BIRDS OF ALDERNEY. 243 



more numerous in the winter. But I never heard of eggs being found. 

 Curlews are called " Maybirds " by the Alderney people. 



Sanderling. — A sjDecimen in winter plumage was shot in Alderney on 

 December 19th, 1899, and brought to me for identification. Smith says 

 he has never seen the Sanderling in these islands in late autumn or 

 winter, so that it is well to record the present instance. 



HePOIl. — At various times during three or four years I have observed a 

 solitary Heron haunting the rocks in Clanque Bay. 



Eider Duck.— During the winter of 1902-3, one if not two of these birds 

 were shot in Alderney, but unfortunately T did not at the time note 

 particulars of the occurrence. 



Guillemot. — The great breeding station for these birds is Ortach Eock, but 

 I have in my collection eggs taken on the Nannel Bocks, to the north of 

 Burhou, and also on the rocks on the south of Alderney. The eggs may 

 be found from the middle of May to the third week in June, the later ones 

 being probably the second sitting. 



Puffin. — The Alderney fishermen call these birds Barbelottes, and what 

 they call Puffins are Guillemots. During the breeding season they occur 

 at Burhou in countless thousands, and it is a pretty sight to see them on 

 a calm evening sitting on the water ' ' as thick as flies on a flypaper, ' ' as 

 my boatman once elegantly expressed it. But Puffins also breed on the 

 cliffs of Alderney between Trois Yaux and Clanque, and I have had eggs 

 brought me from the Nannels and Ortach. 



Razorbill. — Ortach Rock is the great breeding place for Razorbills as well as 

 Guillemots, where they are very numerous, but I have also had eggs from 

 the Nannel Rocks, from the Renonquet Rocks west of Burhou, and from 

 Coque Lihou, on the south of Alderney. Fresh laid eggs are to be had 

 from the first week in May to the beginning of June, about the 20th of 

 May being perhaps the best time. 



Shag or Green Cormorant. — Although fairly common in Alderney, the 

 Shag, or Cormorant as it is usually called, is not nearly so abundant as 

 Smith asserts ; it is much less numerous than the Lesser Black-backed Gull, 

 for instance. These birds breed in numbers on the Alderney cliffs, and also 

 on Ortach and the Renonquet Rocks. Smith says the Shag does not 

 breed on Burhou, but I have three eggs taken there in May, 1899, and I 

 believe one or two pairs breed on the islet every year. 



Common Tern. — Rare in Alderney. I have seen very few of these beautiful 

 birds during my residence in the island, and cannot remember ever seeing 

 a pair together, nor did I ever hear of anyone finding the eggs-. I have 

 however, seen single birds in summer time. 



Kittiwake. — 1 had a good view of this pretty little gull at Burhou in May, 

 1899, but I only saw one. Smith expressly states that the Kittiwake 

 does not breed in any of the Channel Islands, and it may be so ; but I 

 have been more than once told about a little gull that breeds in small 

 numbers on the Garden Rocks, at the south-western end of Alderney, and 

 from the description I think it very probable that the bird is a Kittiwake. 

 Unfortunately I have never been able to procure an egg for identification. 



Herring" Gull.— Common in Alderney, where it breeds plentifully on the 

 cliffs. One egg was brought to me which had been taken on the Nannel 

 Rocks, north of Burhou. Herring Gulls do not breed on Burhou itself. 



Lesser Black ed-baeked Gull.— On my first visit to Burhou on May 30th, 

 1899, these birds were breeding in multitudes, and I saw hundreds of 

 eggs, though the majority of the nests had been robbed and were empty. 

 About 5 weeks later I counted between 60 and 70 nests containing eggs or 

 young birds in only one part of the islet. Some nests were made of sea- 

 weed (Fucus canaliculatus) without a scrap of anything else, but the 

 material used in most cases was the Sand Spurrey {Lepigonum rupestre) 



