178 The Irish Naturalist. September, 
NOTES, 
ZOOLOGY. 
Notes from the Skelligs. 
I have received a letter from Mr. P. J. MacGinley, light-keeper on the 
Great Skellig, dated ist August, in which he writes : — w j 
Fulmar. — " The colony of Fulmars have left the rock (on the 25th 
July) and have taken nine young ones with them. Possibly there may 
have been one or two more." 
Razorbill, Guillemot. — " The young Razorbills and Guillemots are 
nearly all gone also, and the Kittiwakes are practising their short flights, 
having left their nests. It is about 25 minutes after sunset that the 
Razorbills and Guillemots take their young to sea, of a clear evening later ; 
where the cliff is overhanging they just edge the young one over to the 
extreme edge, and then give him a gentle shove off. No matter how 
high the nest, once the young bird is off he keeps fluttering all the time in 
mid air, sufficiently to maintain his balance ; he never tumbles. While 
he is dropping into the water he is screaming, and so are the older ones, 
making an awful row, but only for the time till they have him safe in 
the water. When he touches it he instantly dives once only with the 
older ones, then he strikes out for sea with the parents on either side ; 
then to sea they go as fast as they can swim, but I have never seen the 
young bird dive except when touching the water. This dive is but for 
a few seconds only. 
( /'In the case of the nest not overhanging, the young one is carried out 
caught by the wing, and as soon as they have him clear of the cliff, they 
et him go ; they only take him clear which they are able to judge to a 
nicety. 
" It is possible they leave at sunrise, or the early hours of the morning, 
but it is mostly in the evenings I see them going. 
" To make this matter clear. I have seen them take the young at any 
height from 40 to 100 feet, and never saw the young bird tumble, or 
touch the water in an awkward manner; he is fluttering all the time and 
maintains his balance. The first I noticed leaving the rock was on the 
eve of the 27th of July, once they start they are all cleared out in a week. 
Gannet. — " As regards the Gannets on the Little SkeUig, it is literally 
covered with them, and they are increasing in numbers every year. From 
the highest point of the rock, which is close on 500 feet, to within 16 feet 
of high water, they are nesting, and have spread all over the rock. They 
have reduced the numbers of other birds as far as possible, but there are 
two large caves or overhanging cliffs with very narrow shelves or ledges 
where other birds still breed. On these shelves it would not be possible 
for the Gannet to rest, but it is the only spot on the rock where they are 
not, and the others have it to themselves undisturbed by the Gannets, 
though they are only a few feet overhead." 
