ON THE AVIFAUNA OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES 201 



HEN-HARRIER (Circus cyaneus), p. 79. Dr. M'Rury finds this 

 species breeds through the southern islands, but I fancy they 

 become decidedly scarce anywhere south of Barra, but the species 

 has been recorded as far south as Barra Head ("Ann. Scot. Nat. 

 Hist." 1894, p. 219), at the date of August 17, 1893. 



Mr. M'Elfrish of Lochmaddy tells me that these birds are 

 still found in North Uist, "though by no means so plentiful as 

 Robert Grey appears to have found them in Benbecula." Mr. 

 M'Elfrish goes on to say that in summer he can, "by sitting in 

 his garden, watch a pair for hours. They take the small birds that 

 frequent the bushes in the garden. A fine old male pursued a small 

 bird into the garden, and killed it among my potatoes within thirty 

 yards of where I was " : and I have other similar accounts. 



BUZZARD (Buteo vu/garis), p. 80. The Buzzards must still 

 remain in brackets, but Mr. M'Elfrish writes that " When shooting 

 Woodcock on Ben - , on January 29, 1890, I saw a Buzzard, but 

 whether the Common or a Rough-legged I am unable to say." 1 



SEA EAGLE (Haliaetus albicilld), p. 84. As it is of interest to 

 chronicle anything about the past distribution of our rarer birds, I 

 quote Mr. J. Steele- Elliott, who gathered the information when 

 visiting St. Kilda, that "it is some forty years since this species 

 bred on these islands. It formerly bred and had an eyrie on the 

 Conacher Cliffs, which in height reach some 1260 feet." It may 

 be remembered that somewhat similar information was gleaned as 

 regards its former occupancy of Mingulay. These two localities 

 are within eye-view of one another. The similarity of the dates 

 of their disappearances from both places may have some significance 

 or may not. I quote our previous remarks ("Fauna of the Outer 

 Hebrides," p. 84, 1888). We say : " White-tailed Eagles have long 

 since ceased to occupy the Aonaig Cliff of Mingulay : it is forty 

 years since they bred there, as far as Mr. Finlayson could remember. 

 Sea Eagles, as migrants, used to frequent Mingulay much more 

 numerously at one time." Mr. Steele-Elliott writes in 1895 (seven 

 years later) of the Eagles of St. Kilda, as related above. It will be 

 seen that a space of about seven years, therefore, appears to have 

 existed between the last nesting operations at the two localities- 

 allowing, of course, for slight miscalculations or inaccuracies in the 

 records. 



By the lease of the shootings of the Park in Lewis, the tenant, 

 Mr. Platt, is bound to protect the Eagles, and can only kill any by 

 special permission granted upon application to the Chamberlain 



1 These brackets may now be removed, as I have ascertained that one 

 Common Buzzard, which is preserved in Stornoway Castle, was shot there 

 "many years ago by the then keeper Mr. Brock" (fide D. Graham, the 

 present gamekeeper). If so, this is the only Hebridean specimen I know of. I 

 saw the specimen in the Castle in April 1902. It was also stuffed by Mr. Brock, 



