS. By Samuel Arnott. Trans, and Proc.
of Dumf. and Gall. N. H. and A. Soc., No. 9.

THE SIZE, AGE, AND RATE OF GIRTH-INCREASE ATTAINED BY
TREES OF THE CHIEF SPECIES IN BRITAIN, PARTICULARLY IN SCOT-
LAND. By Dr. D. Christison. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin., xix. part
iii. Contains notes on almost all native British, and of several
introduced, species.

FIRST RECORDS OF BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS. Compiled
by Wm. A. Clarke, F.L.S. Journ. Bot., 1894, pp. 13-18. This
instalment covers from Anagallis into Veronica, and includes a
number of first records from Scotland (see p. 122).

REPORT ON TEMPERATURE AND VEGETATION IN THE ROYAL
BOTANIC GARDENS, EDINBURGH, from July 1892 to June 1893,
inclusive. By Robert Lindsay. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin., xix.
part iii.

THE INFLUENCE OF INSECTS ON FLOWERS. By G. F. Scott-
Elliott, B.Sc., F.L.S. T. and P. of D. and G. N. H. and A.
Soc., No. 9.

BOTANICAL NOTES FROM NORTH CARDIGANSHIRE. By J. H.
Burkill, B.A., and J. C. Willis, M.A. Journ. Bot., 1894, pp. 4-10.
The authors, in the summing-up, compare the vertical range in Wales
with records from the East Highlands of Scotland, and show that
the upper limit of many plants in Cardigan is much below the same
limit in Scotland.

EXCURSION OF THE SCOTTISH ALPINE BOTANICAL CLUB TO
KILLIN, IN JULY 1892. By Charles Stuart, M.D. Trans. Bot.
Soc. Edin., xix. part iii. The party visited Meall-nan-Tarmachan,
Creag-na-Caillich, the corrie of Ben Cruban, and Ben Lawers. On
this last hill Carex nstulata, Wahl., was found by Mr. Paul on a
slope above Lochan-a'-Chait.

CURRENT LITERATURE 127

ACCOUNT OF THE EXCURSIONS OF THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF
NATURAL SCIENCE IN 1892. By Dr. F. B. White. Proc. P. S.
N. S., vol. i. part vii. In this are numerous notes on the plants of
Perthshire.

NOTES ON THE FLORA OF STIRLINGSHIRE. By Colonel Stirling
and Robert Kidston. Trans. Stirling Nat. Hist . and AnJi. Soc.,
1892-93, pp. 109-113.

REPORT ON THE BOTANY OF THE MOFFAT DISTRICT FOR 1892.
By J. Thorburn Johnstone. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin., xix. part iii.
Contains nothing of special importance. Four plants from Lanark-
shire are noted here also.

LIST OF PLANTS FOUND IN THE GLENLUCE DISTRICT OF WIGTOWN-
SHIRE. By Rev. George Wilson. T. and P. of D. and G. N. H.
and A. Soc., No. 9. Though giving a considerable number of
species, cannot be regarded as at all complete, and contains little
of special interest.

BOTANICAL NOTES FOR 1892. By James M'Andrew. T. and
P. of D. and G. N. H. and A. Soc., No. 9. Enumerates new
records and rare plants for the shires of Wigtown, Kirkcudbright,
and Dumfries, including both Phanerogams and Cryptogams.

NITHSDALE WILLOWS. By James Fingland. T. and P. of D.
and G. N. H. and A. Soc., No. 9. Gives a full preliminary list,
following Dr. F. B. White, as regards species, varieties, and
hybrids.

NOTES ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF SOME BRITISH LEGUMINOS^E.
By James A. Terras, B.Sc. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin., xix. part iii.
Deals with some general points, and more fully with Ulex europceus,
with a bibliography of the subjects treated of.

RUBI NOTES. By Rev. W. Moyle Rogers, F.L.S. Journ. Bot.,
1894, pp. 40-50. Supplementary to the " Essay at a Key to British
Rubi " (I.e. 1892-93). Rnbi from Scotland noticed are R.
niucronatus, Blox., var. nov. criniger, found in 1892 by Rev. E. S.
Marshall between Fowlis and Dingwall in E. Ross ; R. villicaulis,
Koehl., var. Selineri, from Scotland (sine loco], and var. insitlaris,
F. Aresch., from near Fowlis (E. S. Marshall) ; R. mollissimus,
sp. n., from W. Sutherland, as well as from Devon and Dorset ;
typical radula, Weihe., " from Scotland " ; R. britannicits, n. sp.,
from a wood near Bridge of Lochay in Perthshire, as well as at
Munstead in Surrey.

SVANTE MURBECK ON GENTIANS. By Win. H. Beeby. Journ.
Bot., 1894, pp. 1-4. Gives a summary of Herr Murbeck's deter-
mination of the British Gentians of the group Endotricha, Froel.
(see p. 119).

NOTES ON THE GENUS OROBANCHE IN SCOTLAND. By Arthur

128 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Bennett, F.L.S. T. and P. of D. and G. N. H. and A. Soc.,
No. 9, 1892-93. Enumerates O. rapum, Thuill., from Dumfries and
Kirkcudbright (and doubtfully from Fife and Perth) ; O. witter,
from Fife ; O. riibra, from Fife and from several counties in the
West of Scotland ; and O. cruenta, from Argyle.

LIFE-HISTORY OF PiNGUicuLA vuLGARis. By T. D. Sadler.
Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin., xix. part iii. Gives a bibliography of papers
relating to this plant and its allies.

ELEVATION ATTAINED IN SCOTLAND BY UTRICULARIA MINOR
AND URTICA DIOICA. By Edward S. Marshall. Jonrn. Bot., 1894,
p. 53. Records Utr. minor, "freely on Rannoch Muir, near Kings-
house, Argyle, up to 1000 feet," and " Urtica dioica, up to about
1700 feet."

RANGE OF UTRICULARIA MINOR. By H. N. Dixon. Jonrn.
Bot., 1894, p. 88. Records its occurrence, in July 1883, with
U. intermedia, neither being in flower, in pools north-west of Loch
Ericht at an elevation of at least 1200, and probably of 1500 feet
above sea-level.

BETULA INTERMEDIA, THOMAS, IN WEST SUTHERLAND. By
Edward S. Marshall. Journ. Bot., 1894, pp. 23-24. Records this
form from Cashil Dhu, near Ben Hope, and also mentions its
occurrence at the entrance to Corrie Kandor in Braemar. Mr.
Marshall states his belief that it is a hybrid between B. nana, L.,
and B. pubescens, Ehrh.

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES ON THE MARINE ALGJE OF THE ORKNEY
ISLANDS. By George Wm. Traill. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin., xix.
part iii. Enumerates several additions to Orkney flora, including
Dictyosiphon liippuroides (Lyngb.), Kiitz., forma, fragi/is (with figure),
a form new to Britain.

NEW BRITISH MARINE ALG.E. By E. A. L. Batters, B.A., etc.
Grevillea, 1894, p. 90. Rhodochorton membranaceum, Mag., var.
macrodada, Rosenvinge, is recorded from Berwick.

VAUCHERIA CORONATA, NORDST. By E. M. Holmes, F.L.S.
Grevillea, 1894, p. 91. Found by Mr. Jack, in May 1893, at the
Mason's Cove, near Arbroath, forming " a dense cushion about \
inch in height, but extending for many inches. It grows near high-
water mark." It is new to Britain. The original description is
quoted from " Botaniska Notiser."

ELVELA AURICULA, SCHAEFF. By G. Massee. Grevillea, 1894,
pp. 65-66. Is a "critical investigation of the species of Otidea"
of which two are distinguished and described as British, viz. (Peziza)
Otidea auricula, Massee (non Bresadola), and Otidea neglecta,
Massee ( = P. auricula, Rehm., non Cooke), which is recorded from
Aboyne and elsewhere.

The Annals

of

Scottish Natural History

NO. II] 1894 [JULY

ON THE CHANGES OF PLUMAGE IN THE RED
GROUSE (LAGOPUS SCOTICUS}.

By W. R. OGILVIE-GRANT,

British Museum (Natural History).

PLATES V. & VI.

No group of birds, as far as I am aware, go through so
many and such varied annual changes of plumage as the
members of the genus Lagopus, which includes the four
species of Ptarmigan, the Willow Grouse, and the Red
Grouse. The various seasonal plumages of the common
Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus], varying conspicuously from one
another in colour, long ago attracted the attention of ornith-
ologists, and have been more or less well described by earlier
writers ; but by far the most accurate and complete account
is given by Mr. J. G. Millais in his " Game Birds and Shoot-
ing Sketches," pp. 69, 70 (1892). This same author was, I
believe, the first to suggest that the Red Grouse goes
through similar but somewhat less conspicuous changes ; for
none of our standard books on British Birds make any
allusion to the very important alterations in plumage in this
species, the seasonal differences being probably referred to
individual variation. Mr. Millais was of opinion when he
i i B

130 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

published the above interesting volume that the moults of
the Ptarmigan and Red Grouse were coincidental in number ;
but I have since conclusively proved that this is not really
the case, the changes in the male and female Red Grouse
occurring at different seasons, and being in this respect quite
peculiar. See " Annals and Magazine of Natural History "
(6), xii. pp. 62-65 (1893), and " Catalogue of the Birds in the
British Museum," xxii. pp. 36-38 (1893).

The Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus} of which the
Red Grouse is considered by most ornithologists merely an
insular form has three distinct partial moults during the
year. Seeing that the latter species does not assume the
white winter garb, one is very naturally led to suppose that
this protective plumage, being no longer a necessity, has
been gradually dropped, and that the spring and autumn
plumages only are retained ; but this is only the case with
the female.

For many years the changes in the plumage of the Red
Grouse has been one of my special studies, but it was only
during the preparation of the above-mentioned volume of the

Catalogue that I was able to bring together a fairly complete
series of birds of both sexes shot during every month of the

year, and thus obtain absolute confirmation of what I had

long suspected.

The male has no distinct summer plumage, but has

distinct autumn and winter plumages, and retains the latter

throughout the breeding season.

The female has a distinct summer plumage, which is

complete by the end of April or beginning of May ; also a

distinct autumn plumage, which is retained till the following

spring.

To put it more shortly, both male and female have two

distinct moults during the year, but in the male they occur

in autumn and winter, and in the female in spring and

autumn ; the former having no distinct spring, and the latter

no distinct winter, plumage.

So far as I am aware, these remarkable facts are without

parallel in ornithology.

Since I last wrote on this subject in vol. xxii. of the

" Catalogue of Birds," I have examined much additional

ON THE CHANGES OF PLUMAGE IN THE RED GROUSE 131

material which has merely confirmed the already conclusive
evidence ; and though I have no fresh facts to add, I hope,
with the aid of the two coloured plates, to be able to point
out the various seasonal changes of plumage more clearly. 1

Before attempting to deal with the various moults and
changes, it is necessary, in order to thoroughly understand
the subject, that we should say a few words regarding
individual variation, the Red Grouse being one of the most
variable birds in existence. The ordinary varieties of the
male may be divided into three distinct types of plumage :
a red form, a. black form, and a white-spotted form. The
first of these, in which the general colour is red (Plate V.
Fig. 8) without any white spots on the breast, is mostly to
be found on the low grounds of Ireland, the west coast of
Scotland, and the Outer Hebrides. Typical examples of the
second or black form (Plate V. Fig. 10) are rarely met with,
and are usually found mixed with either the red or white-
spotted forms, but most often with both, and specimens in a
mixed plumage are those most commonly met with. The
third or white-spotted form has the feathers of the breast
and belly, and sometimes those of the head and upper parts,
tipped with white. The most typical examples of this
variety are usually found on the high grounds of the north
of Scotland.

In the female no less than five distinct types are recog-
nisable : the red, the black, the white-spotted, the buff-spotted,
and the buff-barred forms. The first two are the rarest, the
latter being extremely uncommon (Plate VI. Figs. 5 and 13);
the white-spotted form occurs as in the male ; the buff-
spotted form, which is much the commonest and that usually
met with, has the feathers of the upper parts spotted at the
tip with whitish buff (Plate VI. Figs. 2 and 3) ; the fifth,
or buff-barred form, is met with in the south of Ireland, and
resembles in winter (autumn plumage) (Plate VI. Fig. 4) the
ordinary female in breeding plumage, having the upper parts
coarsely barred with buff and black. I have been unable to

1 As it was found necessary to have two plates to illustrate the principal
changes, moults, and varieties, Mr. Henry Seebohm most generously ordered the
second plate to be prepared at his expense. In this way I have been able to
devote a plate to each sex, and figure a much more complete series of feathers
than would otherwise have been possible.

132 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

obtain any fresh material or information regarding this form,
and I should be very glad to receive specimens from any
gentleman residing in the southern and western counties, and
in fact from any part of Ireland.

The different types of male bear a much closer resem-
blance to one another in their new autumn plumage than
they do in their winter dress ; but even in autumn plumage
one can generally tell at a glance to which of the three types
any individual belongs, provided he is a fairly typical ex-
ample of any one form.

In the same way all the females, no matter to what type
they belong, assume the black and buff-barred breeding
plumage, and are then much more alike than they are in
their autumn garb.

It is extremely seldom that we come across a male in
complete autumn or complete winter plumage, that is to say,
with the whole of the back and upper parts alike ; generally
speaking, only part of the old feathers are replaced by a new
autumn plumage, and before this is complete the new winter
feathers begin to appear. Still, examples are to be found
here and there ; for one shot in the beginning of September
at Otley, Yorkshire, is in absolutely complete autumn garb,
while another individual killed in Perthshire in the month of
December has the upper parts entirely clad with new winter
plumage only, the whole of the comparatively fresh autumn
feathers having been cast and replaced. Presumably such
individuals are abnormally strong and vigorous birds.

In no two individuals of the same sex are the changes
of plumage quite alike at the same date. The moults are
greatly affected by the mildness or severity of the weather,
and the abundance or scarcity of the food supply, as well as
by the constitution of the individual. In mild winters, for
example, we find birds of both sexes still moulting a few
feathers in the middle of December, and in such seasons the
changes are the most complete ; on the other hand, in sudden
severe winters, the food supply being diminished or nearly
cut off, the moult is arrested and apparently goes no further.

Bearing in mind the above remarks, the changes in the
ordinary male may be described as follows :

Adult Male (Autumn Plumage}. After the breeding

ON THE CHANGES OF PLUMAGE IN THE RED GROUSE 133

season a very complete autumn moult takes place ; the quills,
tail, and feathers on the feet being entirely renewed. As
already mentioned, the males, no matter to what type they
belong, bear at this season a much closer resemblance to one
another than they do in their winter plumage.

In most examples the feathers of the back, scapulars,
rump, and upper tail-coverts are black margined and irreg-
ularly barred with bright tawny buff; in most cases the
bars cross the feathers more or less transversely (Plate V.
Fig. 4), but in some they are more or less concentric and
parallel with the marginal band, giving the upper parts a
scaled appearance (Plate V. Figs. 6 and 7).

The feathers of the chest are rather widely barred with
buff or rufous-buff and black (Plate V. Fig. I i), and some
of the flank feathers are more narrowly barred with the
same colours. The rest of the under parts vary according
to the type to which the individual belongs. In a specimen
shot on the 6th June the autumn moult has commenced on
the upper mantle, so that three different sets of feathers can
be seen on the back at once, viz. the new autumn, the old
winter, and the old autumn plumages, both the latter very
clearly showing the result of wear and tear (Plate V.
Figs. 1-3).

The first feathers of the winter plumage begin to appear
about the beginning of September.

Adult Male (Winter- Summer Plumage}. General colour
above black, with finely mottled bars of dark chestnut
(Plate V. Fig. 5) ; head, neck, and chest (Plate V. Fig. 12)
mostly dark chestnut finely marked with black ; mantle,
lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and flanks with narrow
transverse bars and vermiculations of black and dark chest-
nut, the latter colour usually predominating. Generally a
greater or less number of autumn feathers are retained, and
are conspicuous among the new winter plumage.

The general tone of each bird varies of course according
to the type to which it belongs. When once the winter
moult is complete, no change whatever takes place in the
plumage till the following autumn moult, except that the
feathers become bleached and worn at the extremities.
In summer the white spots on the under parts, if present, are

134 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

much less prominent, but this is accounted for by the wear-
ing off of the ends of the feathers.

Female Adult (Autumn- Winter Plumage)}- Upper parts
black, with narrow irregular bars and mottlings of rufous,
and a buff spot at the tip of most of the feathers (Plate VI.
Figs. 2 and 3) ; chest-feathers narrowly and often irregularly
barred with rufous and black, and usually more or less tipped
with buff (Plate VI. Figs. 10 and 11). The rest of the
under parts are dark chestnut mottled and barred with
black, or black barred with chestnut. The typical white-
spotted form differs, of course, in having the feathers of the
under parts widely tipped with white.

This plumage is retained throughout the autumn and
winter ; in early spring the feathers of the summer plumage
begin to appear, and by the end of April or the beginning
of May the change is complete. In some individuals many
of the chestnut and black autumn-winter feathers on the
chest, sides, and flanks, are not renewed, but change their
pattern without a moult, as will be fully explained below.

Female Adult (Summer Plumage).

a. Feathers of the Upper Parts.

So far as I have been able to ascertain from examining
a large number of specimens, the summer feathers of the
upper parts, that is to say, of the mantle, scapulars, inner
wing-coverts, back, and rump are always attained by moult,
and never by change of pattern. The summer moult of
these parts is very complete, and the transformation from
the autumn-winter plumage very remarkable. Every female
assumes the summer plumage ; and though all the different
types closely resemble one another in their breeding dress,

1 I have, of course, here described the commonest or buff-spotted form of the
female in autumn plumage. In the most extreme examples of the red form the
buff spots at the ends of the feathers of the upper parts are absent, and this is
also the case in the much rarer black form. In the buff-barred form from the
south and west of Ireland the terminal buff spot takes the form of a marginal
bar, and the feathers are practically indistinguishable from the breeding or
summer plumage. It may possibly transpire that in the south of Ireland, the most
southerly point of this bird's range, the female retains her breeding plumage
throughout the year, but this seems very unlikely.

ON THE CHANGES OF PLUMAGE IN THE RED GROUSE 135

one can generally tell by the feathers of the under parts to
what form any individual belongs. In the average female in
full summer plumage the upper parts may be described as
black, each feather being rather widely margined, barred and
marked with orange buff (Plate VI. Fig. i). The protection
afforded by this plumage is so perfect that, when the
bird is sitting on its nest among heather and dead grass,
it may easily remain unnoticed though only a few yards
distant.

This plumage, however, varies much in different indi-
viduals, birds from Yorkshire and Ireland having the rufous
or orange-brown bars much brighter and wider than in the
more finely mottled and darker specimens generally charac-
teristic of the east of Scotland.

As already mentioned, the autumn plumage of the upper
parts in the commonest or buff-spotted type is black, finely
barred or mottled with rufous, most of the feathers having
a triangular buff spot at the extremity (Plate VI. Figs. 2
and 3).

b. Feathers of the Sides and Flanks.

By the first week in May the summer plumage of the
female Grouse is fairly complete, and many of the finely
mottled rufous and black autumn flank feathers are replaced
by widely and often irregularly barred buff and black feathers
similar to those of the chest. It must be particularly noted
that in none of the many females examined in breeding
plumage were the whole of the autumn flank feathers cast
or changed in the summer moult, a large proportion being
retained till the next (autumn) moult. The summer flank
feathers are produced in two ways, either by the gradual
rearrangement and change in the pigment of the autumn
feathers (Plate VI. Figs. 6-8) or by moult (Plate VI. Fig. 9).
In some birds the whole of the alteration in the plumage of
the flanks is produced by change of pattern in the old autumn
feathers, in others the change is entirely produced by moult,
while sometimes both methods are employed by the same
individual. In the former case the first indication of the
coming change may be observed in the beginning of the

136 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

month of November, or even earlier, when many of the
flank feathers show traces of an irregular buff stripe or spot
next the terminal half of the shaft (Fig. 7). As the bird
only changes about half the flank feathers, these buff marks
are only to be observed on such as are destined to undergo
alteration of pattern, which, roughly speaking, means every
second or third feather. The buff gradually spreads along
the shaft, then becomes constricted and broken up into
patches, which gradually spread laterally towards the margins
of the webs, forming wide irregular buff bands (Fig. 8).
Meanwhile the interspaces become black, and the rufous of
autumn dies out.

When the summer feathers are supplied by moult they
usually begin to make their appearance about the beginning
of March, and even when fully grown may generally be
recognised from the former by their more regular black and
buff barring (Plate VI. Fig. 9). The change of pattern
without a moult appears to take a long time to become
complete, for we find, as already shown, that feathers altered
in this way begin to show traces of the coming metamor-
phosis as early as the beginning of November, and are often
imperfectly rearranged by the end of April ; whereas, when
the summer feathers are supplied entirely by moult, no
change whatever is visible in the autumn plumage of the
flank feathers till at earliest the end of February, when the
first new feathers begin to appear. It must, however, be
noted that in one bird from Nairnshire obtained in the
middle of December, a single half-grown summer feather is
visible on the left flank, though no doubt this is quite
unusual.

After making allowance for the different type to which
each individual belongs, irregular as the moults and changes
of these at first seem (no two individuals being exactly alike
at the same date), it will nevertheless be found that all the
changes are governed by fairly well-marked laws, though
they are to some extent subject to the external influence of
climate. For instance, some females shot in October
especially in cold years when winter sets in early have
entirely finished their autumn moult, no young feathers
being found even on the back of the neck and mantle ;

ON THE CHANGES OF PLUMAGE IN THE RED GROUSE 137

on the other hand, when the weather is comparatively open
and mild, a few feathers of the mantle may still be found in
quill as late as the middle of December, by which time the
male bird has not only passed through his autumn change,
but also completed his winter moult. The food supply
being much greater in mild weather, no doubt accounts for
the bird being apparently unable to continue its moult in
very cold weather when food is comparatively scarce. There
can be no doubt that the male completes his autumn moult
very much more quickly than the female does, many males
being in full autumn plumage by the beginning of September.
Possibly this may be accounted for by the resources of the
female being more severely taxed than those of the male
during the breeding season. It may very naturally be asked
why some females should change their summer flank feathers
by moult, while others are enabled to go through the much
less exhaustive process of redecorating their old autumn
feathers and making them serve the purpose of new summer
plumage. This is a difficult question to answer, but it seems
natural to suppose that the more vigorous birds gain their
summer flank feathers by moult, while nature has enabled
the weaker individuals to obtain the necessary protective
nesting plumage by a more gradual and less exhaustive
process.

C. Feathers of the Chest.

The summer change of the feathers of the fore neck and
chest in the female Grouse is similar to what takes place on
the sides and flanks, but very much more complete, all the
feathers being widely barred with black and yellowish buff
by the beginning of May (Plate VI. Fig. 12). It will be
easily understood that the fore neck and chest being con-
spicuous parts of the bird when she is sitting on her eggs, it
is most important for her that the protective black and buff
plumage should be complete. The greater part of this
change is generally produced by moult ; but, as is the case in
the flank feathers, some individuals (probably less robust
females) attain the greater part of the change without a
moult. The same rearrangement of the pigment described

138 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

in speaking of the flanks takes place in the chest
feathers, the finely mottled and barred rufous and black
autumn plumage becoming widely barred with black and
buff.

In conclusion, I can only hope that I may have succeeded
in making clear to my readers the somewhat intricate changes
of plumage in the Red Grouse, more especially in the female.
I trust that any friends and correspondents who may meet
with good examples of any of the above-mentioned types, or
with peculiar varieties of this species, will remember that by
forwarding them to me at the Natural History Museum,
Cromwell Road, London, they will be making a valuable
addition to the National Collection, which is as yet by no
means complete.

SYNOPSIS OF THE PLUMAGES.

MALES.

I. Red form .

2. Black form

3. White -spotted
form.

Antti'iin Plumage.

Upper parts black,
margined and ir-
regularly barred
with bright
tawny b u ff.
Under parts as
in the winter-
summer plum-
age, differing
according to the
type to which
each individual
belongs.

Winter-Summer Plumage.

Feathers of the
upper parts dark
chestnut, more
or less mottled
with black (Fig.
8).

Feathers of the
upper parts
black, with a
few indistinct
mottlings of ruf-
ous towards the
extremities of
some (Fig 10).

Feathers of the
upper parts
black, finely
b a r r e d an d
mottled with
dark chestnut,
or chestnut finely
in a r k e d with
black.

Feathers of the
breast and belly
dark chestnut
mottled with
black.

Feathers of the
under parts
black, or with
here and there a
few faint red
mottlings.

Feathers of the
under parts
widely tipped
with white.
(Head and back
sometimes simi-
larly marked.)

ANN. SCOT NAT HIST 1834.

i

6

M Horman-BjsKer del el iilh Mitxtei-n Bros. Chromo.

FEAT1-IERS OF RED &R USE.d 1 .

ON THE CHANGES OF PLUMAGE IN THE RED GROUSE 139

FEMALES.

Summer Phtmaye.

I. Red form.

2. Black form.

4-

White-spotted
form.

Buff-spotted
form.

5. Buff-barred
form.

Feathers of the
upper parts
black, rather
widely mar-
gined, barred,
and marked with
orange b u ff .
Chest and flank
feathers widely
barred with
black and buff.
Under parts vary
according to the
type to which
each individual
belongs, but
Nos. 4 and 5
are i n d i s t i n-
guishable.

Autumn- Winter Plumage.

Feathers of the
u p per parts
mostly rufous
chestnut, finely
marked and
mottled with
black.

Feathers of the
upper parts
black, indis-
tinctly mottled
with rufous
chestnut.

"] Upper parts
black, with ir-
regular bars and
mottlings of
chestnut and a
buff spot at the
tip of most of the

J feathers.

Feathers of the
under parts ditto.

Feathers of the
under parts ditto.

Feathers of the
under parts
widely tipped
with white.

Feathers of the
under parts
mottled with
black and chest-
nut.

Plumage similar to the summer dress of
the buff-spotted form (No. 4).

EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES.
PLATE V. FEATHERS OF THE RED GROUSE.

Figs. 1-3. Feathers from the back of a male, Banffshire, 6th June -I, old

autumn ; 2, old winter ; 3, new autumn.
Figs. 4, 5. Feathers from the back of a male, Stirlingshire, December 4, old

autumn ; 5, new winter.

Fig. 6. Feather from the back of a male, Yorkshire, September, autumn plumage.
Figs. 7, 8. Feathers from the back of a male, County Mayo, November 7, old

autumn plumage ; 8, new winter.

Fig. 9. Feather from the back of a male, Perthshire, December, new winter.
Fig. 10. Feather from the back of a male, Stirlingshire, loth December, winter

plumage.
Fig. II. Feather from the chest of a male, Stirlingshire, I7th July, autumn

plumage.
Fig. 12. Feather from the chest of a male, Stirlingshire, December, winter

plumage.

PLATE VI. FEATHERS OF THE RED GROUSE. 9

Fig. I. Feather from the back of a female, Ayrshire, 27th April, new summer

plumage.
Fig. 2. Feather from the back of a female, Loch Long, I4th September, new

autumn plumage.

HO ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

1'ig- 3- Feather from the back of a female, Yorkshire, December, new autumn

plumage.
Fig. 4. Feather from the back of a female, County Mayo, November, new

autumn plumage.
Fig. 5. Feather from the back of a female, Stirlingshire, loth December, new

autumn plumage.
Fig. 6. Feather from the flank of a female, Loch Long, I4th September, new

autumn plumage.

Fig. 7. Feather from the flank of a female, Stirlingshire, 22nd November, show-
ing change of pattern from autumn to summer without moult.
Fig. 8. Feather from the flank of a female, Argyllshire, loth December, showing

change of pattern from autumn to summer without moult.
Fig. 9. Feather from the flank of a female, Stirlingshire, I7th July, showing

summer feather acquired by moult, with the barring more regular.
Fig. 10. Feather from the chest of a female, Loch Long, I4th September, new

autumn plumage.
Fig. ii. Feather from the chest of a female, County Mayo, November, new

autumn plumage.
Fig. 12. Feather from the chest of a female, Ayrshire, 27th April, new summer

plumage.
Fig. 13. Feather from the chest of a female, Stirlingshire, loth December,

autumn plumage.

THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA.
By JOHN MACRURY, M.B.

As many species of birds are continually shifting their
ground from one locality to another, I think it of sufficient
interest to write out a list of the birds that at present occur
in Barra, or have been found on the island within compara-
tively recent years.

No doubt many strangers visit these islands for a few
days yearly on migration, but escape notice, as so few people
take any interest in the subject.

Since the publication of Messrs. Harvie- Brown and
Buckley's " Vertebrate Fauna of the Outer Hebrides " in
1888, a considerable number of species has been met with
in the Outer Hebrides not included in that publication.
Still greater changes in the avifauna of the group have taken
place since the time when the Macgillivrays wrote. But
the curious thing is that at the latter time, when a game-
keeper in the Outer Hebrides was almost as rare as the
hoopoe is to-day, bird life was much more abundant than it

ANK.ScOT.NAT.HlST.lB94.

U Hornian-Fishe.r del ti hti . .

Mmte-in Bros . CHroino.

FEATHERS OF RED GROUSE.?.

THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA 141

is now, when game is as strictly preserved as in any part
of the kingdom.

The same applies to the salmon, which, as is well
known, was once so abundant that servants, when engaging,
stipulated that they should only be served with this fish so
many times a week. Whatever way this change can be
accounted for, it certainly is not due to the increase of
population, as some of these islands were then more thickly
populated than they are at present.

The planting of trees about ten years ago at several
spots on this island has attracted several of the smaller
birds which formerly used to pass by ; and no doubt, if the
plantations continue to thrive, more species will come from
year to year and remain to breed.

