SCOTTISH BIRDS The Journal of The Scottish Ornithologists' Club Vo!. 2 No. 1 Spring 1962 FIVE SHILLINGS THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' CLUB THEScottish Ornithologists' Club was founded in 1936 and membership is open to all inter ested in Scottish o rnithology. U eetings are held during the winter months in Aberdeen, Dumfrics, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews, at which lectures by prominent o rnithologists are given and films exhibited. Excursions are organised in the summer to places of o rnithological interest. The aims and objects of the Cl ub are to (a) encourage and di rect the study of Scottish Ornithology in all its branches; (lJ) co-ordinate the efforts of Scotti sh Ornithologist s and encourage co-operation between field and indoor wo rker; (c) encourage ornithological research in Scotland in co-operation with othcr o rganisations; (d) hold m eetings at centres to be arranged at which L ectures are g iven, films exhibited, and discussions held; and (e) publish o r arrange for the publication of statistics and info rmation with r egard to Scottish o rnithology. Ther e are no entry fe es fo r Membership. Thc Annual subscription is 25/ -; o r 7/ 6 in the case o f 1I1 embers under twenty -one years of age or in the case o f University undergraduates who satisfy the Council of their status as such at the time at which their subscriptions fall due in any year. Joint membership is available to married couples at an annual subscrip­ tio n of 40/ -. "Scottish Birds" is issued free to members, but Joint mem­ bers will receive only one copy between them. The affairs of the Club are controlled by a Council composed of the Hon. P r esidents, the Presid ent, the Vice-President, the H on. Treasurer, the Edito r and Busin ess E dito r of "Scottish Birds," the Hon. Treasurer of the House Fabric Fund, one Representative of each B ranch Committee appo inted annually by the Branch, and ten other Members of the Club elected at an Annual General .Meeting. Two of the last named retire annually by rotation and shall not be eligible for r e-election for one year. A Scottish Bird Records' Committee, appointed by the Council, produce an annual H.eport o n "Omithological Changes in Scotland." An official tie with small white Crested Tits embroider ed on it can be obtained in dark g reen o r in navy blue by Members onh- from Messrs R. W. Forsyth Ltd., Princes Street , Edinburgh, or 5 Renfield Street. Glasgow, C.2 at a cost of 16s 9d post extra. A small b rooch in silver and blue can be obtained for the use of Members of the Cl ub. Priee 2s 6d each from the Secretary, or from H on. Branch Secretaries. Forms of application for Membership, copy of the Club Constitution, and o ther liter ature is obtainable from the Club Secretary, Mrs George Watersto n, Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird P ro tection, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7. (Tel. Waverley 6042). CLUB-ROOM AND LIBRARY The Club-room and Library at 21 Regent T errace, Edinburgh 7, will be available to Members during office hours, and on \Vednesday evenin gs from 7 to 10 p.m. Mcmbers may use the Reference Library and borrow books from the Dupli cate Section. Facilities for making tea Or coffee are available at a nominal charge and ?ll embers may bring guests b,' arrange­ m ent. The Aldis 2" x 2" slide projector and screen may be used for the info rmal sho wing of slid es at a charge of 2s 6d per night to cover the r eplacem ent of bulbs. NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS All contributions should be sent to Andrew T. Macmillan, 66 Spy law Ban,k Road, Edinburgh 13. Attention to the following points greatly sim­ plifies production of the journal and is much appreciated. \. Papers should if possible be typed with double spacing. All contri­ butions should be on one side 0,£ the paper only. 2. Topical material for Current Notes should reach the Editors by the end of March, June, September and December. at which time they begin to compile this section. All other notes should be sent promptly but important items can be fitted in until a mo.nth or so after these dates. 3. Proofs will normally, be sent to authors of papers, but not of shorter items. Such proofs should be returned without delay. 1£ alterations are made at this stage it may be necessary to ask the author to bear the cost. 4. Authors of full-length papers who. want copies for their own use MUST ASK FOR THESE when returning the proofs. If requested we will supply 25 free copies of the issue in which the paper is published. Reprints can be obtained but a charge will be made for these. 