﻿356 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  W. 
  H. 
  Blagg 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  of 
  no 
  use 
  to 
  try 
  to 
  assimilate 
  themselves 
  to 
  their 
  surroundings 
  

   while 
  actually 
  under 
  your 
  eye. 
  In 
  a 
  listless 
  sort 
  of 
  way 
  they 
  

   move 
  off 
  till 
  they 
  are 
  some 
  distance 
  from 
  you^ 
  and 
  then 
  they 
  

   lose 
  no 
  time 
  in 
  making 
  themselves 
  invisible. 
  I 
  have 
  noticed 
  

   this 
  with 
  other 
  species, 
  e. 
  g. 
  the 
  Lapwing 
  and 
  Ringed 
  Plover. 
  

  

  -f- 
  Dvaiam 
  {Tringa 
  alpina). 
  A 
  few 
  examples 
  were 
  noticed 
  in 
  

   Unst. 
  

  

  — 
  Eed-necked 
  Phalarope 
  {Phalaropus 
  hyperbor-eus). 
  A 
  

   few 
  pairs 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  nest 
  in 
  Unst, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  strictly 
  

   protected. 
  

  

  — 
  Arctic 
  Tern 
  {Sterna 
  macrura). 
  Only 
  just 
  returning 
  to 
  

   its 
  breeding-ground 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  June. 
  

  

  Black-headed 
  Gull 
  (Lai-us 
  ridibundus). 
  We 
  found 
  about 
  

   20 
  pairs 
  nesting 
  on 
  the 
  marsh 
  between 
  Lochs 
  Spiggie 
  and 
  

   Brow, 
  where, 
  as 
  we 
  were 
  informed 
  by 
  Captain 
  MacFarlane, 
  

   this 
  species 
  has 
  nested 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  three 
  years. 
  We 
  

   saw 
  no 
  nests 
  containing 
  young, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  few 
  eggs 
  which 
  

   we 
  took 
  incubation 
  was 
  much 
  advanced. 
  This 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  

   9th 
  of 
  June. 
  

  

  — 
  Common 
  Gull 
  [Larus 
  canus). 
  Breeding 
  pretty 
  generally 
  

   on 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  islands, 
  usually 
  in 
  small 
  colonies, 
  the 
  nest 
  

   being 
  built 
  indifferently 
  on 
  rocks 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  close 
  to 
  

   the 
  sea. 
  The 
  eggs 
  vary 
  considerably 
  in 
  size, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  nest. 
  

  

  ^ 
  Great 
  Black-backed 
  Gull 
  [Larus 
  maximus) 
  . 
  Generally 
  

   distributed, 
  usually 
  selecting 
  an 
  isolated 
  rock 
  on 
  wliich 
  to 
  

   place 
  its 
  nest, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  Holm 
  of 
  Noss, 
  which 
  is 
  quite 
  

   inaccessible, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  colony, 
  numbering 
  some 
  scores 
  

   of 
  pairs, 
  of 
  great 
  Black-backs. 
  

  

  Lesser 
  Black-backed 
  Gull 
  {Larus 
  f 
  us 
  cus) 
  . 
  Very 
  abun- 
  

   dant, 
  nesting 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  islands, 
  sometimes 
  in 
  colonies 
  away 
  

   from 
  the 
  coast, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  on 
  the 
  low 
  rocks 
  or 
  shingle 
  close 
  

   to 
  the 
  sea-shore. 
  This 
  species 
  does 
  not 
  place 
  its 
  nests 
  in 
  lofty 
  

   situations 
  like 
  the 
  Herring 
  GulL 
  From 
  the 
  many 
  hundreds 
  

   of 
  eggs 
  which 
  we 
  saw 
  " 
  in 
  nido 
  " 
  we 
  selected 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

  

  