_Butt of Lewis._--Alexander Thompson and Gilbert Mackinnon, one schedule from March 24th to November 17th, carefully filled. On the 15th and 16th, large whales seen close to lighthouse, going S.E. on the flood tide. Starlings, Rock Doves, remain all the year round, and "Sandlarks" arrive in May, and stay till end of August. During July, "great flocks of Gannets continually going to and fro in search of fish." An amusing incident was witnessed by Mr Mackinnon. On the evening of the 10th August, a Gull got hold of a large "saith" fish[12]; was unable to rise with it, so it towed it to the rocks, and allowed the sea to wash it up on the rocks. Some boys went after it, when it took to the water again, and pulled the fish to another rock, and again allowed the sea to wash it up, where it eat its supper in peace.
_Monach Isles._--Donald Georgeson--Three quarterly schedules. Mr Georgeson's schedules are able and masterly; and if we could have _all_ our schedules returned in a similar epitomised condition, no doubt much time might be saved; _but_ in the meantime, schedules coming from a . few stations out of so many stations, so epitomised, whilst the rest adhere rigidly to the columnar arrangement, makes it more troublesome to arrange details. Uniform attention to the columnar arrangement is simplest for the ledger work.
The following is an abstract of Mr Georgeson's three quarterly schedules, and may be referred to under _species_ in the next portion of the report:--
Mr Georgeson writes--"This is an island little frequented by either land or sea birds. The only birds that struck the lantern were a few Snow Buntings and the Common Tern [Arctic Tern _vera_?.--J. A. H. B.] Towards the end of January we had a severe gale from the S.W." Mr G. found several Terns and Snow Buntings "dead from exposure." "_The S.W. is the prevailing wind here._" (Explaining, perhaps, the above stated scarcity of birds, as pressing them more easterly on their S.E. course after doubling Butt of Lewis.--J. A. H. B.) A single Snipe appeared among the "marshy pools" of the islands. "In January and February I observed a large flock of Wild Geese, coming from the U.E., and after resting on the outlying rocks here, they rose and flew west in the direction of St Kilda." Shieldrakes--Two males and one female, in February, seen feeding on the island, and three Common Gulls and two Black-Backed Gulls. 1st March. Fifty Linnets (Twites?) paid a visit,--wind south--stayed only a short time. A few Sandpipers remained a week, but departed when the weather broke. Rock Doves visited the island, but soon left. Sea birds observed from January 1st to March 31st are--Common Duck, Eider Duck, Northern Diver, and a few Scarts, but these also disappeared with a gale on the 20th March from quarters between S. and N.W.