on Rambles among the Wild Birds.



127



hold. These contained one or two eggs and occasionally a

newly-hatched bird. These pretty little cliff-loving Gulls were

flying all around us and filling the air with their cries, sounding

like the words ‘ get-away-all ’ ‘ get-away-ah' with the accent on

the third syllable. Reluctantly we listened to their entreaties

and turned away with regret from this animated scene.


On our way back to the boat, we almost trod upon an

Eider Duck (, Somateria mollissima) sitting upon her four or five

eggs. As she left her nest she squirted over the eggs a very evil¬

smelling yellowish fluid. The object probably was to keep off

enemies, but I very much doubt whether it would be successful

in keeping off the marauding Gulls which are ever on the look

out for uncovered eggs on which to make a meal. When the

watchers, who are placed on the islands to take care of the birds

during the breeding season, find an Eider Duck’s nest uncovered,

they tear up some grass and scatter it over the eggs, lest they

may catch the eye of one of the rapacious Black-backed Gulls.

We found several other nests of the Eider Duck with their warm

lining of down, and one bird sat so closely that she allowed us

to stroke her back, and did not even then leave her eggs. The

birds, however, usually left if we attempted to touch them.


Leaving Staple Island and the Outer Fames, we steered

S. W. to the inner group of Islands which are two or three miles

nearer the mainland. Out to sea, the Crumstone Rock, haunted

by seals, was visible above the water ; and more to the North the

Longstone Lighthouse recalled to our minds the story of the

wreck of the ‘ Forfarshire,’ and the heroic deed which has

immortalised the memory of Grace Darling.


We landed on one of the Wedums or Wideopens, and,

scrambling up to the top, found a small colony of Cormorants

which, the watchers told us, had only recently settled there.

Here we found a few more Eider Ducks sitting and also two

nests of the Oyster-catcher ( Hocmatopus ostraleg'us), each contain¬

ing three eggs. These latter birds are very wary, and it is

almost impossible to see them upon their nests. On the Inner

Wideopens an enormous colony of Arctic Terns {Sterna inacrura')

were breeding. The birds rose in front of us like a great white



