The Sea=birds of the Fame Islands 



197 



Kacli island lias its own special inhabitants. The Guille- 

 mots are entirely restricted to the ])innacles, while the chief 

 stron<^hold of the Cormorants is on the JNIegstone. The 

 Terns in 181)5 were nesting in large numbers in the " AVide- 

 opens/" The Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the Herring- 

 gulls nest all over the islands, making their untidy nests 

 indiscriminately anywhere on the flat surface, ne^er on the 

 perpendicular sides of the cliffs. JNlany are in the corners 

 of the bare rocks, and others are placed amid the tall docks 

 and campion. One nest was particularly well constructed 

 of bladder campion pulled up by the roots, with the white 

 flowers still fresh. 



The eggs are Aery ^'ariable in colour, from dirty white 

 to a dark oli\'e-brown, and the eggs of the two species so 

 nuich resemble one 

 another that it is 

 impossible to identify 

 them unless you see 

 the birds. The 

 Herring-gulls, how- 

 ever, are much in 

 the minority, not 

 much more than five 

 per cent, being of this 

 species. Young birds 

 of both species, in 

 dirty yellow down mottled with brown, are to be seen running 

 about the rocks and paddling in the pools of rain-water. As 



Li ^'iLR Hl \c K-n \( Ki I) Gull (Lants fiisciis). 



