Complexion of St. Kildans, 46 Cormorant, Stalking, 249 Cormorants at Farne Islands, 248 —— Lesser Black-backed Gulls stealing Fish from, 250 —— Poisonousness of Excreta of, 249 —— Swimming to a Rock for a Photograph of, 348–350 Courage, The Evaporation of a Gillie's, 318 Cow, Milking, Aboard Ship, 317 Crow, Carrion, Nesting Site of, 344 — Grey, Killing, 101 Crows, Carrion, frightened by Jubilee Beacon Fires, 234 Crusoe, Modern, 134 Cuckoo considered a Messenger of Death at St. Kilda, 128 —— Curious Sleeping Quarters of, 240 —— Early Morning Cry of, 133 Cuckoos, How they put their Eggs in other Birds' Nests, 26 Curlew, Instincts of, 210 —— Powerful Notes of, 212

Danger, Curious Effect of, 98 Dangers of Cliff Photography, 341 ——— Photographing in Trees, 348 Darling, Robert, and the Farne Islands, 330 Death Dirge, Singing a, 34 —— Cuckoo considered a Messenger of, 128 Degeneracy, Physical, of Man, 32 Debate, Heated, 120 Decoy Pipe, Description of, 296, etc. —— „ How cleared of Ice, 304 Decoying, Art of, 295 —— Essentials of Successful, 296 —— How it is done, 305 Decoyman and his Dog at work, 308 —— Good-natured, 309 —— Slaying his Captives, 309 Decoyman's Dog, 296 —— Notions, 309 Decoymen, Mistakes made by, 305 Descending a Cliff, Important Points in regard to, 340 ——— „ Sensations of, 341 Descent, Dangerous and Difficult, 120 Devotion of Birds, 196 —— „ Chaffinch, 199 —— „ Sparrow-hawk, 202 —— „ Tree-creeper, 199 Dignity of St. Kildans, 54 Disciplinarian, Strict, 330 Dishonesty of Birds, 189 Diver, Great Northern, 24 —— Red-throated, on Nest, 316 Diving into a Boat, 121 Dog, Decoyman's, 296 — Favourite, 157 — Good Chance spoilt by, 108 — Swallowing Frogs, 152 — Temper of, 158 Dogs, Mischief wrought by, 152 — of St. Kilda, 6 Doon and St. Kilda, 60 — Caves under, 98 Down used in Lining Ducks' Nests, 260 Drink, Big, 43 Drowning, Narrow Escape from, 96 Duck Decoy, the First, constructed in England, 295 —— „ Worked under Difficulties, 295 Ducks, Clutches of Eggs of, 260 —— Eider, at Farne Islands, 258 —— Lure, 296; How fed, 304 —— Nests, Down employed in lining of, 260 —— Young Eider, Hardihood of, 261; how they breast big Seas, 262: swallowed by Lesser Black-Backed Gull, 262

INDEX.

363

Dunlins at St. Kilda, 59; feeding, 60 Dwellings, Underground, at St. Kilda, 13; on Borrera, 82

Eagle, Golden, Shyness of, 138 Earthenware, Fragments of Old, 14 Egg, Colour of Common Guillemot's, 106 — Sea Birds that lay only One, 120 — Stealers, Jackdaws as, 257 Eggs, Clutches of Eider Ducks, 260 — Coloration, 204 — Destruction of, 189 — Distribution of Heat over, 206 — Enemies of, 207 — Exchanging, 207 — Fastidiousness of Plovers in regard to the Position of, 206 — Great Numbers gathered at St. Kilda, 119 — Gulls', collected at Scoulton Mere, 273 — How Birds lay, 205 — Large Clutches of Terns', 254 — of Eider Ducks, 73 — of Wrens, 72 — Osprey's, 194 — Painted, 204 — Pheasants', 164 — „ Variation in Colour of, 166 — Protection of, by Harmonisation of Colour, 207, 254 — Stolen by Rooks, 146 — Tree Sparrow's, 204 Eider Ducks at St Kilda, 128 —— „ Eggs of, 73 “Eight-Day Sickness” at St. Kilda, 33 Embarkation, Difficulties of, at St. Kilda, 63 Escape, Narrow, 104 Etiquette at St. Kilda, 27

