RECENT VISITATION OF THE LITTLE AUK TO SCOTLAND 103 



firths. A slight indication of the multitudes destroyed may 

 perhaps be gleaned from the numbers sent for preservation 

 to various taxidermists. Thus Mr. Sim, Aberdeen, received 

 122; Mr. Small, Edinburgh, 70-80; Messrs. M'Leay and 

 Son, Inverness, 70 ; Mr. M'Culloch, Glasgow, 30 ; and Mr. 

 Bisshopp, Oban, 26. Mr. Evans's death-roll for the Forth 

 area alone amounts to 270. 



The wreck of the Little Auk in 1894-95 was not con- 

 fined to Scotland. It extended along the entire east coast 

 of Britain, and often far inland. As giving some indication 

 of the extent of the disaster in England, it may be stated 

 that Mr. J. H. Gurney registered nearly 300 for Norfolk 

 alone. Numerous Guillemots, Razor-bills, Gulls, and other 

 seabirds, likewise succumbed to the severity of the weather on 

 both the Scottish and the English coasts. 



Regarding the records, it must be remarked that the date 

 given is in some cases not the exact day of the actual find- 

 ing of a particular specimen, but the date on which it came 

 into the taxidermist's hands for preservation. In a few cases, 

 too, the localities given may not be the precise ones. These 

 little irregularities, which are few, cannot be avoided in 

 connection with data rapidly collected, as in this case. 



The map affords a graphic illustration of the widespread 

 nature of the wreck of the Little Auk, also some indication 

 of its abundance in the various districts in which it has come 

 under observation and has been reported to us. 



The thanks of the four gentlemen who have so kindly 

 placed their data in my hands, and of myself, are due to the 

 great number of observers whose names appear in the last 

 column of the tabulated record. To all of these we desire to 

 express our sense of the obligation we are under, and tender 

 to them the thanks and acknowledgments they all so justly 

 deserve. My thanks are also due to Mr. R. C. Mossman, 

 Edinburgh, for affording me access to valuable meteorological 

 data. 



In concluding, I would again express the opinion that 

 this report gives a mere indication of the extent of the visita- 

 tion and wreck of the Little Auk in Scotland during the winter 

 of 1894-95. Much more is known concerning them than 

 appears here ; but more, far more, has happened unwitnessed. 



