NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF ST. KILDA 143 



number of Guillemots and Razorbills, with a few Cormorants, 

 who were quite unaware of my presence. Some lay on the 

 rocks near the sea, basking in the sunbeams, while the rest 

 fished. When they wished to descend they drew their wings 

 and feathers close to their bodies ; but as soon as they got 

 under water they expanded their wings, but not so widely as 

 in flying, and flew about with them in that position with great 

 rapidity and in all directions. They used their wings for 

 progression as a swimmer would his arms, and seemed to use 

 their tails for guidance. Their feet were also in motion, and 

 they caught their prey in their bills. The Cormorants 

 were further away, and I could not see them so distinctly, 

 but so far as I could see they moved under water in the same 

 way. It is because of their way of alighting that the Shear- 

 waters are most easily and frequently caught. The fowler, 

 with his trained dog, waits near a place where he knows that 

 there are several nests. During this momentary halt the dog 

 pounces upon them and brings them to its master. In this 

 way a clever dog may catch sixty or seventy in a night. 

 The wings of the Shearwater, although of a different type 

 from those of the other petrels, are yet so large that it can 

 fly about and pick up its food from the surface like them. 

 At the same time it can, and frequently does, settle on the 

 water like the Guillemots, and pursue its prey under water 

 as they do. 



The STORMY PETRELS \Procellaria pelagicd\ arrive in 

 detachments. At first a few, then more and more, till the 

 whole body is collected. At first coming they for some time 

 only hover about the rocks, but gradually they take to resting 

 upon them by day, and in a little by night also, probably 

 to satisfy themselves that there is no enemy about. They 

 never, however, settle quietly or take full possession till about 

 the middle of March. It is not till then that they are caught 

 in any numbers. It is here called " aisleag," the little ferry- 

 man, from its habit of flying back and forward from point to 

 point. It lays its egg, which is large, in a hole like that of 

 the Shearwater, but, unlike it, goes to and fro by day. It 

 has also the same habit of uttering its peculiar chirping cry 

 in the hole all day. It hatches for about six weeks, feeds 

 its young in the nest for about the same time, and leaves in 



