'.\-\2 A Day on the Fames In August. 



the side of deep chasms, while the old birds fed tliem. These 

 were, perhaps, the prettiest of the Gulls, and very interest- 

 in^'- to watch. The other Gulls — Herring, and Lesser Black - 

 backed out-numbered the Kittiwakes (Larus tridactylus) — Their 

 young, in all stages of growth, v^eiQ sporting about at our 

 feel. They usually relied on their protective colouration 

 and corisequently did not attempt to run until they fully real- 

 ized that they were seen. Their dark markings harmonized 

 so well with the rocks that it was difficult to distinguish 

 them in the crevices where they hid. The old gulls Hew 

 around us. shrieking and making a greater hullabaloo than 

 all the other birds put together. They attempted to buffet' 

 us ixh we approached their young, but never actually did- 

 so, rising, instead, above our heads. The cry of the Gulls was 

 similar to the barking of dogs. 



Amongst the Gulls, and all over the Staplco, were num- 

 bers of Puffins. At one place a large flock of them were sit- 

 ting floating on the sea; others were flying backwards and 

 forwards to the rocks. The Puffins were, perhaps, the most 

 interesting of all the birds on the Staples. On another part of 

 this Island was a small colony of Arctic Terns. Several 

 young ones, in various stages of growth, were standing about, 

 waiting to be fed. These birds, also, were coloured like the 

 ground, and, were obviously consciouj of the fact, as they 

 preferred to squat and rely upon their natural protection, in- 

 stead 3f running when we approached. We had not half 

 exhaisted the beauties and interest of the place but time was 

 flying, and there were still other points of interest to 'visit. 

 Accordingly we clambered over the slippery seaweed and 

 down the rocks to our boat. Our next destination was the 

 Knoxes a flatter island than the Staples. This island is chiefly 

 occupied by .Terns— Arctic and Sandwich. There were thou- 

 thousands of them, the former greatly in excess of the latter. 

 It was easy to distinguish them as they flew around, the Sand- 

 wich Terns {Sterna c^ntica) being of a considerably larger 

 size. They were not so tame as the birds on 'the Staples, 

 all hough the young, of which there were numbers, were easy 

 to catch and examine. I only saw one young Sandwich Tern, 

 and that was nearly full grown. On picking it up to examine, 

 it ejected a sand-eel about li inches long— rather a large 



