The Zoologist — April, 1866. 185 



friend " on this trip was Mr. C— , whom I had met at Barrow ; he had 

 previously visited the Fume Islands and was well acquainted with the 

 district. As he was particularly anxious to obtain the eggs of the 

 lesser tern, we carefully explored all the windings of the shore, but we 

 saw none of this species, and various inhabitants assured us that it had 

 quite deserted the locality. Two nests of ring dotterell were the only 

 proceeds of the day's search ; later on, as we crossed the Links, we 

 came across curlew, wild duck, and redshanks, besides innumerable 

 lapwings. Passing through the clean and picturesque village of Bam- 

 burgh, a turn in the road brought us full upon the majestic castle, a 

 conspicuous object for miles along the coast, and finally we halted at 

 the snug little " St. Cuthbert's Inn," on the road to North Sunderland. 

 The landlord, Mr. Patterson, was formerly stationed at the Fame 

 Islands, and is v/ell acquainted with birds, but neither he nor his son, 

 the harbour master of North Sunderland, held out to us any hopes of 

 obtaining the roseate tern. 



A pleasant sail, beguiled with chat about Grace Darling and the 

 wreck of the "Forfar" steamer, brought us to the principal island of 

 the group, where we called upon the proprietor, Mr. Huggup, who 

 received us hospitably in St. Cuthbert's Tower, a place which would 

 delight an antiquary, but which 1 shall not now attempt to describe. 

 He gave us a written permit to be shown to his man who looks- after 

 the birds and eggs on " Brownsman," requesting us not to meddle 

 with the roseate terns, even if we found any, for, so far as he was aware, 

 there was but one pair left, which had laid three eggs, two of which 

 he had already taken and had packed up to send to a friend : of course 

 we gave our promise, which we incurred uo temptation to break, for 

 we did not see the bird at all. 



As we proceeded to Brownsman the air and the water seemed alive 

 with terns, here so tame as to hover within a few yards of the boat, 

 while everywhere the eider ducks, in full breeding-plumage, dotted the 

 surface of the water. Landing first at Staple Island, which is separated 

 from Brownsman only at high water, we found numbers of the lesser 

 blackbacked gulls breeding, and the " egger" having come up on his 

 rounds, several baskets were soon filled. On a low wall we observed 

 a single pair of herring gulls, and our boatman, who had formerly been 

 keeper on these islands, said that there always used to be a nest there. 

 " Yes," said the present keeper, " I harried it t'other day, and an eider 

 duck has it now, but the ducks have to sit turn and turn about, or the 

 gulls '11 soon have her egg and their nest too." Almost as he was 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. I. . 2 B 



