Volume 9 - Electric Scotland

120 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY
note that at the beginning of the present year, by order of the Earl
of Rosebery, two badgers, male and female, were turned down on
the Rosebery Estate, Gorebridge. The Badger colony in Dalmeny
Park, which dates from 1889,
still flourishes, and Badgers' earths
are now to be found in Hopetoun and other estates to the westward.
CHAS. CAMPBELL, Dalmeny Park.
Ornithological Notes from "Solway." In the last "Annals"
(p. 48) I recorded the occurrence of a Great Gray Shrike (Lanius
excubitor). Another specimen, making the second for the winter,
was shot near Maxwelltown on iyth February during the big snowstorm.
The former individual was one of the double-spotted form,
while this one is a typical example of the single-spotted bird. There
has been an extraordinary immigration of Wild Swans all over the
area, no fewer than forty Whoopers (Cygnns mitsicus) having
frequented the Blackshaw Bank at the head of the Solway in the
early part of December. Smaller parties, some of them being undoubtedly
Bewick's Swans (C. bewicki\ were seen then at other
places, and during the rest of the winter. A herd of twenty-five was
reported as seen on a loch in Wigtownshire in early February. I
heard of a lot of six being seen at the mouth of the Nith on 2nd
March. The Sheldrakes have remained on the Solway during the
entire winter in larger numbers than have been noted before, so far
hundreds of
as my experience goes. On 4th January I saw many
them along the shore to the west of Southerness. On the same
date I fell in with Sanderlings (Calidris arenaria), and a friend
shooting on same day at some miles distance shot a pair of these
birds. I do not remember ever seeing these birds with us at midwinter
before, but others have been more fortunate. A very
interesting fact that has come under my notice has been the
astonishingly large proportion of birds of the year amongst the ducks
of several species frequenting fresh waters. The only rarity amongst
the Anatidse I have met with is a Gadwall (Anas streperd) taken on
the Solway on 3rd February. It is a fine female. I think this is
the first record of the species in "Solway." A rather tragic incident
in bird behaviour was witnessed by me during the hard weather in
of Gulls of the Black-headed and Common
February. Large parties
species were sitting about the frozen surface of the Nith at
A Dumfries.
pair of Pied Wagtails (Motacilla litgubris) were tripping about
amongst them at one particular spot. Suddenly a Black-headed
Gull (Larus ridibundus), a bird of the year, darted at one of the
W gtails, seized it in its bill, and proceeded to batter it to death.
Some of the other gull-s tried to get the morsel from the captor, but
without success. After a while it devoured it at leisure. This
murder seemed to be the direct result of excessive hunger. A fine
specimen of the Red-necked Grebe (Podicipes griseigena) was shot
at Portmary on 2oth February, and has been added to the collection