5. Particular care should be taken to avoid mistakes in lists of refer­ ences and to lay them o.ut in the following way~ italics being indicated where appropriate by underlining. EGGELING, W. ]. 1960. 'Phe Isle of May_ Edinburgh and London. DICK, G. & POTTER, ]. 1960. Goshawk in East Stirling. Scot. Birds 1 :329. 6. English names should follow '.i'he Handboolc of British Birds with the alterations detailed in British Birds in January 1953 (46 :2-3) and January 1956 (49 :5). Initial capitals are used for names of species (e.g. Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit) but not for group names (e.g. diving ducks, tits). Scientific names should be used sparingly (see editorial Scottish Birds 2 :1-3) and follow the 1952 B.O.U. Check-List of the B irds of Great Britain and Ireland with the changes recommended in 1956 by the Taxonomic Sub-Committee (Ibis 98 :158-6g), and the 1957 decisions of the International Commis~ion on Zoological Nomenclature (Ibis 99 :369). \Vhen used with the English names they should follow them, underlined to indicate italics, and with no. surrounding brackets. 7. Dates should normally be in the fO,rm "1st January 1%2", with no commas round the year. Old fashioned conventions should be avoided­ e.g. use Arabic numerals rather than Roman, and avoid unnecessary full stops after abbreviations such as "Dr" and "St". 8. Tables must be designed to fit into the page, prcf erably not side­ ways, and be self-explanatory. 9. Headings and sub-headings sho,uld not be underlined as this may lead the printer to use the wrong type. 10. Illustrations of any kind are welcomed. Drawings and figures should be up to twice the size they will finally appear, and on separate sheets from the text. They should be in Indian ink on good quality paper, with neat lettering by a skilled draughtsman. Photographs should either have a Scottish interest o,r illustrate contributions. They should be sharp and clear, wi,th good contrast, and preferably large glossy 'Prints. This book represents a landmark in the history of bird study, bringing us up-to-date in an absorbing manner ••• DOWN THE LONG WIND by GARTH CHRISTIAN This book-a study 01 bird migration­ has been written primarily fo r the general reader of all ages who, year by year, watches with excitement the great Hocks of wild birds Hying with purpose out of the cloudy distance down t h-e long wind. Here, in­ deed, in a material age of specialization, is a brill iant study which will be wel­ comed by the am­ ateur bi rd-watcher. the schoolboy natur­ alist and the arm­ chair enthusiast. It will also satisfy the needs of the orore3- sional ornithologist' who seeks an uo-'to­ date account of the migratory move­ ments of the lap­ wing and nightjar, the thrush tribe, the swallow and a host of other common birds. With maps, diagrams and photographs (25 of them by Eric Hosking) Jacket design by Peter Scott 21a From All Booksellers or in case of difficulty at 22S 6d by post from GEORGE NEWNES Ltd., Tower House, Southampton Street, London, W.C.2. ------__~-----------------------------NEWNES SCOTTISH BIRDS THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' CLUB VoL 2 No. 1 Spring 1962 Edited by A. T . MAOM.ILLAN with the assistance of D. G. ANDREW and T. C. S110UT. Business Editor, ARTHUR J. SMITH. Cover design (Green· "hanks) by L E N FULLERTON. Published quarterly. Editorial ·WITH this number of Scottish Birds we start Volume 2. Since it was launched some three and a half years ago Scottish Birds has been edited by Professor M. F. M. Meikle­ john who has been· responsible for both the general policies of the journal and the major burden of the detailed work involved in producing it quarter by quarter. Not everyone will realise just how many nights work on each number this en­ tails. Uncertain health in recent months and a growing volume of his own work have unfortunately made it more and more difficult for Professor Meiklejohn to devote the time he would like to give to Scottish Birds, and he has therefore asked that someone else should take over. The Scottish Or­ nithologists' Club undoubtedly owes a great debt to him for guiding the journal so ably through its pioneering years, and we are glad to know that we may continue to call upon his services in an informal capacity. In order to strengthen the editorial team we have asked Dr T. C. Smout to join us, and we feel sure that his wide exper­ ience of birds in many parts of Europe together with his lively approach to bird-watching, will be a considerable asset to Scottish Birds.