90 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



BLACK GUILLEMOT, Uria grylle QJamseXis). A winter visitant. It 

 seems to keep well out to sea, and is very seldom seen here. There 

 is a young example, in first plumage, in the Museum, which was 

 shot at the mouth of the Tweed, by Mr. Thomas Darling, on 

 29th November 1879. 



On 27th February 1896, I saw two specimens off the rocks at 

 Holy Island, one of which was in full breeding plumage, the other 

 being in the usual spotted winter state. 



LITTLE AUK, Merguhis alle (Linnaeus). An irregular winter 

 visitant. Confining oneself strictly to the borough, I find from my 

 note-books that several occurred here in January 1879 ; two or three 

 in January 1885, one being shot near the mouth of the Whitadder 

 and another picked up at Castle Hills; and a great many in 1895. 

 From 3oth January, in that year, up to loth February, upwards of 

 thirty Little Auks occurred here, and I saw considerably more than 

 double that number, from other parts of the coast ; many of these 

 being dead examples, which had been washed up by the tide. 



On 3oth January, upon which date they seemed to have arrived 

 here, there were numbers of them diving about the river, from the 

 town up to as far as West Ord, several of them of course falling 

 victims to the gun. 



The only example in summer plumage, which I have seen in the 

 district, was picked up by one of the workmen in the Duke of 

 Northumberland's park, at Alnwick, on 7th May 1892 : it had quite 

 completed the change. My earliest record in the autumn, is 2oth 

 October 1894, when I found a fresh specimen washed up upon 

 Cheswick sands. 



PUFFIN, Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus). A resident, breeding at 

 the Fame Islands. It is supposed that those which nest here move 

 southwards in autumn, and that our shores are visited during winter 

 by birds which have bred farther north. However this may be, the 

 Puffin is certainly not uncommon upon our coast, during the winter 

 months, and may frequently be found washed up upon the beach after 

 stormy weather, along with Guillemots, and Razorbills. As tending 

 perhaps to prove their northern origin, some of the specimens, which 

 occur at this season, appear to slightly exceed our summer birds in 

 size. An example in the Newcastle Museum, which was obtained 

 near Holy Island, early in 1895, measured fourteen inches in length, 

 and has a wing measurement of seven inches. I do not think that 

 this bird is larger than others I have seen here, but unfortunately no 

 note of their dimensions seems to have been kept. 



GREAT NORTHERN DIVER, Colymbus gladalis, Linnaeus. A 

 winter visitant, usually appearing towards the end of October. It 

 rather inclines to fish in deeper water than its smaller congeners, 

 and seldom ventures so near the shore, but a few are seen off the 

 mouth of the Tweed, and along the coast, every year. 



