228 NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



West Country lochs, and pointed out that the quality of the 

 herrings of Western Scotland, when compared Avith those of the 

 East coasts, was perhaps owing to this rich kind of feeding — the 

 Entomostracans which he exhibited showing a considerable pro- 

 portion of oily substance in their composition. He then instanced 

 other fishes, from the stomachs of which he had repeatedly taken 

 large numbers of certain species of Entomostraca and Echmoderms, 

 remarking that he had found them, as a rule, feeding on the 

 recurrent products of the season with apparent regularity, which 

 would account in a great measure for the fickleness exhibited by 

 certain kinds of fish known in the experience of the trained and 

 practised angler. 



Mr Gray, the secretary, exhibited a specimen of the Fork-tailed 

 Petrel (Thalassidroma Leachil), which was found on the beach at 

 Eoseneath in the early part of this month, and oljligingly for- 

 warded by Mr Alex. Martin. This species, which was originally 

 discovered about fifty years ago by Mr Bullock, on the island of 

 St Kilda, has since been found breeding there in a colony under 

 the loose rocks ; but it has only recently been traced to the island 

 of Eum, where it is now known to breed in similar situations. 

 Mr Gray remarked that of the numbers of petrels blown on shore 

 on the western mainland, this bird was even more frequent than the 

 common storm petrel (Thalassidroma pelagka). It had been found 

 on Benbecula, one of the outer Hebrides, on the Isle of Skye, and 

 repeatedly on the Island of Eum. It had also been obtained at 

 Dunoon, and would no doubt be found in most of the localities 

 frequented by the more familiar species. It is somewhat curious 

 that none have as yet turned up on the east coast of Scotland. A 

 stray example appears to have been obtained in Caithness, 

 upwards of thirty years ago, by Dr Sinclair, of Wick, in whose 

 possession it was seen by the late James Wilson, of Woodville. It 

 appears, therefore, to be strictly a western species ; and possibly 

 the colonies of St Kilda, and the less remote Island of Eum, are 

 American settlers gradually extending their habitats, and likely to 

 spread themselves to other suitable rocks nearer the mainland as 

 the outermost ones become over-populated. 