In the following list I shall include only species which I
have no reasonable doubt have been found on the island.
With but very few exceptions, all the species have been seen by
myself: the exceptions will be noted, and my authorities
for including them mentioned :

SONG THRUSH, Turdns musicus, L. Abundant, breeding and per-
manently resident.

REDWING, Turdus iliacus, L. Winter visitor, abundant, seems
increasing of late years.

FIELDFARE, Turdus f Harts, L. Winter visitor, not numerous.

BLACKBIRD, Turdus merula, L. Winter visitor, abundant, but does
not remain to breed, which is rather strange, as the locality
seems suitable, and the Song Thrush breeds in numbers.
Another point that seems curious is that, although some Black-
birds remain with us till the middle of April, they never sing,
only utter their harsh cry of alarm when startled, whereas the
Thrush is in full song from the beginning of February. [Since
the above was written (2yth May 1894), a pair of Blackbirds,
with two or three young newly fledged, appeared in my garden ;
so that we may take this season as the first in which the Black-
bird has bred in Barra.]

WHEATEAR, Saxicola (Kiianthe, L. Summer visitor, breeding, very
abundant, arriving last week of March.

WHINCHAT, Pratincola rnbetra (L). Saw two solitary birds (both
hens) for the first time in the summer of 1892. Then in
1893 a pair were seen for some time in a plantation, where I
suspect they bred.

I 4 2 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

STONECHAT, Pratincola rubicola (L). Breeding and permanently
resident, not abundant.

REDBREAST, Erithacns rubecula (L). Breeding and permanently
resident. This is a species that seems to be decidedly in-
creasing since the introduction of trees into the island. Five
years ago I noticed only a single pair, and now fully a dozen
pairs may be seen.

WHITETHROAT, Sylvia cinerea, Bechst. Summer visitor. Noticed
first in 1892 ; a pair remaining for along time in a plantation,
where, I think, they must have bred. Last summer numbers
were seen on the island, but no nest has been got as yet.

BLACKCAP, Sylvia atricapilla, L. The only record is a solitary
bird, female or young male, I saw in my garden for about a
week in October 1893 (i3th-2oth).

WILLOW WREN, Phylloscopus trochilus (L.) On the i3th Novem-
ber 1893 a Willow Wren was caught by Mr. Wm. Macgillivray
in their garden at Eoligary, which I saw. This was the first
time the Willow Wren was identified as occurring in Barra ; but
there can be no doubt, from what Mr. Macgillivray tells me,
that a pair used to breed in their garden for many years, up
to a couple of years ago, when they ceased to appear. Num-
bers of them appeared in April and May 1894.

SEDGE WARBLER, Acrocephalus phragmitis, Bechstein. One was got
by Mr W. Macgillivray at Eoligary in June 1893, which is in
his collection. I think this is the first recorded from the
Outer Hebrides.

HEDGE SPARROW, Accentor modularis, L. - - Breeding and per-
manently resident, not numerous, but increasing rapidly since
the introduction of trees.

DIPPER, Cinclus aquaticns, Bechstein. A solitary bird seen by me on
1 5th January 1894. This is the only record of its occurrence
on the island.

WREN, Troglodytes pan'i/lus, K. L. Koch. Abundant and per-
manently resident. A pair reared their young on the hay-
loft here last year.

PIED WAGTAIL, Motacilla lugubris, Temminck. Mr. W. Macgillivray
saw one at Eoligary on i4th January 1894. This is the only
record of its occurrence on the island, although it probably
visits us on migration, along with the White Wagtail.

WHITE WAGTAIL, Motacilla alba, L. Common on migration in
spring and autumn, but there is no evidence of its breeding.

GRAY WAGTAIL, Motacilla melanope, Pallas. Only one specimen of
this species has been met with on the island. I examined the

THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA 143

bird which was got on 6th October 1893, an d it appeared to
be an adult male in the autumn plumage. I do not think the
species has been found in any other part of the Outer Hebrides.

MEADOW PIPIT, Anthus pratensis, L. Abundant, resident, chief
foster parent of young Cuckoo.

ROCK PIPIT, Anthus obscurus, Latham. Abundant, resident, and
breeding.

SWALLOW, Hirundo rustica, L. A few seen on migration in spring
and autumn, but does not breed. Have noticed some one
year as early as 22nd April.

MARTIN, Chelidon urbica (L.) Occurs on migration in spring and
autumn, but does not breed.

SAND MARTIN, Cotile riparia (L.) Passes on migration in limited
numbers like the two last, but does not breed.

GREENFINCH, Ligurimis chloris (L.) Only two or three birds were
noticed on the island as occasional winter migrants until
October 1893, when large flocks arrived, as many as 100
being counted together, and these remained chiefly about
stackyards and gardens till the beginning of April 1894, when
they all left.

HOUSE SPARROW, Passer domestiats, L. This species was not ob-
served on the island till 24th November 1893, when five birds-
three males and two females appeared in my garden. They
immediately took possession of an ivy tree on the porch as
a roosting-place, displacing the Tree Sparrows which used to
live there. They remained all winter, and some time in March
another hen suddenly appeared, but the three pairs left early in
May without nesting.

TREE SPARROW, Passer montanus, L. Considerable numbers of this
species have been permanently reisdent on the island for a
great many years ; and I think there can be no doubt it was
this species, and not the preceding, that Macgillivray found on
the island when he wrote in 1837. They nest in the holes in
garden walls, chiefly at Eoligary and North Bay.

CHAFFINCH, FringiUa culebs, L. Winter visitor, arriving in October
in considerable numbers, which seem to be increasing from
year to year, and leaving early in April, none as yet having
been known to breed.

BRAMBLING, F. nwntifringilla, L. One was seen in January 1894,
the only record from the island.

TWITE, Acanthi's flavirostris, L. Very abundant, breeding and per-
manently resident.

144 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

LINNET, L. cannabina, L. Three birds two males and a female-
were got at Eoligary in May 1894. This is the first record of
the species.

CORN BUNTING, Emberiza miliaria, L. Abundant, breeding and
permanently resident.

REED BUNTING, Emberiza schxnulus, L. Fairly plentiful in autumn
and winter, and a few breed. They were more abundant than
usual in winter of 1893.

SNOW BUNTING, Plectrophenax nivalis (L.) Small flocks visit us on
migration in spring and autumn, but remain only for a few
days.

SKYLARK, Alauda arvensis, L. Fairly plentiful, breeding and resi-
dent. Considerable numbers pass on migration in the autumn,
all apparently going south.

STARLING, Sturnus rulgaris, L. Very abundant, breeding and
resident, roosting at night in the rocky caves. One of the
Eoligary shepherds told me that he once saw a pair of starlings
take possession of a hole in which a Shelduck had just built
her nest and laid a few eggs. There was a short but sharp
engagement, in which, as has sometimes happened among
"the lords of the creation," the dusky warriors came off
victorious the red-coats beating an ignominious retreat.

The powers of mimicry of the Starling are well known, but
I think those of one particular bird which is in the habit of
performing in my garden are worth recording. The first thing
that attracted my attention was its imitating the neighing of a
foal so perfectly that it several times completely deceived me.
Then I watched it, and was astonished at the number of birds
it could mimic. Among these I may mention the Curlew (to
perfection), the Golden Plover and Lapwing, the different kinds
of Gulls, and especially the plaintive cry of their young, the
Eider Duck, the notes of the Great Northern Diver, and a fair
imitation of the Song Thrush, etc., not to speak of its clear,
sharp whistle, of which any schoolboy might well be proud.

JACKDAW, Corrus moncdula, L. --Three birds were noticed in
October 1893 along with a large flock of Rooks. They re-
mained on the island for a good part of the winter. Then
again, on iyth April 1894, a flock of eight birds were seen at
Eoligary, but after a few hours' stay they flew across the Minch.
With the exception of a bird or two seen a good many years
ago, these are the only records of the occurrence of the Jack-
daw in Barra.

RAVEN, Corrus corax, L. Comparatively numerous all the year,
breeding in the high cliffs. On 22nd March 1893 I got a
nest with six eggs.

THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA 145

HOODED CROW, Corvus comix, L. Very abundant at all times.
When it has exhausted eggs, chicks, and such palatable food, it
has recourse to shellfish, breaking the harder shells by flying up
in the air with them and letting them fall on a convenient rock.
The usual number of eggs is four, but I have got six in nest.

ROOK, Corvus frugilegus, L. Every winter a small flock visits the
island, but in October 1893 very large flocks arrived and re-
mained till the spring. A few stragglers are seen in the sum-
mer, but it has not been known to breed on the island.

SWIFT, Cypselus apus (L.) I have noticed one or two birds nearly
every summer since I came to the island, but they are far from
common.

KINGFISHER, Alccdo ispida, L. On 25th July 1892 I saw a King-
fisher in a small plantation, through which runs a shallow
stream, near my house. I watched the bright little stranger
for about a week, after which he disappeared. I never saw
any of the species in any other part of the Outer Hebrides.

CUCKOO, Cuculus canorus, L. Very common. Arriving about
the ist of May, and leaving early in September.

SHORT-EARED OWL, Asia accipitrinus, Pallas. Fairly common,
especially in the autumn and winter ; but a few breed, as the
nest has been found more than once.

SNOWY OWL, Nyctea scandiaca (L.) One bird is said to have been
shot in the island of Mingalay in 1887. Mr. William
Macgillivray tells me that he saw a Snowy Owl at Eoligary, he
thinks, in this same year, so that it was probably the same
bird. There is no other record of its occurrence in Barra.

HEN-HARRIER, Circus cyaneus, L. A few pairs seen all the year
round, breeds on the southern islands.

GOLDEN EAGLE, Aquila chrysactits, L. Very seldom seen now,
although formerly it no doubt bred on the island.

WHITE-TAILED EAGLE, Haliatus albicilla (L.) This species bred
in the southern islands of Barra some twenty-five years ago,
but not since, and, like the preceding, is seldom seen hovering
about now. Mr. Murdo Macgillivray shot one some years
ago, and it is in their collection at Eoligary ; and he tells me
that they kept one as a pet for many years, which was taken
out of an eyrie in the southern islands. This bird used to
fly some distance away from the house, picking up rabbits and
birds, until one day it was shot by a stranger who was ignorant
of its being a tame bird. He is not quite sure whether this
bird was a White-tailed or a Golden Eagle, but is inclined to
think it was the latter.

(To be continued.}
\ I C

146 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

REPORT ON THE MOVEMENTS AND OCCUR-
RENCE OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING

1893.

By LIONEL W. HINXMAN, B.A.

SCHEDULES were sent, as last year, by Messrs. Harvie-
Brown and Eagle Clarke to all the light-stations on the
Scottish coasts, and of these fourteen have been returned
filled up. Schedules and notes have also been received from
twenty-five other observers in different parts of the country,
making a total of thirty-nine reports examined and tabulated.
While there is thus a slight decrease in the number of
schedules sent in, their individual merit and the amount of
information which they contain is considerably in advance
of those received last year.

The faunal areas of Clyde and West Ross are now
represented in the report, but additional observations are
needed from Sutherland, Dee, Moray, West Ross, Tweed,
and Solway ; and it is hoped that subscribers to the
" Annals " resident in those districts may be induced to
interest themselves and their friends in this direction. It is
also still to be regretted that no returns are available from
the Isle of May.

We would again express our hearty thanks to all those
who have so kindly helped us in these inquiries, and also to
Mr. T. G. Laidlaw for assistance in the despatch and collec-
tion of reports.

The following list gives the names of observers from
whom schedules have been received. The localities are
arranged under the different faunal areas, proceeding from
north to south along the east and west coasts.

NORTHERN ISLES.
SHETLAND.

Locality. Name of Observer.

North Unst L.H. James Ferrier, Lightkeeper.

Bressay L.H. James M'Guffie, ,,

Scousbrough, Dunrossness Thos. Henderson, jun.

MOVEMENTS OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING 1893 147

ORKNEY.

Locality.

North Ronaldshay
Hoy Sound High Light
Pentland Skerries L.H.

Thurso and district

Name of Observer.

Allan Briggs, Holland House.
Thomas Hughson, Lightkeeper.
Malcolm M'Dougall,

SUTHERLAND.
Lewis Dunbar.

MORAY.

Helmsdale and Strath Brora Hugh Miller, H.M. Geol. Survey.

Lower Strathspey and Lionel Hinxman, ,,

Cabrach

Aviemore, Strathspey William Evans.

Peterhead
Gourdas, Fyvie
Girdleness L.H.

Arbroath district
Carse of Gowrie
Tayfield, Newport, Fife
Bell Rock L.H.

Inchkeith L.H.
Edinburgh district

5) ))

Mid and West Lothian
Dalmeny Park
Doune, Perthshire

Hallmyre, Peeblesshire
Chirnside

DEE.

Rev. William Serle.

George Sim.

John Gilmour, Lightkeeper.

TAY.

T. F. Dewar, M.D.; W. J. Dewar, M.B.

Charles Heron Watson.

William Berry.

John R. Laurence, Lightkeeper.

FORTH.

Chas. M'Fadyen, Lightkeeper.

William Evans.

T. G. Laidlaw.

Bruce Campbell.

Chas. Campbell.

Lt.-Col. W. H. M. Duthie, Row.

TWEED.

David G. Laidlaw.
Charles Stuart, M.D.

OUTER HEBRIDES.

Island Ghlais L.H., Harris "The Lightkeepers."
Monach Isles L.H. Wm. A. Tulloch, Lightkeeper.

Barra Head L.H. James Edgar, ,,

North Bay, Barra John M'Rury, M.B.

I 4 8 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

WEST Ross.

Locality. Name of Obsemer.

Kinloch, Shieldaig Donald Matheson.

ARGYLL AND INNER HEBRIDES.

Tiree Peter Anderson.

Skerryvore L.H. John Nicol, Lightkeeper.

Skervuile L.H., Jura Alex. J. Grant and D. M'Donald,

Lightkeepers.
Ben Nevis The Observatory Staff.

CLYDE.

Sanda L.H. Thomas Dawson, Lightkeeper.

Various localities J. Paterson, J. Robertson, H. B. Watt.

SOLWAY.
Loch Ryan L.H. Roderick M'Innes, Lightkeeper.

GENERAL REMARKS.

The spring of 1893 presented a great contrast to that
of the previous year, and the continued warm weather and
prevalent southerly winds during the season of spring
migration produced a marked effect on the movements of
our summer visitants ; the average dates of arrival of most
species being from a week to ten days earlier than in 1892,
while some exceptionally early dates such as 1 9th March
for Redstart and Sand Martin were recorded.

The line of spring migration seems to have lain more to
the westward than usual ; for while the scarcity of birds at
that season at Girdleness and Skervuile is made the subject
of special mention, from Skerryvore we hear " more birds
seen during April and May than usual," and the schedules
from Tiree are exceptionally full for these months. At
Skerryvore, Blackbirds and Thrushes occurred in large
numbers during January, February, and March ; and at the
same station Wheatears, " Titlarks," Blackbirds, etc., continued
to pass in an intermittent stream during April and May,

MOVEMENTS OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING 1893 H9

with rushes of Wheatears on 2Oth April and I5th and i6th
May ; the latter rush including also " Titlarks," Warblers, and
Swifts. The northerly migration of White Wagtails (Motacilla
alba} was also well marked at Tiree and Barra during April
and May.

The autumn migration presents few points of special
interest. The principal movements on the East Coast
appear to have taken place on 4th, 5th, and 9th October-
Finches and Linnets; i5th and i6th October Fieldfares
and Redwings; and loth November Finches; but no
great rush occurred like that of the 5th and 6th Octobcr
1892. On the West Coast an early migration of Wheatears
is reported from Skerry vore on 23rd August, repeated on
1 4th and i 5th September and iSth October. Flocks of White
Wagtails on their way south were observed in Tiree on
24th, 25th, and 29th August. A considerable rush, noted at
I. Ghlais, Monach, and Skerryvore, took place between the
loth and I3th of November, with light easterly winds, and
included Thrushes, Blackbirds, Fieldfares, Redwings, Finches,
and Starlings.

Large flocks of Rooks and Jackdaws appeared in Barra
and the Monach Isles, and were also seen passing Skerryvore,
between 27th October and 9th November, during and after a
gale from the W.NAV. From Monach they were observed
in hundreds on 9th November, travelling N.N.W. in the
direction of St. Kilda, a few returning on the I oth and I I th,
while some were found washed up on the shore.

Other points worthy of note are : the occurrence of
the Wax wing (Ampclis garrula] in many widely separated
localities from January to April, and it is reported that there
is some reason for believing that a pair reared their young
near Invergowrie ! ; the unusual number of Quail (Coturnix
coniiiiniiis) present in Scotland during the summer and autumn,
and known to have bred in Unst, the Lothians, and Dumfries-
shire ; the further extension of range to the north and
north-west of the House Sparrow, Stock Dove, and Sandwich
Tern ; and, finally, the capture of a specimen of the Red-
breasted Flycatcher {Muscicapa parva] at Monach Light-
house by Mr. W. A. Tulloch a most interesting fact, and
the first record of this rare straggler for Scotland.

150 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

TURDUS MUSICUS (Song Thrush).

Shetland. Bressay, Oct. 10.

Orkney. Hoy Sound, April 15; N. Ronaldshay, a few with Red-
wings, mid-Oct.

Dee. Girdleness, Jan. 8, with Blackbirds; Nov. 23. Peterhead,
Dec. 10, numerous, with Blackbirds, after strong E. gale.

Outer Hebrides. Monach, Jan. 7, eight; Nov. 13, in rush with
Blackbirds. Barra Head, Sept. 25. I. Ghlais, Oct. 9, a rush,
wind S.W., light.

Argyll and Isles. Tiree, last seen March 13, first seen Oct. 11.
Skervuile, Jura, Nov. 13. Skerryvore, Feb. 18; March 7,
numbers at Light, W., haze ; Oct. 6, 8, 15, Nov. 7 ; Nov. 10-12,
in rush with Blackbirds, etc., E.

Sohvay. Loch Ryan, Feb. 7.

Principal movements Jan. 7-9, Oct. 6-9, Nov. 10-13.

TURDUS VISCIVORUS (Missel Thrush).

Dee. Girdleness, Nov. 9, five.

Outer Hebrides. Monach, Nov. 13, four at Light in rush with other

Turdidce, " not noticed here before."
Argyll and Isles, Tiree, Nov. 2, in flocks.

TURDUS ILIACUS (Redwing).

Shetland. Bressay, Oct. 7.

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, first seen Oct. 4, numbers by Oct. 10 and

to end of month. Pentland Skerries, last seen April i 7 ; Oct.

4, with Redstarts and Chaffinches, S.W., light ; Oct. 15, a great

rush, S.E., light.

Moray. Strathspey, Oct. 17 ; Strath Brora, Oct. 28.
Dee. Girdleness, Oct. 15, a great rush, numbers killed at Light, E.,

haze; Fyvie, Sept. 21.

Forth. Edinburgh, Oct. 11, flocks flying W. and S.W., high up.
Tweed. Chirnside, April 24, Oct. 30.
Outer Hebrides. Barra Head, Oct. 1 2 ; Barra, Oct. 1 3 ; Monach,

Oct. 7, April 20; "very scarce this year."
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, Oct. i 2.

Earliest observed, Sept. 21, Fyvie; latest, April 24, Chirnside.
Principal movements, Oct. 10-15.

TURDUS PILARIS (Fieldfare).

Shetland. N. Unst, Oct. 1 6, great rush, light breezes, fine ;

Dunrossness, Oct. 10.
Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 2, one; Oct. 16, large flock.

MOVEMENTS OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING 1893 151

Moray. Strathspey, Oct. 17 ; Strath Brora, Oct. 28.

Dee. Fyvie, Oct. 6 ; last seen April 9.

Tay. Newport, Oct. 8.

Forth. Pentlands, Sept. 24.

Tweed. Hallmyre, Oct. 13 ; last seen April 24.

Argyll and Isles. Skerry vore, Nov. 12, in rush with other Turdidic, E.

Clyde. Giffnock, Oct. r.

Earliest record, Sept. 24, Pentlands; latest record, April 24,
Hallmyre. Principal movements, Oct. 16, Nov. 12.

TURDUS MERULA (Blackbird).

Shetland. Dunrossness, Nov. 16.

Orkney. Hoy Sound, Sept. 9, in rush with Starlings, W., clear ; N.
Ronaldshay, a few with Redwings and Thrushes, mid-Oct.

Dee. Girdleness, Jan. 9, a few with Thrushes.

Outer Hebrides. Monach, Jan. 7, March 6 ; first seen in autumn,
Oct. i o ; Nov. 1 3, a great rush, thirty-five killed at Light,
E.S.E., cloudy, "unusually numerous." Barra, Oct. 10; Oct.

13, in numbers with Redwings and Chaffinches.

Argyll and Isles. Tiree, last seen March 13, arrived for winter
Oct. 27. Skerry vore, Jan. 10, Feb. 18, March 20, May 24;
Nov. 10-12, in rush, E.

Clyde. Sanda L.H., Nov. 11-15, in rushes, N.E.-E., hazy.
Principal movements, Jan. 7-10, Nov. 10-15.

SAXICOLA CENANTHE (Wheatear).

Shetland. -Bressay, April 10 ; Aug. 15, S.E., foggy.

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, April 7-Oct. i 7 ; Pentland Skerries, April

I2-Oct. 5.

Moray. Brora, March 25.

Dee. Girdleness, March 25; Fyvie, March 28; Buchan Ness,

Oct. i.

Tay. Arbroath, March 23-Oct. 9.
Forth. Cramond Island, Jan. i [see "Annals," 1893, p. 113];

Edinburgh, April 10.
Tiveed. Hallmyre, March 30.
Outer Hebrides. Monach, April 3 ; Sept. 13, rush, 50 killed at

Light, S.W., light; last seen Sept. 29. I. Ghlais, June 15,

great numbers, S., hazy; Barra, March 23; Barra Head,

March 26-Sept. 29.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, March 28-Sept. 30. Skerryvore, April

14, 15 ; April 20, a rush, N., hazy; May 3, ro, 15, and 16, in
rush with Titlarks and Warblers, S.W., hazy ; Aug. 23, a rush,
38 at Light, S.W. ; Sept. 5, four ; Sept. 14, with Titlarks ; Sept.

15, a rush, S.W., strong; Oct. 7, eighteen at Light, S., light.

152 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Clyde. Mallsmire, March 24; numerous by March 31 on Campsie

Hills.

Earliest, March 23, Arbroath and Barra ; latest, Oct. 17, N.
Ronaldshay. Principal movements, April 20; May 15, 16; Aug.
23; Sept. 13-15 ; Oct. 1-7.

t

PRATINCOLA RUBETRA (Whinchat).

Moray. Strathspey, May 9.
Dee. Fyvie, April 22, Aug. 20.
Forth. Linton, May i.
Tzveed. Hallmyre, April 21.
Clyde. Giffnock, April 23.

Earliest, Hallmyre, April 21.

RUTICILLA PHCENICURUS (Redstart).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 4, three ; a few about till Oct. 9,
mostly > . Pentland Skerries, Oct. 4, in rush with Redwings
and Chaffinches, S.W., light.

Moray. Strathspey, April 24 ; Golspie, April 26.

Forth. Dalmeny, April 18; Edinburgh, April 25.

Tweed. Hallmyre, April 19; Chirnside, April 23, Aug. 12.

Outer Hebrides. Barra Head, May 15.

Argvll and Isles. Skerryvore, March 19, at Light, S.E.

Clyde. Giffnock, April 9.

Earliest, March 19, Skerryvore; April 9, Giffnock. Latest, Oct.

9, N. Ronaldshay. Principal movements, Oct. 4.

ERITHACUS RUBECULA (Redbreast).

Shetland. N. Unst, Oct. 12; Bressay, Oct. 13; Dunrossness,

Oct. ii.
Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 9. Pentland Skerries, Oct. 5, in rush

with Linnets, Larks, and Blackbirds; N.E., light.
Principal movements, Oct. 5-13.

SYLVIA CINEREA (Whitethroat).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 4.

Dee. Fyvie, April 28-Sept. 10.

Forth. Kirkliston, April 24 ; Braids, April 25 ; Dalmeny, April 26.

Tweed. Chirnside, April 29-Sept. 20; S. airruca, Hutton, June

10.

Outer Hebrides. Barra, May 5.
Clyde. Giffnock, April 23.

Earliest, April 23, Giffnock; latest, Sept. 20, Chirnside.

LAND AND FRESHWATER MOLLUSCA OF SCOTLAND 153

SYLVIA ATRICAPILLA (Blackcap).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 4, 9.

Forth. Gosford, Midlothian, April 23.

Outer Hebrides. Barra, Oct. 13 ; "the first seen here."

SYLVIA HORTENSIS (Garden Warbler).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, one shot Oct. 4, another Oct. 5; "first

observed here."
Argyll and Isles. Skerry vore, May n, in rush with Willow Wrens,

etc. ; one killed at Light, S.E., light.

REGULUS CRISTATUS (Golden-crested Wren).

Shetland. Bressay, Oct. 14, at Light.

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 4-11, a few seen.

Tay. Bell Rock, Oct. 15, 16, with Starlings and Thrushes, S.W.,

haze.
Principal movements, Oct. 14-16.

PHYLLOSCOPUS COLLYBITA (Chiff-chaff).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 16, 23.
Tweed. White Hall, Berwickshire, April 5.
Clyde. Dundonald, April 2 ; Ayr, April 3.

Earliest, April 2 ; latest, Oct. 23,

(To be continued.}

ADDITIONS TO THE AUTHENTICATED COMITAL
CENSUS OF THE LAND AND FRESHWATER
MOLLUSCA OF SCOTLAND.

WM. DENISON ROEBUCK, F.L.S.

Hon. Secretary and Recorder to the Conchological Society of
Great Britain and Ireland.

I HAVE a considerable number of new records to report in
continuation of my papers in previous numbers of the
" Annals of Scottish Natural History," of which the last
instalment appeared in the number for July 1893. I am

154 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

again indebted to my friends and former contributors
Mrs. Janet Carphin of Edinburgh, Mr. William Evans,
F.R.S.E., of the same city, and Mr. Lionel W. Hinxman of
the Geological Survey of Scotland, for renewed help and
constant vigilance, and have received assistance also from
my old helpers Mr. Thomas Scott, F.L.S., of the Scottish
Fishery Board ; the Rev. John M'Murtrie, D.D., and the
Rev. William Turner, both of Edinburgh ; and from new
helpers in the persons of Mr. Andrew M'Lellan and Mr.
Robert Kidston, F.R.S.E., F.G.S, both of Stirling. The
paragraphs are numbered in continuation of my last
paper.

28. NEW RECORDS FOR ROXBURGHSHIRE. In September 1893
Mrs. Carphin sent me a number of shells collected in the county of
Roxburgh (16 species), all of which, with one exception, were "new
records " for the county in the strictly limited sense in which that
expression is used in these papers. From Faldonside Loch were
collected \\ilvata piscinalis (a few), V. cristata (a few), Pisidiiun
iniliii/n = roseum (one), P. piisillitin (a few), Physa fontinalis (a few),
Planorbis albus (several), PI. contort us (a few), /'/. fontanus = nltidits
feff. (two, small), Limnica fmlttstris (two, small), L. auricitlaria var.
acuta (two, young), and L. peregra var. lacitstris (two) ; the last-
named being the one species sent which is not new for the county.
From Faldonside came Carychinm minimum (numerous examples)
and Hyalinia nitida (several), and from Elwand, near Melrose, were
sent Helix p\gnuca, H. acnlcala, and Buliminus obscurus (two of each).
This consignment brings up the total list of authentications for the
county to 41 species as against 26 in my original paper.

29. NEW RECORDS FOR SELKIRKSHIRE. A consignment of
shells collected by Mrs. Carphin at Clovenfords, in the county
of Selkirk, brings up the total for that area to 37 species, the
additional ones being Hyalinia nitidiila (several), H. nitida (a few),
H. pura var. margaritacea (one), Sucdnea elegans (two), Pupa cylin-
dracea (a few), Planorbis contortus (a few), Limncca palustris (two,
small), and Pisidiiun fontinale (in abundance). With them were
sent a specimen of Helix hispida and several of its variety albida,
the species being one that has already been placed on record.

30. NEW RECORDS FOR LINLITHGOWSHIRE. To Mrs. Carphin
we are indebted for three additions to the Linlithgowshire list, bring-
ing its aggregate up to the, as yet, meagre total of 39. The shells
sent are single examples of Planorbis nautileus and Helix fiygmcea,
collected at Dalmeny, and a few Vertigo edentula from Craigiehall

LAND AND FRESHWATER MOLLUSCA OF SCOTLAND 155

Wood. It will be of interest to add that the species named in this
and the two preceding paragraphs have been, by the kindness of
Mrs. Carphin, added to the collections of the Conchological
Society.

31. FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE BANFFSHIRE LIST. We are
indebted to Mr. Lionel W. Hinxman for a few shells collected
during June and July of 1893 at Inchrory, Glenavon, Banffshire,
at an altitude of from 1400 to 1600 feet above sea-level. They
were * Limncca auriadaria var. acuta and L. peregra (a few), L.
tnincatnla (one, dead), ^Ancylus fluviatilis (two) and var. albida
(two), a couple of Bulimus obscurus, and a couple of immature Helix
arbustonon ; the two species added to the list being marked with
asterisks (*). With these additions, the Banffshire list now totals up
to 37 authenticated species. These specimens, by Mr. Hinxman's
kindness, have been added to the Conchological Society's collection.
Mr. Hinxman mentions that he also obtained two detached valves
of a young individual of Sp/uzrium, but unfortunately lost them,
and was never able to come upon the shell again, though he
searched the locality carefully.

