286 THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



In early August I have sailed amongst the feeding birds ; 

 they paid no attention to a throbbing motor, nor, on this 

 occasion, to the refuse or "oftal" from the trawl, but busily 

 hunted, probably for squids, then plentiful in the surface water. 

 They took short flights and picked food from the surface as they 

 paddled, petrel fashion, with their feet ; they alighted and dived, 

 remaining under for a few seconds onlj\ They were quick and 

 excited, but never dived in with open wings, as they have been 

 described as doing, but I could not see how they swam under 

 water. They floated, picking food right and left, between the 

 short flights and dives. Young birds of the year were distinctly 

 browner about the head and cheeks than the others. Planktonic 

 crustaceans, squids, and other free-swimming molluscs, and 

 small fish are the food, and at the breeding haunts they eat 

 sorrel — Chaloner quaintly remarks — " for digestion's sake, as is 

 conjectur'd." 



The nests are in burrows in turf, often on steep slopes, in 

 cracks or caves in rocks, or amongst the debris of scree and 

 fallen rock. The single egg is white, and measures about 

 2-3 by I '6 inches ; it is laid in early May, and I have seen 

 apparently fresh eggs in the middle of June when there were 

 many young in other burrows. Some eggs were on a small 

 collection of dry grass, others jn unlined scoops in the soil; 

 some were within easy reach, others fully five feet from the 

 entrance. The old birds pecked at my hand with chortling 

 expostulation, but when taken from the hole uttered no com- 

 plaint ; they bit, the hooked nail giving a powerful nip, and the 

 sharp claws painful scratches. When released they bounded 

 down the slope, fluttering and running, striking the ground 

 heavily with the breast, but when clear of the cliff top, sailed 

 easily, and did not alight on the water so long as they were in 

 sight. The young are fed on oily regurgitated food, and are 

 fat balls of long blue-grey down, with a flufi'y tuft on the head ; 

 the under parts are bluish white, and the tips of the wing 



