9520 Birds. 



Garinet. — About the middle of December a heavy southerly gale 

 brought a large number of ganuets to Baltasuuud and Haroldswick, 

 but they only remained for a few days. Tbey never breed here, 

 allhougli they visit our coasts with some regularity soon after the close 

 of the breeding season, but only a very few remain during the winter. 

 Several instances have occurred in which these birds have been caught, 

 as they sat upon the water, so gorged with food as to be unable to 

 escape. 



Razorbill. — Razorbills are very seldom seen here in winter. I shot 

 one at Baltasound on the 17th of December. It was A female, and 

 among other signs of adult age it had the bill perfect in form and 

 grooved upon the sides, one of the grooves being white. The throat 

 and the remainder of the under surface were white; in short, the whole 

 plumage was in every respect similar to that which is described by 

 various authors as peculiar to this species in winter, with the single ex- 

 ception of there being no white line between the base of the bill and the 

 eye. 1 am at a loss to account for its absence, for, so far as I am able 

 to ascertain, such a mark becomes apparent even in young birds soon 

 after they leave the rocks, and is distinct during their first winter. 

 Without any wish to " make a mountain of a mole-hill," may I beg that 

 those of my readers who can give me any information upon the sub- 

 ject will kindly do so, my object in making this request being to throw 

 some light upon the long-disputed question as to the right of the 

 "ringed" guillemot to rank as a distinct species simply* on account of 

 the white line near the eye. 



Lesser Blackbacked Gull. — A specimen of the lesser blackbacked 

 gull was shot at Baltasound on the ^Oth of December, up to which 

 date 1 had never seen one in Slietland in winter. 



Glaucous Gull. — Rather an unusually large number of glaucous 

 gulls have visited us this season ; but most of those which now remain 

 are young birds, nearly all of the old ones having, according to custom, 

 disappeared soon after their arrival. Under ordinary circumstances it 

 is not easy to procure specimens, for although these birds are by no 

 means shy when attracted by carrion, they fly high, and do not, like 

 other gulls, display a wish for a near inspection of every visitor who 

 appears near their haunts. At this time of year, during a smart gale, 

 it is almost impossible to walk for a mile along a lee shore without 

 seeing a few of them sailing above the breaking waves, in readiness to 

 pounce upon anything in the way of food which may chance to be 

 washed up ; and upon such occasions they are sometimes so intent in 

 their search as to become almost heedless of danger. Upon the whole 