32. ADDITIONS TO THE STIRLINGSHIRE LIST. I have recently
had the pleasure of seeing the admirable work which Mr. Andrew
M'Lellan has done in investigating the land and freshwater Mollusca
of the county of Stirling, which he has worked at very systematically
during the past three years. The species submitted by him to the
Conchological Society's referees include the following, which are
additional authentications for the county : Sucdnea elegans, Hya-
linia alliaria, H. pitra, If. radiatula, H. fnlva, Helix aculeata, H.
aspersa, H. pulchdla, Bulimia us obscurus, Vertigo pygmcca, Gary chin in
minimum, Bythinia tentaculata, Planorbis parvus, Bulliniis Jiypnoruin,
P. fontinalis, Lim/uza palustris, Unio margaritifer, Anodonta cygnea,
and Dreissenia polymorplia, bringing the Stirlingshire total of
authentications up to 56. I omit mention of the already authenti-
cated species which Mr. M'Lellan's collection contains ; and I also
refrain from particularising the localities of the species here recorded
as new, in the hope that it may not be long before Mr. M'Lellan
himself publishes a full and detailed account of the Stirlingshire
Mollusca in one of our natural history periodicals.

33. SUCCINEA OBLONGA AND MONST. SINISTRORSUM IN SOUTH

PERTHSHIRE. --Along with his Stirlingshire shells, Mr. M'Lellan
submitted for examination some examples of this interesting species,
one being sinistral, collected by a friend of his in the vice-county of
South Perth with Clackmannan.

34. EDINBURGHSHIRE SHELLS. Although none of them are
actually new for the county, it may be of interest to note the occur-
rence of Helix granulata = sericea Jeff. (Roslin Glen, July 1893),

I $6 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

H. fusca (Dryden Glen, near Roslin, July 1893), H. arbustorum
(immature, Roslin, July 1893), Clausilia perversa var. dubia (Bonaly
Glen, March 1893), and Balea perversa (same locality and date),
all sent by Mr. William Evans, F.R.S.E.

35. HYALINIA RADIATULA ADDED TO THE HADDINGTONSHIRE
LIST. - - From Mr. Evans we have received a box full of shells
collected on Luffness Links, East Lothian, 6th October 1893,
including numerous examples of Bullinus hypnorum, one of Limnaa
truncatula, and a few each of Pisidium pusillum and Hyalinia
radiatitla, the last-named giving us a new county record.

36. PLANORBIS SPIRORBIS ADDED TO THE LINLITHGOWSHIRE
LIST. Mr. Evans has submitted a few specimens of this species
from Drumshoreland, West Lothian, where he collected them on
1 3th September 1893. This is a good addition to the authenticated
list for the county.

37. ADDITIONS TO THE SOUTH PERTHSHIRE AND CLACKMANNAN-
SHIRE LIST. About the end of December 1893 Mr. William Evans
collected a few shells in the vicinity of Bridge of Allan : a place
which, although politically in Stirlingshire, is regarded for our purpose
as in South Perthshire. These include three species new for the
area, viz. Helix aculeata (one), H. arbustorum (one, immature), and
H. hispida (a couple) ; as well as single examples of Hyalinia fulva,
Helix rotundata, Vertigo edentula, and Clausilia perversa. The
three additions, along with the Succinea recorded in my 33rd para-
graph, bring up the South Perth list to 46 species.

38. THREE ADDITIONS TO THE FIFESHIRE LIST. In April 1893
Mr. Evans sent me Arion miniums and Biiliminus obscurus from
Aberdour, both additional records for the " kingdom of Fife." The
third addition is Planorbis parvus from Kilconquhar Loch, where it
was collected by Mr. Evans on the 6th and yth of September 1893,
in company with a few examples each of PI. fontanns, PI. contortus,
Linunca percgra, L. palustris, L. truncatula, Valrata cristata,
Pisidium milinin, Sphccrium corneum, Succinea putris, Cochlicopa
lubrica, Carychiuin minimum, and Hyalinia fulva. A few good-
sized Succinea putris were also sent me, collected at Keilsden, near
Largo, on the 3oth of August; and some examples of very stunted
forms of Pupa cylindracea and Clausilia perversa, collected on the
Isle of May during the same month, were of remarkable interest.
The Fifeshire list now amounts to 69 species.

39. HELIX HORTENSIS ON SPEYSIDE. Although this species is
not a new record for Easterness, it is nevertheless so rarely found
far up the Highland valleys as to make it of considerable interest
to record that, on the i2th of June 1893, Mr. Evans found it in
plenty near the Doune, Rothiemurchus, and a large Limax cinereo-

LAND AND FRESHWATER MOLLUSCA OF SCOTLAND 157

niger from the same place at the same time. He sent me the
latter, and a couple of examples of the Helix.

40. WATER-SHELLS IN LOCH TAY. I am indebted to Mr.
Thomas Scott, F.L.S., for a gathering of shells from the east end
of Loch Tay, collected on the nth of September 1893. It in-
cludes Valvata piscinalis, Pisidium pusilluin and var. obtusale, which
constitute new records for the vice-county of Mid-Perth, as well as
P. million = roseum, P. fontinale, and Limncea peregra, which have
already been placed on record for that division. The specimens
sent are fairly numerous, and, by Mr. Scott's kindness, they have
passed into the cabinet of the Conchological Society. The Mid-
Perth list now amounts to 46 species, as authenticated by specimens
seen by the Society's referees, and doubtless there are many more
to add as the results of the labours of the active conchologists of
the city of Perth, should we be able to enlist their assistance.

41. NEW RECORDS FOR PEEBLESSHIRE. To the Rev. William
Turner of Edinburgh, the Conchological Society is indebted for
examples added to its collection, of seven species collected at West
Linton, a Peeblesshire village at the foot of the Pentland Hills,
and lying about 800 feet above sea-level, four of which are new
authentications for the county, and are marked with an asterisk (').
Helix f u sea was found sparingly among damp herbage beside the
Lyne, a stream running through the village, and it has also been
found at Leadburn, a few miles towards the east. In an old quarry oc-
curred * Splicer him lacustre plentifully, and * Pisidium miliuin sparingly.
"'Helix arbustorum, of which immature examples were sent, was
scarce. On an adjoining slope to West Linton, and about 200 feet
higher than it, were found several specimens of Vertigo edentnla
and * V. substriata, and Pupa cylindracea commonly. Several other
species were collected by Mr. Turner, which were not sent, other-
wise there would have been four other new records to add to those
mentioned above. The Peeblesshire list now amounts to 40
species.

42. EIGG SHELLS : NEW RECORDS FOR THE VICE-COUNTY
EBUDES NORTH. The Conchological Society's cabinet is indebted
to the Rev. John M'Murtrie, D.D., of Edinburgh, for full sets of the
land and freshwater mollusca of the island of Eigg. These form
the subject of two papers in which fully detailed information is given
as to their habitats and distribution. The first paper on " Eigg
Shells" was published in the "Journal of Conchology" for October

1892, pp. 113-119, and the second in the same journal for April

1893, pp. 189-191. It will be unnecessary here to do more than
give the list of species recorded (omitting the varieties), marking
those which are new authentications for the vice-county with the
usual asterisk. The " Eigg Shells" then are *Arion ater, *A.

158 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

subfuscus, A. hortensis, A. circumscriptus, A. minimus, Agriolimax
agrestis, *Limax marginatus ( = arboruni), * Vitrina pellncida, * Hya-
Hnia eel/aria, *H, aUiaria, If. nitidula, *H. pura, *H. radiatulct.
*H. crystallina * H. fulva, * Helix aspersa, *H. nemoralis, *H. hor-
tensis, *H. arlntstoruni, *H. granulata ( = sericea, Jeff.), *H. itala
( = ericetorum\ H. rotunda fa, *ff. pygmcea, H. pukhella, H. acuta
( = Bulimus acutus] * Pupa anglica ( ringens), * P. cylindracea
( = nmbilicata], * Vertigo substriata, * V. edentula, * Clausilia perversa
{ = rugosa), *Cochlicopa lubrica, * Carychium minimum, Limncca
peregra, L. truiicatula, Ancylus flitviatilis, * Pisidiitm fontinale, and
*P. pusillum, 38 species in all for the little island, of which no
less than 26 are new authentications for the vice-county of Ebudes
North, the total recorded molluscan fauna of which does not amount
to more than the 38 given for Eigg.

RECORDS OF SCOTTISH PLANTS FOR 1893,
ADDITIONAL TO WATSON'S "TOPO-
GRAPHICAL BOTANY," 2nd Ed.

By ARTHUR BENNETT, F.L.S.

ABOUT 1 60 additions are here given, and from this
diminished number it looks as though the commoner species
are being pretty well filled in, and a rapid glance through
"Top. Botany" seems to confirm this. From species whose
census is between 90 and i I 2 there are few actually want-
ing where the situation of the counties affords any likelihood
of their occurring. Much doubt still remains as to the
nativity of many species that reach Scotland ; and it seems
a pity that the claims of some of these cannot be satis-
factorily estimated. To determine these seems especially
work that should be taken up by county residents ; but as
long as the aim is only " to swell the county list," it is
useless to expect fair evidence against the nativity. In
England I find botanists much more willing to be satisfied
with the nativity of some species than I should be, after
seeing them /';/ situ.

The abbreviations, etc., are the same as in former
records, viz. " Ann. S. N. H." == " Annals of Scottish Natural
History," "J. B." = " Journal of Botany" ; sp. denotes that a

RECORDS OF SCOTTISH PLANTS FOR 1893 159

specimen was sent to me, and ! denotes that I have seen a
specimen from the county.

72. DUMFRIES.

Papaver Argemone, Miss Adams in "Trans. Dumfr. and Gall. N. H.

Soc.," 1892.

Medicago lupulina, J. T. Johnstone, I.e.
Salix Smithiana, J. T. J., I.e.
f Euphorbia amygdaloides, Miss Adams, I.e.
Silene noctiflora, Miss Hannay ! ex Scott-Elliot.
Campanula Trachelium, Miss Hannay, ex Scott-Elliot.
Carex elongata, T. Brown, ex Scott-Elliot.
[Cladium Mariscus, "Loch Kander," Scott-Elliot, I.e., but this loch

is in Co. 73.]
Hieracium rubicundum, Hanb., L. Watt, "Trans. Glas. N. H.

Soc.," 1893.

Hieracium clovense, E. F. Linton, Linton, in "J. B.," 1893, p. 147.
Hieracium callistophyllum, Hanb., Linton, I.e.
Hieracium langwellense, Hanb., Linton, I.e.
Hieracium nitidum, Linton, I.e.

Hieracium Sommerfeltii, Lindeb., Linton, I.e., p. 177.
Hieracium duriceps, Hanb., Linton, I.e., p. 180.
Hieracium euprepes, Hanb., Linton, I.e., p. 181.
Hieracium stenolepis, W. R. Linton, Linton, I.e.
Hieracium angustatum, Lindeb., Linton, I.e., p. 182.

73. KIRKCUDBRIGHT.
Utricularia neglecta, Dumfries herb. !

74. WIGTOWN.

Recorded by Rev. G. Wilson in "Trans. Dumfr. and Gall. N. H.

Soc.," 1892.
Brassica oleracea.
Lepidium campestre.
Dianthus deltoides.
Prunus Padus.
Anagallis caerulea.
[Eriophorum gracile (?), doubtless of Smith, i.e. the small form of

angustifoliuml\
[Euphorbia Peplis, doubtless an error for Peplus, as the former is one

of the most unlikely British species to occur in the county.]
Sedum Rhodiola, Arnott, 1848, confirmed by Mr. J. M 1 - Andrew.
Campanula latifolia, J. J/'A.
Geranium sylvaticum, J. M^A.
Polygonum Bistorta, J. M'A.

160 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Potamogeton pectinatus (genuinus), J. M 1 A.

Catabrosa aquatica, J. M'A.

Avena pratensis, J. M'A.

Dipsacus sylvestris, Miss Hannay, ex Scott-Elliot.

Allium Scorodoprasum, Miss Hannay, ex Scott-Elliot.

75. AYR.
Sonchus asper, " 1872," in Boswell-Syme herb. !

76. RENFREW.
Carex limosa (seg.), T. B. Wilkie, sp., 1893.

77. LANARK.

Pyrola rotundifolia, C. C. Babington, "1840," in Herb. Brit.
Museum.

79. SELKIRK.

Hieracium buglossoides, Arvet-Touv., Linton, " J. B.," 1893, p. 148.

80. ROXBURGH.
[From report for 1892 delete Utricularia neglectaJ]

86. STIRLING.
Erythnea Centaurium, " 1836," Boswell-Syme herb. !

88. MID-PERTH.

Rosa resinoides, Crepin, Druce, in "Ann. S. N. H.," 1893, p. 250.
Hieracium buglossoides, Arvet-Touv., Linton, "J. B.,'' 1893, p. : 48.
Hieracium bifidum Kit. | . u , fi g

Hieracium Boswelh, Linton. '

Hieracium submurorum, Lindeb. )

89. EAST PERTH.

[In report for 1892 Aquilegici rulgaris should be marked with t

as an introduction.]

Hieracium oesio-murorum, Lindeb., Linton, " J. B.," 1893, p. 80.

90. FORFAR.
(All recorded by Mr. Linton, "J. B.," 1893.)

Hieracium submurorum, Lindeb.
Hieracium clovense, E. F. Linton, p. 146.
Hieracium callistophyllum, Hanb., p. 148.
Hieracium oreades, Fr., p. 149.

RECORDS OF SCOTTISH PLANTS FOR 1893 161

Hieracium Sommerfeltii, Lindeb., p. 178.
Hieracium scoticum, Hanb., p. 200.
Hieracium farrense, Hanb., p. 197.

91. KINCARDINE.
Pyrola rotundifolia, Boswell-(Syme) herb. !

92. ABERDEEN, SOUTH.
(All recorded by Mr. Linton, " J. B.," 1893.)

Hieracium graniticolum, Linton, p. 145.
Hieracium Marshalli, Linton, p. 146.
Hieracium bifidum, Kit., p. 177.
Hieracium rubicundum, Hanb., p. 178.
Hieracium eustales, E. F. Linton, p. 196.
Hieracium farrense, Hanb., p. 197.
Hieracium reticulatum, Lindeb., p. 201.

94. BANFF.

(All recorded by G. Druce, F.L.S., in "Ann. S. NcH." 1893,

pp. 122-123.)

Arabis petrsea. Sedum rhodiola.

Cerastium arcticum, Lange. Athyrium flexile.

95. ELGIN.
Hieracium Schmidtii, Tausch, Druce, l.c.

96. EASTERNESS.

\Arctium nemorosum, in report for 1892, is probably
A. intermedium^

Ranunculus petiolaris, Marshall, Maciicar, Nov. 1892.

Sonchus asper, Marshall, " J. B.," p. 32.

Sambucus Ebulus, Somerville, sp.

Hieracium tridentatum, Druce, "Ann. S. N. H.," 1893, p. 121.

97. WESTERNESS.

[In report of 1892, after Ranunculus petiolaris, Marshall, add name

of the collector, S. M. Macvicar.]

(All collected by Mr. Macvicar. The species of Rubus were
determined by Rev. Mr. Moyle Rogers.}

Rubus carpinifolius, W. and M. Rubus dumnoniensis, Bab.

Rubus pulcherrima, Newm. Potamogeton pusillus, sp.

Rubus villicaulis, Kcehl. Scirpus fluitans, sp.

Rubus rosaceus, Tar. W. and N. Agropyrum junceum, sp.
I I D

162 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

98. ARGYLE.

[From report of 1892 delete Hieracium angustatum.~\
(All recorded by E. S. Marshall, save where otherwise recorded.)

Ranunculus heterophyllus, Bab., Macricar, sp.
1 Thalictrum collinum, Wallr. sp.
Cochlearia officinalis, at 2800 feet above sea-level.

(These are very interesting examples, as they are clearly

typical officinalis, not a/pina.}
Draba rupestris (confirmed), Marshall.
Viola canina, sp.
Cerastium arcticum, Lange.
Rubus plicatus, forma, Moyle Rogers.
Rubus " mucronatus."
Utricularia intermedia, sp.
Salix fragilis, sp.
Salix nigricans, sp.
Eriophorum latifolium, sp.
Glyceria plicata, sp.
Poa glauca, sp.
Poa Balfourii, sp.
AVoodsia hyperborea, sp.
Utricularia neglecta, sp.
Hieracium crocatum, L. Watt, I.e.

99. DUMBARTON.

Hieracium angustatum, Lindeb., L. Watt, I.e.

Hieracium rnbicundum, Hanb., L. Watt, I.e.

Hieracium buglossoides, Arvet-Touv. ) Linton, "J. B.," 1893,

Hieracium stenolepis, W. R. Linton j pp. 148, 181.

103. EEUDES, MID.
Potamogeton nitens, Macvicar, sp.

104. EBUDES, NORTH.

(All, except those otherwise recorded, were found in Eigg
by Mr. Macvicar.}

Prunus spinosa, sp.

Hieracium stenolepis, Lindeb., Linton, 1893, "J. B.," p. 177.

Hieracium Boswelli, Linton, Linton, I.e., p. 179.

Hieracium strictum, Linton, I.e., p. 200.

Carlina vulgaris, sp.

Eryngium maritimum, sp.

Erythraea Centaurium, sp.

i _

= T. Jlexuosum, Bernh. = T. minus montanum, Syme.

RECORDS OF SCOTTISH PLANTS FOR 1893 163

Thymus Chamcedrys, sp.

Salsola Kali, sp.

Atriplex arenaria, sp.

Polygonum amphibium, sp.

Festuca elatior, sp.

Psamma arenaria, sp.

Elymus arenarius, sp. (perhaps introduced).

105. Ross, WEST.

(All recorded by G. C. Druce, F.L.S.)

Hieracium prenanthoides. Ruppia rostellata.

Potamogeton heterophyllus. Carex extensa.

Spergularia neglecta. Festuca sylvatica.

Geranium dissectum. Bromus asper.

Epilobium parviflorum. Equisetum maximum.

Galium erectum. Elymus arenarius.
Utricularia neglecta.

1 06. Ross, EAST.

(Recorded by Rev. E. S. Marshall, " J. B.," 1893, p. 230.)

Rubus Gelerti. Carex vesicaria.

Rumex (sanguineus) viridis.

107. SUTHERLAND, EAST.

Cerastium semidecandrum, Grant, sp.

Hieracium angustatum, Lindeb., Linton, " J. B.," 1893, p. 181.
Lycopodium annotinum, W. A. Stables, " Phytologist," 1843,
vol. i. p. 147.

1 08. SUTHERLAND, WEST.

Hieracium stenolepis, W. R. Linton, "J. B.," 1893, p. 181.
Hieracium reticulatum, Lindeb., Linton, I.e.
Hieracium oreades, Fr., Linton, I.e.
Hieracium Boswelli, Linton, Linton, I.e.

109. CAITHNESS.

Hieracium Friesii, Linton, "J. B.," 1893, p. 99.
Hieracium Boswelli, Linton, Linton, I.e., p. 177.
Hieracium rubicundum, Hanb., Linton, I.e., p. 178.

no. HEBRIDES.

Hieracium cerinthiforme, Backh., Linton, I.e.
Hieracium sparsifolium, Lindeb., Linton, I.e.
Juniperus intermedia, Schur., Duncan, sp.

1 64 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

in. ORKNEY.

Hieracium caledonicum, Hanb., Linton, " J. B.," 1893, p. 178.

Hieracium rubicundum, Hanb., Linton, I.e.

Hieracium orcadense, W. R. Linton, Linton, t.c., p. 196.

112. SHETLAND.
Veronica polita, Beeby, m.s., 1893.

ALTITUDES REACHED BY CERTAIN PLANTS

IN MID-PERTH.

By SYMERS M. MACVICAR.

THE following altitudes were taken during the last three
years ; and are all from localities within ten miles of
Killin. The numbers opposite each name denote upper
limits in feet above sea-level observed, unless otherwise
specified. Mr. Arthur Bennett has kindly compared those
here given with Watson's altitudes, and has added some
notes in brackets. In the third column are given the
altitudes recorded in Hooker's " Student's Flora," ed. 3.

Feet. Feet.

Ranunculus Flammula . 2900 2700

Cardamine hirsuta . 34)

t * O

Cardamine nexuosa . 3200 J

Draba incana from 2000 to 3500 . above 3000

Sisymbrium Thaliana . . 2100 . in Yorkshire 1500

Viola lutea, rar. amoena . 355 2800
Lychnis diurna l . 2600

Arenaria sedoides, from 230010 3970 from 2500 to 3000

Sagina Linnrei from 2100 to 3500 2700

Geranium sylvaticum . . 2900 2700

Anthyllis Vulneraria 2 . . 2600 2400

Potentilla maculata, from 1800 103400 . 2700

Saxifraga aizoides . . 3500 3000

Sedum villosum from 3000 to 3200 . . in Yorkshire 2000

1 [Over 3000 feet, 88, Miller.] 2 [2700 feet, Marshall.]

ALTITUDES REACHED BY CERTAIN PLANTS IN MID-PERTH 165

Epilobium alsinefolium l

,, anagallidifolium .
Galium boreale

Erigeron alpinus, from 2400 to
Menyanthes trifoliata .
Myosotis alpestris, 2 from 2600 to
Veronica saxatilis, from 1900 to
Salix spuria, Willd. (Lap-

,, ponum x arbuscula)

,, arbuscula .

,, reticulata, from 2300 to
Orchis mascula 3 .
Tofieldia palustris
Juncus triglumis 4 from 900 to
Triglochin palustre
Carex dioica

,, echinata 5 .

,, Goodenowii

,, glauca var. stictocarpa .

,, flava ....

pulla .

Sesleria coerulea, from 2000 to
Briza media 7
Poa annua var. supina .

,, pratensis var. subcoerulea 8
Festuca rubra, L. form .
Lomaria Spicant 9 .
Polystichum Lonchitis

from 1650 to
Phegopteris Dryopteris .
Botrychium Lunaria
Equisetum arvense, var.
alpestre .

,, pratense

,, palustre var. alpinum .
Lycopodium Selago

Feet.
3000
3900
3400
3400
1880
3700
3400

2900
2600

35
2600

2800
3200
2800

3200

3 2 5
3 2 5

2 IOO
3100

355
2600

1300

35
2900

35
3100

3400
2800
2800

3100
3100
2900

395

Feet.
2900

E. alpinum to near 4000
2800
3000

in the Lake District 1800

nearly 4000

. from 1600 to 3000

2400

from 2000 to 3200
in the Lake District 1500

2400
3000

200O
2900
300O
3OOO

type, in Yorkshire 2000
2900

33
2500

in Yorkshire 2 100

type, 3200

type, in Yorkshire 2400

2000

3200

2700
2700

type, in N. England 2000

type, in N. England 1200

type, 2500

3500

The following species are found in this district down to
the elevations noted :-

1 [Watson's actual height for this is 2880 feet.]

2 [39 f eet ' Watson.] 3 [2900 feet in Caenlochan Glen, Marshall.]

4 [33 f ee t on -Ben Lawers, Druce, "Journ. Bot.," 1890, p. 44.]

5 [2970 feet actual, Watson.] 6 [2800 feet on Ben Lawers, Druce.]
7 [1890 feet in Highlands, Watson.] 8 [2250 feet in Highlands, Watson.]

fl [39 feet, Watson, in Comp. " C. Brit."]

1 66

ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Feet. Feet.

Draba rupestris, on Ben Lawers 3400, and elsewhere in the dis-
trict to 3100 and 2600
Cochlearia alpina, Wats, de-

1900

1600

1900

1600

1600
. 2450

scends to.
Alchemilla alpina .
Saxifraga nivalis .

on Craig Lochan,

Larig,

2400

,, stellaris .
Gnaphalium supinum .
Armeria maritima .

var. plani-

folia, Syme . . . 2250
Poa alpina descends to . . 2100

I have not mentioned the Ben Lawers varieties which
have a very limited range of altitude, as it would only hasten
their extermination ; nor have I given any altitude of plants
growing by the side of streams, as it is impossible to know
how far they have been carried out of their natural habitats.
When Cerastium alpinum and Arenaria sedoides are seen to
occur at about 800 feet, and not again below 2000 feet, as
is the case in one stream in the district, there need be no
doubt ; but it is different with such plants as Alchemilla
alpina and Oxyria digyna, which follow the course of a
stream to near its termination. The former I have not seen
on the hillsides in Mid-Perth below 1 600 feet ; and it is
usually first met with between 1600 feet and 1800 feet.
My lowest note for the Oxyria is 2000 feet, but this may be
too high.

In taking altitudes it is quite necessary to have an
Ordnance Survey sheet of the district, to give not only the
height of the starting-point, but also that of a few easily
recognisable places on the hill by which the aneroid can be
compared, otherwise a mistake of one or two hundred feet
can readily be made in a day's work.

[NOTE. In connection with the above paper reference
may be made to one by Dr. Buchanan White on " The Alti-
tudes attained by certain Plants," published in the " Scottish
Naturalist" (vol. i. pp. 119-123) in October 1871. In
this are given the altitudes of the alpine plants of the
Braemar highlands, and of Caenlochan in Forfarshire, where
such altitudes differed from the records in the " Com-

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE/E 167

pendium " to the " Cybele Britannica." The following may
be quoted here :

Lyclmis dmrna, at 3500 feet, on Lochnagar.
Geranium sylvaticum, at 3200 feet, on Lochnagar.
Salix arbuscn/a, at 2550 feet, on Little Craigendal.
Poa pratensis (typical), at 2900 feet, on Morven.

JAMES W. H. TRAIL.]

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIEyE.
By the late JOHN ROY, LL.D., and J. P. BISSET.

\_Continued from page 1 05.]

85. C. margaritatum (Lundell), Roy and Bisset (" Jap. Desm.," 1886,

p. 194=6*. latinii, ft niargaritatuni, Lundell).

Large; about one-third longer than broad ; sides very slightly
rounded, nearly straight, gradually curving upwards into the
broadly rounded ends ; constriction moderately deep, narrow,
not opening widely outwards; semi-cells with the base slightly
reniform, and not increasing in width upwards; densely covered
with large granules, having a punctum in the centre of the space
between every three granules ; the granules are arranged in
about thirteen perpendicular rows, of about eight in a row,
and leaving a small space at the base smooth ; semi-cells in
side view nearly circular, and in end view oval. Length, 78 ^ ;
breadth, 58 /u, ; isthmus, 27 /^. (Our Plate II. fig. 12.) This
form seems sufficiently distinct to constitute a good species.
The resemblance to C. latum is not striking. It is consider-
ably smaller, and has larger granules, while the puncta be-
tween granules is a marked and invariable feature. Rare.
Ross pool near View Rock, Strathpeffer (Mrs. Farquhar-
son ; Aberdeen Slewdrum in Birse, Aboyne, Cambus-
o'-May, and Dalbagie near Ballater, Glen Clunie, one mile
from Castleton.

86. C.wargarztifert/?;/(Turp.), Menegh. General. With zygospores,

in a small pool at the side of the Deeside turnpike road,
about half-way between Banchory and Bridge of Potarch, and
south of Birsemore.

87. C. iiiclanosporum, Archer. Small; length and breadth equal;

semi-cells transversely oblong ; constriction moderately deep,
close, opening out widely into the rounded sides ; ends
broadly rounded ; semi-cells from side view circular, from

1 68 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

end view oval. Surface smooth, not punctate. Isthmus
about one-third of the breadth of the semi-cell. Zygospore
thick-walled, very dark brown, almost black ; perfectly smooth
and globular. Long., 15-17 ^ ; lat., 15-17 /x ; crass., 7-8 ^ ;
isth., 5 /x; dia. of zygospore 23-25 p. (Our Plate I. fig. 14.)
Very generally distributed.

This simple-looking, but very distinct, species was de-
tected by Mr. Archer, in Ireland, many years ago. It con-
jugates abundantly, sometimes in profusion, and may be
readily recognised by the smooth, globular, very dark
zygospore.

88. C. Meneghinii, Breb. Abundant. Most of the so-called varieties
of this species occur abundantly. But surely the form to
which De Bary affixes this name is a very different thing
from that of De Brebisson as limited and figured by Ralfs ;
while again, both are quite different from the var. (3 simplid-
nniin of Wille. It is much to be wished that the zygospores
of all these forms could be found and published.

89. C. microsphinctiiin, Wittr. and Nord. Very rare. Aberdeen

Ardtannes near Inverurie, Craigendinnie near Aboyne, and
Presswhin in Cromar.

Var. majtis, n. var. Differs from the ordinary form
in being double the size. Long., So //,; lat., 52 //. ;
isth., 35 //. (Our Plate I. fig. 7.) Extremely rare.
Aberdeen Presswhin in Cromar, with the type.
Var. parvula, Wille. Very rare. Fife Kemback
near St. Andrews (Mrs. Farquharson).

90. C. moniliforme (Turp.), Ralfs. Not uncommon. Sutherland,

Ross, Inverness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth,
Argyle. One form of this species has a distinct isthmus,
connecting the semi-cells ; its zygospore (found in a small
pool north of Loch Dawin, Aberdeen) is globular, smooth,
and twice the size of a semi-cell.

Forma elliptica, Nord. ("Sydl. Norg. Desm.," 1873,
p. 22), is probably the same as our species C.
Jacobsenii (Jacobsen's " Desmid. du Danemark,"
p. 200, Tab. VIII. fig. 24, under the name of C.
moniliferum). Now, while granting this, we can
scarcely admit that these are merely two forms of
one species. While bearing a certain resemblance,
each holds constantly to its special character-
istics : the semi-cells of moniliforme are globular
from all points of view, while those of Jacobsenii
are transversely oval in front view, circular in
side view, and oval in end view ; besides, the

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE/E 169

latter is larger. With such differences as these, we
fail to see what is to be gained by making them
forms of each other.

91. C. monochondrum, Nord. Very rare. Inverness Loch Ruth-

ven (Mrs. Farquharson) ; Aberdeen - - Dinnet, Birsemore
Loch, south side of Birsemore.

