354 MANX SHEARWATER. 



in its flight. From the position of its legs it is unable 

 to walk. It breeds in the Western Islands of Scot- 

 land, the Orkneys and Shetlands, and the Scilly 

 Islands, and in a few parts of Ireland. Formerly it 

 bred in the Calf of Man. This bird loves the sea and 

 is seldom seen except in the breeding season. Then 

 it hides in holes in the rocks during the daytime, 

 probably obtaining most of its food at night, consisting 

 of small fish, and any scraps and remains floating on 

 the surface. These birds are much prized by the 

 fishermen of some of the Western Isles as articles of 

 food, from whom in consequence it is difficult to get 

 information as to the whereabouts of the nests, the 

 holes being very difficult to discover unaided on 

 account of the entrance often being overgrown. The 

 holes seem generally to be burrowed by the birds 

 themselves, as in the case of the Puffins, but are 

 better concealed, and are in the wildest part of the 

 district among the cliff^s and rocks. 



Scarcely any nest is made ; just a few dry plants 

 are placed at the bottom of the hole, some little 

 distance from the entrance, and on these the bird lays 

 one egg, perfectly white in colour and very glossy and 

 smooth. It has also a peculiar musky smell. The 

 eggs are laid throughout May and the early part of 

 June. 



The general colour of the upper parts of the Manx 

 Shearwater is greyish black ; the throat, breast and 

 under parts are white. 



Seebohm, relating what Dixon was told by a native 

 of St. Kilda, says: " He told me that the bird is so 

 common there that he had known a boat's crew (of 

 which he was a member), despatched to the island to 

 collect birds and eggs, capture as many as four 