Falcon (see Peregrine) Falling into a Shaft Full of Water, 358 Farewell Meeting, A, 128 Farne Islands and Robert Darling, 330 —— „ Cormorants at, 248 —— „ Eider Ducks at, 258 —— „ Guillemots at, 264 —— „ in a Rough Sea off the, 333 —— „ Kittiwakes at, 264 —— „ Rabbits on, 332 —— „ Terns breeding at, 250 Feat, A Good Gymnastic, 356 Feathers, How disposed during Sleep, 232 —— from St. Kilda for Soldiers' Pillows, 119 Fecundity of Rabbits, 180 Feet, Large, of Young Razorbill, 105 Ferrets killing each other, 182 Fergusson descends a Fearful Precipice, 86 Field Work, Secret of, 354 Fieldfares, Where they sleep, 247 Fight between a Pair of Black Guillemots, 61 Fire-penny Tax at St. Kilda, 54 Fish, A Big Catch of, 67, 68, 99 — for Bait, 99 — Stolen from Cormorants by Gulls, 250 Fleas on a Rabbit, 181 Flight Netting, How it is managed, 284 Flights, Great Winter, 284 Flycatcher, Spotted, Habits of, 224 Flycatcher's, Spotted, Nest, 223; in a Bullet-Hole, 196 Fog, Steaming in a, 130 Food-supply of St. Kildans compared with that of Hebridean Crofters, 9 Forked-tailed Petrels' Nests, 64, 78 —— „ „ Squirting Oil, 80 Fowler, Sad Fate of, 118 Fowling, An Exhibition of, 64 —— Ropes, 124

Fowls, Domestic, Small Esteem for, at St. Kilda, 48 Fox, Cunning of, 156 — Fate of a Trapped, 154 — Trap, A Curious, 153, 154 Friends, Parting with, 129 Fright, A Great, 173 Fuel used at St. Kilda, 46 Fulmar Petrel, Breeding habits of, 114, 118 —— „ Catch of, on Borrera, 84 —— „ Caught by Fergusson, 86 —— „ Curious Differences of Opinion of the Value of, 118 —— „ Egg of, 62 —— „ Feathers from, 119 —— „ Flight of, 3 —— „ Habits of, 60 —— „ Macgillivray's Observations on, 116 —— „ Oil from, 119 —— „ „ Smell of, 12, 119 —— „ Photographing, 108, 115 —— „ Quantity of Oil from, 119 —— „ Sense of Smell of, 62 —— „ Sighting First, 3 —— „ Stalking, 108

Gamekeeper, A much scarred, 170 ——— An Essex, 328 ——— The Humour of a, 177 Gamekeepers and Hawks, 141, 142 ——— Characteristics of, 135 ——— Dangers of, 330, ——— Duties of, 150 ——— Hard Life of, 168 ——— Method of killing Ravens, 241 ——— on killing Birds of Prey, 142 Gannets on Stack Lee, 76 —— Plunging, 3 (see also Solan Geese) Geese, Wild, Finding a Brood of, 318 Generosity of St. Kildans, 52 Gillie's Courage, A, 318 Gnats, Punished by, 226 Gold, Contemning, 51 Goose, Bell hung to the Neck of, 156 Grace Darling's Bible, 332 Graveyard at St. Kilda, 44 Greed of St. Kildans, 49 Ground on which Cage-birds are caught, 286 Grouse, A Close Sitter, 150, 198 — Alarm Notes of, 162 — Becking for, 160 — Curious Habits of, 162 — „ Position of the Nest of a, 150 — Eggs of, stolen by Rooks, 146 — Effect of Starvation on, 163 — Fascinations of Driving, 148 — Harm done to, by Farmers' Cats, 152 — How poached, 156, 160 — Method of calling, 160 — Netting, 157 — Notes of, 160 — Only Bird Indigenous to British Isles, 148 — Roosting in Trees, 164 — Shooting, 164 — Sitting long and close on Nest, 198 — Snaring, 156, 158 — Starved to Death, 164 — Talkativeness of, 162 — Weight of, 164 Gulf Stream, Bountifulness of, 46 —— Fetches a disappointment to St. Kilda, 47 Guillemot, Black, Notes of, Fighting, etc., 61 ——— Common, at Farne Islands, 264 ——— „ Breakfasting off Eggs of, 323 ——— „ Clever Capture of, 108 ——— „ Colour of Eggs of, 106

364

INDEX.

