SIDE LIGHTS ON BIRDS 



on the Yorkshire moorlands, is, together with the 

 grey plover, much less frequently seen in the 

 Shetlands. 



The curlew, too, of the Yorkshire moors, is in 

 turn largely replaced in the Shetlands by the 

 whimbrel— the little whaup. The whimbrel may 

 be constantly seen on EngHsh estuaries and mud- 

 flats in autumn and winter, but it returns to the 

 more northerly latitudes to breed. It nests not 

 infrequently in the Shetlands. 



In the great tracts of marshy ground which 

 skirt so many of the lochs the common snipe is 

 exceptionally numerous. It is questionable even 

 if in Kerry, so many birds could be found in a 

 given area. The writer has a vivid recollection 

 of an isolated bog in Papa Stour, of barely half 

 an acre in extent, from which the startled snipe 

 rose literally in dozens, and instead of leaving 

 their haunt, were seen circling round in all direc- 

 tions, and constantly dropping back to the shelter 

 of the high-growing reeds. The great snipe is of 

 rare occurrence in the Shetlands, although in 

 Saxby's notes several are recorded as having been 

 shot. The jack occurs regularly on migration, 

 and instances of its nesting there have been given. 

 These, however have never been verified. 



The raven is also a characteristic and abundant 

 species in the Shetlands. Nesting for the most 

 part in the sea-chfis, it raids the whole of the 

 moorland country around seeking for its prey. 

 On the writer's first visit to the islands many years 

 ago, an epidemic occurred among the ponies, 

 which are allowed to run practically wild on the 

 hills. It was then no uncommon sight to see 

 six or seven ravens feeding upon a single carcase. 



The hooded or grey crow is another conspicuous 

 bird of the moorlands. These carrion crows 

 offer a problem to those engaged in the classi- 



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