found at St. Abb's Head. 73 



places both in the interior and on the coast. Such is the opinion 

 of Dr. Hood, Aimesfield, near Coldingham • and after examining 

 a specimen shot by Mr. Broughton, and paying particular atten- 

 tion to the various parties of these birds which were observed, 

 noting the dark, purple, and particolors which so much prevailed, 

 I came to the same conclusion. The rock pigeon is the un- 

 doubted parent of our common house dove. Dr. MacGillivray, 

 who has seen thousands of the former in the Hebrides, says, " I 

 have not observed any remarkable variations of form or colour*." 

 On similar and equally insufficient evidence it has been alleged 

 that the rock pigeons bred on the Bass Rock, but from some 

 unknown cause, no pigeons have bred there for ten or twelve 

 years. The guillemot (Uria troile) breeds in countless thou- 

 sands ; ledge above ledge was crowded with birds sitting on their 

 solitary egg laid on the bare rock, and at the report of a gun the 

 birds would waddle to the edge : springing downwards with out- 

 stretched legs to break their fall, they sped away on rapid pinion 

 to the open sea. On approaching the base of one of the stupen- 

 dous cliffs, a large flock of these birds, which were reposing on a 

 rocky shelf a foot or two above the water, dashed into the sea ; 

 some fluttered along the surface ere they acquired an impetus 

 for flight ; others swam about the boat in the most confiding 

 manner, and delighted us all with their graceful movements, 

 whether in play, or in capturing some kind of minute animal : — 

 what a contrast to their awkward gait ashore ! A few years ago, 

 I captured a guillemot on Tyne Sands by cutting off his retreat 

 from the water; then dismounting from my horse, I waited till 

 he hobbled forwards and seized me by the foot. Although we 

 could not distinguish the young birds on the rock, still their 

 shrill squeaks were heard. 



A fine specimen of the bridled guillemot (Uria lacrymans) 

 was shot, and is now in Mr. Broughton' s collection; our boatman 

 said it was not common. Many naturalists still contend that 

 this bird is only a variety of the last-mentioned species; amongst 

 others I may mention Mr. John Wolley, who paid great attention 

 to the subject when visiting the Faro Islands; and I presume his 

 reasons would be embodied in a " Report " on the birds of those 

 islands, read before the British Association in August last. 



The razor-bill (Alca torda) is pretty common, but not nearly 

 so abundant as I had anticipated from the numbers found on 

 the Bass ; indeed they did not appear to be so numerous as the 

 herring gulls ; they generally frequented loftier ledges than the 

 guillemot cared to occupy, and that in little parties, separately 

 or mixed with other species; and occasionally a solitary bird 

 might be seen tenanting a snug cranny. 



* History of British Birds, vol. i. p. 2/0. 



