178 BRITISH BIRDS. 



The collation of the fourth edition is as follows : — 

 pp. 4 unnumbered -]- pp. 79. The last two wrongly 

 numbered 70 and 63 respectively. Frontispiece (a map 

 and figure of two birds). 



Martin treats of the birds of St. Kilda in pp. 46-67 

 of the first edition, and in pp. 26-36 of the fourth, the 

 accounts in both editions being nearly identical. 



Amongst the land birds he enumerates : — 



" Hawks extraordinary good, Eagles, Plovers, Crows, 

 Wrens,* Stone-Chaker, Craker, Cuckoo." 



Of the sea fowl, however, as may be expected, he gives 

 us a fuller description ; and he thus commences it w4th 

 his historic description of the Great Auk : — 



" The Sea-Fowl are, first, Gairfowl, being the stateliest 

 as well as the largest Sort, and above the size of a Solan 

 Goose of a black colour, red about the Eyes, a large white 

 spot under each, a long broad Bill ; it stands stately, 

 its whole Body erected, its wings short, files not at all ; 

 lays its egg upon the bare Rock, which if taken aAvay, 

 she lays no more for that Year ; she is whole-footed, 

 and has the hatching Spot upon her Breast, i.e. a bare 

 spot from which the Feathers have fallen off with the 

 Heat in hatching ; its Egg is twice as big as that of a 

 Solan Goose, and is variously spotted Black, Green, 

 and Dark ; it comes without regard to any Wind, 

 appears the first of May, and goes away the middle of 

 June." t 



Martin further records the fact that the inhabitants 

 of St. Kilda made use of " the Bones, Wings, and 

 Entrails of their sea-fowls " to add to the composts of 

 straw and ashes with which they manured their lands, 

 and this and the fact that they consumed the eggs and 

 flesh of the Garefowl may have contributed to its 



* The list of Land birds is given as it stands, and it will be noted 

 that though Martin mentions the Wren, he does not describe it. 



t This quotation is from the fourth edition, the description of the 

 Gair-fowl in the first edition is almost word for word the same, but a 

 trifle more obscure, and has the amplification, " he is Palmipes, or 

 whole-footed." 



