CHAP. xii. THE LITTLE AUK. 247 



One of Edward's greatest pleasures was in rambling 

 along the sea-shore, to observe the habits of the sea 

 birds. The multitude of birds which frequent the 

 shores of the Moray Firth are occasioned by the 

 shoals of herrings, which afford food not only for 

 thousands of fishermen but for millions of sea-birds. 

 To show the number of birds that frequent the coast, 

 it may be mentioned that during the storm that oc- 

 curred in December 1846, Edward counted between 

 the Burn of Boyne and Greenside of Gamrie, a dis- 

 tance of about nine miles, nearly sixty of the Little 

 Auk, which had been driven ashore dead, besides a 

 large number of Guillemots and Eazorbills. Num- 

 bers of these birds were also found lying dead in 

 the fields throughout the county. 



And yet the Little Auk has a wonderful power of 

 resisting the fury of the waves. " It is a grand sight," 

 says Edward, " to see one of these diminutive but in- 

 trepid creatures manoeuvring with the impetuous bil- 

 lows of a stormy sea. Wave follows wave in rapid 

 succession, bearing destruction to everything within 

 reach ; but the Little Auk, taught by Nature, avoids 

 the threatened danger, either by mounting above the 

 waves or by going beneath them, reappearing un- 

 hurt as they spend their fury on the shore. The 

 eye for a time wanders in vain amongst the tur- 

 bulent surge, to catch another sight of the little sailor 

 bird. One unaccustomed to such a scene would be 

 apt to exclaim 'Poor little thing! It is buried 



