340 



BIRDS. 



of plumage could occur on our coast. (It was, I believe, obtained 

 at the same time that the aforesaid female Eider in full summer 

 plumage was got — and that dated 31st December — which latter for 

 long did duty as a female King-Eider in the same case with a fine 

 male King-Eider.) 



The apparent scarcity of Arctic Gulls upon the coast north of 

 Tents Muir seems to be accentuated by Millais, who records two 

 which he saw near the mouth of the river, near the southern shore, 

 in February 1885, and he speaks of it otherwise as a "scarce winter 

 visitor." 



Larus leucopterus, Faher. Iceland Gull. 



Rarer than the last, even during the great invasion in the winter of 

 1871-2. Though these birds were quite common in the upper 

 reaches of the Forth, they appear to have been much scarcer at the 

 entrance of Tay. Indeed, so far, I hold only one record of its occur- 

 rence there — where it had been obtained by Mr. J. G. Millais, i.e. 

 in the tidal part of Tay {Proc. Perth. Soc. Nat. Sciences^ vol. i. p. 182). 



Rissa tridactyla {L.). Kittiwake. 



Abundant as a breeding species ; but not to compare with the numbers 

 upon the cliffs of our western coasts or in the Northern Isles, as has 

 been related in our previous volumes. Resident. Breeds. 



I believe that it has been only of comparatively recent years that 

 the Kittiwake has been recognised as a Avinter visitor to our east 

 coasts — at least in any great numbers. For my own part, I certainly 

 consider that it was rarely found in midwinter before the winter of 

 1871-2, and in that season it literally swarmed, accompanying the 

 great flights of true Arctic Gulls, feeding on the enormous shoals of 

 " Garvies " {Clwpea sp^attus) which came in such phenomenal quanti- 

 ties to the narrows of upper Forth around Kincardine-on-Forth. 

 Since that time, however, I consider that it has been a regular winter 

 visitor certainly to the same reaches of the Firth of Forth, and 

 probably also to those of the Firth of Tay. Before that, they were 

 looked upon as of comparatively rare occurrence, so much so as to 

 warrant record as such. 



The Kittiwake is of quite exceptional occurrence at any inland 

 localities. 



