﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  221 
  

  

  north. 
  Great 
  numbers 
  are 
  at 
  times 
  washed 
  ashore 
  on 
  the 
  Suther- 
  

   landshire 
  coast 
  by 
  easterly 
  and 
  north-easterly 
  gales. 
  

  

  A 
  Razorbill 
  was 
  shot 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Invergarry 
  stalkers 
  in 
  

   Loch 
  Lochy. 
  Though 
  not 
  in 
  our 
  area, 
  we 
  mention 
  this, 
  as 
  the 
  bird 
  

   does 
  not 
  often 
  occur 
  inland. 
  

  

  Lomvia 
  troile 
  (Z.). 
  Guillemot. 
  

   Local 
  Name. 
  — 
  Quet. 
  

  

  Guillemots 
  in 
  scattered 
  numbers 
  breed 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  Sutor 
  of 
  Cromarty, 
  

   and 
  abundantly 
  along 
  the 
  north 
  coast 
  of 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  especially 
  

   at 
  Troup 
  Head. 
  In 
  January 
  1885 
  a 
  forty 
  -eight 
  hours' 
  gale 
  com- 
  

   pelled 
  numbers 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  and 
  Razorbills 
  to 
  seek 
  shelter; 
  

   many 
  were 
  blown 
  inland 
  between 
  Burghead 
  and 
  Nairn, 
  a 
  distance 
  

   of 
  at 
  least 
  five 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  sea, 
  as 
  recorded 
  to 
  us. 
  

  

  They 
  are 
  not 
  uncommon 
  along 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Firth, 
  and 
  

   were 
  specially 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1879-80. 
  They 
  remain 
  

   all 
  winter 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  but 
  are 
  then 
  less 
  common 
  than 
  the 
  

   Razorbill. 
  Although 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  washed 
  ashore 
  along 
  with 
  Razor- 
  

   bills, 
  they 
  are 
  usually 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  about 
  one 
  to 
  ten 
  

   of 
  the 
  latter. 
  

  

  Uria 
  grylle 
  (L.). 
  Black 
  Guillemot. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  are 
  seen 
  along 
  our 
  north 
  coasts 
  in 
  spring, 
  autumn, 
  and 
  winter. 
  

   Martin 
  includes 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  MS. 
  lists, 
  as 
  'met 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  Moray 
  

   Firth.' 
  No 
  doubt 
  his 
  remark 
  applies 
  only 
  in 
  winter. 
  

  

  The 
  Rev. 
  James 
  Smith 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  Black 
  Guillemot 
  breeds 
  

   in 
  certain 
  caverns 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  where 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  there 
  were 
  

   companies 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  he 
  had 
  examined 
  dead 
  specimens, 
  though 
  

   he 
  had 
  not 
  seen 
  them 
  alive. 
  Mr. 
  George 
  Sim 
  confirms 
  this, 
  as 
  

   he 
  shot 
  a 
  young 
  one, 
  which 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  his 
  possession 
  (Zoologist, 
  1850, 
  

   p. 
  2913). 
  We 
  are 
  doubtful 
  of 
  its 
  breeding 
  anywhere 
  within 
  our 
  

   area 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  

  

  Mergulus 
  alle 
  (/>.)• 
  Little 
  Auk. 
  

  

  An 
  irregular 
  visitant 
  to 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  our 
  area, 
  and 
  

   occurs 
  often 
  at 
  inland 
  localities. 
  

  

  Edward 
  calls 
  it 
  a 
  winter 
  visitant. 
  In 
  December 
  1845 
  a 
  month's 
  

   storm 
  raged. 
  'At 
  the 
  termination 
  of 
  it, 
  between 
  the 
  burn 
  of 
  

   Boyndie 
  and 
  Greenside 
  of 
  Gamrie 
  — 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  nine 
  

  

  