Ornithology of St. Kilda. 89 



bably a small flock that had wandered from the Long Island, 

 where the bird is very common. 



Cygnus ? 



Swans occasionally visit St. Kilda, but no one appears to 

 have determined to what species they belong. 



CoLYMBUs GLACiALis. " Bunna bhuachel/^ 

 Sandy informed me that a pair of Great Northern Divers 

 were blown into St. Kilda by the terrible gale in the autumn 

 of 1882. One of the examples I believe is still preserved 

 somewhere in Skye. 



Ukia troile. " Lamhaidh.^^ 



St. Kilda is the grand head-quarters of the AlcidcC ; the far- 

 famed Pinnacles and Flamborough clitls sink into insignifi- 

 cance when compared with the breeding-stations on these 

 lonely isles and stacks. The natives gather the eggs literally 

 by boatloads_, and those of the Common Guillemot are the 

 most abundant. A Guillemot I shot had been feeding on 

 herring-fry. Iris dark brown; bill almost black. I did 

 not observe a single example of the Ringed form. 



Ubia bruennichi. 



Sir William Milner includes Briinnich^s Guillemot as a 

 St. -Kilda birdj and states that Graham obtained an egg on 

 Soay on the loth of June. No subsequent naturalist has met 

 with this species in the islands, but the bird may probably 

 breed there. After all, who knows any thing about the 

 Guillemots of Soay ? — far more unlikely birds than Briinnich^s 

 Guillemot may breed there for ought any British ornithologist 

 knows to the contrary ! Unfortunately the heavy swell pre- 

 vented me from lauding on that wild rugged island. 



Uria grylle. " Gearadh-breacha." 



The Black Guillemot is not uncommon, but certainly the 

 least numerous of the Auks. One or two might be con- 

 stantly seen close in shore at the foot of the rugged cliffs. 

 Donald got me a few eggs of this species. It breeds on Doon 

 as well as on St. Kilda. 