Guillemot, Common, How caught by Night, 92 ——— „ Round Borrera, 76 Gull, Lesser Black Back, swallowing Young Eiders, 262 Gulls, Black-headed, at Scoulton Mere, 272 —— Curious Position of a Great Black Back's Nest, 2 —— Great Black Back, and Prey, 59 —— „ „ „ at St. Kilda, 58, 100 Gulls, Herring feeding, 101 —— Met with in Hebrides, 272 —— Robbing Terns, 258 —— Stealing Fish from Cormorants, 250 —— Where they sleep, 242 Gymnastic Feat, A Good, 356

Habits, Breeding, of Fulmar Petrel, 60 —— „ Rabbits, 177 —— „ Starlings, 184 —— Change of, in Ring-Ouzels, 292 —— Curious, of Hares, 176 —— of Blue Tit, 224 —— „ Hedgehogs, 146 —— „ Marsh Tits, 220 —— „ Peewit, 212 —— „ Plovers, etc., 210 —— „ Spotted Flycatcher, 224 —— Peculiar, of Shelduck, 264 Hair Rope, 124 Hammock, A Fall from, 9 Hare, Childlike Cry of, 174 —— How netted, 174, 175 —— Netting, 173 —— Poached, for Sale, 172 —— Shot by Moonlight, 176 —— Trying to Trap, 177 Hares, Curious Habits of, 176 —— Love of Parsley, 177 Harmonisation of Birds' Eggs and Young with Surroundings, 207, 210 Haunted Room, Sleeping in, 332 Hawks and Gamekeepers, 141, 142 Head-dress of St. Kilda Women, 22 Hearthrug used as a Shawl, 22 Hebrides, Gulls met with in, 272 Hedgehogs, Habits of, 146 Heron considered a Witch at St. Kilda, 128 —— Rook stealing Sticks from, 190 Highland Boat, Passengers on, 311 —— Peat-Diggers, 319 —— Woman's Boots and Bonnet, 321 —— Workmen and their Master, 313, 314 Highlanders, Heartfelt Prayers of, 320 Highlands, Teetotalers' difficulties in, 318 Home, Love of, 49 Horsehair Rope, 124 Horticulturists, A Hard Nut for, 24 House, Highest Inhabited, in Yorkshire, 327 —— Strong Man's, in St. Kilda, 82 Humorous Incident, 342 Humouring an Odd Man in Power, 314 Hybrids, 285

Identity, Two Peculiar Cases of Mistaken, 42 Illumination, History of, at St. Kilda, 23 Incident, Humorous, 342 Inn, Highest, in England, 327 Insects, Photographing, 359 Instinct in Animals, 238 Intelligence, Difficulties of obtaining Up-to-date, 326 —— Rewarded, 133 Intoxication mistaken for Death, 35 Irish Skipper, Hospitality of, 50 Isolation of St. Kilda, 28

Jackdaws as Egg-Stealers, 257 Jay feeding her Young, 224 Jay's Nest, 224 “Jug,” How Partridges, 170

Kestrel, Destructiveness of, 142 —— Laziness of, 192 Kestrel's Eggs in Raven's Old Nest, 193 Kingfisher, How it captures its Prey, 355 —— Photographing, 355 Kittiwakes at Farne Islands, 264 —— Dead, 3 —— on their Nests, 98 —— Rising of, 100 —— Where they sleep, 242

Ladies, Bravery of, 132 Lady Grange's Exile, 28 Landlord, A Merry Old, 327 Lamp, Stone, still used, 14, 23 —— „ „ „ on Borrera, 81 Larks decreasing in Scotland, 284, —— Great Slaughter of, 284 —— How caught by Night, 286 —— Vast Flocks of, 284 Lead-mine, Using an Old, as a Charging Bag, 358 Leap, A Dangerous, 87, 121 Letters from St. Kilda, 20 Light, Cost of, at St. Kilda, 54 — Night at St. Kilda, 100 Liquor, Limited Consumption of, 327 Locks, Curious Wooden, 12 London “a grand spot,” 328 —— Birds' Nests near, 222 Lorne, Bird-life in the Firth of, 321 “Lover's Stone,” St. Kilda, 37 Lunatic, Threatened by a, 99 Lunch, A Dry, 321 Lure Birds, How tethered and how they work, 280

