122 



THE NATURALIST. 



were of common occurrence. Witli tlie view, therefore, of preventing a 

 considerable amount of disappointment upon tlie part of my brother collec- 

 tors, and also in the hope of furnishing some reliable information upon a 

 subject which is still comparatively but little understood, I have obtained 

 permission from the Eev. F. 0. Morris to revise for these pages a catalogue 

 compiled by me, for his use, several years ago ; but which in consequence of 

 recent investigations, has become almost useless in its original form. 



Ornithologists visiting the Shetland Islands for the first time, very 

 naturally expect to meet with rarities at almost every step, and yet, they 

 almost invariably return sadly disappointed. Most of the British Falconidae 

 are known to occur here, and we boast of two or three noble representatives 

 of the Strigidae, yet, if the collector, after a month's tour, find the merlin, 

 the kestrel, the hen-harrier, and perhaps the short-eared owl among his 

 spoils, he may consider himself more fortunate than the generality of visitors. 

 Again, the list of Insessorial birds includes nearly sixty species, but less than 

 a dozen are commonly met with, and of these the raven, the hooded crow, 

 and the twite alone cannot readily be procured elsewhere. Of the Easorial 

 birds v/e have four species, only one of which, the rock dove, is common, 

 and in the list of Grail atores we find a remarkably small number of indige- 

 nous species. But it is among the I^^atatores that the Ornithologists' hopes 

 are centred, for Shetland is popularly supposed to be the stronghold of 

 ducks, geese, and wild fowl of every description. l!^ow, it must be confessed, 

 that although the cliffs are abundantly stocked with nearly every species of 

 " rock-bird " which is found in other parts of the British Islands, no geese, 

 and only a very small number of ducks remain here to breed ; indeed the 

 greater number of the Anatidae are never common, even in winter. This 

 may at first sight appear somewhat unaccountable, for not only are lochs, 

 pools, and marshes abundant, but the whole coast is so indented with shel- 

 tered bays and deep inlets — many of them three miles in length, that it 

 would be difficult to find any one spot more than two miles distant from 

 salt water. However, I fear we need not search far for the solution of the 

 mystery. On looking over the entire list I find that almost every addition 

 has occurred between the months of April and October, or in other words, 

 during that portion of the year most favourable for the pursuit of out-of-door 

 ornithology. ISTow, in these islands the duration of day-light at mid-winter, 

 scarcely exceeds four hours, and moreover, travelling either by land or by 

 water is often quite impracticable, therefore it is not to be wondered at if the 

 haunts of the wild foAvl are left comparatively undisturbed during that very 



