316 Notes on the Ornithology ofNorioay. 



and rivers^ laying its eggs under the shelter of the spruce fir tree, 

 either upon their margins or their numerous woody islands. 



The great northern and black-throated divers were seen, though 

 rarely, in the fiords ; the red-throated diver often upon almost 

 every piece of water. We frequently heard their loud singular 

 scream in an evening at a great distance. 



The pretty black guillemot gave an interest to almost every island 

 where crevices in the rocks or loose stones were to be found as 

 breeding places. 



Amongst the numerous islands which we visited it is a singular 

 fact that we never once saw either the common guillemot, the razor- 

 bill, or the kittiwake, — all birds the most frequent upon our own 

 coast. This was owing, no doubt, to the scarcity of those rocks which, 

 rising perpendicularly from the water's edge, afford them the ne- 

 cessary security. 



The pufiSn was alike rare, except upon one island, where they 

 abounded in incredible numbers. The island rose in its centre to 

 the height of several hundred feet, one side being composed entire- 

 ly of rocks and large stones, piled upon each other in the wildest 

 confusion, and under these the puflin was breeding, and so nume- 

 rous were they, that we could distinctly see them the evening before, 

 from the hut in which we took up our night's residence, although 

 at the distance of upwards of a mile. Whilst scrambling over the 

 rocks, we could hear them beneath us uttering a most singular groan- 

 ing kind of sound. They would frequently start from under our feet, 

 and join the dense throng which Avas unceasingly passing around us. 

 It was a sight which astonished at the same time that it delighted 

 us. I had never before seen so many kinds of one species together, 

 and probably their numbers are scarcely exceeded by the combined 

 numbers of guillemots and gulls which frequent one of the largest 

 breeding places upon our coast. We seated ourselves upon the rocks 

 to enjoy the scene, and numbers of them settled near us, forming 

 themselves into the most beautiful groups ; every rock or large stone 

 was covered with them, and hundreds were at the same time within 

 the range of our guns ; some were seated low upon the whole of the 

 foot, others erect upon the toes only ; some struck out their crops, 

 and strutted about exactly in the manner of pigeons. 



Of the terns, the arctic was the only species we noticed. 

 Of the gulls, the greater and lesser black-backed, the heron, 

 and the common gull were numerous, the latter especially upon one 

 island, the owner of which had laid up a store of their eggs for win- 



