Notes on Hysgeir, off Canna, and its Bird Life. 175 



Though I do not hold our table of downs to be infallible, 

 yet, so far as it goes, I believe it will be found to afford really 

 good and serviceable means of identifying ducks' eggs. Were 

 the table completed by descriptions, on similar lines, of other 

 ducks' downs, taken from the nests, and carefully identified — 

 in the first instance — I consider it would form a really good 

 aid to the oologist.* 



The following is a list of the species of birds found there by 

 our party, along with such remarks as I have deemed it desir- 

 able to make to relieve the barrenness of a mere list. I would 

 like to have added a list of the flowering plants we found on 

 the more verdant portions, but our time did not admit of 

 this being done carefully, so I think it better to omit it for 

 the present, than to offer an imperfect list. 



List of BiRDs.f 



Great Black Backed Gull (Zarus marinus, L.). 

 Lesser Black Backed Gull {Larus fuscuSj L.). 

 Herring Gull {Lams argentatus, L,). 



All these gulls formed one colony over the larger portion of the 

 island,but principally, as was to be expected, upon the more verd- 

 ant portions. The nests were much scattered, and it was diffi- 

 cult to arrive at any conclusions as to their respective numbers. 

 The great black backed gulls were, however, the least abundant. 



A considerable colony were breeding amongst the protruding 

 tops of the basaltic columns towards the western horn of the cres- 

 cent, laying their eggs on the more level or cup-shaped spaces 

 between the stumps, which at this part were richly clothed in 

 grey rock-lichens. The sole materials of the nests were small 

 shreds of broken lichen, or dry grass ; and often no materials at 

 all were used. The fishermen had already robbed the nests, or, 

 otherwise, the birds had only just begun to lay, as the largest 



* I need not say I will be mucli indebted to any one who can assist nie to 

 complete the table given in the accompanying vol. of the Ibis, by specimens 

 or descriptions — the former preferred. 



t The scientific names are on the authority of H. E. Dresser's latest " List 

 of European Birds" (6 Tenterden Street, London, 1881), which is our latest 

 authority. 



