Birds observed Breedmg on the Coasts of Sligo and Mayo. 20 1 



On arriving at the village, we met all the men and boys just 

 returning from their morning mackerel-fishing, in which they 

 were most successful, the crews of eleven curraghs bringing 

 in on an average 300 to 400 fish each, all taken with hand- 

 lines. I spoke to several about the eagles, but although they 

 all knew and saw the birds frequently, none knew where they 

 bred ; until a boy, just coming up while I was speaking, said 

 he knew where the nest was on the cliffs, containing two young 

 ones nearly fledged. So, engaging him to come with me and 

 show the nest, we set off to climb Doonmara behind the village, 

 but when we got to the top, reaching the level plateau of bog 

 that extended along the range of cliffs, he saw the canoes 

 again going out fishing, and not wishing to lose his share of 

 the evening take, he returned, leaving me to puzzle on by myself 

 in search of the eagles. I walked along the cliffs for half an hour, 

 when I came to the first bay indenting the high cliff of Altmore, 

 and if I was surprised at the numbers of birds at Lought- 

 murriga, I was fairly astonished here when I looked on the 

 cliff, for I think there were tens, and hundreds of thousands 

 of Puffins ; the entire face of the stupendous cliffs was covered 

 with them, and the sea below was almost obscured from sight 

 by the swarms of birds on the wing — thousands of Kittiwakes 

 Guillemots, and Razorbills, nesting in the same order as on 

 the other cliffs. 



I walked on for half a mile, and came to the second bay 

 running into the cliff of Altredmond, which takes its name 

 from a coastguard whose boat was upset near the base of the 

 cliff ; all the crew perished, he only escaping by climbing up 

 the face of this stupendous precipice, where no human being 

 ever climbed before, or ever will again. Looking down over 

 the edge it is impossible to realize how any being without 

 wings could climb from the water, and reach the summit in 

 safety. In this bay the birds were in still greater numbers. 

 Three quarters of an hour's walk brought me to the third bay, 

 which was the same ; the cliffs covered, the water dotted over 

 with little flocks, while those on the wing actually swarmed, 

 and gave me the idea of the great ** I^oonories" in the Arctic 

 Regions as described by Captain Markham and Sir I^eopold 

 M'Clintock. 



I still walked on ahead, but no eagles appeared, and I came 

 to the fourth and largest bay of all, and, strange to say^ 



A 3 



