THE ZooLocist—May, 1876. 4905 
that it is no uncommon occurrence to see several following a hooked 
fish to the surface, and even when it has been lifted into the boat, 
they will continue to swim after it, so that many are gaffed by the 
fishermen in this manner. 
The only rare bird which visited us this year was an adult 
glaucous gull, and as it had a happy knack of appearing closely on 
Sundays only it escaped the numerous gunners who were on the 
look-out for it. On the 8th of February a friend of mine showed 
me a herring gull, in full summer plumage, which he had shot 
that day; this may be worth mentioning, as it was so early in the 
year. On the same day my friend shot a splendid adult male 
sheldrake, and two days afterwards I saw another and a pair of 
pintails out at the Skerries. In the last week of February I got a 
young razorbill, which had been driven ashore by the storm, but 
was apparently uninjured: I brought it to a large pool of sea-water 
to watch its method of diving: this it effected with great speed by 
using its wings half-opened, as well as its feet. Though it fed 
well on the day of its capture it died during the night. 
The first week in March was marked by the appearance of flocks 
of snow buntings, which, however, passed straight on, notwith- 
standing the inclemency of the weather. Numbers of bernicles 
(Bernicla leucopsis, Bechstein) were also passing, and on the 14th 
especially, the wind being S.W., I observed a flock which could 
not have comprised less than five hundred individuals, besides 
smaller straggling bands. There is, too, a sensible increase in the 
number of purple sandpipers about the rocks, and I sprung a wisp 
of snipe out of the sandhills on the 17th, which was evidently 
waiting to continue its journey northwards. Large flocks of 
golden plover, in summer plumage, are down from the mountains, 
and their black breasts look very much out of place as they sit in 
the snow: neither did it appear natural to see rooks searching 
under the snow for materials with which to repair their nests. 
Twites have been exceptionally plentiful this winter, and during 
the last week I have seen eight specimens caught in springes, two 
of which | secured to try and induce them to breed in confine- 
ment: perhaps some of your readers will kindly inform me what 
is the best method of management, food, &c. Ihave only got a 
cage such as is used for breeding canaries. A few days ago I 
observed a pair of lesser blackbacked gulls acting in the same 
manner as skuas; they would follow some particular kittiwake, 
