IKIEODVCXIOiV. 



and my brother Albany, our supply of these eggs was obtained 

 in this manner ; Mr. Hewitson, who was a bold and active 

 climber, disdaining the rope, bravely ascended the pinnacles and 

 lowered down to us in the boat at their base, the eggs, in his hat. 

 The Kittiwake, which; though plentiful, is in no great abundance, 

 avails itself of the inequalities of the precipitous faces of the pin- 

 nacles and of the neighbouring cliff to build its nest. The Lesser 

 Black-backed Gull is numerous and is not confined to any parti- 

 cular islet. Only a few pairs of Puffins were breeding at that 

 time; they are now however much more numerous, as I was 

 informed by the late Mr. Joseph "Watson, Junr., and Mr. Isaac 

 Clark, who visited the islands in 1870. The eggs of this species 

 are placed at arms length within rabbit holes on one of the hum- 

 mocky grassy islets. 



The Cormorants had possession of a rocky islet of little eleva- 

 tion : here, their nests, which are composed of sea-weed, are 

 associated together, these birds forming a small colony by them- 

 selves. As we approached, the Cormorants went off in a body 

 to an adjacent rock at no great distance, and watched our move- 

 ments. The Shag and Razorbill were both very scarce ; we did 

 not obtain an egg of either; they are probably only occasional 

 breeders in this locality. The Ring Dotterel and Oyster Catcher 

 are also not by any means common. The Eider Duck nests chiefly 

 on the main or inner island, but is found on several of the other 

 islands, and, though constantly found there, is in no great 

 number. It likewise occasionally nests on the neighbouring 

 mainland ; we found a single nest so situated on our visit to this 

 district. The Ring Dotterel, too, likewise breeds on the main- 

 land ; and we found several pairs of the Little Tern breeding on 

 the shore at the Old Law, opposite to Holy Island ; and on the 

 "links" in this neighbourhood the Shieldi-ake is found nesting 

 in rabbit holes. The Little Tern, I believe, is no longer found 

 in this locality. 



Fcnham Flats, an extensive muddy ''slake" lying between 

 Holy Island and the shore, is frequented in autumn and winter 

 by vast numbers of water fowl. The Rrent Goose appears here 

 in large flocks ; and numbers of them are killed and sent to the 



