THE PUFFIN 267 



The Puffin, as I before remarked, nests in a hole. Both 

 birds help to dig this out, and tlie scanty nest is made at the 

 end of the burrow, which is sometimes several yards in length, 

 though more often only a few feet. The nest is a simple 

 one, being composed of a little dry grass and perhaps a few 

 feathers. On this the female lays a single large Q^^'g, grayish- 

 white in ground colour, very faintly spotted and blotched 

 with brown and dark gray. As a rule the markings can 

 only be seen on the ^g<g when newly laid — contact with the 

 birds' feet soon covers it thickly with dirt. Both parents 

 take it in turns to sit on this solitary ^gg, and the young 

 bird remains in the burrow until it is nearly or quite able to 

 fly. The old birds disgorge their own food to feed the 

 nestling, but as it gets older they bring a plentiful supply of 

 freshly- caught tish, for which it often waits at the entrance 

 to the burrow. As soon as the young are safely reared, the 

 Puffins strike their camp and go down to the sea in quest of 

 fresh feeding -places, wandering far and wide until the 

 approach of the following breeding season. It should here 

 be remarked that the young birds resemble their parents 

 in colour, but the beak is small and dark brown, almost like 

 that of the young Eazorbill. I have never heard the Puffin 

 make a sound in the air or on the water, but when dragged 

 out of its hole it often utters a harsh note of remonstrance, 

 and will fight fiercely with its beak and claws, being capable 

 of inflicting a very severe wound. 



