﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  223 
  

  

  in 
  Kintradwell 
  on 
  Sunday, 
  April 
  28th 
  — 
  a 
  very 
  late 
  date. 
  1 
  This 
  

   gentleman 
  informed 
  us 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  numbers 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  

   lying 
  dead 
  along 
  the 
  shore 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  winter 
  storms, 
  while 
  

   others 
  again 
  were 
  found 
  alive. 
  A 
  punter 
  also 
  told 
  us 
  that 
  there 
  

   were 
  many 
  Little 
  Auks 
  swimming 
  about 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  inland 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  distance 
  inland 
  at 
  which 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  

   picked 
  up, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  they 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  driven 
  before 
  

   the 
  wind 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  height. 
  

  

  Judging 
  from 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  few 
  that 
  were 
  obtained 
  

   on 
  the 
  west 
  coast, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  Great 
  Glen 
  offered 
  a 
  clear 
  

   way 
  for 
  their 
  flight, 
  and 
  was 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Little 
  Auks 
  as 
  the 
  line 
  

   of 
  their 
  enforced 
  migration, 
  because 
  few 
  were 
  got 
  at 
  any 
  point 
  

   north 
  of 
  where 
  it 
  enters 
  the 
  western 
  sea. 
  Only 
  one 
  bird 
  is 
  

   recorded 
  from 
  any 
  place 
  along 
  the 
  glen, 
  viz., 
  at 
  Fort 
  William, 
  and 
  

   from 
  this 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  those 
  that 
  at- 
  

   tempted 
  to 
  cross 
  the 
  land 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  this 
  line 
  perished 
  on 
  the 
  

   road, 
  either 
  from 
  losing 
  their 
  way 
  or 
  from 
  being 
  hindered 
  by 
  

   the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  intervening 
  land. 
  Few 
  of 
  these 
  would 
  ever 
  be 
  

   seen 
  by 
  man, 
  because 
  during 
  the 
  time 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  on 
  the 
  move 
  

   no 
  human 
  being 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  out 
  far 
  on 
  the 
  hills 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  

   the 
  severe 
  weather, 
  gales, 
  and 
  deep 
  snow. 
  Now, 
  those 
  that 
  struck 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Glen 
  would 
  have 
  absolutely 
  no 
  hindrance 
  except 
  the 
  

   weariness 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  journey, 
  as 
  they 
  could 
  see 
  plenty 
  of 
  water 
  

   under 
  them 
  the 
  whole 
  way, 
  and 
  this 
  undoubtedly 
  accounts 
  for 
  

   what 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Paterson 
  says 
  in 
  his 
  'Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Irruption 
  of 
  

   Little 
  Auks 
  in 
  the 
  Winter 
  of 
  1894-95 
  on 
  the 
  West 
  Coast 
  of 
  Scot- 
  

   land,' 
  p. 
  4, 
  where 
  he 
  writes 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  F. 
  Gilmour 
  writes 
  from 
  Port 
  Ellen, 
  Islay, 
  that 
  " 
  they 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  grow 
  common 
  all 
  at 
  once 
  everywhere 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  (of 
  

   Islay 
  ?), 
  and 
  even 
  far 
  inland." 
  ' 
  The 
  nearest 
  approximate 
  dates 
  

   given 
  are 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  January 
  and 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  February, 
  

   which 
  are 
  late 
  ones, 
  but 
  more 
  exact 
  particulars 
  might 
  make 
  their 
  

   advent 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  somewhat 
  earlier 
  perhaps. 
  We 
  are 
  

   indebted 
  to 
  the 
  author 
  of 
  the 
  paper 
  just 
  mentioned, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  

   Mr. 
  Eagle-Clarke, 
  for 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  information 
  extracted 
  

   from 
  their 
  papers 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  

  

  1 
  Vide 
  Annals 
  of 
  Scottish 
  Natural 
  H\*tory 
  for 
  April 
  189o, 
  where 
  a 
  map 
  and 
  

   chronological 
  list 
  of 
  specimens 
  for 
  Scotland 
  are 
  given. 
  

  

  