56 THE ORNITHOLOGIST'S GUIDE 



my way back to Scallaway, which with great dif- 

 ficulty we effected by eight o'clock, all heartily 

 tired, after one of the most fatiguing days* sport I 

 had in Shetland. 



Early the next morning I again visited these 

 islands and saw several of the Common Heron, 

 which, as I had not seen one during the preceding 

 four months, had, I presumed, migrated from the 

 south after the breeding-season was over. I was 

 fortunate enough to find another of the breeding- 

 places of the Stormy Petrel, and procured se- 

 veral of the birds and their eggs from among the 

 ruins of an old Pictish building situated close to 

 the shore, and a part of which we were obliged to 

 remove before we could get to the nests : I trust, 

 however, I have not given any great offence to the 

 lovers of antiquity by this demolition. The Stormy 

 Petrel does not fly much in the daytime, nor in 

 fine weather; as night approached they became nu- 

 merous on the wing, while the contrary might 

 have been expected, as we had been disturbing them 

 all day. I found my dog very useful on these oc- 

 casions; he soon understood what we were looking 

 for, and frequently detected single birds by scent 

 amongst the loose stones where they had secreted 

 themselves, when we should have passed such 

 situations as un worth v of notice. There was no 



