192 Pictures of Bird Life 



out of them in roiioli weatlier. The nests are fairly large 

 and well made, apparently of seaweed and tin'f, wedged into 

 the clifF-face wherever there is a liole or eraek large enough 

 to hold it. 



Tlie pure and spotless plumage of tliese heautiful Gulls 

 looks of a dazzling white against the dark and rugged rocks, 

 and the scene is one of great beauty. The sea below, bathed 

 in the glorious rays of tlie midday sun, glitters as if com- 

 posed of molten jewels, and is fretted into a network of 

 creamy foam as tlie everlasting surge beats incessantly 

 against tlie opposing cliffs. Fresli l)irds are constantly 

 arriving witli food for tlieir young, or flying off for supplies, 

 and tlieir shrill cry of '* Kitty-kea, kitty-kea," resounds 

 from all sides. 



The Kittiwakes, though nesting in such numbers on the 

 same rocks, are never so crowded together as the Guillemots. 

 Each pair of birds build their nest just wherever they can 

 find a suitable })lace in the perpendicular face of the cliff. 

 They never build on a Hat surface like the larger Gulls. If 

 two or three suitable crannies happen to be close together, 

 there will be a nest in each ; if not, they will be corre- 

 spondingly farther apart. 



They present the most charming little pictures of bird 

 life. Standing on the extreme edge of one of the numerous 

 rifts and chasms, or on a jutting promontory of rock, you can 

 look across a few feet of space right into the nests. At 

 the time of my visit, the first week in July, the nests for 

 the most part contained freshly hatched birds, sometimes 