92. C. vwnomazurn, Lundell.

fi polymazitin, Nord. Very rare. Ross near View
Rock, Strathpeffer (Mrs. Farquharson).

93. C. Nagelianum, Breb. Very rare. Aberdeen Springhill near

Aberdeen, pool near Loch Dawin ; Kincardine near Cowie.

94. C. nasittii/n, Nord.

fi granulata, Nord. Very rare. Aberdeen near the
summit of Lochnagar, Corrie Etchachan (Ben
Macdhui).

95. C. nephroideuin (Wittr.), n. sp. ( = C. Portiamun, Archer.

P nephroideum (Wittr.) (Our Plate II. fig. 3.) Length,
25 //, ; breadth, 22 /x ; isthmus, 7 /x. Our Scotch
examples are considerably smaller than those re-
corded by Messrs. Wittrock and Nordstedt. Very
rare. Aberdeen Glen Clunie near Braemar ;
Arran.

96. C. nitidiilum, De Not. Rare. Aberdeen formerly near a

well on Aberdeen Links, Heughhead near Aboyne, foot of
Culblean (east side); Kincardine N.W. side of Kerloch ;
Perth Meal Odhar.

97. C. norimbergense, Reinsch. Very rare. Aberdeen Slew-

drum ; Forfar in a marsh N.W. from Menmuir Church.

98. C. notabile, Breb. Not common. Inverness, Aberdeen,

Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Argyle.

Var. minor, Wille. Perth Craiganlochan.

99. C. Nymannianum, Grun. Not common. Sutherland, Ross,

Inverness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Argyle,
Arran.

100. C. obliquum^ Nord. Not common. Sutherland, Ross, Inver-

ness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Argyle, Arran.
The three forms are about equally common.

1 01. C. ochthodes, Nord. Not common. Ross, Inverness, Aber-

deen, Forfar, Perth, Stirling, Fife.

1 02. C. odontophuruin, Archer, in lit. Small-sized; a little longer

than broad ; sides nearly straight, but widening out slightly
and forming an obscure blunt tooth at each of the upper
angles ; ends semicircular ; constriction moderately deep

170 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

and narrow ; surface smooth ; zygospore orbicular and
smooth. Length, 22 /x; breadth, 20 ^ ; isthmus, 8 ^ ;
diameter of zygospore, 30 /JL. (Our Plate II. fig. 13.)

This species was first found in Ireland, by Mr. Archer
many years ago. Very rare. Aberdeen Powlair (Birse),
Heughhead (Aboyne), Homehead (Cromar).

103. C. oligogongrns, Reinsch. 'Very rare. Kincardine Glen

Dye, above the Shooting Lodge.

104. C. orbiciilati/in, Ralfs. Not common. Inverness, Aberdeen,

Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Argyle.

105. C. ornatitm, Ralfs. General.

1 06. C. orthostichum, Lundell. Not uncommon in South Aber-

deen and North Kincardine, but rare elsewhere. Forfar
in Glen Clova ; Perth at Buchanty ; Argyle near
Kingshouse.

/3 pumiluin, Lundell. -- Rare. Aberdeen Slewdrum,

Forest of Birse, Dawin, Dalbagie, Glen Clunie near

Castleton ; Kincardine Kerloch and Bishop's Dam ;

Forfar Glen Clova ; Perth Spital of Glen Shee ;

Argyle near Kingshouse.

107. C. ortogomnn, Delp. Very rare. Stirling Fintray Hills (Mr.

Croall).

1 08. C. ovale, Ralfs. Aberdeen -- Khoil ; Perth Ben Lawers,

Craig-an-Lochan.

109. C. pachydernnun, Lundell. Rare. Sutherland near Loch

Inver ; Ross Falls of Rogie ; Aberdeen Slewdrum, Birse-
more, and Heughhead near Aboyne, Dalbagie, Loch-
nagar; Kincardine Cammie and Glen Dye; Stirling
Fintray (Mr. Croall) ; Argyle near Kingshouse, and in
Mull.

j3 minus, Nordst. Rare. Ross Poolewe ; Inverness
near Brin (Mrs. Farquharson) ; Aberdeen Gight, at
the Break Neck Fall (Glen Callater) ; Forfar Can-
lochan ; Perth - - Rannoch (Dr. F. B. White) ;
Stirling Alva Glen (Mr. Croall).

1 1 o. C. Palangula, Breb. Rather rare. Ross Poolewe ; Inver-
ness^near Brin (Mrs. Farquharson), in Skye near Loch
Coruisk ; Aberdeen and Kincardine not uncommon ;
Forfar Lundie Bog and Glen Dole; Perth Methven
Moss, Birnam, Rannoch; Dumbarton -- between Lochs
Long and Lomond ; Argyle near Kingshouse and Oban.

in. C. parvulum, Breb. Rather rare. Sutherland Loch Inver ;
Ross ; Inverness Brin and Skye ; Aberdeen Slewdrum ;

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE/E 171

Kincardine Cammie, Muiryhaugh, Dalbrake, Glen Dye ;
Argyle near Kingshouse and Ben Laoigh ; Fife.

112. C. pcrforatutn, Lundell. - - Very rare. Inverness - - Loch

Ruthven (Mrs. Farquharson) ; Aberdeen - - Dalbagie and
Loch Ullachie near Ballater, Birsemore, near Castleton
(Brae mar).

113. C. Phaseolus, Breb. -- Pretty common. Ross, Inverness,

Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Argyle, Arran, Fife,
Kirkcudbright.

fi elevatu/n, Nordst. Rare. Aberdeen near Ballater, in
Glen Muick; Kincardine -- Glen Dye; Perth-
Rannoch.

y achondrum, Boldt. Very rare. Inverness near Loch
Coruisk in Skye.

114. C. pUcatiun, Reinsch. Rare. Ross; Inverness Brin (Mrs.

Farquharson) ; Aberdeen - - Brimmond, Dalbagie ; Kin-
cardine -Pitreddie and Curran (Strachan) ; Perth Methven
Bog.

Var. majits, Reinsch. (?) Length, 87-92 p; breadth,
48-50 p; isthmus, 22 /z. (Our Plate II. fig. i.)
Very rare. Aberdeen Powlair, Birse ; Kincardine
Scolty near Banchory.

Var. Scoticuin, n. var. Sides hollowed ; ends straight or
slightly drawn out ; cell walls very thick and closely
punctate. Length, 57-67 /z ; breadth, 38-40 //. ;
isthmus, 22-25 I J - (Our Plate II. fig. 2.) Exceed-
ingly rare --a rupestral species. Aberdeen The
Vat, Presswhin (Cromar).

115. C. polygonum, Nag. (Enastritm, Nag.) - - Not common.

Sutherland, Ross, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Argyle,
Fife.

1 1 6. C. Portianum, Archer. General. With zygospores at Brim-

mond, Aberdeen, agreeing with D. Bary's fig. " Conjugatae."
Taf. VI. fig. 50, given under C. orbiculatuin, Ralfs.

117. C. praegrande, Lund. Exceedingly rare. Perth Spital of

Glen Shee.

1 1 8. C. pra/iwrsii/n, Breb. This species, if we understand it aright,

must be extremely rare. It occurred in a gathering made
near Tillypronie, Aberdeen, a good many years ago.
Perth Glen Shee ; Argyle Ben Laoigh.

Mr. Archer, whose judgment in such a matter is entitled
to the greatest respect, supposed that probably this species
might be the same as that given by Ralfs, "Brit. Desmid.,"
Plate XXXIII. fig. 6, under C. margaritifcrum. But this

172 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

view can hardly be accepted ; for, in the first place,
Brebisson founded, or at least published, this species
several years after Ralfs' work was issued, and therefore
must have known well what forms Ralfs included under C.
margaritiferum ; and secondly, C. prcemorsum is described
as having the ends emarginate, which Ralfs' form has not.
Indeed, C. prcemorsum is more nearly related to C. Botrytis
than to C. margaritiferum, or rather the form in question
so named by Ralfs, which is really a very different thing
from C. margaritiferum proper.

1 1 9. C. prominulum, Racib. Very rare. Ross Poolewe ; Inver-

ness Brin.

120. C. protractum (Nag.), Archer. Extremely rare. Aberdeen-

Tableland above the head of Glen Callater.

121. C. protuberans, Lundell. Very rare. Aberdeen Bottomend

near Aboyne.

122. C. pseudobiremum, Boldt. Very rare. Aberdeen foot of

Birsemore, near Aboyne.

123. C. pseudoconnatum, Nordst. Rare. Aberdeen Tomachar

and Dawin in Cromar, Dalbagie near Ballater; Kirkcud-
bright New Galloway.

1 24. C. pseudonitidulum, Nordst. Not common. Orkney, Suther-
land, Ross, Inverness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth,
Argyle, Arran.

125. C. pseudoprotuberans, Kirch. Very rare. Inverness Loch

Ruthven and Clachan (Mrs. Farquharson).

Var. alpinum, Racib. - - Very rare. Aberdeen small
pool north side of Loch Dawin, Cromar.

126. C. pseudopyrainidatiuii, Lundell. Not common. Sutherland,

Ross, Inverness, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth,
Dumbarton, Argyle, Arran.

Sub. sp. stenonotum, Nord and Wittr. Ross Poolewe;
in many places in Aberdeen and Kincardine ; Argyle
Ben Laoigh ; not observed elsewhere.

127. C. pulcherrimiiin, Nordst. Very rare. Forfar in Canlochan.

128. C. piinctulatiim, Breb. Very rare. Aberdeen near Dinnet,

and pool west side of Loch Dawin; Fife --near St.
Andrews ; Perth - - in Glen Garry, near Dalnacardoch.
Length, 26-29 /z ; breadth at base of semi-cell 27-2 //, ; do.
end, 1 6 /^ ; isthmus, 9-6 /z.

129. C. pusillum (Breb.), Archer. Rare. Inverness near Loch

Coruisk, in Skye ; Aberdeen near Birse Church ; Cairnton
Moss, near Aboyne, Homehead in Cromar ; Kincardine

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE^E 173

Scolty Dam, Cammie : Forfar Glen Clova, Clova Table-
land.

130. C. pychnochondrum, Nordst. Very rare. Aberdeen Mount

Keen, Colonel's Bed (Braemar) ; Kincardine - - Den of
Garrol ; Forfar Clova Tableland.

131. C. pygiiiceimi, Archer. Widely diffused, but scarce. Suther-

land, Ross, Inverness, Moray, Banff, Aberdeen, Kincardine,
Forfar, Perth, Fife, Stirling, Dumbarton, Argyle, Arran.
With zygospores, at Folotry, Perth,

132. C. pyramidatum, Breb. General.

133. C. qitadratum, Ralfs. Not very common. Sutherland, Ross,

Inverness, Banff, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Argyle,
Fife.

134. C. quadrifariitm, Lundell. Rare. Inverness in Skye ; Aber-

deen near Longside (Dr. Walker) ; Argyle Glen Coe (Mr.
Archer) ; Arran Goat Fell and Glen Ranza.

135. C. qnadrum, Lundell. Very rare. Sutherland Loch Inver;

Aberdeen - - Homehead, Pittellachie, and Tomachar in
Cromar ; Kincardine near the source of the Bervie ; Perth
-Ben Lawers.

136. C. Quasilhis, Lundell. Very rare. Aberdeen near Long-

side (Dr. Walker) ; Stirling Alva Glen (Mr. Croall).

137. C. quinarii(m, Lundell. Very rare. Aberdeen near Dinnet

Schoolhouse.

Forma irregitlaris, Nordst. Very rare. Inverness Loch
Ruthven (Mrs. Farquharson).

138. C. Ralfsii, Breb. Not common. Sutherland Loch Inver ;

Ross Poolewe ; Inverness Ben Nevis, Brin, and in Skye ;
Aberdeen ; Kincardine ; Forfar Fern and Clova ; Perth
Durdie, Fowlis Wester, Rannoch, and Callander; Argyle
Glen Coe and Mull ; Arran Goat Fell, Glen Ranza, North
Glen Ranza, and Glen Sannox.

139. C. rectangulare, Grunow (C. Gotlandicum, Wittr.) Not com-

mon. Sutherland Loch Inver; Ross near Tain; Inver-
ness Loch Ruthven; Aberdeen Slewdrum, Achnerran,
Glen Callater ; Kincardine Cammie, Bishop's Dam, Cloch-
naben ; Perth Glen Shee ; Argyle Mull.

140. C. rectangulum, Reinsch. Extremely rare. Aberdeen south

end of Scotston Moor once only.

141. C. Regnesi, Reinsch. Not common. Sutherland; Ross;

Inverness; Banff; Aberdeen; Kincardine; Forfar Can-
lochan ; Perth Birnam Hill, Buchanty ; Stirling Fintray
Hills ; Argyle Glen Coe and Mull.

174 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

142. C. Rcinschii, Archer (Cos. sp. Reinsch., " Contrib. Alg. and

Fung.," p. 83, Taf. XVIII. fig. 4). Extremely rare. Perth
Folotry in Fowlis Wester.

143. C. reniforme, Archer (Cos. margaritifertitn, Turp., /? reniformis

Ralfs, "Brit. Desmid.," p. 100, Tab. XVI. fig. 20). General,
but scarce.

The zygospore of this species, as pointed out by Mr.
Archer long ago, is perfectly smooth and globular. It has
not been observed in Scotland.

144. C. retusum (Perty), Rab. Extremely rare. Aberdeen Glen

Clunie, Braemar; Birse.

145. C. Schliephackeanum, Grunow.

Forma Spetsbergensis, Nordst. ( = C. asphtzrosporum, Nord.,
ined.) Rare. Inverness Erin (Mrs. Farquharson) ;
Aberdeen Alford, Dinnet (with zygospores), Morven;
Kincardine Kerloch (with zygospores), Muiryhaugh,
Glen Dye ; Forfar Barrelwell near Brechin, Clova
Tableland ; Perth Fowlis Wester ; Stirling ; Argyle
-Glen Coe.

146. C. sexangidare, Lundell. Somewhat rare. Caithness Loch

Hempriggs ; Aberdeen Scotston Moor, Brimmond, Slew-
drum, Bottomend and Birsemore near Aboyne, Pittellachie
in Cromar ; Kincardine Crathes, Loch Loirston, and Paldy
Hill.

147. C. Siinii, n. sp.

Fairly large sized, about one -sixth longer than broad ;
sides nearly straight, ends semicircular, constriction deep,
and opening very widely ; surface covered with pearly
granules arranged in perpendicular and concentric rows.
Length, 53-58 /z; breadth, 45-50 //, ; isthmus, 20-22 p,.
(Our Plate II. fig. 16.)

Named in honour of Mr. John Sim, a skilled Kincardine-
shire botanist.

Very rare. Aberdeen Corrie Etchachan (Ben Macdhui).

148. C. sini/osiini, Lundell. Very rare. Ross Poolewe ; Aberdeen

Gight, Vat of Culblean, near top of Lochnagar ; Kincar-
dine near Cammie ; Argyle near Oban, near Tobermory
in Mull ; Arran Goat Fell and Glen Ranza.

/3 decedens, Reinsch. Extremely rare. Aberdeen Vat
of Culblean ; Kincardine Den of Garrol.

149. C. S/ewdntmense, Roy (" Desmids of the Alford district," in

"Scott. Nat.," January 1890, p. 204). (Our Plate II. fig.
19.) Not common. Caithness, Ross, Inverness, Nairn,
Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Fife.

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE/E 175

150. C. speciosum, Lundell.

a biforme, Nordst. Rare. Aberdeen Den of Gight,
Presswhin on Morven, Cambus-o'-May, Bogwartle in
Cromar ; Forfar Reeky Linn ; Stirling Alva Glen.

ft simplex, Nordst. Not common. Ross Tain and
Strome ; Inverness Glen Urquhart, Erin, Quirang
in Skye ; Banff- near Loch Builg ; Aberdeen Ben-
na-Chie, Brimmond(near Old Mill),Birsemore 3 Heugh-
head near Aboyne, Koynach Moor, Presswhin, The
Vat, Mount Keen; Kincardine Slack of Birnie ;
Forfar Reeky Linn, Fern, Canlochan ; Perth
Buchanty, Ben Lawers, north shore of Loch Tay,
Bracklin near Callander ; Stirling Fintray Hills ;
Argyle near Kyles of Bute.

151. C. sphalerostichum, Nordst. Extremely rare. Inverness Ben

Nevis ; Aberdeen Morven (on wet rocks) ; Forfar Can-
lochan.

152. C. sportellci) Breb. Not common. Ross near Tain, Strome,

and Strathpeffer ; Inverness Brin, Glen Urquhart, and
near Portree in Skye ; Aberdeen Dens of Gight and Rothie,
Cambus-o'-May, and Glen Callater ; Kincardine near
Crathes, Den of Garrol, near Muchalls (with zygospores) ;
Forfar Canlochan ; Perth Durdie Moor ; Stirling Alva
Glen ; Arran Corrie ; Wigtown.

153. C. sfriafii/n, Boldt. (C. crosui/i, Archer's MSS.) Not uncommon

on Deeside, in Aberdeen, and Kincardine.

154. C. subcostatum, Nordst. Extremely rare. Banff Iron Hill,

(Aberdour) ; Kincardine in a wet spot close to the sea, near
Mill of Muchalls.

155. C. subcrenatum, Hantzoch. - - Very uncommon. Ross

Auchnasheen, Falls of Connon, Black Isle ; Inverness -
Brin and Glen Urquhart ; Banff Ben Avon ; Aberdeen
Auchterless, Alford, Insch, Corbie Loch, Dinner, Cambus-
o'-May, head of Glen Callater ; Kincardine near Durris
Bridge-, Bogandreep, Slack of Birnie ; Forfar Canlochan ;
Perth Rannoch, Ben Lawers.

156. C. subpalangula, Elfv. --Very rare. Aberdeen Birsemore

Loch.

157. C. siibpundulatum, Nordst. Very rare. Perth Craig-an-

Lochan, Glen Garry; Wigtown.

158. C. subspecio sum, Nordst. Very rare. Aberdeen near Mint-

law; Forfar Clova Tableland, Canlochan; Perth Spital
of Glen Shee, Craig-an-Lochan.

176 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

159. C. substriatum, Nordst. Very rare. Perth Craig-an-Lochan.

1 60. C. subtitiiiiduin, Nordst. Very rare. Sutherland Loch Inver;

Ross Poolewe, Falls of Connon ; Inverness Brin ; Perth
Spital of Glen Shee, Craig-an-Lochan; Kirkcudbright
New Galloway.

1 6 1. C. snbnndulatuin, Wille. Probably not uncommon. Ross-

View Rock, near Strathpeffer ; Inverness Brin ; Aberdeen
Upper Powlair, Slewdrum ; Argyle near Kingshouse.

162. C. sitpraspeciosum, Wolle. Very rare. Perth Ben Lawers.

163. C. tatricuin, Recib. Very rare. Ross Poolewe (Rev. D.

Campbell).

164. C. tetrachondruni, Lundell. Not common. Not uncommon

in Ross, Banff, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, and Perth.
It occurs in Argyle, near Kingshouse. Not observed in
other counties.

Conjugated on Deeside, in a marsh between Loch Kinnord
and Cambus-o'-May. Zygospore small, smooth, and globular,
sometimes showing a tendency to elongate irregularly.

165. C. tetragonum (Nasg.), Archer. Aberdeen Corrie Kandor.

Forma Lundell. Rare. Aberdeen Birsemore, Heugh-
head, Morven, Presswhin, Glen Callater ; Kincar-
dine coast near Portlethen, Palely Hill ; Forfar
Balquhadly Hill in Fern, Reeky Linn ; Perth -Glas
Mhoel, Durdie Moor, Rannoch, Bracklin ; Argyle
near Ardrishaig in Mull ; Kirkcudbright New
Galloway.

1 66. C. tetraophthalmum (Kg.), Breb. General.

(3 Ln/idcllii, \Vittr. Probably not uncommon. Ross
Poolewe; Aberdeen Haughton, Heughhead near
Aboyne ; Kincardine Cammie, Skatey shore near
Stonehaven ; Stirling Fintray Hills.

167. C. Thwaitesii, Ralfs. Not common. Aberdeen Scotston

Moor, Powlair in Birse, Dalbagie, Castleton, Glen Callater ;
Kincardine Cammie, Dalbrake ; Forfar Rescobie ; Perth
Durdie, Birnam, Athole Forest, Ben Lawers.

1 68. C. tinctuin, Ralfs. Probably general. Has not been observed

in Caithness, Nairn, Stirling, and Renfrew. Seems rare at
high altitudes.

Conjugated in Aberdeen at Slewdrum, and between Loch
Kinnord and Cambus-o'-May ; in Kincardine, at Dalbrake.

169. C. trachypleurum, Lundell. -- Extremely rare. Aberdeen

Scotston Moor.

ON SCOTTISH DESMIDIE^ 177

ft minor, Raciborski. Very rare. Aberdeen Marsh
between Loch Kinnord and Cambus-o'-May ; Kin-
cardine near Eslie in Durris.

This was originally figured by us (pur Plate I. fig. 13) as
a distinct species, to which it certainly has considerable
claims.

170. C. trilobitlatiiw, Reinsch. Rare. Aberdeen Corbie Loch

north, and Springhill west of Aberdeen ; Kincardine Loch
of Lumgair near Stonehaven ; Perth Buchanty in Fowlis
Wester.

171. C. tnincatellum (Perty), Rabenh. Not common. Ross Pool-

ewe ; Inverness Brin, and head of Glen Sligachan in Skye ;
Aberdeen Haughton, Ben-na-Chie, Corbie Loch, Cairnton
Moss, Heughhead Aboyne (with zygospores) ; Kincardine
Cammie, Dalbrake (with zygospores), Clochnaben ; Forfar
Finhaven (with zygospores) ; Perth Craig-an-Lochan.

172. C. tuberculatum, Archer.- Seemingly very rare. Aberdeen

Scotston Moor ; Kincardine near the bridge over the Dee
at Durris ; Dumbarton between Loch Lomond and the
head of Loch Long.

173. C. tiiinidiiin, Lundell. Not common. Aberdeen Slewdrum,

and Upper Powlair in Birse, several stations near Aboyne,
and in Cromar, Castleton, and Glen Clunie; Forfar near
Menmuir ; Perth Folotry in Fowlis Wester.

174. C. Titrpinii, Breb.

ft Lundellii (Forma Lund.) Rare. Ross Coul, Loch
Kinnellan, Black Isle; Aberdeen Sand Loch,
Collieston ; Howford, Inverurie ; M'Gregor's Well,
Glen Gairn ; Perth - - Rannoch ; Argyle --near
Kingshouse.

175. C. undnlatnm, Corda. Not uncommon. Ross, Inverness, Banff,

Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Argyle.

(3 in hi u turn, Wittr. Not so common as the type.
y crenulatum, Wolle. - - Very rare. Perth - - Craig-an-
Lochan.

176. C. variolatiiin, Lundell. Not Common. Ross near Tain ;

Aberdeen Alford, Torryburn(Kintore), Corbie and Bishop's
Lochs, Slewdrum, Upper Powlair, Birsemore, Dawin, Home-
head, Tomachar, Dalbagie, Corrie of Loch Kandor ; Kincar-
dine Cammie, Dalbrake, Bishop's Dam, Slack of Birnie ;
Perth Loch of Monteith ; Argyle Mull; Arran Glen
Sannox.

177. C. venustum (Breb.), Archer ( = Cos. cambricum, Cooke and

Wills.) General.
I I E

178 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

ft majus, Wittr. Rare. Ross Strathpeffer ; Aberdeen
Upper Powlair in Birse ; Kincardine Dalbrake,
and Bogandreep in Strachan ; Forfar Glen Clova
and Clova Tableland; Perth Folotry Loch in
Fowlis Wester ; Argyle near Kingshouse.

Forma minor, Wille. Very rare. Perth Ben Lawers.

178. C. Wiitrockii, Lundell. Very rare. Aberdeen near Heugh-
head, Aboyne.

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES.

Great Gray Shrike in the Solway District. A specimen of
this scarce winter visitant was secured at Terregles on Feburary
1 5th, and I had the opportunity of inspecting it while in the hands
of Mr. Mackay for preservation. Out of a large number of local
specimens of Lanius excubitor that I have seen from time to time, it
is the only one in which no trace could be found of the vermicula-
tions usually so conspicuous on the feathers of the under parts. I
should suppose from this that the bird is fully adult. ROBERT
SERVICE, Maxwelltown.

Nesting- of the Great Spotted Woodpecker in Berwickshire.

I am glad to inform the readers of the " Annals " that the Great
Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus major} is nesting this season in
Duns Castle woods. Mr. John Fergusson, factor on the Duns estate,
a most careful and accurate observer, having got a hint about the
bird being seen, went with the keepers, and, concealing themselves,
after half an hour's wait saw the female bird go into a round hole in
the boll of an old ash tree, about 20 feet from the ground, and feed
her young, who were heard quite distinctly. There is reason to
believe that this bird bred in the Duns Castle woods last year. Is
there any instance well authenticated of the Great Spotted Wood-
pecker nesting in Scotland ? CHARLES STUART, Chirnside.

[This Woodpecker is believed to have been a resident, and hence
a breeding species, in Scotland clown to about the middle of the
present century, since which date, however, there is no reliable
evidence, that we are aware of, that the species has nested in
Scotland. Dr. Stuart's record we regard as of the greatest interest. -
EDS.]

Swift in Mull. As I have only once seen the Swift (Cypselus
apus] in Mull, and never heard of a nest in the island, I venture to
call attention to a statement in "The Field" of 5th May last, wherein
it is stated that this bird breeds in Mull. I do not find this
corroborated by the information afforded in the " Fauna of Argyll
and the Inner Hebrides."- P. C. MACKENZIE, Linlithgow.

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 179

Sea Eagle (Haliaetus albicilla) in West Ross-shire. On yth
April an immature Sea Eagle was sent by Mr. J. G. Henderson from
Ullapool, Garve, to Messrs. W. Mackay and Son for preservation.
The tail was turning white, that colour predominating, but the head
was very dark. T. E. BUCKLEY, Inverness.

Nesting of the Tufted Duck in Renfrewshire and Wigtown-
shire. On the 24th of May of this year the writer, in walking round
one of the lochs in the parish of Eaglesham, Renfrewshire, raised
a Tufted Duck (Fuligula cristata) from her nest and eggs. Mr.
John Robertson of Eastwood, Thornliebank, who was about fifty
yards off, was immediately hailed, and we at once saw that we had
made an interesting addition to the birds of the political division of
East Renfrewshire, at which we have been working for several years
past. On the evening of the same day Mr. Robertson, having his
curiosity excited, paid a visit to a nest which he had seen some days
before at the White Loch, a very small sheet of water in the
adjoining parish of Mearns. It proved to be a nest of the same
species ; and, as there was a lot of down in this case, its identification
was rendered easy. A nest at the Little Loch, also in Mearns parish,
found on the igth of May on the occasion of the visit to that
district of the Ornithological section of the Andersonian Naturalists'
Society, is also referable to the Tufted Duck ; while a careful
examination of the eggs in Mr. Robertson's possession points to the
fact of the Tufted Duck having nested at least last year in the
Mearns district, which its general occurrence as now established
helps to confirm.

In the course of a short holiday spent by the writer and Mr.
Robertson in Wigtownshire, in the first week of June this year, the
latter gentleman found on an islet on a large loch there a nest and
eggs of the Tufted I )uck. The bird was raised from the nest. The
nesting of this species in Wigtownshire does not seem to have come
before this time under the notice of Mr. Service, to whom the
information has been communicated. Mr. Service frankly gave us
many useful hints in connection with our visit to Galloway, which we
are glad to acknowledge. JOHN PATERSON.

Albino Ring Dove and Mole near Kelso. A white Ring Dove
(Columba palumbus) was shot at Lochton, about four miles from
here, at the end of April, by John Hakin, who makes his living by
shooting pigeons.

A white Mole (Talpa europccd] was caught in a mole trap at
Crown Point about the same date, half a mile below Kelso, by Mr.
John Trotter. ARCHIBALD STEEL, Kelso.

Occurrence of the Whiskered Tern in Solway. On the 3oth
May I was most agreeably surprised when Mr. Hugh M'Kay,

i So ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

taxidermist in Dumfries, called upon me with a specimen in the
flesh of the Whiskered Tern (Hydrockelidon hybrida, Pallas) which
had just been sent to him for preservation. It had been shot on the
previous day by Mr. John Kirkpatrick, gamekeeper, near the Carse
Loch of Friars Carse, a place in Nithsdale, some six miles above
Dumfries. Mr. M'Kay was kind enough to leave the bird in my
hands till I had time to make a detailed examination of it, and to
note down the following description : The cap and nape glossy
black, with greenish purple reflections in some lights ; from the
lower edge of the nape, the whole upper surface of an almost
uniform light slaty gray, very slightly paler on outer webs of
primaries, which present the frosted pearl-gray appearance described
by Mr. Howard Saunders ("Manual," p. 621) ; shafts of primaries and
secondaries on upper and under sides pure white, except for a little
before the tips. Fibres on outer edge of first primary are dark, like the
breast. A wedge-shaped stripe of white extends up the inner web
of the primaries to within about two inches from the tips. Upper
aspect of tips of primaries is of a rather darker shade, while the upper
surface of tail is of paler shade, than back. Scapulars and
secondaries very slightly tipped with white, which is, however,
almost worn off. Cap has a very few small white feathers inter-
spersed amongst the black ones in front of eyes and above the lores.
Lores and under eyelids white, the white extending round to the
black colour of nape, and shading quickly lower down into the
plumbfcous colour of upper neck. From the white patch on
throat, the neck, breast, and abdomen as far as the vent are of a
dark sooty plumbeous, like the colour on the under side of the Arctic
Tern, but very much more intensified. This colour ends abruptly
at the vent, which, with the under side of tail and under coverts, is pure
white. There are a few white feathers in the breast, that have slight
white tips or frilling. Under wing coverts pure white, axillaries
pure white. Thighs are very pale slate gray, shading to pure white
next the bare parts. Bill a deep blood red, hardly appreciably
darker than the blood that was still oozing from the poor bird.
Sides very dark blue, legs and toes vermilion, claws dark brown.
Length, \\\ inches; wing, 9^ inches; bill, \\ inches; cleft of tail only
half an inch deep. Subsequently Mr. M'Kay sent me the body,
which, when dissected, proved the bird to be a male. Its stomach
contained the remains of (apparently) one small white slug and a few
" scurrs " or fresh-water shrimps ( Gammarus fluviatilis), with the
addition of some vegetable fibres. Its short cleft tail, deeply
scalloped webs, and long slender toes are most conspicuous, and
these differentiate it at once in the eyes of any one accustomed only
to the common British species of Terns. The Whiskered Tern is
an addition not only to Solway, but to the Scottish list. Mr. H.
Saunders records six occurrences, five English and one Irish, and

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 181

it seems to be exactly twenty-nine years since a specimen has been
taken in Britain. ROBERT SERVICE, Maxwelltown.

