﻿192 
  

  

  THE 
  VERTEBRATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE.' 
  

  

  Genus 
  URIA, 
  Brisson. 
  

   Uria 
  grylle, 
  Linn. 
  Black 
  Guillemot. 
  "Tyste." 
  

  

  Considerable 
  diversity 
  of 
  opinion 
  exists 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  

   this 
  species 
  breeds 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  " 
  Dee." 
  Some 
  are 
  

   in 
  doubt, 
  others 
  give 
  a 
  distinct 
  negative, 
  and 
  a 
  third 
  group 
  

   as 
  strongly 
  assert 
  that 
  it 
  does, 
  in 
  limited 
  numbers. 
  I 
  must 
  

   place 
  myself 
  among 
  the 
  last. 
  In 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July 
  or 
  

   beginning 
  of 
  August, 
  1858, 
  I 
  shot 
  a 
  young 
  one 
  at 
  Troup 
  Head, 
  

   and 
  am 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Davie, 
  keeper 
  on 
  the 
  estate 
  of 
  Troup, 
  

   that 
  he 
  accompanied 
  a 
  Mr. 
  Hepburn, 
  who 
  was, 
  in 
  1858 
  or 
  

   1859, 
  on 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  Troup, 
  to 
  Gamrie 
  Head, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  shot 
  

   several 
  Black 
  Guillemots 
  "while 
  they 
  flew 
  from 
  their 
  nests." 
  

   Here, 
  however, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  said 
  that, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  divisions 
  

   of 
  Scotland 
  made 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  " 
  watershed 
  " 
  theory, 
  

   Troup 
  Head 
  and 
  Gamrie 
  Head 
  are 
  not 
  within 
  " 
  Dee." 
  They 
  

   are, 
  however, 
  on 
  its 
  immediate 
  northern 
  border, 
  and 
  for 
  that 
  

   reason, 
  and 
  the 
  additional 
  one 
  that, 
  in 
  my 
  opinion, 
  they 
  ought 
  

   to 
  be 
  held 
  as 
  within 
  the 
  district, 
  I 
  mention 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  

   birds 
  being 
  at 
  these 
  two 
  points. 
  

  

  Coming 
  within 
  our 
  own 
  undisputed 
  borders, 
  let 
  us 
  see 
  how 
  

   the 
  matter 
  stands. 
  Referring 
  to 
  Skelton's 
  Essays 
  in 
  Bomance 
  

   and 
  Studies 
  from 
  Life 
  (1878) 
  — 
  not, 
  I 
  admit, 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  source 
  

   for 
  reliable 
  ornithological 
  information 
  — 
  speaking 
  of 
  Long- 
  

   haven, 
  the 
  author 
  says, 
  at 
  p. 
  120 
  : 
  " 
  Peter's 
  friend, 
  the 
  Sutor, 
  

   is 
  anxious 
  to 
  add 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  Guillemot 
  to 
  his 
  

   collection, 
  and 
  Peter 
  knows 
  where 
  the 
  single 
  pair, 
  which 
  

   frequent 
  Longhaven, 
  have 
  this 
  year 
  established 
  their 
  nest." 
  

   The 
  excellent 
  description 
  the 
  author 
  gives 
  of 
  what 
  he, 
  

   perhaps, 
  wilfully 
  misnames 
  the 
  " 
  Scart 
  Rock," 
  is 
  evidently 
  

   intended 
  for 
  the 
  Rock 
  of 
  Dunbuy 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  author 
  is 
  correct 
  

   in 
  making 
  Peter 
  and 
  his 
  friend, 
  the 
  Sutor, 
  take 
  the 
  nest 
  of 
  the 
  

   Black 
  Guillemot 
  there, 
  such 
  a 
  fact 
  would 
  bear 
  out 
  my 
  own 
  

   impression 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  breed 
  there 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  cannot 
  yet 
  say 
  so 
  

   with 
  certainty. 
  

  

  Who 
  was 
  " 
  Peter's 
  friend, 
  the 
  Sutor 
  " 
  ? 
  Most 
  likely 
  T. 
  

   Edward, 
  of 
  Banff, 
  as 
  no 
  other 
  "Sutor" 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  

   collect 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  quarter. 
  And 
  what 
  does 
  Edward 
  say 
  on 
  

   the 
  subject 
  ? 
  In 
  his 
  list 
  of 
  birds 
  that 
  appears 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   Smiles's 
  Life 
  of 
  a 
  Scottish 
  Naturalist, 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  Guille- 
  

  

  