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there as a breeding species. It nests on several of the westward 

 islands of Scotland, the Orkneys and Shetlands, also on some of the 

 Irish islands, and on Skomer oflf the Pembrokeshire coast. In the 

 Scillies I spent a considerable time in studying the habits of this 

 bird, and purposely passed a night on Annet in order to observe 

 their movements during the few hours of darkness in early June. I 

 landed on this wild island on the evening of June 3rd, 1904, and 

 spent such a memorable night among the host of sea birds that it 

 was an experience and pleasure never to be forgotten and rivals 

 description. The spot selected to pass the night was one of the 

 highest parts of the island, and which turned out to be the most 

 suitable site, as every part of the ground was honeycombed with 

 their nesting burrows. Up till 9.45 p.m. the time was mostly 

 occupied by watching the movements of the puffins, which con- 

 tinued leaving and returning to their nests as long as the twilight 

 lasted. At 9.45 I cook up my position for the night. After waiting 

 a few minutes the shearwaters commenced crowing to each other 

 underground, which produced a very weird effect in the darkness. 

 Suddenly, at ten o'clock, they all appeared to leave the burrows at 

 the same time, they emerged so quickly that for a minute or two 

 they fluttered around in a great swarm, in the dim light I could 

 just see their dark forms flapping about over the surface of the 

 ground trying to rise, which they are unable to do without the aid 

 of some hillock or other emmence from which to take flight. Very 

 soon afterwards the air was filled with a dense swarm of these queer 

 birds, flying round and round, crowing loudly, the noise they made 

 by their remarkable cries was so great that the roar ot the sea beat- 

 ing against the rocks only 30 or 40 yards away was drowned by the 

 uproar they made. This wonderful assemblage of shearwaters kept 

 up the flight and screaming for just three hours, when, at 1 a.m. 

 precisely, there suddenly became silence, as if caused by some word 

 of command, and the whole multitude went to sea, where they again 

 set up their perpetual cries and continued until just before dawn, 

 when they were heard no more. Apparently they all went to some 

 distant fishing ground to return again at sundown, as at that time 

 they are generally to be seen flying over the surface of the water 

 round the islands, or careering along in a direct line homewards. 



" Although a few pairs nest on some of the other islands, Annet 

 is the home of this bird, where their nesting burrows honeycomb 

 the whole of the ground except part of the centre, which is a bed of 

 bracken occupied by a colony of lesser black-back gulls. 



" Like the shearwaters the puffins riddle the ground with nesting 



