336 URTA GRYLLE. 



and nearly erect. They repose either standing or lying flat 

 on the rock. 



The eggs, when hard hoiled, are remarkably good ; hut 

 the flesh of the bird, being dark-coloured and rank, is not 

 agreeable, although better than that of the Auk or other 

 Guillemots. These are the principal facts which I have 

 observed with regard to this bird, and with all of them I was 

 well acquainted more than thirty years ago, when nature, 

 without books, was my teacher. It may be amusing now to 

 see what other writers have said on the subject. 



Martin, in his Voyage to St. Kilda, writes thus : — " The 

 Scrahcr, so called in St. Kilda ; in the Farn Islands, Puffi- 

 nct ; in Holland, the Greenland Dove ; its bill small, sharp- 

 pointed, a little crooked at the end, and prominent ; it is as 

 large as a Pigeon, its whole body being black, except a white 

 spot on each Aving ; his egg grey, sharp at one end, blunt at 

 the other. It comes in the month of Marcli, and in the night- 

 time, without regard to any winds ; it is always invisible, 

 except in the night, being all day either abroad at fishing or 

 all the day under ground upon its nest, which it digs very 

 far under ground, from Avhence it never comes in daylight ; 

 it picks its food out of the live whale, with which, they say, 

 it uses sorrel, and both are foimd in its nest. The young 

 Puffin is fat as the young Fidmar, and goes away in August 

 if its first egg be spar'd." 



Now, Mr. Martin has committed the grievous error of 

 confounding two very different birds. That called Scraher in 

 St. Kilda is Procellaria Puffinus, not Uria Grylle, which is 

 named Gcara hreac all over the Hebrides. His description, 

 then, applies to the latter bird, but all the habits which he 

 has attributed to it belong to the Petrel or Puffinet. This is 

 all very obvious, and there is no need of saying a word more 

 on the subject ; but we may anticipate the continuation of 

 these errors among the compilers. 



Montagu, not a compiler, gives a remarkably poor account 

 of this bird, and repeats the errors of its being named Scraher 

 and having one egg, which he, however, describes as " dirty 

 white, blotched with pale rust colour," and in this comes 

 near the truth. 



