42 APPENDIX: NO. XLI. 
6 i 
Some OBSERVATIONS ON THE Birps or THE Faror ISLANDs. 
(Read in Section 1 of the British Association for the Advancement of Science at 
the Meeting in Edinburgh, July and August 1850, and printed in Sir William 
Jardine’s ‘ Contributions to Ornithology ’ for 1850, pp. 106* to 117.] 
Tue Fauna and Flora of the Faroe Islands have received much 
attention in several departments of natural history, for from their 
peculiar position, as a connecting link between Europe and North 
America, through Iceland and Greenland, the character of their 
productions is a study of importance to the physical geographer. 
However, observers have been but few, and I therefore venture to 
offer some small contributions towards their Ornithology, which I 
collected in the summer of 1849, in a visit of five weeks’ duration. 
The birds have indeed been already described more than once, but 
many errors are prevalent with respect to those which breed there, 
and the lines of distinction between true natives, summer and winter 
residents, and mere wayfarers, are so far incorrectly drawn. 
I will only allude, in a few words, to the kind of accommodation 
which the Faroe Islands afford to the feathered race. Situate in 
an open sea, and also an intermediate station on the high way to 
Iceland, they offer a resting place to wanderers over the ocean. 
Most of the islands of which the group is composed are moun- 
tains, whose foundations are far below the surface of the water, 
and their sides are divided into horizontal terraces from the bedding 
of the trap rock. In many places, especially to the north and west, 
there are precipices of such a stupendous height, as to lave their 
summits generally in the clouds, and they are often perpendicular 
from top to bottom; but they are frequently interrupted by broad 
grassy ledges, upon which the slopiug turf is generally undermined 
by the holes of countless Puffins, Mormon fratercula. On little 
shelves, on the face of the precipices themselves, breed the Guille- 
mots ; and on any projecting point, the Kittiwakes, Larus tridactylus, 
place their nest; whilst the Razorbills, Alca torda, are on more 
secure ledges and amongst stones. Here are plenty of slopimg hill 
sides, and open stones for the Shearwater, Puffinus anglorum, and 
Petrel, Procellaria pelagica; and there are large blocks of rock, 
amongst which the Green Cormorant delights to find a sheltered 
home; for the Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus, there 
are maccessible stacks or drangs—in fact, no bird which is merely 
in want of house room need have any difficulty ; but he must be 
prepared to withstand a good deal of rough weather. Fierce 
blasts of wind frequently rush down from the mountains, mists 
and rain are almost incessant, and the air is so damp, that the 
sods of grass, with which the roofs of the wooden houses of men 
are covered, are even at the end of summer of the most spring- 
like green ; yet there are seldom any uncomfortably hot days in 
summer, and no very severe cold in winter. With respect to food, 
there appears to be an abundance of small fish within reach ; and 
