LETTER VI. 65 



getting them. I remembered your inquiries about Grebes ; but 

 as there are a few in our neighbourhood, in Mull, I intend to take 

 a light punt to pursue them with, and so I will defer making any 

 remarks concerning them till after this opportunity of studying 

 their habits. Yesterday, in returning home from an expedition, 

 my mate and I had to pull the entire distance, twenty-five miles ; 

 which gave us hard work from two P.M. till ten, besides a walk 

 of ten miles over the hills in the morning. 



VI. 



IONA, 25th March 1852. 



THE LONG-TAILED ICE DUCK (Harelda glacialis). 



THIS bird comes to lona in the early part of November, when 

 there appears a small flock of a dozen or so, which takes up its 

 station off the northern coast of the island. These are gradually 

 reinforced during the frosts and severe weather of December and 

 January by fresh arrivals which are driven in from the sea, and 

 from their more unsheltered haunts, till at last a very great 

 number are assembled in the bay. Towards the end of March 

 this large flock begins to break up into pairs and small parties ; 

 many go away ; and when the weather keeps fine they make long 

 excursions, and for days the bay is quite deserted not a Long- 

 tail is to be seen. A change of weather, however, will still bring 

 them back, and a smart gale would assemble a considerable flock 



