28 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



careful attention to their habits it is easy to form a conclusion 

 whether a dive has been successful or not. If nothing is 

 caught the bird on emerging from the water immediately takes 

 to flight, so quickly, in fact, that the observer feels inclined to 

 think that there is a small display of temper, whereas when 

 successful a short time is spent on the surface before flight, the 

 bird giving itself a general shake up and dipping its bill once 

 or twice in the water. The Solan always falls on its prey from 

 a great height in the air, in my opinion the height above water 

 depends on the depth of the fish under water, probably the 

 greater height giving it more impetus to reach a greater depth. 

 I have often seen one alter its mind when half-way between 

 the starting-point of its fall and the water, and continue its 

 flight, the cause of this being that the fish had moved out of 

 line of original aim. Though it does not dive from the surface 

 like other sea birds after its prey, it can do so all right. 

 Frequently, when fishing close to the rock, I have seen them 

 during a heavy sea, on coming to the surface, dive to avoid a 

 broken billow. In doing this they do not dive like the Shag, 

 but disappear like the Northern Diver, and on coming up on 

 the other side of the billow take to flight at once. 



HERON, Ardea cinerea. The Heron is a casual visitor, sometimes 

 flying past without resting, and on other occasions spending an 

 hour on an outlying reef. I have detected them coming out 

 here from Tiree, and altering their course to due South when 

 near the lighthouse. This was in August. I never saw them 

 in spring. At Earraid, on the S.W. of Mull, one has nested 

 and reared its young these past three years, always in the same 

 spot a ledge on one of the higher cliffs of the island. 



EIDER, Somateria mollissima. May be called a regular winter 

 resident, arriving in September and remaining till March, living 

 at sea in all weathers, and only landing on the rock on a fine 

 day for a few hours. 



CORN CRAKE, Crex pratensis. Has been seen twice on the rock 



i4th Sept. 1904 and i2th Sept. 1906. 

 GOLDEN PLOVER, Charadrius phtvialis. Is always seen and heard 



on migration, but more often in the autumn than spring. 



This year in October and November two or three were seen 



nearly every day arriving from the North, and after a short rest 



continuing their flight in a southerly direction. 



LAPWING, Vanellus vitlgaris. -Is only an occasional visitor, seen on 

 both migrations. 



TURNSTONE, Strepsilas interpres. A regular winter resident. About 

 five or six are always on the rock from August to April feeding 

 amongst the seaweed when the tide is out. They are so 



