ALCA TROILE. 391 
This lesson proved useful in the vigorous updrawings of the FerGese, 
where there was risk of the same accident. 
The sublime feelings of this rock-climbing to the ornithologist ca 
the lover of scenery and romance I will not venture to describe. 
I went down at a great number of spots in Handa, nearly all along 
the cliffs. Here generally I simply had the rope tied under my 
arms, which is far better for climbing than the stick system, and 
safer. It is advisable always to keep one arm [by] the side to avoid 
any risk of slipping through. 
§ 4866. Mve.—Handa, June, 1849. 
These belong to the Ringed Guillemot [which] at Handa was in 
the proportion of at least one to ten of the Common Guillemot, of 
which I have no doubt it is a variety, either from age or accident. 
I marked very carefully several of the eggs as the birds left them. 
Some of these I took myself and others I watched till they were 
taken by a man sent down. I shot two birds sitting together, but 
one of the eggs was broken. Ona shelf where were perhaps a dozen 
eggs, the only nearly white one, taken with my hand, was that of a 
Ringed Guillemot, so there may be some foundation for the notion 
of the Flamborough climbers that the Ringed birds lay a white egg. 
Yet the eggs I got shew that they lay the same variety as other 
Guillemots. They were mixed promiscuously with the common 
birds on the ledges and did not keep separate either in Sutherland, 
Caithness, Shetland, or Ferée.° On the Holm of Noss, in Shetland, 
and in Ferée their proportion was at least. that of Handa. In 
Caithness I calculated them at about one in five or six. This last 
happened on the Cleat at Holborn Head, on the 22nd of April, 
1849. There was a large assemblage on the level ground on the top 
of that stack—a cluster of some hundreds apparently ; closely 
huddled together, probably engaged in matchmaking, as they were 
bowing and scraping to each other. In Ferdée, in the island of 
Fuglée, on the 19th of July, I opened two which turned out to be 
male and female, and disproved the notion of the inhabitants that 
the Ringed were the females of the others—though some said they 
were the males. On making a careful comparison between the 
Ringed birds and the others I could see uo difference. We should 
remember that very nearly similar markings formerly led to the 
making two species of Alca torda. 
October 1850, Unfortunately [ cannot now distinguish between 
