BRITAIN'S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. S 



new ones are required the birds usually dig them for 

 themselves, the cock-bird, it is said, doing most of the 

 work. But amusing scenes are sometimes to be witnessed 

 when a pair of Puffins decide to take forcible possession 

 of a rabbit's burrow and eject the rightful owners. 

 Puffins show little shyness of man ; on the contrary, they 

 often betray a comical inquisitiveness concerning the 

 invader of their haunts, flying up to and slowly past him, 

 or even coming and perching on rocks close beside him. 

 They are therefore easily caught by such means as a 

 noose on the end of a rod, and may also be ' cornered ' in 

 their biurows ; but a shrewd bite frequently awaits the 

 hand unwarily plunged into an occupied nest. 



Let us attempt for a brief moment the difficult task of 

 taking the Puffin seriously ! With great punctuality the 

 Puffins suddenly appear at their breeding haimts towards 

 the middle or end of spring, according to locality. The 

 single egg is laid late in May, as a rule. It is white, 

 with faint purplish-gray blotches, but soon becomes much 

 soiled. Incubation lasts for more than a month, and is 

 chiefly undertaken by the female, who is fed by her mate. 

 The chick, which is covered wdth dark down, lighter on 

 the under-parts, is fed on small fish brought, several at a 

 time, by its parents. How they manage to catch fish 

 while holding others in their mouths — longways^ too — is a 

 mystei-y ! Three weeks more, and the young birds, not 

 unlike adults in winter plumage, leave with their parents 

 for the open sea. The Puffin does not so habitually sit 

 in an upright position, with the 'shank' applied to the 

 ground, as do the other Auks, and it certainly does not 

 walk in that position, as has been stated. Generally it 

 stands on its toes in the ordinary way, with its body held 

 comparatively horizontal. Albino Puffins are common 

 museum curiosities. 



