loo The Irish Naturalist, 



corner behind stones and rocks, and every crack and crevice 

 available for a nest. At the base of lyoughtmurriga was the 

 island of Moistha (Islan Master of the Ordnance Survey map) 

 separated by a little strait three fathoms deep, and only wide 

 enough for a rowing boat to pass through, 



Moistha is an oval-shaped island, 350 feet high, having a 

 rounded grassy top, upon which the Puffins were innumerable, 

 and especially so on the western slope facing the evening sun. 

 Fully a quarter of an acre was thickly carpeted by them, as 

 thickly as they could stow, while the sun shining on their 

 snow-white breasts, and red bills, caused them to look like an 

 immense bed of tulips, or other bright-coloured flowers in a 

 grass garden. 



Near the highest part of the cliff, we saw a young Peregrine 

 nearly fledged sitting at the mouth of a hole, in which probably 

 the nest had been ; our attention was directed to him by the 

 loud screaming of the parent birds, after we reached the top 

 of the cliff. A pair of Ravens (the man told us) bred every 

 year in the cliff, until that season, when the Peregrines (or 

 ** Blue Hawks," the local name) drove them awa3^ I remained 

 watching this wonderful sight of sea-birds until past eight 

 o'clock, and then returned to Belderig, which I reached close 

 to eleven. 



Next morning, the weather still continuing fine, I drove to 

 Porturlin, which, although only seven or eight miles by water, 

 is sixteen miles by road, through a dreary wilderness of flat 

 wet bog, with numerous black-looking pools and loughs inter- 

 spersed throughout its wide expanse ; and so bare of life, that 

 besides the skylarks, only one solitary Golden Plover appeared 

 in view during the long drive there and back ; and the road 

 was so bad, that for the latter half of the way we had to go at 

 a walking pace, and did not get to Porturlin until nearly two 

 o'clock. 



This little fishing village is situated in a deeper and narrower 

 valley than Belderig, reaching the sea by a narrow cove 

 through the cliffs, while to the west of the village, close 

 behind, rises the Hill of Doonmara, 649 feet high, the com- 

 mencement of the range running on to Portacloy and Broad- 

 haven, also indented by great bays, with crumbling cliffs 

 similar to Belderig. 