Nesting of the Great Crested Grebe in Stirlingshire. In

April 1890 I had three eggs presented to me by a schoolfellow,
which he had taken a day or two previously from a nest on a loch
in Stirlingshire. These eggs remained unidentified until the other
day, when I was informed that they were those of the Great
Crested Grebe (Podidpes eristatus), and was invited by the Editors
of the " Annals " to place the interesting fact of the nesting of
this species in the Forth area on record. HARRY GUMMING,
Edinburgh.

Great Crested Grebe nesting in Fifeshire. While enjoying a
country ramble with my friend Mr. Meiklejohn on the igth of May
last, our surprise was considerable on coming to a small sheet of
water which for various reasons shall be nameless to notice a
pair of large Grebes sailing about accompanied by two young ones.
We lay down and watched them for some time, and being provided
with good glasses, and the birds coming several times within fair
distance, there was no mistaking the nuptial crests, and the bright
chestnut with dark margin of the nuptial tippet, for anything but
those of Podidpes eristatus. I need hardly say it was a surprise, as
both my friend and myself are under the impression that the Great
Crested Grebe has never before been found nesting in the east of
Scotland. ALLAN BRIGGS, St. Andrews.

Great Crested Grebe breeding in Mid-Fife. With reference
to a note which, I understand from Mr. Eagle Clarke, is to appear
in the Annals for July, regarding the breeding of the Great Crested
Grebe {Podidpes eristatus) in Fife, I would like to state that on two
occasions in June 1885 I had excellent views of a magnificent male,
and a momentary glance of a female, on a loch in the centre of the
county under circumstances which left little doubt in my mind that
they were there for nesting purposes, though it was impossible for
me to explore thoroughly the immense beds of Arundo, Scirpus,
and Equisetum which covered the part of the loch frequented by the
birds. The tenant of the adjoining farm told me he had noticed
them during the four previous summers. In 1887 three were
observed on the loch during the breeding season. I may also say
that in August 1887 I examined in the flesh an adult female which
was shot on a loch in Forfarshire on the 2nd of the month.
WILLIAM EVANS, Edinburgh.

Seorpsena daetyloptera in Scottish Waters. A specimen of
this richly coloured fish was captured by a Granton trawler on the
22nd of March this year ; and another specimen was taken, also by a
Granton trawler, on the 3oth of April following. Both were cap-

182 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

tured to the south-east of the Isle of May, and within a comparatively
short distance of each other. I am unable to give the exact locality
where the first specimen was obtained, but the second was taken
1 7 miles north by east from Dunbar, with the South Ness of May
Island bearing N.W. by W., f W., distance 16 miles. Neither
of the specimens were full grown. I am indebted to Mr. W. Eagle
Clarke, F.L.S., of the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh, for
the identification of the species, as I had not previously seen this
fish. Those who wish to see a figure, description, and history of
this species will find them in Mr. Eagle Clarke's excellent paper in
the Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh for
1893. THOMAS SCOTT, Leith.

Common Wrasse in the Solway Firth. I have to record
my indebtedness to Mr. Wm. Wright, Annan, for a very beautiful
specimen of above species (Lalmis tinea, Linn.), which is a fish
abundant enough off some parts of the British coasts where there is
deep water with a rough, rocky bottom. I have not seen it hitherto
from the shallow and turbid waters of the Solway, where a fish of
its brilliant appearance is altogether out of its usual habitat. I
understand it was captured near Newbie. ROBERT SERVICE, Max-
welltown.

Six-gilled Shark (Notidanus griseus) on the West Coast of
Scotland. The Six-gilled Shark is one of the rarest of those found
in British waters, and yet it cannot be so uncommon as is generally
believed ; and if all those captured were reported, we do not doubt
our list would be greatly extended. Dr. Day records five captures
in all, but we have ourselves had the opportunity of examining as
many from various parts of the West Coast of Scotland ; and as one
of these was a young one, but 2 feet 9 inches in length, it is pro-
bable that it had been bred in our home waters. This is a some-
what sluggish ground Shark, and the four we saw in the Lewis during
two winters' fishing were captured on the long lines to the west,
where they showed little spirit compared with the blue or white
sharks submitting patiently to their fate. The eye, a very large
one, of this fish is of especial beauty and iridescent brilliance, re-
taining its effect for some days after death. As the only Scottish
specimen recorded by Day is that in the Banff Museum, it may be
well to put on more permanent record the capture of four large
specimens off Carloway, Lewis, in 1870-71, and the further capture
of a young specimen off Lochbuie, Mull, in 1887. The central
dentition of this specimen differs from the six-foot specimen figured
by Day, while the shape of the tail is also distinct. At the same
time, the arrow-shaped spines are a peculiarity that may be con-
sidered important for purposes of differentiation. Caught amongst
a lot of Dog-fish, this Lochbuie specimen was only separated and

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 183

noted by accident. It is evidently a West Coast fish, and a ground-
Shark, and if fishermen were stimulated to take note of their Dog-fish
and Shark captures when at the winter white fishing, we should prob-
ably find many records of its capture in the West. W. ANDERSON
SMITH, Ledaig.

Some Singular Eels (Anguilla vulgaris) from the Isle of May.
At the meeting of the Scottish Microscopical Society on the 1 6th of
February last, Mr. George Sandeman called attention to some re-
markable Eels from a warm and stagnant loch on the Isle of May,
which has no communication with the sea. He remarked that it
was not known how long ago the Eels were placed in the loch, but
it did not appear to have been within the memory of man. They
are not known to breed, their ovaries and testes being somewhat
atrophied, though still apparently functional. In the specimens
examined, atrophy is also marked in the muscles and liver, and in
the muscles are many haemorrhages and leucocyte infiltrations. The
liver is reduced to one-third of its normal size, is very pigmented,
but not fatty. The spleen exhibits a peculiar waxy change, is small
and thickened, with the pulpy material reduced. The ovaries and
ova are very small, fatty, and the nuclei of the ova obscured. In
appearance these Eels are singularly bony. The specimens were all
about 26 inches long, but weighed only one-half the normal weight.
Perhaps the most interesting feature about them was their eyes, which
in some examples were eight times larger than normal. The cornea
is opaque, and attacked with Gregarines and other organisms. These
very remarkable abnormalities Mr. Sandeman believes to be due to
senility. Some ten years ago several of these Eels were caught and
cooked, with the result that those who partook of them were seized
with illness.

On the Occurrence of Salpse in the Moray Firth. During the
early days of October last year, specimens of Salpce, were captured
by means of the surface tow-net in various parts of the Moray Firth.
Owing to the delicate structure of these Ascidians, the greater
number of those obtained were more or less injured from contact
with the sides of the net. Salpce have very seldom been captured
by us ; and, as a matter of fact, we have no previous record of their
occurrence in the Moray Firth or anywhere else on the East Coast
of Scotland, nor do I know of any records for the East Coast by
other observers, but there are a few authentic records of their
occurrence on the West Coast. Like many other marine organisms,
Salpce are almost perfectly transparent, so that the contents of the
alimentary cavity appear as a dark-coloured mass through the other-
wise transparent test. It may also be stated that I have had speci-
mens of Snipes sent to me from Shetland. THOMAS SCOTT, Leith.

Euehloe eardamines in Moray. On 24th May last I saw a

184 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

number of specimens of the Orange-tip Butterfly (Euchloe cardamincs)
flitting about in the wooded valley of the burn of Aberlour, Spey-
side. The species is recorded for the province of Moray, but is
local and uncommon. I never saw the butterfly in that spot before,
and nowhere in this province have I found it in such numbers.
HENRY H. BROWN, Elgin.

Pamphilius erythrocephalus at Dalguise. On Saturday, i2th
May last, in company with two brother collectors, I visited Dalguise
Hill in brilliant weather. My attention was drawn to a beautiful
sand-fly, of a bronze-blue colour, with red head (a female), resting on
the heather immediately under a Scots fir, one of two isolated trees.
The insects were found in profusion, both on the heather (but
only immediately under said trees) and on the trees themselves.
Fully fifty specimens were boxed, but hundreds could have been
taken. The insects are apparently very ferocious, as five specimens
which had unfortunately been boxed together had literally torn each
other to pieces. On reference to Cameron's "Monograph of the
British Phytophagous Hymenoptera,' 1 vol. iii. pp. 93-94, I find the
species to be Pamphilius erytkrocep/ial/ts, Linn., and the following
extract from that work may prove of interest : " Rare. ' Near
Bristol and in the West of England' (Stephens): ' Rannoch, Pit-
lochry' (A. Beaumont)." "According to Hartig, the larvae live on
Pinus sylvestris, each in a nest of silk spun by itself, of a roundish
form, and about the size of a hazel-nut, plentifully garnished with
the pellets of grass. Generally the larvce attach their cocoons to
the twigs of last year's growth, and as a rule near the ground.
There are usually two or three or more larvae on the same twig.
They are found during July and August, and pupate in the earth.
The eggs are laid in the needles of last year's growth."- -T. M.
M'GREGOR, Perth.

Odonestis potatoria (L.) in South Perth. While spending a
few days at Callander in the beginning of May last (1894), I found
five larvae of the Drinker Moth on a moor about two miles out on
the way to Port o' Menteith. The insect has not, so far as I can
ascertain, been previously recorded for " Forth." Dr. Buchanan
White tells me that, though he has had good evidence of its
occurrence in Perthshire, he has never seen it himself. I may add
that the larvae were abundant about Oban in April. The only other
interesting lepidopterous insect seen at Callander was the Green
Hairstreak (Thecla rubi\ of which I captured a couple on i2th May.
WILLIAM EVANS, Edinburgh.

List of the Rarer Spiders of Renfrewshire. Having for a
number of years given a little attention to the spiders of Renfrew-
shire, and as my captures amount to about 150 species, most of
which have been kindly named by the Rev. O. P. Cambridge, a

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES

185

short list of the rarer species may be of interest to some of the
readers of the "Annals of Scottish Natural History." A more
complete list may yet be furnished.

Segestria, Latr.

senoculata, Linn.
Oonops, Templeton.

pulcker, Tempi.
Micaria, C. L. Koch.

p ul i car ia, Sund.
Drassus, Walck.

lapidicolens, Walck.

pubescens, Thorell.

mysticus. New to science.
Clubiona, Latr.

reclusa, Cambr.

liitesceiis, West.

holosericea, De Geer.

comta, C. L. Koch.

pollens, C. L. Koch.
Nesticus, Thor.

ccllulaniis, Clerck.
Euryopis, Menge.

flavomaculata, C. L. Koch.
Neriene, Blackw.

atra, Blackw.

longipalpis, Sund.

nigra, Blackw.

vagans, Blackw.

longimana, C. L. Koch.

retusa, Westr.

Clarkii, Cambr.

livida, Blackw.

neglecta, Cambr.

viaria, Blackw.

fusca, Blackw.
Walckenaera, Blackw.

brcvipes, \Vestring.

bifrons, Blackw.

fuscipes, Wider.

pumila, Blackw.

obscura, Blackw.

flavipes, Blackw.

hamalis, Blackw.

latifrons, Cambr.

obtusa, Black.

capita, Westr. Only one
other British specimen.
Epeira, Walck.

ciicurbitina, Clerck.

agalena, Walck.

cornnta, Clerck.
Trochosa, C. L. Koch.

leopardus, Sund.

ruricola, De Geer.
Neon, Sim.

reticulahis, Blackw.
Euophrys, C. L. Koch.

cequipes, Cambr.
Hasarius, Simon.

arcuatus, Clk.

Adansonii, Savigny.

MORRIS YOUNG, The Museum, Paisley.

Note on a Bifid Worm. Mr. Gilchrist Clark of Speddoch
recently gave me one of those rare abnormalities a worm with two
tails. It had been found amongst some worms kept for angling
purposes. The species was the ordinary Brandling (Lumbricus
ftetidus). Considerably less than a dozen instances of this curious
malformation in worms are on record, and it so happens that,
including the specimen under notice, no less than four of these
have passed through my hands. So many as four having been in
the possession of one individual would seem to indicate that this
" freak " is not so rare as is generally supposed. I have presented
this specimen to the Museum of Science and Art in Edinburgh.
ROBERT SERVICE, Maxwelltown.

1 86 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS.

Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Z., in the Outer Hebrides. In

" Topographical Botany," ed. 2, the above species stands unrecorded
for five Scotch counties. I have seen specimens from Argyle and
East Sutherland, and it is recorded for Wigtown in the Record
Club Report for 1883.

In May of this year Mr. W. S. Duncan has sent specimens from
" South of Tarbert, Harris." This leaves only one county for
which it stands unvouchecl, viz. Shetland. It seems quite wanting
in Sweden, though occurring in Norway and Denmark, while S. altcr-
nifoliuni is distributed throughout the whole Scandinavian peninsula
and about half the provinces of Finland.

In Scotland C. alternifolium is recorded north to Argyle,
Inverness, and Elgin. ARTHUR BENNETT.

Linnsea borealis, Gron., in Sutherland. --The receipt of
specimens of the above plant from Dr. Joass, of Golspie Manse, has
called my attention to the omission I made of this species in the
"Annals" for 1893, p. 225. Mr. Grant sent me specimens gathered
in July 1888 by Mr. Lindsay in "Little Ferry Wood," and how I
came to neglect to insert it I am unable now to say.

Dr. Joass kindly writes as follows : " I saw it a few years ago,
hanging from a saucer in a cottage window in this parish, near
Balblain pine-wood, and was offered a guide to show me its habitat.
We missed it on the way out, my guide being a small boy ; but it
was found in a considerable patch on our return track. Next year
my sister found a larger spread of it about half a mile off. I do not
know any other locality for it in Sutherland. I am told that it grows
in Novar Wood in Ross."

Novar is about 6{ miles north-east of Dingwall; but I suppose
the note of its extinction " near Dingwall " may apply to this wood,
" owing to the wood in which it grew being cut down and cultivated
(T. A.) " * Its record in West Ross (Davidson, in " Scottish Natural-
ist "), has not been, I think, confirmed. The old locality of " Brahan
Castle " would be south of Dingwall. Is this the same locality as
" Kingsmills, now destroyed by cultivation " ? I have seen speci-
mens from Inverness (V.C. 96). The Sutherland station will take
it about 25 miles farther north than previous records; but there is
no reason why it should not be found still more northwards, as,
though not recorded for Iceland or the Faroes, it occurs throughout
Scandinavia up to lat. 71 10", and in Finland in all the northern
provinces. In 1883 it was found by the Swedish expedition at
Ivigtut in South Greenland, and in 1884 by the Fylla expedition

1 "Journal of Botany," 1889, p. 362.

BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS 187

(Warming and Holm) at the Praeslefjeld by Holstenborg, "growing
with Salix glauca, Empetnim, and Vaccinium."

It seems to be most abundant near Braemar (Mrs. Lomax), and
in Moray, where it is recorded from many stations. I have speci-
mens from Berwick, Forfar, South Aberdeen, Inverness (Co. 96), and
East Sutherland. ARTHUR BENNETT.

[Liiuuea borealis can scarcely be called " most abundant " in
Braemar, though patches of it occur in that district in several
localities. It is much more plentiful in fir woods in the middle part
of the valley of the Dee. It occurs also in several localities in
"North Aberdeen"; but everywhere in Scotland, if I may judge
from personal observation, it is local. I have never seen it in
Scotland in the profusion in which it abounds in some parts of
Norway. J. W. H. T.]

Ferns from Barra (Outer Hebrides). I recently visited this
" far distant isle of the sea," and had the privilege of observing a
few of its more interesting plants ; perhaps it may not be out of
place if I give the names of one or two of the rarer ferns that were
obtained, ist. The Moonwort Fern, Botrychiiim Lunar ia a few
plants of this fern were observed on the hills immediately behind
Castlebay, but it did not appear to be very common. 2nd. The
Hart's Tongue Fern, Scolopendrium vulgar e a single very small
plant of this fern was growing in a curious gully on the east shore,
over against Castlebay. This gully had been formed by the dis-
integration of a trap dyke. I was indebted to a friend one of the
coopers engaged in the curing of herrings at Castlebay for the
discovery of this fern. 3rd. The Beech Fern, Polypodium Phegop-
teris a plant of this fern was obtained among some rocks above
Sinclair's Loch, which is on the west side of the island, and about
three-quarters of an hour's walk from Castlebay. I may mention
that the beautiful Sail a verna recorded for Barra by Mr. A.
Somerville, December 1887, was common in flower among some
of the rocks here, and some plants of Seduni Rhodiola were also
observed in full bloom.

Scilla verna appeared to be much more common in Barra than
S. nutans, which was observed only at the north-east end of the island.
-THOMAS SCOTT, Leith.

Tetraplodon bryoides, Lindb. (mnioides, B. and S.) on the
Pentland Hills. This fine moss, though common in the Highlands
of Scotland, is not in my experience often met with south of the
Forth. In September 1872 I found a patch, on dung as usual,
near the source of the Medwyn in the Western Pentlands ; and on
23rd May 1891 another patch much farther east, on the peaty flat
connecting the top of Scaldlaw with the South Black-hill. A speci-
men from the first locality was shown at the time to the late Mr.

1 88 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Sadler. The species is not mentioned in either edition of Balfour
and Sadler's " Flora of Edinburgh," nor, of course, in Greville's
" Flora Edinensis." There can be no doubt about the identification,
which has been verified by Dr. Braithwaite. WILLIAM EVANS,
Edinburgh.

Orbilia seotiea, Massee (in " Grevillea " for June 1894, p. 99).-
" Gregarious, at first subglobose and closed, then expanding and
becoming almost plane, with a slight central depression, margin
entire, glabrous, thin, almost translucent when moist, irregularly con-
tracted when dry, deep rose red, sessile, and attached by a central
point, up to f mm. across ; excipulum parenchymatous, cells irregu-
larly polygonal, 5-7 // diameter ; hypothecium tinged red ; asci clavate,
apex rounded, base slender and usually crooked, 8-spored ; spores
irregularly 2-seriate above, i -seriate below, hyaline, continuous,
elliptic-oblong, ends obtuse, 4 by T /A ; paraphyses about i // thick,
tips subglobose.

On rotten wood, Aboyne, N.B.

The type specimen is in Herb. Berk., Kew, under the name of
Peziza vinosa ( = Calloria vinosa), from which it differs in the very
much smaller, differently shaped spores, although superficially the
two species closely resemble each other."

First Records of Scottish Flowering Plants. In Mr. W. A.

Clarke's "First Records " (see p. 190), the following are mentioned
from Scotland :

Melampyrum sylvaticum, L., 1777. "In woods, but not com-
mon," Lightf. " Fl. Scot.," 325. "On the road going from Tay-
mouth to the hermitage, 1775."- Lightf. Herb.

Utricularia Bremii, Heer., 1876. "Moss of Inshoch, Nairnshire,
Mr. Jas. B. Brichan, i6th August i833."--"Journ. Bot," 1876, 142.

Pinguicula alpina, L., 1832. "Picked by the Rev. George
Gordon in June 1831 in the bogs of Auchterflow and Shannon,
Ross-shire. . . . There are two specimens in the herbarium of Sir
J. E. Smith, sent to him by Mr. James Mackay, in September 1794,
from the island of Skye." " E. B. Suppl.," 2747.

Stachys ambigua, Sm., 1809. Found "by Mr. W. Borrer and
Mr. W. J. Hooker near Loch Carron and in Glen Ely in the North
of Scotland in September 1808." "E. B.," 2089.

Lamium intermedium, Fr., 1837. Distinguished by Dr. N.
Tyacke, near Edinburgh, in 1836, in first Report of Bot. Soc. Edinb.

Ajuga pyramidalis, L., 1777. "I am assured by the Rev. Dr.
Burgess of Kirkmichael that it is a native of Scotland, but I have
not yet learned the particular place of its growth."- Lightf, " Fl.
Scot.," 303.

CURRENT LITERATURE 189

CURRENT LITERATURE.

The Titles and Purport of Papers and Notes relating to Scottish Natural His-
tory which have appeared during the Quarter April-June 1894.

[The Editors desire assistance to enable them to make this Section as complete as
possible. Contributions on the lines indicated will be most acceptable and
will bear the initials of the Contributor. The Editors will have access to the
sources of information undermentioned. ]

ZOOLOGY.

BADGER IN AYRSHIRE. Winhuls. The Field, igth May 1894,
p. 698. A fine male captured at Loudoun "last week."

NOTES ON THE INJURY DONE BY FIELD VOLES (ARVICOLA
AGRESTIS) TO YOUNG PLANTATIONS ON DUNS CASTLE ESTATE.
By John Ferguson. Proc. Beiw. Nat. Club, vol. xiv. p. 156.

ABNORMAL RED-DEER HEADS. W. A. Baillie-Grohman. The
Field, loth March 1894, p. 356. Note on, and illustration of,
three-horned stag shot by Mr. Douglas H. Barry, at Struy, gth
October 1893.

HORNLESS STAGS. Jock Scott. The Field, iyth March 1894,
p. 395. The note refers to a fine specimen killed some years ago
in the Isle of Lewis.

MOVEMENTS OF BIRDS ON MIGRATION DURING THE YEAR
1892, AND OTHER NOTES ON BlRDS AND SMALL QUADRUPEDS.
By Charles Stuart. Proc. Berw. Nat. Club, vol. xiv. pp. 171-176.
-The observations were taken at Chirnside.

MIGRATION OF ROOKS. D. M'Kenzie. The Field, 7th April
1894, p. 487. A letter referring to the arrival on the island of
Lewis of a large colony estimated to contain from 4000 to 5000
birds.

GREAT GRAY SHRIKE IN PERTHSHIRE. P. A. N. The Field,
3ist March 1894, p. 451. Specimen shot on i3th March near
Kirkmichael in Strathardle.

OCCURRENCE OF THE HOOPOE IN THE TAY DISTRICT. Colonel
Drummond Hay. Proc. Perthshire Soc. Nat. Sci., vol i. part vii.
(1892-93), p. cxlvii. Specimen shot on the south bank of the
Tay, at Birkhill, on the 8th October 1892.

MORTALITY AMONGST SEAFOWL. A. B. Fortune. The Field,
1 4th April 1894, p. 536. Twenty-four specimens of Razorbills and
Little Auks cast up within a distance of about a quarter of a mile
on the Fife coast between Crail and Anstruther.

SAPPHIRINE GURNARD IN THE SOLWAY FIRTH. H. A.
Macpherson. Zoologist (3), vol. xviii. p. 230 (June 1894). Several

igo ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

specimens taken in the spring, the largest of which was a female
weighing 3f Ib.

VARIATION OF T^ENIOCAMPA GOTHICA. Richard South. Ento-
mologist, vol. xxvii. p. 194 (June 1894). The note refers to a series
of specimens bred from ova deposited by a female from Perthshire.

BlSTON HIRTARIA AND CLEORA VIDUARIA IN SCOTLAND. Wm.

Reid. Entomologist, vol. xxvii. p. 136 (April 1894). A short note
on the distribution of these two species in Scotland.

THE MILD SEASON. Wm. Reid. Entomologist, vol. xxvii. p.
146 (April 1894). Phigalia pedaria taken in the Logic woods on
27th December and 7th January.

EPHESTIA KUHNIELLA IN ABERDEENSHIRE. A. H. Home.
Ent. Record, vol. v. p. 96 (April 1894). Larvae found among flour
at Monymusk in the autumn of 1893.

A SECOND HUNDRED NEW BRITISH SPECIES OF DIPTERA.
By G. H. Verrall. Ent. Mo. Mag. (2), vol. v. pp. 76-79 (April
1894), and pp. 140-144 (June 1894). A number of Scottish
records are included in this paper.

BOTANY.

REPORT OF EXCURSIONS OF BERWICKSHIRE NATURALISTS' CLUB,
1892, in Hist. Berw. Nat. Club, vol. xiv. part i. The only points
of botanical interest to be noted are as follows :

To Hawick and Wauchope, on ist June. Lycopodium alpimini,
var. dedpiens, reported from near Traquair, and from Cattle-shields
in the Lammermoor Hills.

To Yester, on 3ist August. Measurements of several trees are
given, some of them very large: e.g. a Beech 75 ft. high is 15^ ft.
in diameter; an Oak 63 ft. high is 15 ft. 2 in. ; a Lime 94 ft. high
is 14 ft. 8 in.; and a True or Spanish Chestnut 92 ft. high is 18 ft.
All the diameters are taken at 5 ft. from the ground. [Note.
Should "diameter" not be circumference in these records? ED.
Ann. Scot. Nat. HistJ]

At the Anniversary Meeting, on i2th October, in Berwick
Museum, Dr. Hardy showed Miliiim cffusum, new to Berwickshire,
found by him in Penmanshiel Wood.

MEASUREMENTS OF SOME OF THE LARGEST TREES AT NISBET
HOUSE, BERWICKSHIRE. By Peter Loney, Marchmont. Hist.
Benv. Nat. Club, vol. xiv. part i. p. 146. Height and diameter at
i, 3, and 5 feet above ground are noted of 13 trees; but the
" diameters " are so large as to suggest that they are girths.

FIRST RECORDS OF BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS. Compiled
by William A. Clarke, F.L.S., continued. Journ. Bot., April-May.
Includes from Veronica spicata to Ajuga Chamcepitys.

REVIEWS 191

ARABIS PETR^A, LAM., VAR. GRANDIFLORA, DRUCE. By Ar.
Bennett. Journ. Bot., April, p. 114. This form, named by Mr.
Druce from Scotch examples, is shown to be the same as var.
ainbigiia, Regel. Widely distributed in the Arctic regions.

COCHLEARIA GRCENLANDICA, L., IN CAITHNESS. By Ed. S.

Marshall. Journ. Bot., April, p. 114. Found on cliffs south of
Wick, in July 1886, along with C. danica.

POTAMOGETON POLYGONIFOLIUS, VAR. PSEUDOFLUITANS, SYME.

By Alfred Fryer. Journ. Bot., April, pp. 97-100, Plate 342. Mr.
Fryer describes and figures specimens from " River Leven, Loch
Lomond," in Edinburgh herbarium, named by Dr. Syme himself, and
records that specimens from " Perth, Laird's Loch," and from
" Tiggan, Orkney Isles," belong to this variety.

NEW OR CRITICAL BRITISH ALG/E. By E. A. L. Batters,
LL.B., F.L.S. Grevillea, June 1894. Notes Urospora collabens,
Holmes and Batters ( = Conferva collabens, Harvey), sent in fine
state from Cumbrae by Mr. David Robertson ; and Scaphospora
spetiosa, Kjellm., from Cumbrae, and Ectocarpus toinentosoides from
east coast of Scotland (Stonehaven), both the latter found by Mr.
G. Brebner.

NEW OR CRITICAL BRITISH FUNGI. By G. Massee. Grevillea,
June 1894). Records Orbilia scotica, n. sp., on rotten wood, from
Aboyne. The type is in Berkeley's herbarium at Kew, under Peziza
vinosa.

REVIEWS.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF BRITISH BIRDS. By Henry
Seebohm. (London : R. H. Porter.)

In this volume Mr. Seebohm attempts to classify British birds in
three different ways : firstly, their distribution within the British Isles ;
secondly, their distribution during the breeding season outside the
British Isles ; and, thirdly, their climatic distribution in the same
season.

The book concludes with a list of British birds, with as much
information in connection with the geographical distribution of each
species as can be given in a few lines.

The total number of birds admitted into the British list is 391.
These are divided into residents or partial residents 108, summer
visitors or partial visitors 48, winter visitors or partial visitors 68,
spring or autumn migrants or partial migrants 32, and accidental or
partial migrants 135. It must be understood that the word partial

192 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

is prefixed to those appellations which do not apply to all three
kingdoms.

The work is, strictly speaking, a guide to students and others who
wish to obtain a correct knowledge of the range of our British birds.
We have no fault to find with the text, every page of which shows
evidence of much careful thought and preparation. On the other
hand, we take exception to the way in which the volume has been
sent out : firstly, as regards the flimsy paper cover, which, in a work
of reference and likely to be much used, necessitates sending it over
to the binder ; secondly, in regard to the list of British birds having
been printed on one side of the paper only, so that, as the author
says, it can be cut up and used as labels for collections of stuffed
birds and eggs. Naturally this increases the bulk, and doubtless the
price of issue. We think the instances in which it would be cut up
for labels will be most exceptional ; and, with all due regard for the
author's intentions, his book is too good for mutilation by scissors
and paste.

STIRLING NATURAL HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S
TRANSACTIONS, 1892-93.

