Zoology of the Outer Hebrides, 1 5 



ations. Rissa tridaclyla, the Kittiwake, breeds only in Haskir 

 and St. Kilda ; in the latter place in large colonies. Larus ma- 

 rinus, the Great Black-backed Gull, is plentiful ; its nest was 

 found only on the small island of Shellay, at Lowhead, and 

 in the interior of North Uist, among the small lakes. L. fus- 

 cus, the Lesser Black-backed Gull, is not so common as the 

 others of the genus, but was found breeding in the same 

 places as the preceding. Large colonies were noticed on se- 

 veral of the islets of North Uist, upwards of a mile from the 

 sea. L. canus and L. argentatus, the Common and Herring 

 Gulls, were equally abundant; the latter was never found 

 breeding in the interior as the former occasionally was. Lestris 

 Richardsonii, Richardson's Skua, breeds in several spots in 

 the interior of North Uist, and a few stragglers might now 

 and then be observed upon the coasts, chacing the terns and 

 smaller gulls. The Fulmar, Procellaria glacialis, breeds in 

 astonishing numbers upon the terrific cliffs of St. Kilda, but 

 was not observed elsewhere, except when at sea in very 

 gloomy weather ; also in the evening and at daybreak, when 

 I have seen them following in the wake of the boat, but sel- 

 dom for any time. In St. Kilda I have taken them alive upon 

 the rocks, but never observed them eject oil from their nostrils, 

 as mentioned in ornithological works, though they vomit that 

 fluid most [copiously on being wounded or roughly handled. 

 Such as I dissected had the stomach filled with clear oil, 

 mixed with the horny mandibles of some Sepiadce, on which, 

 and not the "flesh of whales," as stated in books, the St. 

 Kilda Fulmar may be presumed to subsist. Puffinus Anglo- 

 rum, the Shearwater, was seen occasionally at sea, but on land 

 only in St. Kilda, where it nestles in excavations formed by 

 itself: like the next, it seems to be in great measure a noc- 

 turnal bird. The Stormy Petrel is extremely plentiful about 

 St. Kilda, whence it issues about an hour before sunset : as 

 to the species I am not quite certain, as I did not procure a 

 single specimen ; for although they sometimes came about the 

 boat in great numbers, this happened only in very rough 

 weather, when, as every one who has faced the Atlantic in an 

 open boat during a heavy gale will readily imagine, shooting 

 was rendered exceedingly difficult, and picking up the dead 

 birds next to impossible. 



The Dobchick, Podiceps minor, occurred in almost all the 

 lakes of North and South Uist. The Eared Grebe, P. au- 

 ritus, in the latter only, chiefly about Ormaclate. The North- 

 ern Diver, Colymbus glacialis, was plentiful until the begin- 

 ning of June, when they all disappeared, and had not again 

 returned when I left the country. C. septentrionalis, the Red- 

 throated Diver, was observed on several of the lakes ; and C. 



