ORNITHOLOGY OF SECTION D, 1850. 
Sutherlandshire, and the Shetland Isles, It was amongst the other 
Guillemots in the proportion of perhaps one to ten ; it lays a similar 
egg, as I ascertained myself in several instances; it was of both 
sexes, and not as the natives thought, of one sex; some of them 
saying it was the male and some the female. I did not find aut 
whether or not they paired together; but I could not see any thing 
to lead me to suppose that there existed a specific difference. We 
should bear in mind that very nearly similar markings about the 
head, or their absence, formerly led to the making two species of 
Alca torda. Mr. Gould, though he has figured Uria lachrymans, 
doubted its value as a species, but M. Temminck and Mr. Yarrell 
consider it distinct. 
The Black Guillemot, Uria grylle, the Sea-pigeon or Dovekie of 
the Arctic expeditions, is characteristic of the north, but it extends 
to the islands of the north of Scotland, and even to Ireland and 
Wales it is said. It lays two eggs, under stones, not far above the 
sea. When it has young, on the approach of an intruder, it sits, 
making a plaintive noise like that of the Robin. * 
Of the two species of Cormorant I may remark, that the young 
is considered almost the best of the sea birds; and my friend and 
myself agreed that it made by no means a bad dish; but I must state, 
that our only alternative at that time was dried mutton or whale’s 
flesh. Guillemots, too, and their kindred, are very eatable when 
properly cooked; aud we had the opportunity of tasting them at 4 
clergyman’s, where were some very good things with which to form F 
comparison. Gulls are very inferior, but the reported best birds of 
all, young Shearwaters, we had not the chance of tasting. Of the 
young of one of the Cormorants we saw a remarkable monstrosity; 
it had four legs, two of which were combined into one, situated 
centrally and posteriorly ; it was much shorter than the others, and 
useless. Unfortunately the body had been ate the day before; the 
skin was to be sent to Copenhagen. 
The Soland Goose, called Sula by the Faroese, and Jan van Gent 
by sailors according to Landt, whence perhaps our name of Gannet- 
This bird ocenpies one large rock, the west end of the Faroe Isles: 
for the Shetland and Orkney Isles it has the Sule Skerry, which is 
thirty miles to the west of Orkney. It has selected St. Kilda, off 
* It used to breed upon the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth. We have shot it 
there and taken the young from the nest.— W. J 
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