Tae ZooLocist—Marcu, 1872. 2971 
We dare make but one more extract from Mr. Gray's pleasant 
book, as the space for our review is necessarily limited, and this 
shall be an entertaining one respecting the sagacity of the arctic 
tern. This bird has often been noticed to wait for carriages driven 
across the sands to a ford. It has discovered that the wheels are 
of great service in assisting it to a dinner. 
“At the next ford a similar scene was repeated by another group of 
arctic terns, which we found there waiting the arrival of some friendly 
travellers. In both these cases the birds showed no fear, but dexterously 
caught their prey, though repeatedly struck at with the whip. Twice over, 
by stretching out my arm, I nearly caught one of them as it poised itself 
for a plunge. On making particular inquiry, I was told by many of the 
inhabitants of both islands that this habit of the tern is a constant enter- 
tainment to those who cross the fords in wheeled conveyances. The pressure 
of the wheels must bring the burrowing sand-eels momentarily to the 
surface, and the quick eye of the tern at once enables the bird to transfix 
them on the spot.” 
In concluding our extracts from Mr. Gray’s book, we think it 
fitting to remark that the whole volume abounds with such pictures 
from the life as the foregoing. There are also some charming 
word-paintings of the wild scenery amid which Mr. Gray has so 
well studied the habits of birds, which well bring back, to the eyes 
of those who have in time past visited it, all its sublime and rugged 
beauty. The beautiful Loch Lomond; the rough and precipitous 
coasts of Skye and Mull; the wild Isle of Iona; 
** And Ulva dark and Colonsay, 
And all the group of islets gay 
That guard famed Staffa round.” 
We have looked upon them again with delight as we have read 
Mr. Gray’s vivid descriptions of their “ misty hills” and “ mountain 
shores.” 
Mr. Gray’s pages record the occurrence in Scotland of many 
species which are not recorded in such works as Yarrell; indeed, 
we are struck by the number of North American birds which have 
come under his observation. We have no doubt most of these 
find their way to the British Islands vié Greenland. The American 
goshawk, the American whitewinged crossbill, the ruby-crowned 
wren, the whitethroated sparrow, the green-rump tatler (Totanus 
chloropygius), the bluewinged teal, and other North American birds 
