466 Ornithological Notes, by Robert Gray, F.R.S.E. 



Black Guillemot. — ( TJria grylle. ) Although much less plenti- 

 ful in the east of Scotland than in the west, this Guillemot is still 

 regularly met with off shore from Tantallon to the Tweed. I ex- 

 amined one in the flesh, which was shot near Tantallon Castle, in 

 the first week of December, 1875. The Black Guillemot, how- 

 ever, keeps well out to sea, seldom venturing near the shore, as 

 the Common Guillemot is known to do, in some localities. 



Black Tern. — {Sterna fissipes.) The Black Tern being a rare 

 bird in Scotland, I may mention that in addition to the specimen 

 shot by Mr Harvie Brown, on the banks of the Forth, in Septem- 

 ber, 1870, and referred to in " The Birds of the West of Scotland," 

 another passed up the Firth in September, last year, and was 

 shot at Dunmore. 



Black-headed Gull. — [Lotus ridilundus. ) About the middle of 

 November, 1875, 1 examined several specimens of this Gull which 

 had leaden grey heads ; these had been shot, a few days pre- 

 viously, on the shore between Musselburgh and Portobello, and 

 being interested in their appearance, I visited the coast, where I 

 saw others flying about in the same state of plumage. I am 

 satisfied that all these birds were of this species, but I do not re- 

 collect having before seen any approach to a change in the head 

 colouration during the winter time. A pure albino Black-headed 

 Gull was shot two years ago, near Cockburnspath, by Mr Melvin ; 

 who mentioned the circumstance to me a few weeks ago. Mr 

 Small, who preserved the specimen, has informed me that it was 

 of a spotless white. 



Great Black-backed Gull. — (Larus marinus.) I have seen this 

 bird on two occasions off the Haddington and Berwick coasts, 

 swimming on the water, on very calm flays, beside a group of 

 Mergansers, and watching these birds when diving for their prey. 

 As soon as they came to the surface with the fish they had caught, 

 they were immediately attacked by the Gulls, and forced to re- 

 linquish their hold. I observed one Gull in particular, rob three 

 Mergansers within a very few minutes ; each time, seizing the in- 

 dustrious fisher with its powerful bill, to oblige it to quit its prey. 

 Iceland Gull. — (Larus Lcelandicus. ) An immature female Gull 

 of this species was shot between Leith and Portobello, on 1st 

 March, 1875. 1 am inclined to regard the Iceland Gull as a 

 yearly visitant to the Forth in small numbers. 



Herring Gull.— (Larus argentatus.) I have repeatedly observed 

 that on the Berwickshire coasts, and elsewhere, Herring Gulls, 

 especially young birds, feed, to a great extent, upon starfishes. 

 One which I shot on the 11th September, vomited, when it fell, 

 ten specimens of Asterias ruiens, two of which measured nearly 

 three inches across the rays. It is worth noting that in every 

 case the Gulls happened to be in moult. 



Common £kua. — (Lestris cataractes.) Sometime in February, 



