624 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
pigeon. The former is very abundant; the latter is only seen 
occasionally in spring or in autumn. Some years ago one of Sir 
J ames Matheson’s keepers shot a specimen of the turtle dove. This, 
I believe, is the only instance in which this bird has been met with 
so far north. 
When the pheasant was first introduced, it roosted habitually on 
the trees near Stornoway Castle. This it seldom does now. Has 
it, too, learned something by experience? It has nothing to dread 
from fox, or polecat, or ermine ; and the marten, which would be 
destructive to it, frequents a distant locality. Efforts have been 
made to introduce the black grouse, but they have not as yet been 
successful. Walker seems to have met with it on the occasion of 
his visit to these islands. He says, “ The stomach of the black- 
cock is often found stuffed in spring with the Polypodium vulgare f 
and adds, “ This is the only certain instance that has occurred of 
any animal living upon a plant of the fern kind in this country.” 
Ptarmigan are very common, especially on the Lewis slopes of the 
Harris hills. The red grouse is not fit for shooting till about 
September. 
One species of Gruidce^ the grey crane, has several times been shot 
in severe winter weather. Of the Pluvialidce, the golden plover is 
very abundant in the moors during summer. In winter it retires to 
the shore. The dotterel is seen in June and July, and the ring-plover 
is very abundant throughout the year. Mr Macgillivray says that 
the lapwing is of extremely rare occurrence in the Hebrides. This 
is a mistake ; I saw it frequently. Its habits as to change of place 
are similar to those of the golden plover. The turnstone is met 
with during winter. The oyster-catcher is abundant. I found 
several nests on a shelving rock near G-allan Head, with eggs in 
them, on the 14th of June. In some the shell was beginning to 
break, and the ‘‘peep-peep” of the chick could be heard. In the 
Fern Islands the young of this bird appear a fortnight earlier. 
The nesting- place was a hollow in the large rock, without lining of 
any kind. 
Of the Tringidce, the grey sandpiper arrives in small flocks in 
September, the purple sandpiper appears for a few weeks in spring, 
the dunlin is abundant on the Uig coast in June, the sanderling 
arrives early in September, and departs in March, the curlew is 
