APPENDIX: NO. XLI. 49 
Orkney. St. Kilda is perhaps its only British and also its most 
southern station. It is, however, said to breed in the island of 
Barra, perhaps not South Barra, but Bara and Rona, two rocks 
far to the north of Cape Wrath and the Lewes, whose position was 
ascertained with accuracy in one of Parry’s Arctic Voyages. The 
Westmanna Islands, where the Fulmar is described as so abundant, 
are to the south of Iceland, and not in Faroe, as Mr. Yarrell 
inadvertently ‘states. 
Thalassidroma pelagica lives in any hollow or burrow, even 
under the floor of a barn. It is in many localities, breeding late in 
July. I looked in vain for the nearly allied species, 7. leachii, 
which is found in St. Kilda, 
Of the birds in my third list, I have to say, that I made the most 
diligent search and inquiry for them. 
Colymbus glacialis is believed, as in the north of Britain, to 
hatch its egg under its wing, so it is not likely that it ever bred 
in Faroe. 
Mergulus melanoleucos is stated to breed in the northernmost 
of the Faroe Isles, certainly through some mistake. I could neither 
find it any where, nor hear of any one who had seen it in summer. 
Even in Iceland I believe it is only known to breed in one island 
to the north, which lies on the arctic circle. It is a truly arctic 
bird, far more so than Uria grylle. 
About .4/ca impennis I made inquiries whenever I had oppor- 
tunity, but I could learn very little. An old man, Paul Joénsen, 
had seen one fifty years ago, sitting among the Hedlafuglur, that 
is young Guillemots and other birds upon the low rocks, and old 
men told him it was very rare. This was about the time when 
Landt wrote. Old people have been heard to say, that formerly, 
when many of them were seen, it was considered a sign of a good 
bird year, which we may perhaps explain, by supposing that the 
same kind of weather which prevented A. impennis going to the 
north, also kept more of his congeners from their far northern 
breeding places. A Gorfuglir was formerly valued at four 
Lomvias or Guillemots, when one happened to be caught amongst 
the Hedlefuglur. 
I saw Daniel Joénsen, captain of a vessel belonging to Governor 
Lobner, which went in 1813 to fetch provisions from Iceland to the 
half-starved Faroese, and brought back some fifty or sixty of 
the Gorfuglir amongst other birds. They got them on one of the 
small rocks which the natives were afraid to visit, near Iceland. 
With respect to this name, Geirfugl of Iceland, Garefowl of St. 
Kilda, and Gorfuglir of Faroe, I could hear no more than a sup- 
position from Sysselmand Winther, that it was taken from the voice 
of the bird, for such a noise as that made by Larus marinus is 
called gorra. It perhaps has a common signification with Gyrfalcon. 
Wormius, in the sixteenth century, had one sent to him from the 
Faroe Islands, which he kept alive for several months. Hoier de- 
scribes the Goirfugel about the same time, and Ray or Willughby 
PART IV. 
