THE I'UFFIN. 603 



tions. Here one would rise beneath our feet; (lien, within :i few yards of ns, another 

 would aliglit with a tisli, and dive into its burrow, or feed the young that stood waiting 

 at the entranee. Tlie young birds were fur from l)cing friendly to eaeh otlicr, and those 

 whieli wo carried with us kejit constantly tight ing st) long as we kept them alive. They 

 used their yet extremely small bills with great courage and pertinacity, and their cries 

 resejnl)led the wailings of young whelps. The smaller individuals wore fed by the parents 

 by regurgitation, or received little pieces of tish which were placed in their mouths; the 

 largter picked ujj the pieces of tish which were dropped before them ; but almost all of 

 them seemed to crawl to the entrance of the holes for the purpose of being fed. In all 

 the burrows that connnunicated Mith others, a round place was scooped out on one side of 

 the avenue, in the foi-m of an oven, while in those which were single, this oven-like place 

 was formed at the end, and was larger than the corridor. All the passages were flattish 

 above, and rounded beneath as well as on the sides. In many instances we found two 

 birds sitting, each on its own egg, in tlie same hole." 



