WEST COAST OF SCOTLAND. 97 
Skervuile. — Mr John Ewing also sends us four capital 
schedules, strictly adhering to the columnar arrangement. 
Ehinns of Islay—Messrs Peter Anderson and James Ducat 
send eight excellent schedules, clearly proving, as has been done 
before, the superiority of this observation station; and I think 
in our first Report we give prominence to the situation as inter- 
cepting the S.E. flow of returning migrants from the Outer 
Hebrides. 
Messrs Anderson and Ducat are much interested in the work, 
and many birds have been sent us by them for identification. 
They write :—“ The last date on which we saw Solan Geese 
last year was on the last day of November, and the first day 
this year was on 29th February. Birds resident in the vicinity 
are, amongst others, Starling, Curlew, Snipe, Jack Snipe (?),! 
Twites or ‘ Rock Linnets,’ Sparrows, and Larks. Later in sum- 
mer Gannets or Solan Geese are seen daily ‘flying east and 
west,’ and ‘circling about fishing, from an odd pair to 100 in 
all weathers.’ A vast congregation of Marrots and Puffins fish- 
ing around the island on 19th August, and some hundreds of 
Gannets, old and young, ‘floating along with the tide, so full 
they cannot rise.’ All disappeared on 21st.” 
N.B.—We would be obliged if Mr Anderson and Mr Ducat 
would adhere to the columnar arrangement, and not write 
across the red lines, or as little as they can help. 
Hundreds of Morus also are reported “ of various sizes flying 
‘about the lantern on 7th September.’ A great Skua ? — 
(“ Dirty Allan of the largest size”)—seen on 7th September. 
Also on the night of the 3d September Messrs A. and D. 
write :—“ We have had enormous numbers of what is locally 
called ‘Jenny Long-legs’ about the station for the past three 
or four weeks, and in the mornings there are great numbers of 
their legs and wings lying on the pavement. This morning, 
after putting out the light, I watched, when I saw about twenty 
Mosscheepers (1.e., Pipits) working hard to make their breakfast 
off them. J never before saw so many Long-legs in the fall. 
There is a usual run in April !” 
From Mr Peter Anderson we have the following earnest appeal 
to other stations :— 
* Does not breed in Britain: probably the Dunlin?—J. A, H. B. 
G 
