On the Ornithology of the Fame Islands. 165 



its habits as well as in its appearance — occurs here in very small 

 numbers, I should say in a much smaller proportion than at 

 either Bempton or the Bass. Being a much more wary bird 

 it is not so easily identified, and as a proof that the bird is rare 

 here, I may mention that the keeper showed me a single egg 

 amongst hundreds of Guillemot's eggs, by which he set great 

 store as it was the only one he had taken that year (1880). 



The next bird on our list is the Puffin {Fraterada arctica, 

 LinncEUs), which has colonies here on the Wamses and the 

 Staples. Selby, who lived within a short distance of the 

 Fames, and was a frequent visitor to this interesting group, 

 writes : 



" Many resort to the Fern Islands selecting such as are covered 

 with a stratum of vegetable mould, and here they dig their own 

 burrows, from there not being any rabbits to dispossess upon the par- 

 ticular islets they frequent. They commence this operation about 

 the first week in May, and the hole is generally excavated to the 

 depth of three feet, often in a curving direction and occasionally with 

 two entrances. When engaged in digging, which is principally per- 

 formed by the males, they are sometimes so intent upon their work 

 as to admit of their taken by hand." 



At the further end of this hole the single Ggg is deposited, 

 and from its being laid on the bare ground it soon becomes 

 covered with soil, and so peat-stained that its original colour is 

 quite hidden. 



The Megstone is less often visited than most of the other 

 islets, as except in extremely calm weather it is impossible to 

 land, and as a strong wind was blowing each time that I' was 

 in this neighbourhood, I was unable to study the Cormorant 

 (Graculus carbo, LinncEus) in its breeding haunts. 



The Shag or Crested Cormorant (Graculus cristatus, Faber) 

 very rarely nests here ; the last record of it being in 1873. 



We now come to the most beautiful group of birds — the 

 Terns, of which there are four species that I must bring under 

 your notice. It is a sight not easily to be forgotten, as in 

 sailing out to the islands one passes near where a flock of 

 these birds are feeding, and sees their light airy flight — now 

 suspended in mid-air for a second, now skimming the surface 

 of the water and taking a small fish, without seemingly touching 

 the sea — things of buoyancy and life, glorious in the sunlight. 

 One hardly knows which most to admire, the Common and 

 Arctic with their long tail feathers, pure white underparts, 

 silvery grey mantles and black crown set off by the coral red 

 of the bill, or their larger congener, the Sandwich, with its 

 more powerful flight, its black and yellow bill, and the black 

 patch on its head broken by a splash of white feathers on the 

 forehead. Or again, how touching the sight if one of these 

 .birds falls to the gun of the collector ; to see the sympathy 



