104 THE ORNITHOLOGIST'S GUIDE 



Shetland. I made inquiries at every place I visited, 

 but no one knew it : had such a remarkable bird 

 been seen there I must have heard of it. During 

 my stay in Orkney, and while on a visit at Pappa 

 Westra, I was informed by Mr. Trail, whom I 

 had the pleasure of seeing two or three times, that 

 a pair of these birds were constantly seen there 

 for several years, and were christened by the 

 people the king and queen of the Auks. Mr. Bul- 

 lock on his tour through these islands, made se- 

 veral attempts to obtain one, but was unsuc- 

 cessful ; about a fortnight after his departure one 

 was shot and sent to him, and the other then 

 forsook the place. Mr. Trail supposed they had 

 a nest on the island, but on account of its exposed 

 situation the surf must have washed the eggs 

 from the rocks, and thus prevented any further 

 increase. 



Alca Torda, Linn. Sea Crow*. Razor-bill. 

 — This bird is tolerably plentiful in Shetland and 

 very numerous in Orkney ; it breeds in both places, 

 and is said to lay only one large egg ; it frequents 

 the inlets in company with the Guillemots, diving 

 after fish, and is attended by a great number of 

 Gulls of different species, which hover about 

 anxiously waiting to pick up any small fish that 



