58 STUDIES IN BIRD-MIGRATION 



<^th January. — Northerly breeze ; clear. 



Lapwings, seven, arrivals. About a dozen Song- 

 Thrushes also present. 



i2,ik January. — South-west breeze; clear. 



More Lapwings, over a dozen. Three Rooks, 

 arrivals. A small party of Mealy Redpolls seen. 



20th January. — Guillemots and Razorbills visiting 

 the breeding-ledges on the Sheep Craig for the first 

 time this season. 



i%th January. — Two Mealy Redpolls observed among 

 a flock of Twites. The Fulmars now very numerous. 

 They began to come in about the first of the month, 

 and now there are scores on the face of the Sheep Craig 

 alone. A Curlew noted. 



/^th February. — Two Glaucous Gulls on land. This 

 species is fairly common in winter, and in the stormy 

 weather resorts to the crofts, along with the commoner 

 Gulls. The Guillemots and Razorbills are beginning 

 to visit the cliffs in numbers. Large numbers of Eider 

 Ducks, males and females, are now appearing. Through 

 the winter there are always a few females to be seen in 

 the geos, but the old males are always in the minority, 

 in the months of December and January especially. 

 The numbers of Eiders to be seen round the Isle 

 now are at least double those which nest. In late 

 autumn large flocks constantly arrive and pass on, and 

 it has been noticed that they are most numerous after a 

 strong northerly wind. 



Zth February. — After a westerly breeze, numbers of 

 Glaucous Gulls present. At least thirty in one of the 

 sheltered bights on the east ; and in their company, four 

 Iceland Gulls, two adult and two young. 



loth February. — First Oyster-catcher for the season 



