The Breeding Grounds of the Grey Seal 



Gradually the light increased, showing up the distant 

 islands bathed in a soft warm glow, until at length the 

 sun rose from behind a great hill away to the east, and 

 lit up masses of thunder-clouds lying near the western 

 horizon. As we pushed out from the shore only a 

 gentle breeze ruffled the sea, and it was not until the 

 boat had rounded the headland that the sail replaced 

 the oars. One remarked on the scarcity of bird life 

 as compared with the summer months. No companies of 

 puffins or guillemots flew restlessly past ; no sea swallows 

 hovered, flashing in the sunlight, as they scanned the clear 

 waters beneath in their search for small fry. 



An occasional shag flew heavily by, low on the water's 

 surface, and we also passed solitary black guillemots, now 

 in their winter plumage of black and white. In some of 

 these the white colouring so predominated that from a 

 distance they appeared almost like gulls. This seasonal 

 change of the black guillemot is an interesting one, and 

 it is difficult to see why the bird should assume a com- 

 paratively white plumage during the winter months, un- 

 less it be to harmonize with the white breakers and spume 

 on the waters. 



It was near mid-day before the breeding rock of the 

 grey seals was reached. Numbers of greater black-backed 

 gulls flew out on their broad wings as the boat neared 

 the island, and a flock of barnacle geese, but recently 

 arrived from their breeding grounds in the far north, rose 

 from the grassy terraces and flew by us at a great height, 

 calling softly and musically to each other. 



It is seldom possible to land on the western side of 

 the island, even in fine weather, for here the heave from 

 the south-west travels right across from the American 

 coast, with no land to break it; but on this day the swell 

 was absent, and the boat could be pulled right in under 

 the rocks. The breeding ground of the seal is a flat, rocky 

 terrace, not many feet above high water mark, and on this 

 c 17 



