Eggs and Birds of the Orkneys. 4 1 5 



whole plumage of the eagle. The bird might have received 

 on its plumage a coat of slime from a fish, struggling and 

 flouncing at its capture, or in the pangs of death ; the eagle, 

 after bringing his prey ashore, might have rolled upon it, as 

 w^e know dogs do upon carrion. In either of these cases there 

 would have been a coating on the plumage, somewhat resem- 

 bling a solution of gum arable, while wet; and, when dry, 

 it Would have fallen into dust at the touch of the hand ; and the 

 feathers would have recovered their downy appearance. In 

 fine, oil or grease on the plumage ought never to have been 

 mixed up in the strange account of the eagle ; which would 

 come but poorly off if handled by a severe critic. I would 

 earnestly recommend more practice in ornithology to the 

 writer of the " Notes " [Notes on the Bird of Washington, 

 Vol. I. p. 115 — 120.]; and 1 wish that there had been more 

 sagacity shown by those who equipped the " Notes "in., fk 

 suitable dress to meet the public eye. ^-'^^ 



I am, Sir, yours, &c. ^^^ 



Walton Hall, April 11. 1832. Charles Watertoj^j 



============================= .->'*n 



Art. IV. Observations on the Eggs and Birds ivhich tjoere met tuith 

 in a Three Weeks' Sojourn {from May 30. to June 21. 1831) 



in the Orkney Islands. By J. D. Salmon, Esq. ' ^^'^% 



!^Hi ^'^' . . ^ >^^nmi8 



As I and my brother visited the Orkney Islahds l^^t 

 summer, and principally for the purpose of collecting the ^g^s 

 of the different birds that are in the habit of resorting th6ir6 

 annually to incubate, I forward you the results of our joiirne^j 

 as far as they relate to ornithology. '-■ 



'■ .^; . I am, Sir, yours, &c. ''^ ''-^"^ 



jSmrnl Lincolnshire, March 19. 1832. J. 'D. 'JSA|.Mir. 



^ mjow 

 WATER BIRDS. 7^^^^ 



The Whimbrel [^colopax Phcseopus L., Numenius Phceopus 

 Latham) we found sparingly in the marshy places between 

 the hills in the Island of Hoy, where it goes by the name of 

 the whaap ; but we were too late to obtain any of their eggs, 

 as they had already (June 3.) hatched. We had no doubt 

 that their young were concealed among the long grass (al- 

 though every endeavour on our part to find them proved 

 ineffectual), from the continued noise that the old birds kept 

 making over our heads ; and their immediately attacking every 

 species of gull, and more particularly the arctic gull (Lestris 

 parasiticus Boie,) whenever they approached very neaj^-pt^nd 

 eompeUing them to alter their course. ^■■■■\^v:::-^.i 



