174 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Wheatears, Twites, and White Wagtails. The Whimbrels 

 were all over the island, both on cultivated and uncultivated 

 ground. Meadow- pipits, Rock -pipits, and Tree -sparrows 

 were also common round the houses. There were a few 

 Hooded Crows, but doubtless the greater number of the 

 resident birds were away breeding on the cliffs. Several 

 St Kilda Wrens were noticed about the houses and "cleits," 

 where the natives kept their fuel. 



St Kilda is well known as one of the principal resorts in 

 Great Britain of the Fulmar. At the time of my visit the 

 inhabitants were bringing in boat-loads which had been 

 noosed on the cliffs. It would seem a short-sighted policy 

 for a people which depends largely upon these birds for 

 a living to kill them at this season of the year; but, 

 judging from the numbers, the practice has apparently been 

 carried on with impunity in the past. I was fortunate 

 enough to obtain one of the rare " Blue Fulmars," the only 

 one seen amongst thousands of others. The bill is not 

 " blue " as described to Mr Eagle Clarke (see Studies in Bird 

 Migration, ii., p. 24), but appeared to be very like that of 

 the Common Fulmar, though I had not the two in my hand 

 at the same time. The nostrils are dark slate and the 

 rest of the bill greenish yellow, getting more horn-coloured 

 towards the tip. If anything, the bill is less blue than that 

 of the local form. 



Having read of St Kilda as the resort of myriads of 

 sea-fowl i.e., Kittiwakes, Razorbills, Guillemots, and Puffins 

 I was somewhat surprised to find that, with the exception 

 of the last, they were by no means so plentiful as I had 

 expected. I do not mean to say that there are not 

 thousands breeding there, but, compared with such places 

 as Handa and many of the other great cliff resorts, they 

 are distinctly scattered, and one sees no great number in 

 the sea. 



On the whole, the cliffs do not seem to have the type of 

 ledges they require for nesting. The greater part of them 

 consists of small grass slopes and short precipitous rock 

 faces, far better adapted to Fulmars and Puffins than to 

 Guillemots and Razorbills. I have seen Kittiwakes nesting: 



