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. 



