BIRDS. 223 



In another letter the same correspondent says : 



" Finding a nest is somewhat uncertain, as so few breed 

 here (Hoy). I have seen more on Eoithisholm Head, Stronsay, 

 at the breeding season, than elsewhere, i.e. I have seen three 

 or four pairs one day, some years ago." 



Mr. Eanken says : " A spring visitor, remaining to breed, 

 leaving as soon as the young are able to take their departure." 



Mr. Watt writes us that he sees a few Whimbrels every 

 year about spring-time on the links of Skaill, but he never saw 

 either nest or young birds in Orkney. 



Mr. Irvine-Fortescue sees a flock of half-a-dozen or so every 

 spring of what he is sure are Whimbrels, but he never saw but 

 one bird in autumn, and that was killed the end of August or 

 beginning of September 1886. About 1868 he saw one or two 

 pairs in Walls (Hoy), which evidently had young. 



From what we have just written we think it is clear that the 

 Whimbrel was never a really numerous bird in Orkney, and 

 that it is slowly decreasing in numbers as a breeding species ; 

 this our own observations made last summer (1888) bear 

 out. We ourselves only saw the Whimbrel on one occasion, 

 and that was on Papa Westray on June 23d. Here we saw 

 three birds, but none of them showed the slightest signs of breed- 

 ing, and we hunted all the uncultivated ground, as well as we 

 were able, to try and discover a nest. Four others haunted a 

 field near Burgar on the Mainland, during the first half of June ; 

 one of these was shot and proved to be a female, with very 

 small eggs in the ovary, nor did it show the slightest sign of 

 having bred. 



Mr. Moodie-Heddle told us he saw a pair of Whimbrels not 

 far from Melsetter in 1887, which evidently had young, but none 

 came to the place the next season, as we went to investigate for 

 ourselves. Eisa Little, an island lying close to Hoy on the 

 north side, has also been mentioned as a breeding-place of the 

 Whimbrel, and Mr. Millais informed us that he saw two there 

 in 1888, but they did not remain to breed. Within the last 

 few years a very large colony of the Common Gull has taken 

 possession of this island, so that possibly they may have driven 

 the Whimbrel away. 



