
ORNITHOLOGY OF SECTION D, 1850. 
the Curlew of the Highlands, as it only very partially does in 
Shetland. It was constantly flying round us just out of shot, in 
company with the noisy Oyster Catchers, and occasionally Golden 
Plovers. 
The Red-necked Phalarope, P. hyperboreus, we only found in 
one remarkably swampy little valley, where also bred Dunlins and 
Golden Plover —the former called in Orkney, Plover’s Page, from 
their habit of attending the Plovers in their flight — Arctic Terns, 
and the year before we were there, we were told a pair or two of 
Black-headed Gulls, probably L. ridibundus, frequented it. On 
the margins of the deep pools in this district, we found the nests 
of Colymbus septentrionalis, raised in a remarkable manner to the 
height of a foot, reminding us of the Swan’s nests on the banks of 
the Thames, a practice I had not seen before in the nidification 
of either of the Colymbi whose nests I know; and here was an 
adaptation to circumstances, for the water was on a level with the 
Surrounding moss. 
The Eider Duck, S. mollissima, has of late years been provided 
with little houses to build in on certain islets; but the great Gulls, 
L. marinus, still rob many of their eggs. The quantity of down 
procured in the Faroe Islands is very inconsiderable. 
The three birds which principally tempt the inhabitants to their 
feats of rock climbing, are the common Guillemot, U. troile, the 
Razorbill, A, torda, and the Puffin, M. fratercula; but the Razor- 
bill is comparatively in small numbers, perhaps not more than one 
ri twenty Guillemots. The Puffin is by far the most numerous of 
the three, and swarms in an althost incredible degree. A hand net, 
made like a small shrimp net, is raised for them to fly into as they 
sk and the sudden exertion upon the grassy slopes gives occasion 
ms ha fatal accidents. In climbing for Guillemots with the help 
in Opes, accidents very rarely happen. All the mode of proceed- 
sk, bird catching is just as it was described by Luke Debes 250 
ee, ago. We were shown a tame Puffin, which was known to be 
Y years of age; it had lost the triangular plates round the eye. 
© saw several semi-albino varieties. 
Guillen anxious to see whether there was one or three species of 
Raney in the Faroe Islands as has been said. I could not dis- 
there any Uria brumnichii, but the so called species Uria 
oe was in plenty, as I had also found it in Caithness, 