The Stirling Society is to be heartily congratulated on the results
of its scientific work during the past year, which, when recorded,
forms a volume of no less than 136 pages. It is not upon the
voluminosity of its publications alone that we express our great
satisfaction, but, and what is far more important, upon their great
merit and usefulness. The papers are very properly local in their
bearing, and not only of value and interest as such, but are welcome
contributions to British natural history. The Society is evidently
most efficiently officered, and we look forward with confidence and
pleasurable anticipation to the advent of further contributions to
the natural history of Stirling and district which we know to be
in preparation.

NATURAL HISTORY OF ARBROATH AND DISTRICT. By Thomas
F. Dewar, M.D., B.Sc. (Arbroath : Brodie and Salmond.)

Another contribution to Scottish local natural history is Dr.
Dewar's little book with the above title. This work consists of
a series of extremely well-written chapters dealing with a variety of
subjects, Zoological, Botanical, Geological, treated of in a style that
is attractive and popular. Dr. Dewar proves himself to be an able
naturalist, and an accurate observer who has devoted his attention to
subjects varying from the mammals of the district to the life between its
tides ; from wild flowers to the " birth of Forfarshire." In addition to
affording much useful information, especially to the zoologist, the
book is well calculated to foster interest in the fauna and flora of
the area upon which it treats, and this was Dr. Dewar's laudable
object in penning its pages. We congratulate him on the success
he has achieved.

The Annals

of

Scottish Natural History

No. 12] 1894 [OCTOBER

NOTES ON DAUBENTON'S BAT AS OBSERVED
IN GLEN DOCHART, PERTHSHIRE.

By SYMINGTON GRIEVE.

DURING the last six or seven years I have had many oppor-
tunities of observing the bats that haunt certain cliffs in
Glen Dochart. Here the spurs of Creag Liuragam descend
at several points in precipitous rocks into the waters of
Lochs Ure and Dochart, and in these particular and fissured
faces are the chosen homes of Daubenton's Bat ( Vespertilio
Daubentonii}. As such cracks in the rocks can only be
examined from a boat, the bats are quite protected. There
is, however, one colony at least, high up in a cliff the foot of
which can be reached from the shore, but it is beyond the
reach of human inspection.

This bat does not generally make its appearance until
the shade of night has fallen. It is only to be observed on
fine evenings ; and during wet weather its absence was
noted for a considerable number of consecutive nights.
When they were about they seemed very busy, and several
dashed after our artificial flies, but discovered the true
nature of the lure in time to save themselves from capture,
though I am assured such is not always the case. Although
1 2 B

194 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

I have watched these bats on many an evening since the
summer of 1888, yet I had no opportunity of examining
a specimen until July of the present year. On the 4th of
that month, while examining a hawk's nest upon a small cliff
at Loch Dochart, my attention was attracted by an animated
chirping sound which proceeded from a fissure close by. On
peering into the opening I saw several bats clinging to the
rock, which, aided by the top-joint of my rod, I endeavoured
to secure. When, however, the creatures were touched, they
climbed higher, and into the more inaccessible crevices, but
not before I had secured several specimens with my landing-
net as they flew out. Among my captives was a female
with a young one clinging to its back, but afterwards the
baby bat lay rolled up in her left wing. The colony was
evidently an old established one, for the droppings were
numerous and the edges of the fissure were blackened by
the constant rubbing against them by the bodies of the bats
as they entered and departed.

A few days later I discovered, in a fissure in a cliff 70
feet high and laved by the loch, another colony. This
fissure was very deep, and the smell proceeding from it
indicated lengthened occupation. I found it difficult to
procure specimens from it, as the bats retired during my
intrusion to the innermost recesses, beyond my reach.

At 9.30 p.m. on the 26th of July, when fishing on Loch
Dochart, I heard a strange wail come across the water from
the other side of the loch. It seemed to ebb and flow and
to proceed from the most westerly of the cliffs, about three
hundred yards away. On rowing to the place I easily
recognised the chirping of bats proceeding from two points
in the cliff; one of them the fissure from which I had pro-
cured my last specimens, and the other from a new haunt
higher up in the cliff and beyond the reach of inspection.
From observations I was able to make, I have no doubt that
the chirping sound proceeded from the young bats, and that
the ebbing and flowing sound, which from a distance resembled
a wail, was caused by the arrival or departure of the old
bats, who were evidently supplying their young with food.

I found great difficulty in feeding my captives, for although
at first they took some lean roast mutton chopped very fine,

PROBABLE BREEDING OF HAWFINCH IN MIDLOTHIAN 195

they did not appear to care for the diet. Flies were not to
be obtained in sufficient numbers, but any put into their cage
were neglected until night set in, when they were evidently
eaten, perhaps by the mother bat only, as they entirely
disappeared.

To give any estimate of the numbers of Daubenton's Bat
inhabiting Glen Dochart would be very unsatisfactory, for
the greater part of the glen has yet to be examined. I am
prepared, however, to say that at Lochs Dochart and Ure I
saw some dozens of them, and, judging from the noise they
made, they were probably in hundreds.

Knowing that Mr. Eagle Clarke was wishful to see bats

O _>

from various parts of Scotland, I forwarded specimens to him,
and he informed me that they were Daubenton's Bats, a
water- loving species; and that the locality indicated an
extension of the recorded range, carrying its distribution into
the heart of the southern Highlands, and being the most
northern outpost of this bat for Central Scotland.

It may be useful to remark that the locality is about
512 feet above sea-level.

ON THE PROBABLE BREEDING OF THE HAW-
FINCH (COCCOTHRAUSTES VULGARIS} IN
MIDLOTHIAN.

By WM. EAGLE CLARKE.

ALTHOUGH the Hawfinch has hitherto been both rare and
casual in Scotland, visiting the country most irregularly,
never in more than extreme fewness of numbers, and at no
particular season of the year ; yet, from a knowledge of the
bird's history as an English species, it seemed probable that
it would eventually become a colonist in Northern Britain.

In 1678, when " Willughby's Ornithology " was issued by
Ray, the Hawfinch was described as seldom coming over
to England, and only in hard winters. The bird has, however,
long been resident and pretty generally distributed in the
more southern counties, and has for many years been

196 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

increasing in numbers and spreading in the north-eastern
counties of England. It was quite unknown in Northumber-
land at the date (i 843) when Mr. Yarrell gave to ornithologists
his famous " History of British Birds " ; but has, according
to Mr. George Bolam, of late years been increasing its range
northwards in that county, and is now known to breed some-
what regularly upon Tyneside, though in 1874, when the
late Mr. Hancock wrote his " Catalogue of the Birds of
Northumberland and Durham," it was but " a rare casual
visitant." Its advent, therefore, in Scotland as a colonist
was an extremely probable eventuality. That such an
immigration has actually taken place, the following record
of the capture of a particularly youthful specimen during the
summer of the present year would seem to indicate as more
than likely.

For the following facts relating to the taking of a young
Hawfinch on his estate, I am indebted to Mr. Robert Dundas
of Arniston, Midlothian, who informs me that he found the
bird entangled in a net over a strawberry-bed on the 3rd of
August last, and that the bird, which was alive, was killed by
a terrier dog which accompanied him. From the immature
state of its plumage, Mr. Dundas was of opinion that the bird
must have been hatched in the neighbourhood, probably
in the glen immediately adjoining the garden. That neither
parents nor co-nestlings have been observed, Mr. Dundas
considers is not surprising, because the nature of the locality
is such that the birds would easily escape notice ; and, I
would add, there should be taken into consideration the well-
known shyness of the species, which always makes it most
difficult of observation.

I have examined the bird, which is a very young male,
with the throat pale yellow, and I quite agree with Mr.
Dundas that it was doubtless bred not far from the garden
where it met with its untimely end.

Mr. Dundas has presented the bird to the Scottish
National Collection in the Museum of Science and Art,
Edinburgh, and has issued orders to his gamekeepers that if
further Hawfinches are seen they are not on any account to
be molested.

My friend Mr. Wm. Evans writes me : " I am extremely

THE INTRODUCTION OF GROUSE TO THE TEXTSMUIR 197

interested in the occurrence of the Hawfinch at Arniston.
It is undoubtedly a very uncommon bird in any part of
Scotland. Writing from memory, and away from my notes
I can only call to mind t\vo definite records of its occurrence
in the east of Scotland. Saxby mentions, in the ' Zoologist,'
I think, having seen several in the hands of bird-catchers in
Edinburgh, which were said to have been captured in the
neighbourhood of the city ; and there is a specimen in the
Perth Museum which was shot near Murthly by Professor
M'Intosh. Both records are now of a good many years'
standing."

ON THE INTRODUCTION OF GROUSE TO THE
'TENTSMUIR IN FIFE.

By WILLIAM BERRY, B.A., LL.B.

IN the "Zoologist" for February of this year, a short account is
given of what promises to be a successful attempt to intro-
duce our Scotch Grouse into Northern Germany : a record

j

of the introduction of this bird to the Tentsmuir in Fife,
where, though formerly unknown, it has successfully estab-
lished itself and is now quite at home, may not be without
interest.

The Tentsmuir is a large tract of barren moorland, flat
as the sea, which borders it along its entire length. It
extends from the Firth of Tay on the north, to the estuary
of the Eden, near Leuchars, on the south ; its length being
approximately five, and its average breadth two, miles. The
elevation above sea-level of the whole of this area is quite
inconsiderable perhaps eight or ten feet, or even less ; but
it is broken up and partially sheltered from the sweep of
the winds by lines or chains of sandhills, which rise to the
height of thirty or forty feet, and trend, speaking generally,
in the direction from east to west ; a similar chain forms a
continuous rampart along the sea-shore. The soil, if such it
can be called, is simply blown sand, only anchored in its
present position by the vegetation which has somehow
established itself as a skin upon the surface : indeed, a

198 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

strong gale particularly a Nor'-Easter such as that which
carried destruction on so vast a scale to the woods and trees
of our eastern counties on the i/th November of last year
sometimes makes a material alteration in the appearance
and size of the sandhills, blowing tons of sand, along with
the bent grass root and stem which formerly bound it
together, to form a new and sterile area on what was before
good heather ground. Herein lies a danger to which in-
land moors are not, of course, liable ; and in order to mini-
mise the effect of such a calamity we are compelled to
leave a broad fringe of strong unburnt heather along our
northern boundary, so that, on the one hand, the plant
itself may not so readily be smothered, and, on the other,
the sand may, by the thicker vegetation, be more speedily
arrested in its march of destruction.

The Tentsmuir is shared among three estates : Scots-
craig, the property of Mrs. Maitland Dougall, on the north ;
Kinshaldie, an extensive property belonging to Mr.
Alexander Speedie, in the middle; and Earlshall, the ancient
seat of the Bruces and Hendersons, now the property of R.
W. R. Mackenzie, Esq., on the south. Heather grows freely
on Earlshall, and also in some " districts " as they may
almost be called of Kinshaldie ; but on a large part of the
latter estate there is little or none, the rough pasture being
perhaps too frequently burnt, and the extensive bogs too wet.
The northern, or " Shanwell " moor, extending to about
IOOO acres, part of the estate of Scotscraig, of which the
writer is shooting tenant, is the original home of the Grouse
and the scene of their introduction. Nearly the whole of this
area is heather-clad, some " hollows " bearing the true heather
or ling, others the less useful bell-heather; while in most places
may be found a kind of dwarf or creeping willow (Salix repcns],
to which, the gamekeeper informs me, the Grouse are very
partial. Two good streams of running water cross this part
of the moor from west to east one forming the march
with Kinshaldie, while a broad ditch also drains a fairly
large bog lying parallel to the shore along the eastern
rampart ; and though these streams are all liable to be com-
pletely dried up in hot summers, water may, fortunately, be
found at any season, and at almost any spot on the moor,

THE INTRODUCTION OF GROUSE TO THE TENTSMUIR 199

by digging a few feet into the sand. Good coveys are thus
produced from dry tracts of heathery ground, where, were it
not for the numerous water-holes, no young Grouse could
exist. After long-continued wet weather, on the other hand,
in autumn and winter, a large part of the moor is sometimes
submerged to a depth of six or eight inches ; but at this
season the Grouse either entirely shift their quarters for the
time to drier ground, or, remaining, seem quite at home on
the now insular sandhills.

While the Tentsmuir thus presents many points of
contrast to the more inland Grouse moors, it yet seems to
be as the success of the experiment has in fact proved
generally suitable as a home for this bird. Stray Grouse
may have occasionally crossed the Tay from the Forfarshire
moors north of Dundee : one bird, a hen, was killed by my
father in September 1872, in a turnip-field on the south
bank of the Tay, not more than three miles west of Tents-
muir ; and the Scotscraig gamekeeper informs me that, many
years ago, he saw a Grouse fired at near this same place-
perhaps the same bird, or its mate, however, for, no record of
the event having been preserved, I cannot ascertain the
exact year in which it took place. Be this as it may, these
waifs and strays, if they ever reached Tentsmuir, at all
events never established themselves thereon, and it was not
until the year 1876 that the late Admiral Maitland Dougall
of Scotscraig decided to try an experimental introduction of
the bird. Permission having accordingly been obtained from
Mr. Adam of Blairadam, on the 2nd July in that year Mr.
John Fowlis, the Scotscraig gamekeeper, went with the keeper
from Blairadam to the moor of Outh, then rented by Mr.
Adam from Mr. Lawrence Dalgleish, and succeeded in captur-
ing a pair of well-grown young Grouse, which, being transported
to Tentsmuir, were there duly set at liberty. On the 8th
August of the following year eight more birds were procured
from the same moor; and, as it soon became evident that the
experiment was going to meet with a considerable measure
of success, everything was at once done that could lighten
the struggle for existence of the new colonists. A large staff
of men were sent down to dig up turfs covered with the
good heather, which were then carted away and relaid in

200 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

suitable spots where bell-heather or grass predominated ;
and this transplanted heather continues to flourish and is
spreading, though in places it can still be recognised as a
more or less rectangular patch, distinct from its surround-
ings. Water-holes were also dug wherever the supply was
insufficient, or not easily accessible ; and in the following
season the reward of this forethought was reaped, for the
birds not only bred, but successfully brought their young to
maturity. Of these birds, on 26th August 1878 the Admiral
shot five, the first-fruits of Tentsmuir.

For a good many years the Grouse now continued
steadily to hold their own, and in fact considerably increased
in numbers. I do not know whether any were killed in
1879, but in the seven years from 1880 to 1886 inclusive,
an average bag of just 20 brace was obtained ; the best year
being 1883 (28 brace) while the largest individual bag
was that of 7th August 1886, when 14 brace were killed by

two guns.

On this level moor the birds, which breed early, are
often packed and unapproachable by the beginning of
August. Perhaps an undue proportion of old birds, whose
numbers only a system of "driving" would have reduced,
escaped the gun altogether, and the breeding vigour of the
stock may thus have tended to deteriorate. A host of
enemies were also to be reckoned with. The moor, lying as
it does within the general lines of the great North and
South Migration Roads, as well as near to extensive tracts
of land on which there is no preservation of game whatever,
is visited and inhabited by swarms of crows hooded, carrion,
and hybrid ever on the look-out for a clutch of eggs or a
brood of young birds ; and worse even than the crows are
the egg-gatherers from the centres of population in the
neighbourhood, whose depredations are still, I regret to say,
carried on with a success which, to a bird-lover, is nothing
short of heart-rending. The hot summer of 1887 must have
been a trying one for the grouse ; for in such a season even
constant deepening of the water-holes hardly avails to keep
up the birds' supply of water. The bag this year was only
6^ brace, and, fresh blood being desiderated, in the latter end
of November nine hen birds were procured from Kirk-

THE INTRODUCTION OF GROUSE TO THE TENTSMUIR 201

cudbrightshire, which, being taken to the moor, the basket
and its custodian were surrounded by lustily-crowing cocks,
before even the captives were set at liberty. The cold, wet
summer of 1888 which followed prevented the results of this
new blood from being apparent for a time : only one covey
worthy the name was to be found when the shooting season
again came round, though the game list of this year is
otherwise interesting from its also containing the entry of
one or two sand-grouse, large flocks of which bird frequented
the moor, and the sandy arable country which adjoins it, at
all events from May to November. In 1889 the bag
192" brace was again practically up to the average of recent
years.

Upon the death of the proprietor in 1890, the shootings
of Scotscraig were let to Sir Walter Corbet, Bart, and later
to the present writer, in whose hands they have since re-
mained. A regular system of driving was instituted, there
being as yet no driving-butts, the guns concealed themselves
as they could among the sand-hills, and although large totals
were neither expected nor secured, a proper thinning of the
old cocks was thus brought about ; these, in magnificent
plumage, being especially conspicuous in the various bags,
amounting to a little over 30 brace. In the following spring
several lines of butts were erected, and a scheme of drives
arranged. Very active measures were also undertaken
against the marauding crows upwards of 40 being killed,
and their nests diligently sought for and destroyed ; while
the watchers were able at the same time to hold the egg-
gatherers in check. Our bag for that year was 50 brace
a result to which this extra activity no doubt contributed ;
and in 1892, when the same measures were again taken, and
the climatic conditions were equally favourable, the total of
73^- brace was reached.

The grouse may now be considered as thoroughly accli-
matised on Tentsmuir : and were they protected on a larger
extent of this waste land, no doubt their numbers would
greatly increase ; for the coveys, as a rule, run large a
brood of 1 3 young birds having twice been successfully
brought to maturity within my own experience. On this
subject, as it affects the southern end of Tentsmuir, Mr.

202 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Mackenzie of Earlshall writes : " There seems to me no
doubt whatever that the Grouse have fairly established them-
selves, and would rapidly increase to the fullest capacity of
the heather on the ground, if they were properly protected
from the ravages of their enemies human as well as winged,
etc. Last year I came on great numbers of their eggs
which had been devoured by hoodies, which are far too
numerous, and my watchers came on at least one band of
nesters with Grouse eggs in their possession. It seems to
me, therefore, that the Grouse must take very kindly to the
place indeed, to have survived on it at all under the
conditions which seem to prevail here." Mr. Mackenzie also
complains that all his efforts to thin the ranks of the crows
are ineffective; for whenever they are molested on his ground
these wary birds simply betake themselves for the time
to the large pine-woods in the neighbourhood where, as
they know, they have nothing to fear, and where they can
remain secure till, the danger having passed, they may once
more enter upon their persecution of the Grouse in safety.
From my own experience, I can testify to the difficulty of
trapping crows on ground where a plentiful supply of their
natural food in the shape of young, or in wet weather-
drowned rabbits can almost always be obtained. Shoot-
ing them in the open is practically impossible. As for a
pole-trap, for my part, I cannot on any terms tolerate that
almost inhuman engine ; and in any case where owls,
terns, and other harmless and interesting birds so abound,
the crows hunting the moor would seldom find the trap
unoccupied, and no good would result from the use of one.

The protection of the northern part of the moor has
been most beneficial, not to the Grouse only, but to those
wild birds which nest there as well. Sheldrakes, eiders, etc.,
breed, I think, in increasing numbers. By " protection " is
here meant entire prohibition and, so far as is practicable,
prevention of all unauthorised egg-gathering, together with
rigorous persecution of the crows, but not, let me add, of
owls and kestrels, or of the merlins or the rarer and larger
Raptores which may occasionally visit the moor at migration
time, and which are in general sedulously preserved. Where
the ground is protected, some species of wild birds at least

THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA 203

are in any season able to nest and rear their young in com-
parative security ; and, further, except in unusually cold
summers such as that of 1888, or when, as happened in June
1 893, the heat is so excessive that the underground water-level
sinks faster than it is possible to deepen the pits, a good bag
of grouse may confidently be relied on ; for " disease " is, so
far, absolutely unknown on the moor.

The Tentsmuir Grouse and their fortunes in the future
will perhaps be as much the immediate concern of the sports-
man as of the naturalist ; but it is from the point of view of
the latter only, so far as possible, that I have attempted to
give their history in the past : others may, I trust, be
interested to learn some of the details of this experiment in
practical ornithology which the late Admiral Maitland
Dougall so shrewdly undertook, and, with the able assistance
of his gamekeeper, Mr. John Fowlis, so successfully carried
out.

THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA.
By JOHN MACR.URY, M.B.

( Continued from page 145).

SPARROW-HAWK, Accipitcr nisus, L. I am very doubtful if this bird
occurs at all on the island, but if it does visit us occasionally,
it certainly is rather rare.

GREENLAND FALCON, Falco candicans, J. F. Gmelin. A beautiful
specimen of this species is in the collection at Eoligary, which
was shot by Mr. Murdo Macgillivray about ten years ago.
Another specimen was got in a rabbit-trap on the farm about
five years ago. These are the only records of its occurrence
that I can trace.

PEREGRINE FALCON, Falco peregrinus, Tunstall. A few are seen all
the year round, and at least 3 or 4 pairs breed in the southern
islands.

MERLIN, Falco cesalon, Tunstall. Fairly common all the year.
Several pairs breeding.

KESTREL, Falco tinnunailus, L. A few occasionally seen, but not
at all common, and I do not think it nests on the island.

204 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

COMMON CORMORANT, Phalacrocorax carbo, L. Very plentiful all
the year round, nesting in the rocky caves and precipices of
the surrounding small islands ; but the rocks used for roosting
during the rest of the year are seldom, if ever, used for
nesting, the latter being more secluded and inaccessible.

SHAG, Phalacrocorax graculus (L.) More abundant than the larger
species, and breeding in rocky caves.

GANNET, Sula bassana (L.) Very plentiful round the coast in
summer and autumn, but only a few seen in winter. None
nest or roost on any of the surrounding islands the whole
apparently going to St. Kilda.

COMMON HERON, Ardea cinerea, L. Abundant at all times, except
during the breeding season ; and although a few birds remain
through the entire summer, these no doubt are barren birds,
as none breed here.

SPOONBILL, Platalea leucorodia (L.) In a copy of Macgillivray's
" British Birds," vol. 4, which belonged to the late Dr. Mac-
gillivray of Eoligary, I find the following marginal pencil note
by the late Mr. Charles Gordon, who was a brother of the late
proprietor of South Uist and Barra, and lived for some years
in South Uist :-

" Dr. D. Macgillivray, half-brother to the author, showed
me a skin of a Spoonbill which he related had been shot by
himself on the farm of Ormiclate, South Uist. Two other
specimens were got in Barra at the same time. C. G."

Dr. Macgillivray's sons confirm the above note, as they
often heard their father speak of his having shot the bird. This
would be forty-five or fifty years ago, but there is no record of
the occurrence of the Spoonbill in Barra or South Uist since
that time.

GRAYLAG GOOSE, Anser rinereus, Meyer. A few come across
occasionally from South Uist during severe winters, but never
remain longer than a few days.

WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, Anser albifrons, Scopoli. In January
1891 five or six birds were seen on this island, and on i6th
April 1893 a flock of nine appeared at Eoligary and stayed
for a week. These are the only records of its occurrence in
Barra I can get.

BERNICLE GOOSE, Bernida leucopsis, Bechstein. Very plentiful in
the winter, especially on the islands of the Sound, arriving in
October and leaving about the end of April.

BRENT GOOSE, Bernida brenta, Pallas. A flock of about twenty
birds frequent the big strand at Eoligary, arriving and departing
about the same time as the Bernicles.

THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA 205

WHOOPER SWAN, Cygnus musicus, Bechstein. Small flocks of this,
and probably also of Bewick's Swan, pass over the island
occasionally, but seldom alight, owing to the absence of lakes
of any size.

MUTE SWAN, Cygnus olor, J. F. Gmelin. A couple of young
birds were taken to Eoligary from North Uist last year. They
feed in the marshes and pools through the day, and at night
generally come to the house to be fed.

COMMON SHELDDUCK, Tadorna cornuta, S. G. Gmelin. Fairly
numerous and permanently resident, nesting in rabbit-holes.

MALLARD WILD DUCK, Anas boscas, L. Breeding and permanently
resident ; but, owing to the small number of lakes and suitable
feeding-grounds, the number of the species is very limited.

GADWALL, Anas streperus, L. Three years ago, in the month of
September, I shot a couple of this species at Eoligary, when
flying across the island from the west. There were three or
four other birds, but this was the only time I ever saw the
Gadwall in Barra.

TEAL, Querquedula crecca (L.) A few are seen in the winter, and
probably a pair or two nest, as I came across a brood one
autumn very early in the season ; but it is not at all a common
bird on the island.

WIGEON, Mareca penelope (L.) Fairly common in the winter, but
does not stay to breed.

SCAUP DUCK, Fiiligula marila, (L.) On iSth February 1892 I
shot a Scaup Duck on the sea not far from my house. This
was the only bird of the species I saw in Barra.

GOLDEN-EYE, Clangnla glancion (L.) A small flock of a dozen or
so visit one of the lochs of the island every winter, but leave
early in the spring.

LONG-TAILED DUCK, Harelda gladalis (L.) Very common on the
west side of the island in the winter, arriving early in October
and leaving late in April. In July 1891 I saw a male of the
species at a spot much frequented by the birds in the winter,
but it was probably a straggler.

EIDER DUCK, Somateria mollissima (L.) Very plentiful all the year
round, nesting principally within easy reach of the sea ; but it
is gradually extending its breeding range farther inland some
considerable distance from the sea.

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, Mergus serrator (L.) Very common in
the winter, but only a limited number remain to breed,
probably owing to unsuitable localities, as they generally prefer
to nest on islands of fresh -water lakes, where they feed on
trout.

206 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

RING DOVE or WOOD. PIGEON, Columba palumbus (L.) The Ring
Dove has been met with on several occasions in Barra. The
first record is i5th October 1887 : a single bird shot by Mr.
M'Elfrish, Lochmaddy. Last year, and this year, I saw two
or three birds several times ; but it is a very uncommon visitor,
and never stays very long on the island.

ROCK DOVE, Columba lima, J. F. Gmelin. Very plentiful all the
year, roosting and breeding in the numerous rocky caves along
the coast.

RED GROUSE, Lagopus scoticns, Latham. Very limited in numbers,
probably owing to the abundance of their natural enemies,
chiefly the hooded crows.

QUAIL, Coturnix communis, Bonnaterre. Several birds of this
species, probably five or six pairs, visited the island last
summer. About the middle of June I first heard the notes
of two or three in a field of hay on the minister's glebe.
From this time up to the middle of August their notes could
always be heard about the same place, so that they must have
nested there. Several times I attempted to put them up, but
never succeeded, the cover being too thick. The Rev.
Archibald M' Donald, who often accompanied me on these
occasions, succeeded, however, one day, when alone, in
putting up one, and described it to me.

Many persons were struck by the strange notes which they
had never heard before. I think Quail were more abundant
than usual throughout Scotland last year.

AVATER RAIL, Rallns aquatints, L. Occasionally seen in the winter,
but it is rather rare.

LAND RAIL, Crcx pratensis, Bechstein. Very abundant in the
summer, arriving early in May and leaving in September.

MOOR HEN, Gallinula chloropus, L. A few pairs permanently
resident in swamps, but in winter some are seen on the sea.

COOT, Fulica atra (L.) A pair or two seem to reside permanently
on St. Clair Loch, but I have not met with them elsewhere on
this island.

SIBERIAN CRANE, Grus leucogeranus. One was shot by me on the
island on i9th August 1891. This bird was afterwards
supposed to have escaped from England.

RINGED PLOVER, sEgialitis hiatiada (L.) Common, breeding and
permanently resident.

GOLDEN PLOVER, Charadriits pluvialis, L. A small flock visits the
island in winter, but it does not stay to breed.

THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA 207

GRAY PLOVER, Squatarola helvetica (L.) A few birds have been
noticed occasionally in the winter, but this is rather a rare
species throughout the whole of the Outer Hebrides.

LAPWING, Vanellus vulgaris, Bechstein. Fairly common, breeding
and permanently resident.

TURNSTONE, Strepsilas interpres (L.) Pretty common at all times,
except during the breeding season ; and even then a few
individuals may be found almost, if not quite, through the
entire summer. I have seen birds on the 2yth of May and
also on the iSth of July 1893, but on both occasions in small
flocks of about half a dozen. I have been looking out care-
fully for any appearance of nests, but found none. The
Purple Sandpiper is also found very late in the summer, but
still there is no evidence of their having nested in the outer
islands. Probably those birds that remain late, or through the
entire summer, are barren birds, like the individuals of the
Curlew and Heron species that may be seen every summer at
their old winter quarters, but never nest here.

OYSTER CATCHER, HcEinatopus ostralegus (L.) Very abundant in
autumn and winter, and a considerable number breed, but only a
small proportion compared with the numbers met with in winter.

GRAY PHALAROPE, Phalaropus fulicarius, L. Two birds were
caught on the island during a gale on 26th September 1891.
I think this was the only occasion on which any of the species
occurred in any part of the Outer Hebrides.

WOODCOCK, Scolopax rusticula, L. Not very uncommon in the

winter.
COMMON SNIPE, Gallinago ccelcstis, Frengel. Rather plentiful,

breeding and resident.

JACK SNIPE, Gallinago gallitnda, L. Common in the winter.
DUNLIN, Tringa alpina, L. Common on the shores in the winter ;

and I think a few pairs nest, as I saw pairs in midsummer,

although I did not get eggs.
PURPLE SANDPIPER, Tringa striata, L. Very common in the

winter, and a few met with till June, but there is no proof of

their having nested here yet.
KNOT, Tringa canutus, L. I met a small flock of this species on

the island in the autumn of 1892, the first seen by me in the

Outer Hebrides. Since then they have been visiting in

autumn and winter in larger numbers and as there are excellent

feeding-grounds they will probably become regular winter

visitors.
RUFF, Machetes pugnax, L. One bird was seen by me on 2nd

September 1889. This is the only record from Barra.

208 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

SANDERLING, Calidris arenaria (L.) Very common in the winter,
but leaves earlier than the Turnstone and Purple Sandpiper.

COMMON SANDPIPER, Totanus hypoleucus, L. A few pairs arrive
punctually about the ist of May, nest, and leave with their
young as soon as they are fledged.

