THE BIRDS OF FAIR ISLE, NATIVE AND MIGRATORY 77 



an interesting one, though not at all surprising since the 

 species is a common summer visitor in Scandinavia. The prob- 

 ability is that its main lines of flight across the North Sea in 

 both spring and autumn lie further south, as in the case of 

 other species, and not via the Northern Isles. 



CURLEW, Numenius arquata. The Curlew was fairly numerous on 

 passage during the first week of September, but after that its 

 numbers fell off, and only a few were seen at intervals. There 

 is much suitable ground on the island for the nesting of this 

 species, and yet the bird (like the Golden Plover and others) 

 does not, and, so far as we could ascertain, never has bred on 

 Fair Isle. The Peregrines, as before mentioned, are probably 

 accountable for this : they would kill off any that attempted to 

 remain. 



WHIMBREL, Numenius phczopus. Single birds were seen at passage 

 on 4th, nth, and i5th September. This is another species for 

 which the island offers suitable nesting grounds, and yet it 

 breeds not, though it does in both Orkney and Shetland. 



TERN, Sterna sp. Mr. Stuart Wilson informed me that in his father's 

 time, i.e. in the early decades of the last century, " Pictarrs " 

 bred on some comparatively low-lying ground, now much re- 

 sorted to for peat, but then under sward. 



BLACK-HEADED GULL, Lams ridibundus. This species came under 

 our notice on three occasions, when single examples only were 

 observed. These an adult and two young birds appeared 

 on 2nd, 1 2th, and 23rd September, and frequented the crofts 

 in search of food, but remained for a few hours only. 



GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL, Larus marinus. We found young 

 and old of this species to be fairly common. It breeds in 

 numbers, and remains the winter. 



LESSER BLACK-BEAKED GULL, Larus fuscus. Several were observed 

 on the day of our arrival, and the last of the season came 

 under notice on the following day, 3rd September. After this 

 date none were seen, though we were always on the lookout 

 for them. It breeds commonly on the island, and is evidently 

 a summer visitor only. 



HERRING GULL, Larus argentatus. A common resident, breeding 

 in abundance on the cliffs and stacks. Many young birds were 

 observed hanging about the houses on the lookout for scraps 

 of food, and so dependent did they appear to be on charity, 

 so to speak, that they seemed quite unable to shift for them- 

 selves, and thus numbers perished from sheer want of food. 

 A case of cannibalism was noted on the part of this species, 

 for we came upon an immature bird making a meal on the 

 remains of a deceased comrade which had been killed, and its 



