in the Orkney Islands. 417 



l)ird lays very late. Several nests , that we fbiind (June 13»^| 

 which were placed among the long rushes (a species of /Vis 

 [/. Pseud-^'corus L,'] that grows in abundance in the low 

 swampy places), contained only from one to five eggs ; and 

 but in a single nest did we find this number exceeded, in 

 this there were eleven, which is the usual number. Their 

 nests were very slight; composed chiefly of dried grass and 

 moss merely scraped together. Their incessant cry, which I 

 can only compare to the words crake crake, repeated a huip-) 

 dred times together, betrays where they are to be found ; ^nd 

 we frequently heard from twenty to thirty at the same timei 

 uttering this cry, which is not very pleasing to the ear. 



The Coot (Fiilica dtra L.). — We saw a few pairs of thesq . 

 birds in one of the small lochs in the Island of Sanda^ whej^^ 

 they are called by the name of the snyth. 



Of the Water Hen {Gallmula chloropus Latham) we Ui4i 

 not see a single individual. . - , jj 



' The Red Phalarope [Phaldropus hyperhbreus Latham, U>hip€$^ 

 hyperbbreus Cuvier). — I find that in Rennie's edition of Mon^^ 

 tagu's Ornithological Dictionary it is stated, p. 366.,^ t}^^ 

 "Mr. Bullock informed Colonel Montagu, he found it^tp ||f|j 

 common in the marshes of Sanda and Westra." The ovA^ 

 phalarope that we found in the small lochs in the Island 9^^ 

 Sanda is very accurately figured in the ^sixth , edition ^^of 

 Bew'iclCs B7'itish Birds, under the name of^jj;!^ ,f]e(}tf]ec^ie|J' 

 phalarope (Phalaropus fuscus) ; and Bewiclc|jS^,i?j;^-^"j]y5,^J^^ 

 fers in plumage from the red phalarope. Its nead,,ana a nar^ 

 row stripe on the front, and another on the hinder part of the 

 neck, which last spread over the shoulder, were dark asli^g 

 throat white ; sides of the neck and breast brilliant bay colou,r^g 

 upper parts of the plumage deep brown, nearly black ; und^^. 

 parts white." This beautiful little bird appeared to be ve^i^jri; 

 tame; although we shot two pairs, those that were swimming^ 

 about did not take the least notice of the report of the gun jjj 

 and they seemed to be much attached to each other, fo£^| 

 when one of them flew to a short distance, the other directl^^ 

 followed ; and while I held a female, that was wounded, in my^ 

 hand, its mate came and fluttered before my face. We were 

 much gratified in watching the motions of these elegant littl^^ 

 creatures, as they kept swimming about, and were for ever 

 dipping their bills into the water ; and so intent were they 

 upon their occupation, that they did not take the least notice ^ 

 of us, although within a few yards of them. The female ha^^ 

 not that brilliant bay colour upon the sides of the neck and 

 breast, which is so conspicuous in the male. After some little 

 difficulty, we were fortunate in finding their nests j which wej:^r> 



Vol.. v. — No. 27. Ep / 



