300 MISCELLANEA. 



appeared scarcely completed. One pair of Herring Gulls 

 were observed. On the Pinnacles there were a few Guillemots, 

 but so far as we could see there were no eggs. Some Kitti- 

 wakes were on their nests on the sides of the Pinnacles, but 

 so far as we could see no eggs had been laid. With a little 

 difficulty we landed on the North Wamses. We saw about 

 half-a-dozen single eggs of the Lesser Black-backed Gull, no 

 doubt the first which had been laid. Here on a rocky ledge 

 we found probably a little over 50 nests of the Cormorant. 

 These, no doubt, were the birds which had left the Megstone. 

 They were not so numerous as we have in past years seen the 

 colony on the Megstone. Every nest was empty with the 

 exception of one, which contained a single egg. These are 

 generally early nesting birds, and I cannot account for there 

 being no eggs. We next proceeded to the Fame, and after 

 anchoring in the Kettle for luncheon we landed on the island, 

 and one of the light keepers with very great courtesy showed 

 us all the nests he knew of. A Ring Dotterel left three 

 eggs on the shingle just above high water mark. These, from 

 their feel, evidently were considerably incubated. Higher up 

 on the island we found a nest containing three young and an 

 egg. An Eider Duck flew off a nest containing three eggs, 

 and here were two nests of the Lapwing, one with two eggs, 

 and the other with three. Rowing across to the West Wide- 

 open, we found nests of the Eider containing five eggs, three 

 eggs and one egg. On the East Wideopen we found a single 

 nest of the Lesser Black-backed Gull. On these two last- 

 named islands, and on the sea near to them, we saw many 

 Eiders, but ducks and drakes being together, nesting evidently 

 had not fairly commenced. There were two or three pairs of 

 Oyster Catchers, but we cannot say whether they had com- 

 menced nesting. We observed a number of Ring Dotterels 

 in flocks. In steaming from Holy Island to the Megstone at 

 some distance we observed a very large flock of ducks. We 

 were some distance from them. They appeared all black, 

 and we could only conclude they were Scoters. — JV. Mark 

 Pyhiis. 



