■ • >^^' 

 In the Orkney Islands, 5|fSl 



'.tiSfiftfni im- 

 endeavouring to decoy us away, by pretending to be lam«, 

 and tumbling about as if her wing were broken ; and it was 

 this circumstance that led us to look more attentively. It is 

 very amusing to see this bird chasing the kittiwake, which it 

 compels to disgorge its food, and before this food reaches the 

 water or land, the arctic gull catches it. This appears to be 

 the only means of subsistence with the arctic gulls, as we 

 never observed them fishing, like the rest of the gulls. The 

 provincial name is scouticurlin. 



T/ie Shearwater [Procelldria Puffin us Zy., Puffin us Anglbrum 

 Ray). — This is not near so numerous as most of the other 

 aquatic birds ; and it was with very great difficulty that we 

 obtained its Qgg^ as it generally selects the most inaccessible 

 part of the rock, and burrows a hole between the fissures 

 wherever there is any soft earth, and there deposits its single 

 ^ggi which is of a glossy white, about the size of that of the 

 domestic hen, but more pointed at the smaller end. It is 

 there called by the name of the syre. 



The Pyffin (A7c« drctica). — We found this beautiful bird 

 very numerous, and associating with all the different rock 

 birds ; it is known by the name of the Tammy Norie. Like 

 the shearwater, it makes a hole in the soft stratum between 

 the fissures of the rocks that overhang the sea, and, like that 

 bird, deposits its single egg upon the bare ground, without 

 any nest. The ground colour of the egg is white, and invaw 

 riably speckled with light reddish spots. ^? 



- The Red-breasted Merganser [M.ergus serrdtor L.). — "We saw 

 several male birds in the Loch of Stennis ; but could not dis^ 

 tover a single female, and suppose that they must have taken 

 their young away, as we were assured that they annually breed 

 upon the small holms in the loch, and upon the shore. I 

 have since seen some eggs that were taken hence by your 

 correspondent Mr. Drosier [see his Ornithological Fisit to 

 Shetland and the Orkneys^ in Vol. III. p. 321 — 326., and Vol. 

 IV. p. 193 — 199.]; and they are of a fawn colour, about the 

 size of those of 



The Wild Duck [K^nas Boschas L.), which is also very?, 

 plentiful. ' ; 



The Smew {Mergus alhellus L.). — We found a nest which, 

 we are inclined to think, belongs to this species, in the Island 

 of Sanda, close alongside a small loch in the parish of Bin- 

 ness. We put the female off her nest. After flying round 

 two or three times, she alighted in the loch ; and although we 

 could not get near enough to shoot her, yet we could dis-l^^^ 

 tinctly perceive, by the formation of her bill, that she cofi 

 responded with that figured by Bewick, under the name of 



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