Macgillivray's Observations on the Fulmar Petrel, 116 Mackenzie's Equanimity, 26 Mailboat, St. Kilda, 28 Malady, An Old, 33 McQuien, Finlay, inquires about London, 82 Markets for Cage-birds, 286 Marriages, Early, at St. Kilda, 37 Marsh Tits, How they feed their Young, 220 Martin's First Experience of Gannets, 88 —— Fulmar Petrel, 116, 119 —— Curious Breeches Story, 123 Martins, House, Nests, 188 —— „ Late Stay of, 274 —— Sand, Nests, 188 Meeting, A Farewell, 128 Men, Clever or Cowardly, 132 Merlin's Nest, 141 Message from the Sea, 5 Mice utilising Old Birds' Nests, 192 Migration of Birds, 289, 292 Milking a Highland Cow on board ship, 311 Minister and Medicine Man, 33 Ministers as Promise-Breakers, 324 Mistaken Identity, 42 Mistakes of Decoy-men, 305 Moorhen, Curious Accident to, 228 —— Spare Nest of, 186 Mortality amongst Babes at St. Kilda, 33 —— „ Sea-Birds, 258 Moth, Photographing a, 247 Motor Cars, First Run to Brighton of, 275 Music of the Bagpipes, 37 —— of St. Kildans, 36

Natural History, Increasing Interest in, 194 Nature, How to study, 334 Negatives, Rush to save, 131 Nerves, Effect of Danger on, 98 Nest, Accident to a Bird whilst building, 184 — Birds sharing a, 194 — Building of Solan Geese, 266 — Common Wren's, 184, 186

INDEX.

365

Nest, Curious lining of an Oyster-catcher's, 193 — „ Position of a Grouse's, 150 — „ „ of a Spotted Flycatcher's, 196 — „ Situations for a Pied Wagtail's, 196, 228 — Decoration of a Chaffinch's, 184 — High Situation of a Swallow's, 328 — How a Rabbit hides its, 177, 180 — Jay's, 224 — Kestrel's Eggs in Raven's, 193 — Merlin's, 141 — Moving a Gray Wagtail's, 200 — of St. Kilda Wren, 71 — Ospreys, 194 — Peculiar Position of a Blackbird's, 264 — Photographing a Shrike on, 200 — Rook stealing Sticks from a Heron's, 190 — Wood Wren's, 223, 224 Nesting-Box, Story of a, 189 Nesting-places, Curious, 196 Nests, Adaptation of Old, 192 —— Blue Tit's, 223 —— “Cock's,” of Common Wren, 186 —— Down-lining of Ducks', 260 —— Extravagance in building, 192 —— Forked-tailed Petrel's, 64 —— House Martin's, 188 —— How Birds sit on their, 198 —— near London, 222 —— Old, Adapted by Kestrel, 192 —— Photographing, in High Hedges, 352 —— „ in Trees, 344, 346, 348 —— Poor accommodation of some, 206 —— Robins', in Curious Situations, 196 —— Rooks stealing Sticks from each other's, 190 —— Sand Martins', 188 —— Simultaneous building of, 184 —— Spare, 186 —— Sparrow's, stolen by Starlings, 190 —— Spotted Flycatcher's, 223 —— Variation of Size of, 188 —— Waterhen's Spare, 186 —— Well and badly hidden, 188 Nets, Clap, How worked, 281 — Used for catching Birds, 276 Netting a Hare, 173, 174, 175 Newspaper Reporters, Disappointment of, 5 Night in a Cleit, 99 —— on Deck, 133 Nightingales, Trapping of, 290 —— Southern Flight of, 292 Nightjar, Sleeping habit of, 245 Nurse, Brave, 132 Notes of Curlew, 212 —— of Roseate Tern, 256 Notion, Curious, in Regard to Photography, 326

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