32 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



The former were visitors from Sulisgeir or St Kilda, but 

 we found a small colony of the latter breeding to the south 

 of Haskeir. 



The season of 191 3 was a very late one for the breeding 

 of the Grey Lag-goose. This bird is said to be increasing 

 in the districts that we visited, owing to the increased 

 protection accorded it. Mallard, Teal, and Red-breasted 

 Mergansers were the commonest ducks. The Shelduck 

 probably breeds among the dunes of the west coast of the 

 Uists and Benbecula, but we only once saw a pair of these 

 birds. The Eider is common, both on the sea-islands and 

 fresh-water lochs. Contrary to what has been stated by 

 some writers, who say that the drake never goes near the 

 nest, on one occasion we observed a drake standing beside 

 an incubating duck. Another day, the drake was seen 

 calling the duck back to the nest. 



The most interesting duck that we observed was the 

 Pochard. In 191 2, two pairs are said to have bred in the 

 nesting-place of the Red-necked Phalarope mentioned below. 

 In 191 3 we saw a drake in the same place. The spot was 

 inaccessible except by boat, but we have little doubt but 

 that the Pochard is an annual breeder in this district. 



Of the Fulicariae, the Coot and Corn-crake were both 

 common, especially round the machar on the west coast. 

 The only member of the Columbidae that we saw was a 

 Turtle-dove, an interesting and somewhat unusual visitor 

 to the Hebrides, which was observed in an exhausted 

 condition on a peat bog on 6th June. 



The Ringed Plover, Dunlin, and Lapwing all breed in 

 hundreds along the west coast, but both the Oyster-catcher 

 and Golden Plover were remarkably scarce, although suitable 

 breeding-places abounded, and we only saw two nests. The 

 same may be said of the Snipe and Redshank. We were 

 told that many pairs of the latter species used to breed 

 annually in a certain marsh on the west coast ; but at the 

 time of our visit, we only saw one bird, which did not seem 

 to be nesting ; but we do not know whether this decrease is 

 general in other parts of the islands. 



Flocks of Whimbrel, consisting of from five to twenty 



