THE FORK-TAILED PETREL 301 



strip of rocks and grassy downs, and forms the southern horn 

 of the Bay of St. Kilda. It has evidently at no very remote 

 date been joined to the mainland of St. Kilda, and may even 

 be reached without a boat at dead low-water during excep- 

 tionally low tides. It is very steep and covered with rich 

 grazing grass over most of its surface ; but the cliffs on the 

 south side facing the Atlantic are very grand and rugged, 

 though not very steep. At the extreme easterly point of the 

 island it narrows considerably, and there is little but bare 

 and lofty rocks towering up in fantastic rugged peaks like 

 ruined towers and battlements. We have already seen how 

 this curious-looking island is literally honeycombed by 

 Puffins, and how^ densely the cliff's are tenanted with Guille- 

 mots, Eazorbills, and Kittiwakes. JS'ow we notice the Fulmar 

 in considerable abundance, and the Great Black-backed Gull 

 — the hated " Farspach " of the St. Kildans, — the largest of 

 its order, is common. Here and there the St. Kilda ^Yren 

 chants cheerily from the rocks, and a pair of Peregrine 

 Falcons sail round and round the loftiest peak. 



But we dismiss these birds with casual glances and confine 

 our attention to the Fork-tailed Petrels. Not one of these 

 birds can be seen though. As soon as we landed on the rocky 

 shore and climbed barefooted up the cliffs and steep grassy 

 downs, the Puffins rose into the air like swarms of bees, but 

 not a Petrel mingled with them. We bent our steps to the 

 grassy summit of the island, where the colony of Petrels was 

 established. Here the ground was full of long, winding 

 burrows — evidently disused Puffin's and Shearwater's nest- 

 ing places, and in these the Fork-tailed Petrels had made 

 their homes. Placing my arm to the full extremity of one 

 of these holes, I felt a little bird fluttering over its nest, 

 and drew out a Fork-tailed Petrel. It was sitting on a 

 single egg and uttered a few squeaking notes of remonstrance 

 at the rude disturbance. When held in the hand it emitted 



