428 BIRDS OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



that tells you so ; and to satisfy yourself (good reader) as to the 

 correctness of the statements which he here lays before you, go to 

 the desolate shores of Labrador."* 



The same author, in referring to the bare spots on the lower 

 parts of the sitting birds, remarks, that in the specimens which he 

 caught he found the feathers and down plucked off quite across 

 the breast so as to admit of the three eggs being covered. Mr 

 Thompson, in his 'Birds of Ireland/ speaks of a correspondent 

 having captured a male bird with two bare patches, one for each 

 of the eggs on which it sat. Out of four birds taken off their 

 nests in Sutherlandshire by Mr Harvie Brown, three were also 

 males: one of these, kindly sent me for examination, is much 

 spotted in the white on the belly and vent. None of the four 

 appeared to have more than one bare spot on the under parts. 



I have seen flocks of this bird in full summer plumage off the 

 west coast of Inverness-shire, especially in Loch-na-nuagh and Loch 

 Aylort, where considerable numbers appear to breed on the rocky 

 islets which abound in that district. I have also observed parties 

 of three and four birds flying about in the north Minch about the 

 same time. A few pairs are seen in the Firth of Clyde, and occa- 

 sionally a stray bird is detected in the vicinity of Ailsa Craig. I 

 have hitherto failed, however, to ascertain that it breeds there. 

 Frequently I have observed a pair or two in the height of the 

 breeding season as far south as Luce Bay, in Wigtownshire, when 

 cruising in the neighbourhood of the Scaur rocks, where it probably 

 breeds. Limited numbers have also been noticed by myself and 

 Mr Anderson near the mouth of Loch Ryan, in the same county. 



The favourite food of this beautiful little bird consists of fishes, 

 generally the fry of the coal-fish and the herring, and small shells 

 and Crustacea. In procuring these, it has often to encounter 

 heavy shore waves its principal haunts being in the neighbour- 

 hood of rocky islets, among which the sea boils in broken masses. 

 The bird shows great activity in diving, and rides buoyantly on 

 the surface even in the severest storms. It flies with rapid strokes 

 of the wing, and in mounting higher to avoid the crest of a wave, 

 it may be seen to alter its position by inclining sideways. A good 



* The inimitable wag " Artemus Ward " was in the habit of saying, when 

 commencing his lecture in the Egyptian Hall some years ago, " If you should 

 be dissatisfied with anything here, I will admit you all free in New Zealand, if 

 you will come to me therefor the orders'' 1 



