NOTES ON BIRDS OBSERVED IN THE SCOTTISH ISLANDS 3 



Terns, and I looked very carefully to see if I could detect 

 any Common Terns amongst them, but was unable to do 

 so. Eider Ducks were very abundant. There were also 

 many Shags, a few Cormorants, Puffins, and Redshanks. 



The two following days were spent on the islands of 

 Egilshay, Gairsay, Sweyne Holm, and Green Holm. Corn- 

 crakes were calling in every clover and rye grass field. 

 Twites were abundant, also Redshanks, Skylarks, Eider 

 Ducks, Black Guillemots, Common Gulls, Starlings, Common 

 Guillemots, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Oyster -Catchers, 

 Rock Pipits, Shags, Arctic Terns, Herring Gulls, and 

 Meadow-Pipits. There were large colonies of Herring and 

 Lesser Black-backed Gulls breeding on the Green Holm, 

 some of the former had chosen the stone slab placed over 

 the grave of a young fellow drowned there in the " sixties " 

 as a nesting-place. There was a small colony of Arctic 

 Terns nesting on Sweyne Holm. Near the cottages were 

 a few House Sparrows, and in the marshy ground I put 

 up several Snipe, some of which were still " drumming." 

 I also noted a good many Lapwings, Hooded Crows, and 

 Ringed Plovers, a few Rock-Doves, one Turnstone, and a 

 Golden Plover. A Sand-Martin, one of the only two I 

 saw in Orkney, flew along the shore. Primroses were 

 growing in abundance on the grassy slopes facing the sea. 

 On my return to the yacht I again saw two Great Northern 

 Divers, one in full summer plumage and one immature. 

 As they remained near the yacht till I left for the Shetlands, 

 I had a splendid opportunity of watching them. 



On the 7th, I was delayed by fog for many hours, 

 outside the Out Skerries, seeing many Fulmars, Richardson's 

 Skuas, Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Puffins, Shags, Lesser Black- 

 backed and Herring Gulls. The Black Guillemot is far 

 less abundant than in the Orkneys, and the Great Black- 

 backed Gull much scarcer than the Lesser Black-backed 

 Gull. One Stormy Petrel, one immature Gannet, and 

 about six Manx Shearwaters flew past the yacht. In the 

 afternoon I landed at Collafirth, and pointed out four House- 

 Martins to a resident, who said they were the first he had 

 ever seen there. Wheatears were common, several pairs 

 of Golden Plovers were evidently nesting on the moor, but 