REDSHANK, Totanus catidris, L. Common in the winter, but does
not stay to breed.

GREENSHANK, Totanus canescens, J. F. Gmelin. One or two birds
are occasionally met with in winter, but it is decidedly very
rare at present in the southern half of the Long Island,
although in Macgillivray's time it seemed to have been more
common. In their notes of this bird by Messrs. Harvie-Brown
and Buckley in "Vertebrate Fauna of Outer Hebrides," I think
they mistake Macgillivray's meaning when they state that "he
speaks of their numbers in Uist, Harris, and Lewis as
astonishing.' 1 '' Now the term " astonishing " was applied by
Macgillivray to the number of the lakes in these islands, which
certainly are very numerous, and not to the birds, as may be
seen from his words, which are as follow : " Many individuals
remain during the summer, when they are to be found by the
lakes in the interior, of which the number in Uist, Harris, and
Lewis is astonishing," vol. iv. p. 322. Further on he mentions
having once found the nest of this bird in Harris, and then
states that "although in summer these birds may be seen in
many parts of these islands, they are yet very rare, a pair being
to be met with only at the interval of several miles." A little
attention to the text would have prevented this mistake.

BAR-TAILED GODWIT, Limosa lapponica (L.) Plentiful in winter,
arriving in September and leaving in April.

WHIMBREL, Nitmenius phxopus (L.) Small flocks arrive at the
beginning of May and leave at the end of the month. A few
birds are seen on the return autumn migration. One bird has
to my certain knowledge been permanently resident on the
island since I came five years ago, as I have already recorded
in the "Annals." I saw it when last in the locality a few weeks
ago ; and as it is not a wounded bird, its staying on the island
is very remarkable.

CURLEW, Numenius arquata, L. Common, except at the breeding
season, when only a few birds remain ; but it has never been
known to breed on the island.

ARCTIC TERN, Sterna niacrura, Naumann. Common as a breeding
species, arriving about the middle of May. I have never seen
the Common Tern in Barra.

THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA 209

BLACK-HEADED GULL, Larus ridibundus, L. Not uncommon during
greater part of year, but I am not sure if any breed on the
island : certainly not large colonies.

COMMON GULL, Larus canus, L. Abundant at all times, and

breeding.
HERRING GULL, Larus argentatus, J. F. Gmelin. Plentiful all the

year, and breeding.
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, Larus fuscus, L. Common all the

year, but not very abundant.

GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL, Lams marinus, L. Common at all
times. On an island near Mingalay I counted at least twenty
pairs breeding last season.

GLAUCOUS GULL, Larus glaiicus, O. Fabricius. Occasionally seen
during severe winters. I have met with three or four of them.

ICELAND GULL, Larus leucopferns, Faber. One young bird, which I
examined, was got here in the winter of 1893.

KITTIWAKE GULL, Rissa tridactyla (L.) Large colonies breed in
the rocks of Mingalay and Bernera, and a few birds remain
round the coast all the year.

GREAT SKUA, Stercorarius catarrhactes (L.) A Great Skua was
identified early last summer (1893) at Barrahead by Miss
Edgar, daughter of the principal light-keeper. It flew quite
close to the lighthouse, but seemed to be only passing, as she
did not see it again.

POMATORHINE SKUA, Stercorarius pomatorhinus, Temminck. Seen
occasionally round the coast in summer and autumn.

RICHARDSON'S SKUA, Stercorarius crepidatus, J. F. Gmelin.- Regular
summer and autumn visitors, but I do not think they breed
here.

MANX SHEAR-WATER, Puffinus anglorum, Tern. Occurs round the
coast, and a few are said to breed in one of the southern
islands ; but they have deserted their old breeding-places at
Mingalay some years ago, and the Common Fulmar is seldom or
never seen about the coasts.

FORK-TAILED PETREL, Oceanodroma leitcorrhoa, Vieillot. Occurs
round the coast, and a few may be breeding in the southern
islands.

STORM PETREL, Procellaria pelagica (L.) A few are seen about the
coast ; but it is doubtful if it breeds anywhere on the islands
of Barra at present, although at one time it seems considerable
numbers of them bred in Mingalay Island.

RAZORBILL, Ale a torda, L. --Very abundant at the southern
islands during the breeding season, and a few birds remain on
1 2 C

210 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

the coast all the winter. There is one point in connection
with this bird and the Common Guillemot which, as I have
seen no reference made to it in books, I think of sufficient
interest to mention here. When hatching, the Razorbill, as
is well known, lies alongside of the egg, whereas the Guillemot
sits right over it. Now on each side of the Razorbill, under
the wing, is a circular spot about two inches in diameter, quite
denuded of feathers, and with the skin round its circumference
considerably thickened. The egg is held in this spot by the
wing, and must be kept much warmer by coming directly in
contact with the skin than would be the case were the feathers
to intervene. The Guillemot has a spot exactly similar in the
lower third of its breast, in the middle line. These spots must
be carefully searched for, even when the birds are in the hand,
as the surrounding feathers, which are very thick, completely
cover them, which probably is the reason why they have been
overlooked. They are found only on the sitting birds, as I
have examined several during the breeding season which
showed no trace of them.

I have one Razorbill's egg which is pure white. Two of
this colour were got at Barrahead in 1893, at the same spot, at
about ten days' interval, and were supposed to have been laid
by the same bird.

COMMON GUILLEMOT, Uria troik (L.) Immense colonies breed
in the southern islands, and a few birds remain round the
coast during the winter. The bridled variety number about
one in five, and are of both sexes, pairing with each other and
with the common variety indifferently, as I have frequently
observed in the rocks.

BLACK GUILLEMOT, Uria giylle (L.) This species is moderately
plentiful during the breeding season at various localities round
the islands. In winter, too, it is not uncommon, although I
believe the bulk of those that remain with us are young birds
in the grayish white plumage. A few old birds are, however,
met with, and these are in the black or summer plumage. I
have already in the " Annals " drawn attention to the fact that
this Guillemot always retains the black plumage in winter once
it has attained it, when about a year or ten months old. I
have met with birds in the full summer or black plumage early
in February, when the young are in the gray the latter not
changing to the black till the beginning of May ; and Mr. Mal-
colm Macaulay, the Lighthouse boatman, who knows the bird
perfectly well, tells me that he meets with numbers of them
every winter in the black plumage, when visiting the Light-
house at Barrahead.

THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA 211

LITTLE AUK, Mergulus alle (L.) A number of this species were
washed ashore dead on the west side of Barra this winter,
probably owing to the severe and long-continued gales. One
of them was preserved by Mr. Macgillivray. It is rather rare
on the coast.

PUFFIN, Fratercula arctiai (L.) Very abundant as a breeding
species at Mingalay and Barra Head ; but few, if any, remain
through the winter. Numbers of the Puffin, Razorbill, and
Guillemot used at one time to be salted and stored up for
winter use by the natives of the southern islands, but at present
this practice is not so common. There is a story related of a
former minister of Barra who was one day visited by a native
of the island of Mingalay. The minister asked the man what
kind of birds they had in the islands, when he got the follow-
ing reply in the native language of course : " Dh'itheadh tu
tri dhe na seumais ruadha, dha dhe'n duibheanach, ach
dheanadh a langach sath do chridhe dhut ; " which means,
" You could eat three Puffins, two Razorbills, but the Guillemot
would satisfy you to your heart's content." The minister felt
rather offended, especially as the singular pronoun was used ;
but of course the man had given a graphic description of the
birds from his own point of view.

GREAT NORTHERN DIVER, Colymbus glacialis, L. Common all
round the coast, remaining till the beginning of June.

BLACK-THROATED DIVER, Colymbus arcticiis, L. Rather rare, but
a few are seen in winter on the sea.

RED-THROATED DIVER, Colymbus septentrionalis, L. More common
than the last, but does not breed on the island.

SLAVONIAN GREBE, Podicipes auritus (L.) Not uncommon on the
Sound of Barra in winter.

LITTLE GREBE, Podicipes fluviatilis (Tunstall). A few are seen in
sheltered bays of the sea in winter, but it does not breed on
the island, probably owing to the want of suitable lakes,
although it breeds in large numbers in Uist.

ADDENDUM.

CROSSBILL, Loxia ciervirostra, L. A few of these birds appeared in
my garden on June 3oth, 1894, and remained for fully a week.
Two were fully adult males ; the rest were in female plumage.

212 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

REPORT ON THE MOVEMENTS AND OCCUR-
RENCE OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING

1893-

By LIONEL W. HINXMAN, "B.A.

( Continued from page 153).

PHYLLOSCOPUS TROCHILUS (Willow Wren).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, April 27, Aug. n, Oct. 4.

Moray. Strathspey, April 1 8.

Dee. Fyvie, April 20 Sept. 16.

Forth. Brig o' Turk, April 8; Dalmeny, April 15; Edinburgh,

April 19 Sept. 18.
Tweed. Chirnside, April 1 8.
Outer Hebrides. Barra, Nov. 13, 14, one caught, and another seen

a week later; Barra Head, April 21 ; Monach, Oct. 7.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, April 8; Skerryvore, May n, in rush, S.E.
Clyde. Giffnock, April 9-Sept. 16.

Earliest, April 8, Trossachs and Tiree; latest, Nov. 20, Barra.
Principal movements, April 15-19.

PHYLLOSCOPUS SIBILATRIX (Wood Wren).

Tay. Struan, May 7.

Forth. Dreghorn, April 30 ; Dalmeny, April 30.

ACROCEPHALUS SCHCENOB^ENUS (Sedge Warbler).

Moray. Cabrach, May 12.

Dee. Fyvie, April 28.

Forth. Menteith, April 30; Edinburgh, April 3o-Sept. 3.

Tweed. Hallmyre, May i.

Clyde. Mearns, April 23.

Earliest, April 23, Mearns; latest Sept. 3, Edinburgh.

LOCUSTELLA N/EViA (Grasshopper Warbler).

Argyll and Isles. Observed at Loch Creran in May and June
"Field."

ACCENTOR MODULARIS (Hedge Sparrow).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 4, "rarely seen here."
Outer Hebrides. Barra Head, a pair, May 3.

MOVEMENTS OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING 1893 213

AMPELIS GARRULUS (Waxwing).

Sutherland. Tongue, Jan. 1 1 ; Wick, Feb. 4.

Moray. Golspie, Jan. 27.

Dee. New Pitsligo, Jan. 2 ; Tough, Jan. 7 ; Rhynie, Feb. 2 5 ;

Arbuthnot, March 25.
Toy. Carse of Cowrie and near Errol, Jan. 9; Invergowrie during

February in considerable numbers, and in August a pair with

young. This pair was seen all the spring at the same place,

and must have nested. 1
Tweed. Roxburgh.
West Ross. Inverewe, end of April.
Solway. Mugdoch, Feb. 5.

MUSCICAPA PARVA (Red-breasted Flycatcher).

Outer Hebrides. Young $ captured at Monach L.H. by William
Tulloch, Oct. 22. The first record of this bird for Scotland.

MUSCICAPA ATRICAPILLA (Pied Flycatcher).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, May 1 6, one ; Oct. 4, one, with Red-
starts.

MUSCICAPA GRISOLA (Spotted Flycatcher).

Forth. Dreghorn, May 5.

Clyde. Thornliebank, May 9 ; Queen's Park, Aug. 30.

HlRUNDO RUSTICA (Swallow).

Shetland. N. Unst, May 23 ; Bressay, May 22.

Moray. Strathspey, April 24.

jr) ee Girdleness, May 4; Fyvie, April 21 Oct. 6; Peterhead,
Sept. 29 main body left on i7th.

Tay. Arbroath, April 19; Bell Rock, April 28, 29.

Forth. Dalmeny, April 18 Oct. 30; Gosford, April 23; Edin-
burgh, Oct. 17.

Tweed. Hallmyre, April 18 ; Chirnside, April 24-Nov. 4.

Outer Hebrides. Barra, April 22.

Argyll and Isles. Skerryvore, May 19.

Clyde. Mallsmire, April 22 Oct. 17.

Solway. Loch Ryan, April 17.

Earliest record, April 1 7, Loch Ryan ; latest, Chirnside, Nov. 4.

1 This is a most surprising statement. Were the birds seen in August
satisfactorily identified ? EDS.

214 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

CHELIDON URBICA (House Martin).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, June 4, 9, 18.

Moray. Strathspey, April 24.

Dee. Fyvie, April 22-Sept. 18 ; Girdleness, Sept. 28, flying S.,

" seldom seen."

Tay. Bell Rock, May 15, 17; Arbroath, Sept. 29.
Forth. Gosford, April 23; Edinburgh, Oct. 17.
Tweed. Hallmyre, April 29; Chirnside, Oct. 10.
Outer Hebrides. Barra Head, April 22 ; Monach, May 17.

Earliest, April 22, Fyvie and Barra Head; latest, Oct. 17,
Edinburgh.

COTILE RIPARIA (Sand Martin).

Moray. Rothes, April 19; Golspie, April 22.

Dee. Fyvie, April 22.

Tay. Tayfield, April 18; Arbroath, April 19.

Forth. Burntisland, April 9; Duddingston, April 19.

Tweed. Allanton, April 8-Oct. 6.

Argyll and Isles. Skerryvore, March 19, six, wind S.

Clyde. Gryfe Water, April 1 5.

Earliest, March 19, Skerryvore; latest, Allanton, Oct. 6.

FRINGILLINyE (Finches).

Shetland. N. Unst, Oct. 9, Chaffinches; Oct. 13, Linnets; Oct. 18,
Redpoles. Dunrossness, Oct. 5, Chaffinches.

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 1 1, 25, small flocks of Greenfinches,
" not seen here before " ; large flocks of Chaffinches, with a
few Bramblings, Oct. 4, after strong winds from S.E. ; fresh
flocks during this month, and in large numbers on gth. Pentland
Skerries, Feb. 10, eight Mealy Redpoles; Feb. 23, pair of
Bullfinches ; Oct. 4, 5, rush of Chaffinches and Linnets, with
Redwings, Redstarts, and other birds, S.W.-N.E., light.

Dee. Girdleness, Oct. 9, Chaffinches ; Nov. 10, flock of Chaffinches,
Greenfinches, and Linnets ; Dec. 2 1, large flock of Greenfinches.

Tay. Bell Rock, March 24, Chaffinches and Siskins; April 18, 19,
Siskins and "other small birds"; July 5, Siskins; Sept. 3, 4,
10-12, Siskins and Linnets.

Outer Hebrides. Monach, Oct. 10, Chaffinch; Nov. 2, Chaffinches
and Goldfinch; Nov. 4, seven Greenfinches; Nov. 13,
Chaffinches and Bramblings in rush with Turdida:, E.S.E.
I. Ghlais, April i, large flock of Linnets. Barra, Oct. 7,
Greenfinches; Oct. 13, Chaffinches; Nov. 10, flock of 100
Greenfinches, " very seldom seen here previously."

MOVEMENTS OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING 1893 2I 5

Argyll and Isles.- Tiree, Oct. 23, flocks of Greenfinches. Skerryvore,
Sept. 17, Linnets; Chaffinches singly at intervals, Oct. 9-21;
in rush with Turdidcc, Nov. 12.

Clyde. Mount Florida, Dec. 31, three Goldfinches.

Principal movements, Oct. 4, 5, 9-13; Nov. 10-13.

PASSER DOMESTICUS (House Sparrow).

Outer Hebrides. Barra, Nov. 26, 3 c? , 2$. First time seen here,
though P. montanus is abundant and resident.

PLECTROPHANES NIVALIS (Snow Bunting).

Shetland. N. Unst, May 28, one; Sept. 19, two. Dunrossness,

Sept. 1 6, one; Sept. 23, in flocks; Oct. 25-Nov. 6, in rushes.
Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, last seen May i, in full breeding plumage ;

first seen Sept. 19, three; small flocks after Sept. 22; Oct. 9,

flock of 1000. " Nothing like the numbers seen last year."
Moray. Glenavon, Nov. 2 ; Eastern Cairngorms, several localities,

June and July.

Dee. Fyvie, March 30, Oct. 28.
Forth. Aberlady Bay, April 23.
Outer Hebrides. Barra, April 6, "increasing here and remaining for

the winter." Barra Head, Oct. 6. Monach, Oct. 2, one ;

Oct. 1 6, in flock with Larks.
Argyll and Isles. Ardnamurchan, Sept. 22; Tiree, Oct. 4, 24, in

numbers.

Earliest record, Sept. 16, Dunrossness; latest, N. Unst, May
28 (possibly remaining to breed). Principal movements, Sept. 22,
23 ; Oct. 24-Nov. 6.

MOTACILLIN,E (Wagtails).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Aug. 22, small flocks of M. lugubris (Pied

Wagtail). Pentland Skerries, March 23, M. lugubris ; Sept. 4,

M. melanope (Gray Wagtail).
Dee. Girdleness, Oct. 9, M. lugubris.
Forth. M. alba (White Wagtail), two; Aberlady Bay, April 23;

North Berwick, August 27.
Outer Hebrides. Barra, M. alba, May i ; M. melanope, Oct. 6,

"first record here." Monach, April 19, "Wagtails."
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, parties of M. alba travelling N.E., April 7,

May i ; and again passing S. in small flocks, Aug. 24, 25, 29.

ANTHUS PRATENSIS (Meadow Pipit).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, a few during September and early October
" Does not breed here."

216 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

Argyll and Isles. Skerryvore, "Titlarks," March 26, April 24;
May 15, in rush with Warblers; Sept. 14; Oct. 5, a flock,
flying N. ; Oct. 8, with Warblers and Thrushes.

Clyde. Sanda L.H., Nov. 1 1, 13, in rushes with Blackbirds, etc.,
N.E.-E.

^^1 ANTHUS TRIVIALIS (Tree Pipit).

Moray. Strathspey, April 24.

Forth. Midlothian, April 24; Dalmeny, April 29.

Tweed. Hallmyre, April 29.

Clyde. Giffnock, April 23.

Earliest record, April 23, Giffnock.

LANIUS EXCUBITOR (Great Gray Shrike).
Tweed. Willnage, Duns, Sept. 10 (an early date).

ORIOLUS GALBULA (Golden Oriole).
Orkney. Sanday, May 20.

ALAUDA ARVENSIS (Skylark).

Orkney. Pentland Skerries, Oct. 5, in rush with Linnets and

Redbreasts.
Tay. Bell Rock, March 13 ; April 19, with Siskins and other small

birds.

Forth. Inchkeith L.H., Feb. 3, 5, 12, single birds.
Outer Hebrides. Monach, Aug. 26, six; Oct. 16, in flock with

Snow Buntings; Nov. 7, flock of 100.
Argyll and Isles. Skervuile, Oct. 8, wind S.E., strong. Skerryvore

Jan. 6, Feb. 18, March 19, April 15 ; Nov. 12, in rush with

TurdidcB.

STURNUS VULGARIS (Common Starling).

Shetland. Bressay, Oct. 9, 16, at Light.

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 10, flock of several thousands. Hoy

Sound, March 26, 200; May 3, forty. Pentland Skerries, Oct.

18.
Tay. Bell Rock, March 16, a few; Oct. 15-17, in numbers with

Thrushes and others, S.W., haze.
Outer Hebrides. Monach, Nov. 4, about 100 ; I. Ghlais, Feb. 27,

large flocks.
Argyll and Isles. Skerryvore, March 7, 20, April 15; Nov. 12, in

rush with Turdida and Larks, E., haze.

MOVEMENTS OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING 1893 217
CORVUS FRUGILEGUS (Rook).

Shetland. Dunrossness, Nov. 1-13, in large flocks.

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, numbers seen during latter half of February
and first half of March.

Outer Hebrides. Barra, Oct. 20, in unusual numbers, and on Nov.
2 with Jackdaws (first of the latter seen here). Barra Head,
Oct. 30, in flock, with Jackdaws. Monach, Jan. 7, March 18,
Oct. 27-30, in large flocks during W.N.W. gale; Nov. 1-9, in
hundreds, with some Jackdaws, going towards St. Kilda, gale to
strong breeze, W.N.W.-N.E. ; a few observed returning Nov.
10, n, and some found dead on shore.

Argyll and Isles. Skerryvore, Nov. i, "Crows" and Jackdaws,
W.N.W. gale.

CYPSELUS APUS (Swift).

Moray. Rogart, May 15 ; Helmsdale, Sept. 7.

Tay. Arbroath, May 3-Aug. 13; Tayfield, May 13.

Forth. Leith, May 6 ; Edinburgh, Aug. 25.

Tweed. Chirnside, May 14.

Outer Hebrides. Barra Head, May 15.

Argyll and Isles. Skerryvore, May 15, 16, Nov. 17, N. gale.

Clyde. Mount Florida, May 2-Aug. 17.

Earliest, May 2, Mount Florida; latest, Nov. 17, Skerryvore.

CAPRIMULGUS EUROP^EUS (Nightjar).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, June 4, "first time seen here."

Dee. Fyvie, last seen Aug. 24.

West Ross. Kinloch, Shieldaig, May 13.

ALCEDO ISPIDA (Kingfisher).

Moray. Delfur, Strathspey, Oct. 22.
Argyll and Isles. Mull, Nov. 17.

UPUPA EPOPS (Hoopoe).
Orkney. One shot in Eday, "autumn."

CUCULUS CANORUS (Cuckoo).

Moray. Cabrach, April 28; Rogart, May 2 ; Aviemore, May 4.

Dee. Fyvie, May 6-August 7.

Tay. Struan, May 6.

Forth. Edinburgh, Dalmeny, April 26; Callander, April 27.

Tweed. Hallmyre, April 2 6- August 1 5 .

2i8 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

West Ross. Shieldaig, May 3.

Outer Hebrides. Barra, May i.

Argyll and Isles. Earraid, Mull, May 2.

Earliest record, April 26, Edinburgh, Hallmyre ; latest, Aug. 15,
Hallmyre.

(Owls).

Shetland. N. Unst, Dec. 10, Snowy Owl. Dunrossness, Oct. 15,

Snowy owl, flying S. ; Oct. 6, one Long-eared Owl; Oct. 15,

Short-eared Owl.
Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Snowy Owl shot Feb. 27, another seen;

Short-eared Owl shot Oct. 9, six seen Oct. 13, after S.S.W. gale.

Pentland Skerries, Oct. 17, pair of Short-eared Owls shot, S.W.
Sutherland. Snowy Owl, Strathmore, Thurso ; Short-eared Owls

" plentiful about Thurso this season."
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, Oct. 17, two Short-eared Owls.

FALCONID^E (Hawks and Falcons).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay. Merlins unusually plentiful in autumn.
Outer Hebrides. Barra Head. Hen Harrier, Aug. 27.

BOTAURUS STELLARIS (Bittern).

Sutherland. Lochend, Thurso, Nov. 22, $ caught, after severe
gale.

ANSERINE (Geese).

Shetland. N. Unst, "Geese" on Loch Cliff, Oct. 18 ; Brent Geese
passing W., Dec. 21. Dunrossness, Oct. 9, one Bernicle Goose
passing N.W. ; Oct. 12, three Greylag; Oct. 16, ten Greylag.

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 23, two Brent Geese.

Tay. Newport, Fife, "Geese" left on April 22.

Tiveed. Pink -footed Geese (Anser brachyrhynchus] on tarns on
Coldingham Moor during migration in March and November.

Outer Hebrides. Monach, "Geese," April 19, Oct. 10 ; Bernicle
Geese, Oct. 15. Barra, Bernicle Geese on the island till April
26; White-fronted Geese (Anser allnfrons), nine, April 16; Brent
Geese, Dec. 13, 14, "later than usual." Barra Head, Jan. 7, 10,
fifty Bernicle Geese.

Argyll and Isles. Tiree, May 2, flock of over 100 A. albifrons
flying N. ; Oct. 8, large flock of A. albifrons; Oct. n, flock of
200 " Geese " passing S.E. ; Oct. 29, five Bernicle Geese ; Nov.
29, thirty Bernicle Geese. Earraid, Mull, Oct. 22, 29, flocks
of " Geese " passing S.
Principal movements April 16-26, Oct. 8-16, 22, 29.

MOVEMENTS OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING 1893 219

CYGNIN.E (Swans).

Shetland. N. Unst, numbers of " Swans " about Loch Cliff and
flying S. during January and February ; Dec. 9, one ; Dec.
10, twelve. Dunrossness, Oct. n, six "Swans"; Oct. 23, one
shot, none seen since.

Outer Hebrides. Barra Head, Jan n, 12, flocks of Whoopers
(Cygnns musicus) flying S.

West Ross. "Swans" left Loch Loin March 15.

Argyll and Isles. Tiree, Jan 30, Feb. 20, "large flocks of Whoopers
on the lochs, never so many seen on the island before," mostly
gone by March 9 ; Nov. 1 3, flock of eighteen Whoopers.

ANATINJE (Ducks).

Shetland. Dunrossness, Sept. 12, Wigeon (Mareca penelope) ; Sept

23, Wigeon; Sept. 30, 100 Wigeon ; Oct. n, Long-tailed Duck

(Harelda gladalis).
Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Shoveller (Spatula clypeatd], breeding in

Sanday in considerable numbers, scarce after Aug. i ; Pintail

(Dafila acuta), latter end of May, young ct shot Oct. 23;

Wigeon breeding in Sanday in flocks, Oct. 2 ; Tufted Duck

(Fuligula cristatd], April 24; Long-tailed Duck, Sept. 26.
Sutherland. Long-tailed Duck, Keiss, Mar. 1 5 ; Loch of Stemster,

Dec. 5. Common Scoter (CEdemia nigra) nesting at Alltnabreac,

June 7.
Forth. Wigeon, Pentlands, Sept. 24 ; Shelduck (Tadorna cornuta),

Dalmeny, Sept. 29; Golden Eye (Clangula glancion\ Firth of

Forth, Oct. 14. Great increase of Shoveller as a breeding

species about Doune.

Tweed. Tufted Duck breeding at Duns Castle.
Outer Hebrides. Barra, April 16, flocks of Long-tailed Duck;

Wigeon left April 28. Barra Head, Teal, Sept. 3 ; Eider Duck

(Somateria mollissimd) arrived Oct. 26.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, Pintail, March 7 ; Shoveller, Sept. 3 ;

Smew (Mergus albellus}, Sept. 30 ; Gad wall (Chdulelasmus

streperus) and Shoveller, Dec. 2. Skerry vore, Eiders arrived

Oct. 8.
Clyde. Golden Eye, numerous on Brother Loch, Mearns, May 20-28.

COLUMBA CENAS (Stock Dove).

Shetland. Dunrossness, one killed Nov. 1 3 ; first record for Shet-
land.
Toy. Arbroath, two killed Dec. 14.

220 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

TURTUR COMMUNIS (Turtle Dove).

Tay. Longforgan, one shot " spring."
Sohvay. One shot in Wigtownshire Oct. 25.

COTURNIX COMMUNIS (Quail).

Shetland. Breeding in Unst in some numbers.

Moray. Dunrobin, Sept. 7 ; several shot at Strathpeffer, present all

summer ; in unusual numbers in Elginshire during September

and October ; Beauly, Fortrose, and Clach-na-harry in August.
Tay. Meigle, September ; Auchengarroch.
Forth. Heard in many localities in Midlothian throughout the

summer, nest taken at Tranent ; Preston ; Leven, Fife.
Outer Hebrides. -Barra, heard from mid-June to September (first

record here).
Sohvay. Nesting in Dumfriesshire, June ; Brocklehurst, Oct. 3.

RALLUS AQUATICUS (Water Rail).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 4, two shot ; one or two seen in

November.
Outer Hebrides. Monach, Oct. 24.

CREX PRATENSIS (Land Rail).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, last seen Oct. 14.

Dee. Fyvie, May 6.

Tay. Arbroath, May 9; Bell Rock, May 16.

forth. Edinburgh district, April 25.

Tweed. Hallmyre, April 24-Sept. 19.

Outer Hebrides. Barra, April 26 ; I. Ghlais, April 30.

ITcst Ross. Shieldaig, May 15.

Argyll and Isles. Tiree, May 5 ; Earraid, May 9 ; Skerryvore, May

5, 6, S.E.
Clyde. Giffnock, April 23.

Earliest record, April 23, Giffnock ; latest, Oct. 14, N. Ronaldshay.

SQUATAROLA HELVETICA (Gray Plover).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 12, one young bird shot, with Turn-
stones.

CHARADRIUS PLUVIALIS (Golden Plover).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, first seen end of June (an early date) ;
very abundant Aug. i-io, scarce after.

MOVEMENTS OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING 1893 221

Outer Hebrides. Monach, Oct. 2, Nov. 5. Barra Head, April 6,
Sept. 1 6. I. Ghlais, large flock, Feb. 27, N. ; Nov. n, large
flocks.

Argyll and Isles. Tiree, Oct. 1 2, in large numbers ; Skerryvore,
Sept. 12, 14, resting on rock, W.S.W.

Clyde. Cathcart, reappeared for winter Sept. 14.

EUDROMIAS MORINELLUS (Dotterel).

Moray. Nesting on Eastern Cairngorms, June ; Strathspey, on
migration, Sept. 27.

VANELLUS VULGARIS (Lapwing).

Shetland. Dunrossness, Oct. 6 ; Oct. 10, very large flock passing

W. ; Oct. 12, flock; Oct. 13.
Orkney. Hoy Sound, April 2, small flock.
Tay. Returned to coast, Arbroath, Feb. 13 ; in flocks, June 29.

Bell Rock, first seen March 12, in flock.
Outer Hebrides. Monach, March 8, Oct. 24; Barra Head, Jan. /.

STREPSILAS INTERPRES (Turnstone).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, "seen in small numbers during every
month of the year."

Outer Hebrides. Barra, May 27, small flock; July 18, eight, "doubt-
ful if these ever left." Barra Head, Aug. 19, a pair; Monach,
very numerous during winter ; I. Ghlais, Aug. 12.

