THE BIRDS OF IONA AND MULL. 229 



cliffs or rocky caverns between the months of September and April." 

 Of the sand-martins, " these, it is highly probable, pass the winter 

 among dead reeds at the bottoms of lakes, pools, and slow rivers.' 1 

 Again, of the wheatear, "From Hastings, a little to the east of Beachy 

 Head, the coast of France is visible on a clear clay, and opposite Dover 

 is the narrowest part of the channel. A strong and steady west wind 

 would blow these voyagers so short a distance in a very little time. 

 But if so, when and how do they return 1 ? Mr White calls them the 

 Sussex bird ; but the wheatear is certainly not peculiar to that county." 



The Rock Dove. 



On looking over my old letters to you, published in The Naturalist, 

 I come to the conclusion that I can add nothing to the remarks that 

 I sent you concerning the rock dove, except that in my long residence 

 subsequently on the shores of Loch Fyne I never once saw it, though 

 the wood pigeon (unknown in Iona) was abundant. I need only 

 repeat that the rock dove abounds in Mull and Iona, breeding on all 

 the rocky shores and remaining all the year. 



Black Cock. 



Gaelic, Coileach dubh — black cock. The female — Cearc fhraoich — hen of 

 the heather. 



On the wild tracts of land on the south-west of Mull the black 

 game nourishes much more abundantly than the red grouse ; you 

 meet one brace of the latter to ten of the former in a day's walk over 

 the moors and mosses. 



Red Grouse. 



Gaelic, Eoin rua' — red bird. 



Is not so abundant as the last, perhaps for want of artificial 

 encouragement and protection. 



Ptarmigan. 



Exists on Ben Mor in Mull, whence I have seen specimens procured 

 in their snow-white plumage. 



Q 



