Mr Evans on the Birds of the Island of Eigg. 443 



he observed black guillemots off the shores of Eigg ; and the 

 Kev. Mr Macpherson states that he saw two on the Laig 

 (west) side of the island in May 1882. 



72. Fratercida arctica (Puffin). — A few were seen as we 

 approached the island, but I could not discover that it breeds 

 there, the bird known to the natives by the name of " puffin " 

 being the Manx shearwater. 



73. Phalacrocorax carlo (Common Cormorant). — This 

 species is mentioned by Mr Gray in his " Birds of the West 

 of Scotland " as breeding in Eigg. The " cormorant " is 

 included in Joass' list, and the Eev. Mr Macpherson states 

 that he counted six. It is just possible some of these 

 observations may refer to the next species, which I think is 

 allowed to be much the commoner of the two in the Hebrides. 



74. Phalacrocoraoi graculns (Shag or Green Cormorant). — 

 Two or three were seen and perfectly identified by me. 



75. Sula hassana (Solan goose). — Seen by Mr Joass and 

 included in his list. The following quotation from Dean 

 Munro's account of his visit to the Hebrides between 1540 

 and 1549 is interesting as indicating that the species once 

 nested in the cliffs of Eigg : — " North from Elian Muchd be 

 foure myles, lyes ane iyle called iyle of Egga, foure myle 

 lange and twa myle braid, guid maine land with a Paroch 

 Kirk in it and maney Solane geese." In John Monipennie's 

 " Description of Scotland" (1612 edition, p. 240) it is stated 

 that '* In Egga are Solain Geese." 



76. Sterna macrura (Arctic Tern). — A few terns were 

 observed flying about the bay near the landing-place : a pair 

 or two seemed to be breeding on some low skerries near the 

 shore. With the aid of a strong field-glass I had a good view 

 of some of them, and felt sure they were this species. The 

 Eev. Mr Macpherson came to the same conclusion in 1882. 

 He says : " On May 23d we felt fairly satisfied that a pair of 

 noisy terns hovering about low were to be referred to >S^. 

 macrura, though their lively movements made it difficult to 

 scrutinise their beaks as minutely as I desired to do " {vide 

 Zoologist for 1882, p. 420). Probably the common tern {S. 

 fiuviatilis) also frequents the fishing in the bay, as I satis- 

 factorily identified both forms on the islands off Arasaig. 



