Birds. 959 1 



it keeps apart from other birds, except when attracted by unusual 

 abundance of food, and it is always so wary that it is not often shot. 



Black Guillemot. — Black guillemots are still to be met with, with as 

 much white in their plumage as I have observed at any time in winter; 

 but there is good reason to believe that all in this slate are birds of 

 the previous jear. The black ones, however, are now by far the most 

 numerous, but they are so unaccoimtably shy that it is a difficult 

 matter to procure specimens, although in summer they scarcely take 

 the trouble to move out of the way of a boat. They are now more 

 especially wild in calm weather, but I have always observed that they 

 are less willing to take wing during a strong breeze. They prefer 

 rising head to wind. 



Eider Duck. — The flocks of eider ducks having almost entirely 

 dispersed, scattered pairs are uow to be met with upon most parts of 

 the coast. 



Great Northern Diver. — The food of this bird having been every- 

 where abundant this winter, the number of individuals observed here 

 has been very small, the greater proportion of them having been 

 scattered over the whole coast. Of late there has been a very marked 

 increase in their numbers. 



Snow Buntings. — Snow buntings are returning northwards, and 

 flocks of them are to be met with almost everywhere. 



Glaucous Gull. — Glaucous gulls are revisiting us in small parties 

 on their way northwards. These are nearly all old birds, the young 

 ones which remained here all the winter having almost entirely 

 disappeared. 



Henry L. Saxby. 

 Baltasound, Shetland, March 31, 1865. 



Ornithological Notes from Beverley, East Yorkshire. 

 By W. W. BoOLTON, Esq. 



(Continued from page 9477). 



Goldeneye and Great Blackhacked Gull. — Dr. Saxby (Zool. 9486) 

 gives an interesting account of an attack by great blackbacked gulls 

 upon a wounded goldeneye. On the 27th of February Mr. Joseph 

 Owen, of Beverley, was shooting wild fowl for me at Spurn : he there 

 saw a very large gull (most probably one of this species from its un- 

 usual size) stoop at a duck that was swimming alone, and at the time 



