EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND. 25 



not of special interest ; but vast movements took place in Sep- 

 tember. " Immense flocks " of Gulls ; " numerous flocks " of 

 Kittiwakes and Gulls ; Skaas and Terns " every day." Thirty- 

 seven large Gulls passed Girdleness flying south on 15th Sep- 

 tember ; but the " largest flock ever seen " at Eidra was on 14th. 

 Curiously enough there are no records made of movements at 

 Isle of May ; but at Pentland Skerries, and again at Fidra, very 

 full notice is taken. No records in November. Only one in 

 December at Pentland Skerries. 



Pkocellariid^e. — Petrels, Stormy Petrel. — The Stormy Petrels 

 often appear at lanterns at night in midsummer, but this is in 

 all probability merely a local movement. Being nocturnal in 

 their habits, and abroad only at night, certain lighthouses lure 

 them to their light more readily than others, owing to proximity 

 to breeding stations or lines of flight to and from their feeding 

 grounds. Their breeding season being very late in the year, 

 the months of August and September bulk largest, but move- 

 ments commence usually in June ; July, however, is often less 

 marked as a month for their movements, except in exception- 

 ably hazy weather for that month. 



This season records are not numerous ; hut, what we have not 

 recorded before, a rush of Stormy Petrels took place at N. Unst, 

 from the 23d to 28th August, " nightly" — winds variable and 

 overcast ; striking lantern " continuously." When, perhaps, we 

 know all the exact minutiae of the breeding distribution, and 

 area of the wandering of birds generally, and of Petrels in the 

 present case, then we may be able to account for such a rush as 

 related above. Meanwhile we think it safest to believe — with- 

 out theorising — that this unusual appearance was a local move- 

 ment, caused by unity of circumstances, affecting a large local 

 colony in the neighbourhood of the N. Unst lighthouse. 



Alcid^e. — Auks, Eazorbills, Guillemots, Puffins, " Marrots," 

 " Tysties" (Black Guillemots). — In Spring. — On February 19th 

 a flock of Black Guillemots (" Tysties") "first arrived, very 

 early," at N. Unst ; and at same place a year afterwards — viz., 

 in January 31, 1887, we find, under " Marrot " — " flocks of, 

 flying past," W. to E. ; " rarely been seen so soon." (Note in this 

 connection our extremely early and fine spring of 1877, until 

 checked slightly, between March 10th and 17th, by the severe 

 snowfall and keen frosts.) 



