334 THE SKARGARD. 



a melanclioly foreboding to the poor fisherman of some 

 new disaster." In former times the larger of the islands 

 were well wooded, and a few, such as Oroust, are partially 

 so at the present day. But in general they are utterly 

 destitute of arborous vegetation ; though even on the 

 most barren of them a few stunted bushes may occasionally 

 be seen creej^ing forth from amongst the crevices of the 

 rock. Some of the islands have a scanty population, 

 consisting chiefly of fishermen and pilots, and are in 

 patches cultivated ; but for the most part they are only 

 tenanted by the feathered tribe, and have, on the whole, a 

 most sterile and desolate appearance. 



With the exception of a few j)artridges, hares, and a 

 Black-Cock or two on one or other of the larger islands, 

 the sportsman will find but little in the shape of game in 

 the Gothenburg and neighbouring " Skiirgardar " ; but 

 as a set-off he will meet wdth many kinds of water-fowl 

 and waders, the sj)ecies, however, varying greatly ac- 

 cording to the season of the year. 



Of the aquatic birds that bred with us, I may notice 

 the following: — The Great Black -backed Gull ; the 

 Lesser Black -backed Gull ; the Herring Gull ; the Com- 

 mon Gull ; the Common Tern ; the Arctic Tern ; the 

 Caspian Tern (rarely) ; the Black Tern (only occasionally) ; 

 Richardson's Skua ; the Mallard ; the Teal ; the Wigeon 

 (sparingly) ; the Sheldrake ; the Eider-Duck ; the lled- 

 breasted Merganser ; the Black Guillemot ; the Black and 

 the Bed-throated Diver ;* and I suspect the Cormorant 

 and the Shag also, for on one particular part of the coast 



* Naturalists would seem to entertuiu the notion that these birds only 

 breed on the margin of fresh-water lakes ; but such is not always the case, 

 for I myself have found the nest of the Red-throated Diver on an island of 

 the Gothenburg Sk"argS,rd, and Ekstrom tells us, when speaking of the birds 

 of Oroust, that the Black-throated Diver breeds frequently Lii the iuiier 

 Skargard, meaning probably the bays and inlets of the mainland. 



