VOL. VI.] OBSERVATIONS AT SCILLY ISLES. 119 



The flight was curiously silent, and no note was uttered, 

 although there were still numbers of birds " singing " 

 under the boulders. It was hard to })elieve that they 

 were not taking some insect on the wing, as they darted 

 about so rapidly, but I heard no snap of a beak. We 



BOULDKRS UXDKll WHICH STORM- PKIPvELS BREKD, Wl IH 

 TWO SHEARWATERS' HOLES IX TEE FOREGROUND. 



tried to capture a bird, with a rather cumbersome beetle 

 " sweeping net," but although many times they passed 

 within a foot of our heads we failed to secure one. 



The following quotation from the Birds of Devon 

 (p. 402) is of some interest here : " Mr. E. H. Rodd also 

 states that on fine summer evenings at sunset small 

 flocks of Storm-Petrels may be seen five or six miles out 

 in Mount's Bay, flying and hawking about in pursuit of 

 small insects, in the manner of the SwaUow tribe." The 

 Storm-Petrel has a wide gape to its mouth which of course 

 would help it greatly in the capture of a flying insect. 



The next day a few nests with quite fresh, or slightly 

 incubated eggs were examined, and old birds were found 

 to utter a shrill, screeching note when handled. About 

 10.40 p.m. a Shearwater was seen to pass, and we then 

 turned our attention to the burrows close by. As there 

 was no moon, it was of course by then quite dark. With 



