CRUISE IN LOCH FYNE, JUNE, 1899. 369 



Terns, and that they began to predominate only when Glas 

 Eilean was reached. On Eilean Buidhe about twelve pairs of 

 Common Gulls {Larus canus, Linn.) were nesting. No evidence 

 of the presence of any land-mammal was seen. 



Proceeding northward, we next came to Eilean Buic. Here, as 

 on the other islands visited, the Oyster-catcher and Rock-Pipit were 

 conspicuous ; there were, however, but few Common Gulls nesting 

 here, and only a solitary nest of a Tern with one egg was found. 

 A Red Grouse when disturbed found its way to the mainland, 

 and a Common Sandpiper was seen in the vicinity. A pair of 

 the Common Sheld-Duck {Tadorna cornuta (S. G. Gmel.) ) was seen 

 in this neighbourhood. Vegetation was more varied here than 

 on any of the islets yet visited. 



From Eilean Buic we went in the ship's gig to Caisteal Aoidhe 

 (the " Robber" Island), which, indeed, is only an island at high 

 water. There is a fine example of a vitrified fort here, and the 

 evidences of vitrifaction were examined with much interest. This 

 islet has no attraction for the ornithologist ; but it yielded one 

 species seen nowhere else during our trip, the Twite (Linota 

 flavirostris (Linn.) ), and we came upon an Oyster-catcher's nest 

 with two eggs. 



We now proceeded to the west side of the loch, and paid 

 a visit to Glas Eilean, opposite Otter Spit. Although we had 

 apparently bade good-bye to the Common Gull as a nesting 

 species, the Common and Arctic Terns were more numerous here 

 than on any of the other islands yet visited. The colony here 

 must number not less than a hundred pairs — one mutilated dead 

 bird found was an undoubted Arctic Tern. The Common Sand- 

 piper {Totanus hyi^oleucus (Linn.) ), which occurred here, was an 

 addition to the list of land-birds seen on the islets visited. 



We anchored at Otter for the night and had a turn ashore, 

 but saw nothing of interest during our brief visit. Thursday 

 moi ning found us en route for Fraoch Eilean and Eilean Aoghainn 

 (or Aoidh), but on the way a shout arose that the Sea Serpent 

 had been seen on the port bow — an animal showing a tall, thin, 

 arched fin, having been descried. We were all on the lookout 

 at once after this alarming summons, but the only " leviathan 

 afloat " that we could discover was a Bottle-nosed Whale {Hy- 

 per oodon rosiraius (Milll.) ). On Fraoch Eilean fifty to sixty pairs 



