196 JOTTINGS ABOUT BIRDS. 



ably associated with the wild waters of the Western 

 Highlands and the Hebrides, as well as with many 

 of the Irish loughs. Again, I often wonder why 

 the extremely pretty Eider Duck (Somateria 

 mollissima) has been so entirely ignored by the 

 marine painter. What could, be more effective 

 than a small party of these handsome birds swim- 

 ming just outside the surf on a rock-bound coast, 

 riding buoyantly as corks on the curling crests of 

 the waves, or diving through the huge green rollers 

 just as they turn over to break in thunder on the 

 beach ? But here again the artist must be careful 

 not to introduce this bird into pictures of southern 

 waters, especially in summer, for it is not known to 

 breed on our coasts south of the Fame Islands. 

 Another bird which should be a special favourite 

 with the marine artist is the Oystercatcher (H<zma- 

 topus ostralegus}. Its black and white plumage, 

 orange-coloured beak, and pink legs and feet make 

 it a conspicuous object on the shingly shore, as it 

 runs along by the margin of the waves. 



On the wild northern moors close to the sea the 

 Skuas have their home. These birds are readily 

 distinguished from the Gulls by their brown colour 

 and cuneiform tails. The Great Skua (Stercorarius 

 catarrhactes) is readily identified by its large size, 