PHALAROPUS FULICARIUS (Gray Phalarope).
Argyll and Isles. Skerryvore, one killed at Light, Oct. 19, S.S.W.

SCOLOPAX RUSTICULA (Woodcock).

Shetland. N. Unst, "November"; Dunrossness, Nov. 14.

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 10.

Moray. Strath Brora, Sept. 20; Strathspey, Sept. 27, on migration.

Tay. Arbroath, Sept. 22, on migration.

Forth. Breeding in unusual numbers near Stirling, twenty-two nests

found on one hill ; very abundant in July ; left early in August.
Outer Hebrides. Monach, Oct. 19. I. Ghlais, Jan. 1 8, one at

Light ; Nov. 2.

GALLINAGO CCELESTIS (Common Snipe).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, unusually scarce, most present in August.
Outer Hebrides. Barra Head, Oct. i ; I. Ghlais, Oct. 9, great

numbers, S.W.
Argyll and hies. Tiree, Sept. 30, in large numbers, "unusually early."

222 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

GALLINAGO GALLINULA (Jack Snipe).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, first seen Sept. 16; very plentiful during

October.

Dee. Fyvie, Oct. 12 April 19.
Outer Hebrides. Monach, Oct. 15.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, Sept. 30.

Earliest, Sept. 1 6, N. Ronaldshay ; latest, April 1 9, Fyvie.

CALIDRIS ARENARIA (Sanderling).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, first seen Aug. 21.

Argyll and Isles. Tiree, May 6, large flocks ; Aug. 5, twenty.

TRINGA STRIATA (Purple Sandpiper).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay. " Comparatively scarce up to November;

a few probably remain all the year."
Outer Hebrides. Barra, June 2, small flock still here ; Monach,

Oct. 9, two at Light.

TRINGA SUBARQUATA (Curlew Sandpiper).

Sutherland. Thurso, Sept. 6, two killed.

[The occurrence of this species in N. Ronaldshay, Orkney, in
1892, was by inadvertence omitted from last year's Report. Mr.
Allan Briggs records : " Aug. 24, two ; Aug. 30, Sept. i, numerous."]

TRINGA MINUTA (Little Stint).
Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Sept. 8, 9 ; Oct. 14, 1 6.

TRINGA CANUTUS (Knot).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Aug. 15, 22, flock of forty; Sept. n.

Pentland Skerries, Sept. 6, flock of forty, three caught at

Light, S., light.

Sutherland. Thurso, Aug. 24, 29.
Forth. Dalmeny, Sept. 23.
Outer Hebrides. Barra, Aug. 19.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, Aug. 27-Sept. 4.

Earliest observed, Aug. i 5, N. Ronaldshay.

MACHETES PUGNAX (Ruff).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, numerous, first seen Aug. 24, four, and

after in numbers up to Sept. 22.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, Sept. 4.

MOVEMENTS OF BIRDS IN SCOTLAND DURING 1893 223

TOTANUS HYPOLEUCUS (Common Sandpiper).

Moray. Rothes, April 19.
Forth. Duddingston Loch, April 19.
Tweed. Hallmyre, April 22.

Outer Hebrides. Monach, April 23-Aug. 20; Barra, May 2.
West Ross. Kinloch, Shieldaig, April 19.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, May 11 ; Skerryvore, May 20; Skervuile,

Jura, Aug. 27.
Clyde. Rutherglen, April 18.

Earliest, April 18, Rutherglen; latest, Aug. 27, Skervuile.

TOTANUS CANESCENS (Greenshank).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Aug. 18-29, f ur or fi ve single birds.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, Aug. 7, on migration.

TOTANUS CALIDRIS (Redshank).
Tay. Arbroath, on the coast by June 29.

LIMOSA LAPPONICA (Bar-tailed Godvvit).

Orkney. -N. Ronaldshay, a few single birds about Aug. 4-Sept. 20.
Forth. Firth of Forth, Sept. 3, " Godwits."
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, Aug. 27, two.

NUMENIUS ARQUATA (Curlew).

Outer Hebrides. Monach, unusually numerous ; in hundreds after
June 3, and in lessening numbers after Aug. 25. Barra Head,
Sept. 10, on migration.

Argyll and Isles. Skerryvore, March 20, April 20, 21, 27, May 2,
3, 8; May 15, in large flock; Aug. 27-30, numbers; Oct. 8.

NUMENIUS PHLEOPUS (Whimbrel).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, seen from May 14 to end of August, and

plentiful during latter month.
Outer Hebrides. Barra, May 2, in small flocks.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, May 4; May 15, plentiful passing N. ;

Aug. 10.

STERNIN^E (Terns).

Shetland. Bressay, "Terns," June 7.

Orkney. . cantiaca (Sandwich Tern) nesting in N. Ronaldshay,

224 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

first record as a breeding species (see "Annals," 1894, p. 87).

Pentland Skerries, "Terns," May 10, Sept. 5.
Moray. "Terns," Golspie, April 28.
Toy. S. minuta (Little Tern), Edenmouth, April 24. S.fluviatilis

(Common Tern), April 27 ; Arbroath, May 18.
Forth. Three S. cantiaca, Dunbar, Aug. 7.
Outer Hebrides. Monach, "Terns" arrived May 16, left Sept. 13;

Barra, "Terns" arrived May 15.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, April 22, Little Terns passing; May 8,

Arctic and Little Terns arrived; May 1 8, pair of Sandwich Terns ;

Arctic Terns left Sept. 19. Skervuile, Jura, "Terns" last

seen Oct. 7.

LARUS GLAUCUS (Glaucous Gull).

Shetland. Dunrossness, Oct. 14, one flying S.W.
Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, Oct. 23.

LARUS LEUCOPTERUS (Iceland Gull).

i. Young <$ killed at Shurrery, Nov. n.
Outer Hebrides. Barra Head, Sept. 24; Barra, Dec. 13; Monach,
Sept. 29, Oct. 2, ii (young birds).

STERCORARIUS PARASITICUS (Buffon's Skua).
Orkney. Eday, Sept. 4 ; Rendall, about same date.

MERGULUS ALLE (Little Auk).

Shetland. Dunrossness, Dec. 8, S.W. gale.
Outer Hebrides. Monach, June 24.

FRATERCULA ARCTICA (Puffin).

Outer Hebrides. I. Ghlais, commenced to fly past the L.H. in
countless numbers at 8 p.m. on Aug. i, and continued without
intermission for two days, all travelling S.

PODICIPEDID/E (Grtbes).

Orkney. N. Ronaldshay, P. fluviatilis (Little Grebe), Oct. 23.
Argyll and Isles. Tiree, P. cristatus (Great Crested Grebe), Feb. 9

1 8 ; .March 30, pair on Loch Vasapol, in intermediate plumage.

P. auritus (Sclavonian Grebe) abundant on fresh-water lochs

during January and first week of December.

PSAMMOSTEUS TAYLOR f, A NEW FOSSIL FISH

225

ON PSAMMOSTEUS TAYLORI, A NEW FOSSIL
FISH FROM THE UPPER OLD RED SAND-
STONE OF MORAYSHIRE.

BY R. H. TRAQUAIR, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S.

AMONG the large detached plates occurring in the Upper
Old Red Sandstone of the neighbourhood of Elgin, which
used to be slumped together by collectors under the name
of " PtericJithys major" is one form which has never been
found perfect, nor has it ever been described.

The most complete specimen which I have seen is repre-
sented in outline in the accompanying figure, one-fourth
the natural size. It is from Newton Quarry, and belongs to
the Edinburgh Museum, to which it was presented by Mr.
William Taylor of Lhan-
bryde. Portions of still
larger specimens were col-
lected by the late Rev. Dr.
Gordon, and belong to the
Museum at Elgin.

These plates are toler-
ably thick, smooth in-
ternally, and as to their
contour are gently hollowed
in boat -like fashion. The
complete outline has not
yet been seen; but one
extremity, presumably the
posterior, is bluntly angu-
lated in the manner shown
in the figure. The outer
surface appears to be in-
complete in all the speci- Outline of a specimen of Psammostens

r i\/r u*..,- . v>n4- Taylori. sp. nov., one-fourth natural size,

mens from Moraysnire ; but

in a fragment from the

red sandstone of Balnagown, Ross-shire lent to me by Mr.
Hugh Miller, and which, if not identical with those from the
former district, is undoubtedly closely allied, shows a few
12 D

226 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

small patches of a superficial sculptured layer. Here the
ornament, as seen under a lens, consists of small closely set
tubercles with stellate bases, which remind us at once of
the sculpture of the fragmentary plates from the Devonian
of Russia described and figured by Agassiz as Psammosteus
paradoxusj- though the tubercles are rather coarser as well as
more irregular in shape.

The microscopic structure of the Elginshire plates also
closely resembles that of the Russian Psammosteus paradoxus;
there being first a thin non-vascular basement layer, above
which the thickness is occupied by a very close network of
Haversian canals, while the intervening substance shows only
dentinal tubules without bone lacunae. 2

Everything connected with these plates being highly
suggestive of Psammosteus, I decided to refer them to that
genus on being shown by Mr. Smith Woodward certain
papier-mache casts of tolerably entire plates of P. paradoxus
from Russia. These casts, contained in the British Museum,
represent concave boat-like plates much like the Elgin fossil
in general aspect, though smaller in size ; so that I cannot
doubt that the Morayshire plates now under consideration are
generically identical with them. As my friend Mr. Taylor of
Lhanbryde has rendered me great assistance in procuring
material for the study of these relics, I have pleasure in adopt-
ing for the creature the name of Psammosteus Taylori.

The microscopic structure of the remains which have been
assigned to Psammosteus, suggests that they were Selachian
in their nature, though it is indeed difficult to imagine what the
appearance of such a Selachian could have been when entire.

This is the first record of the occurrence in Scotland of
plates referable to Agassiz's genus Psammosteus ; for though
in the British Museum there are two fragments of P. arenatus,
Ag., said to be from the Old Red Flagstones at Wick, I
feel quite convinced, after carefully examining the specimens
in question, that there is a mistake here, and that they are
from a Russian locality. 3

1 " Poiss. Foss. v. gres rouge," pi. 27, figs. 2-4.

2 Some of the microscopic sections which I have examined were made and
kindly lent me by Dr. Mackie of Elgin.

3 These specimens are in the Peach collection, and are referred to by Mr.
Smith Woodward in his "Cat. Foss. Fishes Brit. Mus.," part ii. p. 127.

ANN. SCOT. NAT. HIST. 1894.

PLATE VII.

naL length.

2.

F. P C delt .

"M^Fa-rlane A ErsKine Lith 1 ;? Edin r

DlCTYNA ARENICOLA, Sp.

nov.

SPIDERS COLLECTED IN NEIGHBOURHOOD OF AVIEMORE 227

A LIST OF SPIDERS COLLECTED IN THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF AVIEMORE, INVER-
NESS-SHIRE.

By GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.Sc., and WILLIAM EVANS, F.R.S.E.

PLATE VII.

[INTRODUCTORY NOTE BY W. EVANS. In 1893 I had oc-
casion to spend the months of May and June at Aviemore
in Strathspey ; and being at the time much interested in
Spiders, they naturally received a considerable share of my
attention. Most of the specimens then collected, together
with a few which I obtained in the same neighbourhood while
staying at Kincraig in August 1889, have kindly been ex-
amined for me by Mr. Carpenter, and from his notes and my
own field and other memoranda the following list has been
drawn up by us.

Of the locality it may safely be said that there are few
in Scotland more likely to possess a richer spider fauna. The
mere mention of the frie forests of Rothiemurchus, Glenmore,
and Abernethy, the profusion of luxuriant heather, juniper
bushes, etc., the banks and shingles of the Spey and its
tributaries, the surrounding mountains (the Cairngorms and the
Monadhliath range), will be sufficient to make this apparent.

The number of species obtained by me was 109 a small
proportion, no doubt, of what we may expect to be recorded
when the district has received the attention it deserves. One
of the species now recorded namely, Cnephalocotes elegans
is new to Britain, and other five or six are believed to be
additions to the Scottish list. The collection has also sup-
plied the type specimen of the female of Trochosa biunguiculata
which the Rev. O. P. Cambridge recently described and
figured in this journal (see p. 23 of the present vol.) This
specimen, I ought to say, was kindly brought to me, along
with some other Lycosids, from Cairn toul by Mr. Alex.
Robertson, a member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club.
A number of the other species included in the list have only
been taken in Scotland on one or two previous occasions.

228 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

These facts clearly indicate how rich a harvest remains to be
reaped in this branch of our fauna.

Many of the species were present in great abundance,
indeed the wealth of spider life generally in the district
struck me as well pronounced in comparison with other
Scottish localities I have collected in. Of course the ex-
ceptionally fine weather of the spring and summer of 1893
must be borne in mind.

The arrangement and nomenclature followed in this list
are the same as in our paper on the Spiders of the Edinburgh
District recently published in the " Proceedings of the Royal
Physical Society," vol. xii. p. 527.

We have again to thank Mr. Cambridge for assistance in
the identification of a number of the more difficult species.]

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES.
DYSDERID^E.

SEGESTRIA SENOCULATA (Linn.} Adult and immature $s fairly
common.

DRASSIM;.

MICARIA PULICARIA (Sitnd.} Several ad. and imm. $ s running on
road at Aviemore, and a few under stones at Loch-an-Eilan,
Loch Gamhna, etc.

GNAPHOSA ANGLICA, Cambr. = Drassits lucifugu's, Bl. Three $ s
-one ad., the others imm. found under stones on moor
between Alt-na-gaber and Loch Morlich, 5th June 1893. The
first and only previously recorded Scottish habitat is in Berwick-
shire, where an adult $ was found by Dr. Hardy twenty years
ago ("Proc. Berw. Nat. Club," 1873-75, P- 3 10 )-

DRASSUS TROGLODYTES, C. L. Koch Not common; a few $ s
about Aviemore.

DRASSUS LAPIDOSUS (Walck.) $s (mostly imm.) fairly common
and widespread ; one ad. in May.

CLUBIONA TERRESTRIS, Westr. Ad. and imm. $ s common.

CLUBIONA RECLUSA, Cambr. A few ? s under bark on old paling at
Aviemore.

CLUBIONA TRIVIALIS, L. Koch Common in heathery places Alt-
na-gaber, Kincraig, etc. On i4th June ad. $ s and $ s were
fairly numerous at from 2000 to 3000 feet on the side of
Braeriach above Loch Eunach.

SPIDERS COLLECTED IN NEIGHBOURHOOD OF AVIEMORE 229

CHIRACANTHIUM CARNIFEX (Fabr.} Small colonies found in a
number of spots, but not common, Alt-na-gaber, Loch Morlich,
Rothiemurchus, etc. ; ad. $ s and $ s in cocoons on heather
during June.

AGROECA BRUNNEA (Blackw.} An ad. $ at Loch Vaa, 2yth May,
and an imm. $ at Altdruie, 6th June. The egg-cocoons of an
Agroeca were not uncommon on heather by the roadside near
Colyumbridge. The A. brunnea of Dr. Hardy's list of Berwick-
shire spiders ("Proc. Berw. Nat. Club," 1856-62, p. 94)
probably belonged to the form since separated and described
by Mr. Cambridge under the name of A. proxima.

DICTYNID^E.

DICTYNA ARUNDINACEA (Linn.} Very common on heather : a few
on young conifers.

DICTYNA ARENICOLA, Cambr. In the Royal Physical Society's
"Proceedings" for July last (vol. xii. p. 589) this species is
described (and figured) by the Rev. O. P. Cambridge from
specimens obtained by me on the sandhills at Luffness, East
Lothian, the previous month. Since then it has occurred to
me that in June 1893 I observed a similar pale Dictyna on the
sands of Loch Morlich at the foot of the Cairngorms and
1040 feet above sea-level. A search through my Aviemore
collection has resulted in the detection of two specimens, both
adult males. These were at once shown to Mr. Cambridge,
who, in a letter dated 4th August 1894, writes confirming my
identification. The discovery of this inland habitat for the
species -where, as at Luffness, it is found in company with
Trochosa picta is of much interest. At the request of the
editors of this journal and with the approval of the Secretary
of the Royal Physical Society, the original figure of the species
is here reproduced. W. E.

DICTYNA UNCINATA, Thor. Adults of both sexes obtained in abund-
ance in June by beating young conifers at Inverdruie, etc.
This is its first record for Scotland. Identification confirmed
by Mr. Cambridge.

AMAUROBIUS FENESTRALIS (Str.} Common,' both in the ad. and
the imm. state.

AMAUROBIUS SIMILIS (Blackw.} A number in outhouses.

AGELENID^E.

ARGYRONETA AQUATICA (ChrcK). A number of ad. ? s and imm.
examples obtained in mossy pools at Loch Pithulais, May 1893.

230 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

CRYPHCECA SYLVICOLA (C. L. KocJi). Ad. $s and imm. examples
abundant on conifers, etc. : ad. $ and numerous $ s under
stones on side of Braeriach elevation 2000 to 3000 feet
1 4th June.

TEGENARIA DERHAMII (Scop.} A few taken in houses.

TEXTRIX DENTICULATA (O/iv.} Obtained several times, but not
numerous : a few at about 2000 feet on Braeriach.

HAHNIA NAVA (Black.} A few adults at Carr bridge, etc.
HAHNIA MONTANA (Blackw.} Ad. <j>, Craigellachie, Aviemore.

THERIDIID^.

ERO FURCATA (Vitl.} A few imm. examples.

NESTICUS CELLULANUS (Clerck}. $ and several $s ad. at Loch-an-
Eilan, May.

THERIDION SISYPHIUM (C7mv&). -- Very abundant on heather,
juniper, etc. : eggs, loth June onwards.

THERIDION VARIANS, Hahn. Abundant on conifers at Inverdruie.

THERIDION FALLENS, Blackw. -- Three ad. ?s near top of
Craigellachie.

PHOLCOMMA GIBBUM (Westr.} A few $ s.

ASAGENA PHALERATA (Fanz.} =-- Theridioii signatum, Bl. Fairly
common in several localities near Loch Gellachie, Inverdruie,
Loch Vaa, etc. Ad. $ s running in the sunshine on dry bare
spots throughout May ; $ s with their egg-cocoons in slight cells
under stones and moss, common in same localities end of May
and beginning of June. A few $ s were obtained near Kincraig
in August 1889. An ad. ? taken in Berwickshire by Dr. Hardy
about twenty years ago appears to be the only previous Scottish
record.

PEDANOSTETHUS LIVIDUS (Blackw?) Adults of both sexes fairly
common. Taken at nearly 3000 feet on Braeriach.

BOLYPHANTES LUTEOLUS (Blackw.} Immature examples common
on the lower parts of Braeriach from Loch Eunach up to about
2500 feet. A few only about Aviemore.

DRAPETISCA SOCIALIS (Sund.} A few obtained by beating young
conifers : all imm.

LINYPHIA INSIGNIS (Blackw.} Immature examples common in
June.

LINYPHIA LINEATA (Linn?) One ad. $ ; a few others imm.

LINYPHIA CLATHRATA, Sund. A single example among leaves near
the Doon.

SPIDERS COLLECTED IN NEIGHBOURHOOD OF AVIEMORE 231

LINYPHIA MONTANA (Clerck). Very common on spruce and
juniper : both sexes adult.

LINYPHIA TRIANGULARIS (Clerck). Young and half-grown examples
very common about Aviemore on broom, etc., in end of May
and during June. Adults common at Kincraig in August 1889.

LINYPHIA PELTATA, Wid. Fairly common on firs and juniper :
ad. and imm.

LINYPHIA PUSILLA, Sund. Two ad. $ s and many $ s : common on
webs at the mouths of rabbit-burrows close to Aviemore.

LABULLA THORACICA ( Wid.) Rothiemurchus Forest, Loch Morlich,
Craigellachie, etc., but not common : all imm.

LEPTYPHANTES MINUTUS (Blackw.) A few taken in August 1889.

LEPTYPHANTES ALACRIS (Blackw.} A few ad. $ s and $ s near

Aviemore.
LEPTYPHANTES LEPROSUS (Ohl.) Several ad. $ s.

LEPTYPHANTES OBSCURUS (Blackw.) Two $ s and three $ s.

LEPTYPHANTES EXPUNCTUS (Cambr.) Fairly common in June on
young conifers at the Dell, near Aviemore, a few of the males
adult, all the others immature. The previously recorded
Scottish localities are Dunkeld and near Glasgow.

LEPTYPHANTES PALLIDUS (Cambr} The collection has yielded one
ad. $ of this interesting species. The only previous Scottish
record is that of a specimen taken near Hamilton by Mr. H. C.
Young in August 1878.

LEPTYPHANTES CRISTATUS, Menge. One ad. <j>

LEPTYPHANTES ZEBRINUS, Menge. About a dozen in the collection,
some of them from the mountain side above Loch Eunach.

LEPTYPHANTES TENEBRICOLUS ( Wid.) Common, but nearly all im-
mature, on mountain side immediately above Loch Eunach. A
few only detected in the lower parts of the valley.

LEPTYPHANTES ERICVEUS (Blackw} Two ad. $ s only obtained ; but,
like most of the other species of the genus here recorded, prob-
ably common enough later in the year.

BATHYPHANTES VARIEGATUS (Blackw} obtained on several occa-
sions, and up to 2500 feet, but not common.

BATHYPHANTES CONCOLOR (Wid.) One ad. $ .
BATHYPHANTES APPROXIMATUS (Cambr) One ad. $.

BATHYPHANTES NIGRINUS (Westr} A few adults in meadow at

Aviemore.
TMETICUS ABNORMIS (Blackw) One $ on mountain side above

Loch Eunach.

232 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

TMETICUS RUFUS ( Wid.} One $ under stone near Aviemore.

TMETICUS HUTHWAITII (Cambr.} On i4th June about a dozen ? s of
this rather scarce spider were found under stones at from 2000
to 3000 feet on Braeriach, immediately above Loch Eunach.
There is also an ad. $ in the collection.

TMETICUS PRUDENS (Cambr} One $ of this rare species was ob-
tained.

MICRONETA CONIGERA (Cambr.} Two obtained $ and $ ad.

MICRONETA SUBTILIS (Cambr.} Among the " micros " collected was
an ad. $ of this species. It is an addition to the Scottish list.

GONGYLIDIUM DENTATUM (Wid.} A few ad. $ s.

GONGYLIDIUM TUBEROSUM, (Blackw.} One ad. $ ; an addition to
the Scottish list.

GONGYLIDIUM RETUSUM (Westr.} Three cs and two $s ad.
Tiso VAGANS (Blackw} Ad. $ and $.
EREGONE DENTIPALPIS (Wid.} Ad. $ and $.

GONATIUM RUBENS (Blackw} In several localities, but not numerous.
A few on the side of Braeriach, immediately above Loch Eunach.
Females only obtained.

GONATIUM BITUBERCULATUM (Wid.} Two ad. c? s and several $ s.

DISMODICUS BIFRONS (Blackw.} Common on young spruces, etc., at
Inverdruie.

DIPLOCEPHALUS CRiSTATUS (Blackw} One ad. $ in collection.
DIPLOCEPHALUS FRONTATUS (Blackw.} An ad. ct and a few <j> s.

ENTELECARA ERYTHROPUS (Westr.} An ad. $ off spruce at
Aviemore.

CNEPHALOCOTES ELEGANS (Cambr} Among the "micros " obtained
was an ad. $ of this rarity. It has been shown to Mr.
Cambridge, who confirms our identification. The species has
not hitherto been detected in Britain. Mr. Cambridge's type was
taken at Nuremberg, and the species has been found also in
Denmark and Northern France.

STYLOCTETOR PENICILLATUS ( Westr.} Neriene penicillatits, Cambr.,
" Spid. Dorset." Two ad. $ and ? in the collection. First
record for Scotland.

WALCKENAERA ACUMINATA (Blackiv.} One 9 only obtained.
CERATINELLA BREVIS (Wid.} A few $ s.

PACHYGNATHA DEGEERII, Sund. Two under stones at widely
separated localities were all that were noticed.

SPIDERS COLLECTED IN NEIGHBOURHOOD OF AVIEMORE 233

EPEIRID^E.

META SEGMENTATA (Clerck}. Common on juniper bushes, etc.
Both adults and young examples observed in May some of
the former large and prettily marked.

META MERIAN^E, Scop. Fairly common in holes under the roots
of trees and pieces of fallen rock.

TETRAGNATHA EXTENSA, Linn. Common in a few spots, but not
generally dispersed. Marshy ground near Loch-an-Eilan, Loch
Gellachie, and Carrbridge, on webs suspended from twigs of
bog myrtle, over small ditches.

CYCLOSA CONICA (Pall.} One ad. ^ shaken off a young conifer at
Inverdruie on i3th June.

EPEIRA CUCURBITINA, Clerck. Fairly common on young conifers
and wire fences about Inverdruie. Adults of both sexes in
May and June ; young ., Kincraig, in August.

EPEIRA DIADEMATA (Clerck}. Young examples common in May
and June ; adults in August.

EPEIRA AGALENA, Walck. Adults of both sexes. Not uncommon
on wire fences about Inverdruie during June : a few also ob-
tained off conifers. Has already been recorded from Aviemore
("Proc. Glas. Nat. Hist. Soc." 1878-80, p. 79).

EPEIRA CORNUTA (Clerck}. Epcira apodisa, Blackw. Abundant on
heather, bog myrtle, etc. Numerous very large 9 s, apparently
on the point of depositing their eggs in marsh at Loch Alvie,
gth May ; ad. 6 s at Loch Gamhna on i-jth June ; ad. $ s also
in August ; imm. examples common in May and June.

EPEIRA QUADRATA (Clerck}. Common on bog myrtle, heather, etc.,
chiefly in marshy spots. Immature examples only (mostly
quite small) in May and June ; adults of both sexes in August.

EPEIRA UMBRATICA (Clerck}. Ad. $ s and s and imm. examples
(some quite small) common during May and June on the
Aviemore and Inverdruie bridges ; also about old palings and
under the bark of dead trees at Aviemore, Loch Gellachie,
Loch-an-Eilan, etc. An ad. $ and several $ s were taken from
under the bark of an old birch near Feshie Bridge in August
1889. Strictly nocturnal.

THOMISID^E.

XYSTICUS CRISTATUS (Clerck). Common both ad. and imm.

XYSTICUS SABULOSUS (Hahn). On 5th June 1893 about a dozen
immature examples were obtained on a bare spot on the open

234 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY

moor between Alt-na-Gaber and Loch Morlich. This is the
first record of the species for Scotland. We are obliged to
Mr. Cambridge for identifying our specimens.

XYSTICUS BIFASCIATUS (C. L. A'.) An ad. $ and three ? s obtained
near Kincraig in August 1889.

OXYPTILA TRUX (Blackw.} Ad. <?, Loch Gellachie, June; ?, Kin-
craig, August.

OXYPTILA ATOMARIA (Panz.) Ad. $ and two ? s, Loch-an-Eilan,
June.

PHILODROMUS AUREOLUS (ClercK). Very common ; many $ s beside
their egg-cocoons on palings, etc., in June.

LYCOSID^:.

OCYALE MIRABILIS ( ClercK). = Dolomcdes mirabilis, Bl., " Spid. Gr.
Brit, and Irel."- Ad. $ s of this fine spider were found in con-
siderable numbers in June, on tall heather near Alt-na-gaber,
and behind the keeper's house at the Boon. Most of them
were either carrying their egg-cocoons or guarding them after
having placed them within a slender web.

PIRATA PIRATICUS (ClercK). Common in marshy places.

TROCHOSA BIUNGUICULATA, Cambr. Among a few Lycosids kindly
obtained for us in the middle of June 1893 by Mr. Alexander
Robertson, at an elevation of about 3400 feet on Cairntoul,
was a large well-marked Trochosa, since described and figured
by Mr. Cambridge in this magazine (p. 23) as the female of
T. biunguiculata, of which the male only taken by Prof. Trail
near Braemar a number of years ago was previously known.

TROCHOSA PICTA, Hahn. On 3rd June 1893 half a dozen ad. <?s
and ? s were obtained on the sandbank at the eastern end of
Loch Morlich, right at the foot of Cairngorm, and 1040 feet
above sea-level. The habitat is an interesting one, seeing the
species is in this country practically confined to sandhills on or
near the coast.

TROCHOSA TERRICOLA, Thor. Craigellachie, Loch Vaa, etc., both
ad. (with egg-cocoons) and imm.

TROCHOSA PULVERULENTA (ClercK). Adults of both sexes very
common. One on Braeriach at about 3000 feet ; several on
Cairntoul at 3400 feet.

TROCHOSA ANDRENIVORA (ClercK). One ad. $ and many imm. ex-
amples in June ; adults more common in August.

LYCOSA AMENTATA (ClercK). Exceedingly common. Was several
times observed crouching on the flowers of Caltlia palustris and
pouncing on the flies as they settled on the sepals.

ON SOME FORMS OF RANUNCULUS FLAMMULA 235

LYCOSA LUGUBRIS, Walck. A few ad. $ s were captured in the
woods at Inverdruie.

LYCOSA PULLATA (ClcrcK). Extremely common. $ s carrying egg-
cocoons by 1 3th May.

LYCOSA NIGRICEPS, Thor. Only detected at Loch-an-Eilan, where
two adults ( c? and $) and several imm. $ s were secured in the
beginning of June.

LYCOSA HERBIGRADA, Blackw. Common on the shingle by the
Spey and the Druie, and also at Loch Gamhna. Adults in
May and June. Mr. Cambridge informs us that he has
received it from Perthshire and also from Ross-shire.

LYCOSA PALUSTRIS (Linn.} Common in many places ; ? s carrying
egg-cocoons as early as i3th May.

ATTID^.

EPIBLEMUM SCENICUM (Clerck}. Not uncommon on walls, palings,
etc.

HELIOPHANUS FLAVIPES, C