ORNITHOLOGICAL RAMBLES. 77 



Kirkwall, the capital of the island, and celebrated for 

 its ancient and interesting Cathedral, dedicated to St. 

 Magnus, and begun seven centuries ago by Konald, 

 Earl of Orkney. On Sunday I attended divine service 

 at the kirk of Stenhouse on the banks of the loch, and 

 this leads rne to mention that the loch takes its name 

 from an old stone residence no longer existing, and 

 formerly belonging to the Balfour family. 



It was a glorious, bright, breezy morning as I took 

 leave of Bin' Scarth, and resumed my solitary ramble 

 over the uplands. I killed in my course a golden 

 plover (Charadrius pluvialis), the only one at which I 

 had a chance, though I saw plenty. Wary as I found 

 this bird at this season scattered in pairs upon the 

 hills they, when the cold weather sets in, flock 

 together in vast crowds. St. John, in his " Field 

 Notes for November," says : " Late in the evening the 

 golden plovers come in considerable numbers to the 

 bare grass fields to feed during the night ; but when 

 the ground is hardened by frost they resort to the 

 sands at the ebb-tide, both by night and day, Whilst 

 the tide is high these birds fly up to the hills, 

 resting on those places where the heather is short, and 

 their instinct teaches them exactly when to leave the 

 hills for the sands, as soon has the sea has receded 

 sufficiently ; and yet their principal resting-place is 

 fully five miles inland." This particular phase of 

 instinct is very striking, and is instanced in a still 



