and gestures of a crowd of people on shore. Luckily, this was accomplished, and we had the satisfaction of landing up to the armpits in a mass of rotten seaweed which had accumulated in this narrow inlet, and through which we dragged ourselves and the boat to the beach. We were glad to leave it there, six miles. from the harbour we should have returned to. A more seaworthy boat than our own was detained at Ailsa nearly three days during the same storm; and the gale which had thrown us so unceremoniously among the seaweed stranded a sloop within a mile of the spot and dashed it to pieces.

Twenty years ago my valued correspondent, Mr Graham, of whom I now take leave in these pages, communicated some very interesting notes on the Stormy Petrel, the insertion of the substance of which may not inappropriately bring my labours to a close. Mr Graham became acquainted with the bird through a mere accident. He had, while residing at Iona, made frequent excursions to the famous isle of Staffa in a small boat of his own named "The Ornithologist," and on one of these occasions had been compelled, through a sudden storm, to remain alone all night on this isolated roosting place under shelter of his boat, which he drew up on the landing and turned bottom upwards for the purpose. Of course, in the circumstances, sleep was impossible; and during the night he heard the most curious buzzing sounds emanating from the rough stony ground he was lying upon. They were not continuous, but broken every ten seconds or so by a sharp click. Waiting until daylight, he found the strange music issuing from beneath his feet; guided by the sound, he commenced removing the heavy stones; and being encouraged in his labours by hearing the sounds nearer and more distinct-sometimes ceasing, then recommencing he worked away till the noise and rolling of the rocks seemed to provoke the subterranean musician to renewed efforts, until with a vigorous exertion the last great stone was rooted out and the mystery laid bare. He saw a little black object shuffling off, leaving its small white egg lying on a few blades of dry grass which protected it from the hard rock. It made no attempt to escape, as if dazzled by the glare of daylight, or stunned by the depth of its misfortune, but lay passively in his hand when he took it up, uttering only a faint squeak of surprise at the outrage. From this romantic island Mr Graham afterwards procured several young birds, which he kept in confine

ment until they became fledged. He reared them solely upon cod liver oil, which they sucked from a feather dipped into it, clattering their beaks and shaking their heads with evident satisfaction. Towards nightfall they became exceedingly restless and active; and on being taken out of their box they sat on the table and set their wings in motion so rapidly that they ceased to be discernible. Their eyes being closed during this exercise, the whirring of their wings apparently fanned the little fellows into the notion that they were far out at sea, travelling at the rate of forty miles an hour; and as their bodies became buoyant by the action of the wings, their little feet could retain no hold of the slippery mahogany; so the exhibition generally ended by the poor petrels falling backwards and disappearing suddenly over the edge of the table. Two of these pets died, and were sent to me through the post, accompanied by a note from my friend, informing me that they had both departed this life during the roaring of an equinoctial storm.

APPENDIX.

THE AMERICAN GOSHAWK.

ASTUR ATRICAPILLUS.

Page 39.

Having ventured the surmise that this species might occur a second and even a third time in Britain, I may here state that such has actually happened since this work was sent to press. The second example was shot on the Galtee mountains in Tipperary in 1870, and is now in the collection of Sir Victor Brooke; and the third was killed at Parsontown, in the King's county, by Mr Basil Brooke in 1870.

THE HONEY BUZZARD.

PERNIS APIVORUS.

Page 48.

Mr Harvie Brown has informed me that a nest of eggs of this species has been procured this year (1871) by himself and Captain Feilden in Ross-shire. The nest was placed in the fork of a tree, and lined with wasps' nests: it was about the size of a rook's, and both birds were seen flying overhead. This pair of birds, it appears, bred regularly in the district for the last six years, and they have usually taken their departure about the middle of September.

THE HEN HARRIER.

CIRCUS CYANEUS.

Page 52.

Mr James Thomson of the Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow, has shown me a pair (m. and f.) of this species from Sutherlandshire which have just begun the assumption of the adult plumage.

Jameson, who has since presented me with the specimen. The nest was situated in a hole in a wall.

THE HAWFINCH.

COCCOTHRA USTES VULGARIS.

Page 144.

Mr George Kirkpatrick has informed me that a Hawfinch was shot near Newton-Stewart in Wigtownshire in January, 1871, and preserved by Mr Hastings, bird-stuffer, Dumfries, in whose hands he saw the specimen.

THE BEE EATER.

MEROPS APIASTER.

Page 203.

I have been informed by Mr J. Bell of Paisley, that about the time the swallows were congregating in the neighbourhood of that town, at the close of August, 1869, Mr W. Scott, keeper on the Walkinshaw estate, observed a Bee Eater flying in their company on the banks of the river Black Cart. On communicating a notice of the circumstance to Mr Bell, he described the stranger as a bright green and yellow bird, with a forked tail, and stated that he had repeatedly seen it passing and repassing along with the swallows, and hawking for flies in the same manner. Mr Bell afterwards shewed the keeper the collection of British birds in the Paisley Museum, and was gratified on finding that he at once recognized the Bee Eater as the bird which he had seen.

THE COMMON SWIFT.

CYPSELUS APUS.

Page 210.

A single Swift was seen on 27th May, 1870, in the Long island, or Outer Hebrides, by Captain Feilden and Mr Harvie Brown.