Birds. 2055 



the Lewis is very barren, and its surface covered by innumerable small shallow lakes, 

 not frequented by birds. On arriving at Loch Seaforth, we met with a very intelligent 

 man, keeper to Mr. Lloyd, who lives at the shooting lodge, Achlin, and he was of 

 great use in procuring us specimens of several rare birds. On Loch Langavat, in 

 Lewis, we were fortunate in meeting with three specimens of the gray-legged goose, 

 all with the dark feathers on the breast. In the same locality a pair of greenshanks 

 were evidently breeding, but their eggs could not be found. The red-breasted mer- 

 ganser was very common, and we found several nests. The red-throated diver was 

 breeding on Loch Langavat. Nests of the golden plover were in great abundance on 

 the adjoining hills. On the island of Scalpa, at the entrance of Loch Tarbert, we 

 saw a purple sandpiper, on the 31st of May, in full summer plumage. In this locality 

 the oyster-catcher was very abundant, and we met with several pairs of the black 

 guillemot. In our sail from Loch Tarbert to Rowdil, on June 1st, we saw several 

 pairs of the bean goose, and procured specimens of the turnstone in full summer 

 plumage, but I do not think they had begun to lay, for they were in flocks of four 

 and five ; and near Rowdil, the southern extremity of Harris, we were gratified by 

 finding an eyrie of the peregrine falcon, containing four young birds. The old ones 

 were too cautious to come within reach of the gun, and we left them their progeny in 

 peace. The people here seem very contented, though badly off; and I was sorry to 

 hear subsequently that the potatoes, which looked very healthy in June, have turned 

 out very ill. Lady Dunmore, represented by her excellent factor Captain Macdonald, 

 has been most active in administering to the wants of the people ; and by the constant 

 supply of meal brought by the Government steamers to the various depots, not a man 

 in the outer Hebrides has perished from want. 



We were disappointed in not meeting with the pink-footed or short-billed goose in 

 the islands of the Sound of Harris. They are so constantly visited that the geese are 

 now fast leaving them : we found but a few pairs, and they too wild to enable us to 

 get a shot at them. The eider duck was breeding in the small islands, also the greater 

 and lesser black-backed and common gulls in tolerable abundance, a large colony of 

 arctic terns, innumerable oyster-catchers, and a few shieldrakes, which breed in the 

 holes in the sandy islets of the Sound and North Uist. There were a good many 

 Richardson's skuas : we had frequent opportunities of witnessing their voracity in pur- 

 suit of the gannet, and making them disgorge their food, which the persecutor fre- 

 quently caught as it was falling, and flew away with in triumph. On the 2nd of 

 June we were almost within shot of a very fine specimen of the great northern diver, 

 in full summer plumage. The keeper at Achlin positively asserts that it breeds in 

 one or two of the lochs in Lewis, and has promised to procure us the eggs and young; 

 he certainly described the three kinds very accurately. 



Finding that little was to be done in ornithology in Harris, we crossed over to 

 North Uist, twelve miles over the Sound of Harris from Rowdil, belonging to Lord 

 Macdonald, a flat island, containing 5000 inhabitants, completely dotted over with 

 small lakes, and the retreat of innumerable water-fowl chiefly in winter. We are in- 

 debted to the Rev. Mr. Mc Rae and Mr. Macdonald of Balronald, by whom we were 

 most hospitably and kindly entertained, for all the success we met with in this island, 

 which of all the outer Hebrides is best worth visiting. On the west coast we found 

 the dunlin in considerable numbers, the common snipe as well as the jack snipe in 

 more than one locality, though we sought in vain for the nest of the latter. The 

 mountain linnet, peewit, ringed plover and rock dove in abundance ; and near Bal- 



