THE ISLE OF USHANT, ETC. 311 



They professed much friendship, but it was to them, no 

 doubt, that we owed our misfortunes. 



During our short sojourn on the island we observed 

 a number of birds. On these I shall now proceed to 

 make a few remarks, reserving for the concluding 

 annotated list the detailed particulars. 



The following were doubtless resident species on 

 Ushant : — Raven, Sparrow, Linnet, Corn-Bunting, 

 Yellow Bunting, Skylark, Meadow-Pipit, Rock-Pipit, 

 Stonechat, Redbreast, Hedge-Accentor, Wren, Pere- 

 grine Falcon, Ringed Plover, and, perhaps, the Oyster- 

 catcher. 



The summer visitors appeared to be only two in 

 number — the Whitethroat and the Swallow. 



The birds of passage observed between the 9th and 

 17th of September — a period of phenomenally fine 

 weather, be it remarked — were the Redwing, Wheatear, 

 Whinchat, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wag- 

 tail, Hen-Harrier, Sparrow-Hawk, Kestrel, Osprey, 

 Heron, Turtle-Dove, Dotterel, Lapwing, Turnstone, 

 Sanderling, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Whimbrel, 

 Curlew, Arctic, Common, Lesser, and Sandwich Terns, 

 and Manx and Great Shearwaters. The absence of 

 suitable shores on which to feed and rest accounted, no 

 doubt, for the absence of several of the species of 

 wading-birds which we had observed on the mud-flats 

 of the opposite coast at Le Conquet. The brilliant 

 weather, too, was decidedly against any migratory 

 movement, pronounced or otherwise. Some of the 

 species were, however, observed in considerable numbers. 



The following species noted may perhaps be best 

 described as winter visitors to the island, though the 

 nesting-grounds of some of them are probably not far 



