martin] 
BRITISH ORNITHOLOGY 
387 
1840, and practised at Ventnor from 1838 until the date of 
his death, January 7, 1867. 
1849. The “ Undercliff ” of | the Isle of Wight ; | its | Climate, | History 
and Natural Productions. | By George A. Martin, M.D. | . . . 
London : | John Churchill, Princes Street, Soho. | mdcccxlix. 
Collation — 1 vol. post 8vo, pp. xvii + pp. 366. 
Birds at pp. 176-202. 
Martin (Martin), oh. 1719 
Of Martin Martin we know but little. He was born, as 
we are told in the preface to his book, A Late Voyage to St. 
Kilda, “ in one of the most spacious and fertile isles in the 
West of Scotland ; and besides his liberal education at the 
University, had the advantage of seeing foreign places, and 
the honour of conversing with some of the Royal Society, 
who raised his natural curiosity to survey the isles of Scotland 
more exactly than any other.” . . . 
Martin took his degree of M.A. at the University of 
Edinburgh in 1681, and subscribed his name to the customary 
oath as “ Martinus Martin,” and he seems to have died in 
1719. In addition to his Voyage to St. Kilda, Martin also 
published a more extensive work entitled A Description of 
the Western Islands of Scotland (London, 1703, 1 vol. 8vo), 
which contains several short notices of the birds of the 
different islands. This book the great Dr. Johnson had 
studied before he made his tour to the Hebrides with the 
faithful Boswell in 1773. There is a copy of this work in 
the Advocates’ Library, on the title-page of which is written 
the following : “ This very book accompanied Mr. Samuel 
Johnson and me in our Tour to the Hebrides in Autumn, 
1773. Mr. Johnson told me that he had read Martin when 
he was very young. Martin was a native of the Isle of Sky, 
where a number of his relations still remain. His book is a 
very imperfect performance ; and he is erroneous as to 
many particulars, even some concerning his own island. 
Yet as it is the only book on the subject it is very generally 
known. I have seen a second edition of it. I cannot but 
