1590 The Zoologist— March, 1869. 



I watched through my glass a nice flock of forty curlews \rading some- 

 times knee-deep and thrusting their long bills deep amongst the green 

 slimy-looking sea-weeds. Also saw large flocks of ringed plovers, 

 amongst which I could easily distinguish numerous individuals of the 

 Kentish plover: these two species seem to feed together, but always 

 to separate when on wing. 1 also observed a solitary knot far out on 

 the shore, and a couple of herons fishing in the rock-pools at least 

 four hundred yards from the main island : their heads only were 

 visible, as they occasionally stretched their necks and peeped over an 

 intervening sand-bank, but as the sun was shining right on them, as 

 I swept the rocks with my glass,* I easily noticed them. A fine flock 

 of Brent geese pitched in the water about three hundred yards from 

 where I was seated : some winters these birds are very abundant round 

 Herm. At the north-east point of Herm the tide runs past at a tre- 

 mendous pace,t forming a stream about sixty yards wide between the 

 main island and the outlying rocks. I was seated close to the edge of 

 this torrent, when a pair of redlhroated divers, all unaware of my 

 presence, came floating swiftly past with the current, within ten yards 

 of the shore : I had a quick but clear view of them for a minute or so, 

 but they were soon swept past a projecting rock out of sight: another 

 day, at the same spot, I had another opportunity of observing them in 

 precisely the same manner. A few razorbills and one guillemot also 

 drifted past me. All this time the oystcrcatchers on the far-out reef 

 were piping and fluttering, and perhaps fighting for foothold; but now, 

 as the tide rose, these clamorous birds began to disperse ; little bands 

 of six or eight splitting away from the main body and flying away 

 westward along the shore. When the tide was nearly full the ringed 

 plovers and the Kentish plovers — always keeping separate from one 

 another — flew piping across the shell-bank, and whirled down again to 

 the beach on the other side : had I had a gun, and been so inclined, 

 I could have obtained abundance of specimens-^indeed have made a 

 valuable addition to our larder, which was in no ways over abundantly 

 supplied. 



January 28. To-day I walked round the island examining the coast 

 scenery : this was well worth seeing, but rather tame and disap- 

 pointing after such rock scenery as the West of Scotland presents. 



* I cannot too strongly vecoinraend Mr. Steward's " Lord Bury Telescope" to the 

 ornithologist: it is a beautiful glass. 



f I have heard it stated to be often at the rate of thirteen miles per hour, but 

 whether correctly so stated I cannot lake upou myself to say. 



