BIRDS. 241 



flat to the north of the Summer burn. (This is the farthest north 

 station in the island (Hoy) now, of Richardson's Skua.)" 



" The Buffon's Skua then suddenly left." 



"He (Begg) had secured about four Skuas during that time, 

 the most of which Hubbard had, he thought." J. G. M.-H., 

 in lit. May 8th, 1890. 



We give Mr. Begg's information in full, as, as before-said, 

 we wish to do full justice to all the information we receive. 

 According to Saunders, the farthest south breeding limit of this 

 species is 62 J K Lat., but the great bulk breed well in the 

 Arctic Circle. We have tried, with Prof. Newton's help, to trace 

 some of the specimens shot by Mr. Begg and sent to Hubbard, 

 but quite ineffectually.] 



Order 6. TUBINARES. 

 Family PROCELLARIIDJE. 



Procellaria pelagica, L. Stormy Petrel. 



OYC.=Alamonti. (Low). 



Low records the Stormy Petrel as breeding in Orkney. Amongst 

 other localities which he gives is Hunda, but this of late years 

 it seems almost to have deserted, as Mr. C. H. Warne informs 

 us that, in 1890, he could only obtain two or three eggs there 

 with the greatest difficulty, and after a two days' search. Mr. 

 Irvine-Fortescue has seen a few of these birds occasionally in 

 Scapa Flow, sometimes four or five together. 



The Stormy Petrel breeds not uncommonly in various 

 other places, either under the loose, rather large stones on the 

 shore of the smaller holms, or in the crevices and holes 

 in the peaty soil which forms the top of these islands, the 

 entrance being usually, in the latter case, overhung with grass. 

 One's nose is a sufficient guide to find the places the petrels are 

 inhabiting, and it is little or no use searching for their eggs 

 when the strong odour of these birds cannot be perceived. 

 Strangely enough the grass seemed little disturbed by the birds 

 going in and out of these places. The note, which we often 



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