SWALLOW TRIBE. 53 



It appears from the following passage, ex- 

 tracted from Pennant's British Zoology, vol. TI. 

 page 155, that the puffin, when placed under 

 circumstances similar to those which induce birds 

 of the swallow tribe to desert their offspring, 

 sometimes abandons its progeny. "The first 

 young'* (of this species) " are hatched the be- 

 ginning of July : the old ones shew vast affec- 

 tion towards them, and seem totally insensible 

 of danger, in the breeding season. If a parent 

 is taken at that time, and suspended by the 

 wings, it will, in a sort of despair, treat itself 

 most cruelly, by biting any part it can reach, 

 and when it is loosed, instead of escaping, will 

 often resort to its unfledged young ; this affection 

 ceases at the stated time of migration, which is 

 most punctually about the eleventh of August, 

 when they leave such young as cannot fly, to 

 the mercy of the peregrine falcon, who watches 

 the mouths of the holes for the appearance of 

 the Httle deserted puffins, which, forced by hun- 

 ger, are compelled to leave theii' burrows.'* 



