262 WITH NATUBE AND A CAMERA. 



disconcerted by our presence, we stood still and 

 watclied. She walked deliberately to the edge of 

 the cliff, which could not have been less than 

 twenty feet deep, and without the slightest hesita- 

 tion went over into the sea. To our astonishment, 

 her little ducklings followed her into the turmoil 

 of waters one by one in the most unconcerned 

 fashion. In less than a minute she was gallantly 

 breasting the big seas, with her offspring touching 

 her tail and each other so closely that the whole 

 family might easily have been covered by an 

 ordinary pocket-handkerchief. 



We were anxious to obtain a photograph 

 of an Eider duckling, but found it quite im- 

 possible to get near enough to one for such a 

 purpose. 



One day, however, a very strange thing hap- 

 pened. AYe were pliotogra})liing the watchers and 

 their boat in a little sandy bay, when the very 

 fowl we wanted walked right up to us with 

 the most uncanny deliberation and fearlessness. 

 Whether St. Cuthbert — with whom, I believe, the 

 fowls of the air were on very good terms whilst 

 he lived on the island — sent it, or the bird mistook 

 one of us for him, I cannot tell ; l)ut the strange 

 incident filled us all with wonder. 



Watcher Patterson told us he once saw an Eider 

 Duck with five small }'oung ones accidentally leave 

 two asliore in a deep crevice in tlie rock when 

 she took to tlie sea. A Lesser l>Iack ])ack 

 hu})i)onc(l to l)e passing at the time, and, seeing 

 liis opportiiiiitx', stooped and cari'ied off one of the 

 down\- litth; creatures, wliicli lie swallowed in mid- 

 air No sooner liad he iiccom})lished this feat than 

 he descended again, and, sei/iiig the other, flew 

 away with it. 



