182 BIRDS. 



" I was assured by one, Andrew Burgas, some time the shep- 

 herd to Mr. Traill of Holland, on asking him what birds came 

 here, that there was another kind of ' Dunter ' (Eider) came here 

 (which he described and also recognised by Yarrell's picture as 

 the King Eider), and that he had on two occasions found the 

 nest on the holm within recent years. This he told me without 

 any prompting on my part, but of course the statement, as it 

 stands, is of no value. I will make full notes of this before I 

 go, and send them on that you may see if you think the evidence 

 is worth anything" (in lit. 8/12/89). 



We give the substance of these notes as follows : " Andrew 

 Burgas, the before-mentioned shepherd, says that a pair of 

 'Dunters,' the female of which was smaller than the common 

 Eider, and the male of which ' had a red knob on his neb,' and 

 was also smaller, bred for two consecutive years (somewhere in 

 the seventies) on the holm ; one year the nest was taken and 

 the eggs eaten, the second year it was not interfered with. 

 Since then he has not found the nest. Mr. Monteith-Ogilvie, 

 having a copy of Yarrell with him, showed Burgas the picture 

 of the Common Eider, covering the title, he said, ' Oh, no, that's 

 the common dunter.' He next tried him with Steller's Eider, 

 but Burgas said he ' never saw one like that.' Lastly he showed 

 him the King Eider, turning over the leaves rather quickly, but 

 Burgas stopped him at once and said, ' that's the very bird.' " 

 As Mr. Monteith-Ogilvie very wisely remarks, all this may have 

 been got up from some one else who had been inquiring about 

 the King Eider, but we have thought it best to place this im- 

 perfect information on record for future and further observation. 



CEdemia fusca (.). Velvet Scoter, 

 Ore. = Felvet Duck. 



This bird is not mentioned by any of the earlier writers, Dunn 

 being apparently the first person to record it from the Orkneys. 

 It is a common winter species in many parts of the islands, 

 notably in Damsay Sound and the adjacent waters. It does not, 

 however, occur- in Sanday, according to Messrs. Harvey and 

 Denison. 



