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CRUISE IN LOCH FYNE, JUNE, 1899. 369 
Terns, and that they began to predominate only when Glas 
Eilean was reached. On Eilean Buidhe about twelve pairs of 
Common Gulls (Zarus canus, Linn.) were nesting. No evidence 
of the presence of any land-mammal was seen. 
Proceeding northward, we next came to Hilean Buic. Here, as 
on the other islands visited, the Oyster-catcher and Rock-Pipit were 
conspicuous ; there were, however, but few Common Gulls nesting 
here, and only a solitary nest of a Tern with one egg was found. 
A Red Grouse when disturbed found its way to the mainland, 
and a Common Sandpiper was seen in the vicinity. <A pair of 
the Common Sheld-Duck (Tadorna cornuta (8S. G. Gmel.) ) was seen 
in this neighbourhood. Vegetation was more varied here than 
on any of the islets yet visited. 
From Eilean Buic we went in the ship’s gig to Caisteal Aoidhe 
(the “Robber” Island), which, indeed, is only an island at high 
water. There is a fine example of a vitrified fort here, and the 
evidences of vitrifaction were examined with much interest. This 
islet has no attraction for the ornithologist ; but it yielded one 
species seen nowhere else during our trip, the Twite (Linota 
flavirostris (Linn.)), and we came upon an Oyster-catcher’s nest 
with two eggs. 
We now proceeded to the west side of the loch, and paid 
a visit to Glas Eilean, opposite Otter Spit. Although we had 
apparently bade good-bye to the Common Gull as a nesting 
species, the Common and Arctic Terns were more numerous here 
than on any of the other islands yet visited. The colony here 
must number not less than a hundred pairs—one mutilated dead 
bird found was an undoubted Arctic Tern. The Common Sand- 
piper (Zotanus hypoleucus (Linn.) ), which occurred here, was an 
addition to the list of land-birds seen on the islets visited. 
We anchored at Otter for the night and had a turn ashore, 
but saw nothing of interest during our brief visit. Thursday 
morning found us en route for Fraoch Eilean and Eilean Aoghainn 
(or Aoidh), but on the way a shout arose that the Sea Serpent 
had been seen on the port bow—an animal showing a tall, thin, 
arched fin, having been descried. We were all on the lookout 
at once after this alarming summons, but the only “leviathan 
afloat” that we could discover was a Bottle-nosed Whale (Hy- 
perdodon rostratus (Mill.) ). On Fraoch Eilean fifty to sixty pairs 
