The Birds of Pembrokeshire. XXV. 
great velocity, so as to render the passage, except in the finest 
weather, somewhat dangerous. On getting through, the bay of 
Dillyn is reached, and is found to be nearly surrounded by towering 
precipices, presenting, on a bright day, a scene of beauty and 
grandeur rarely to be met with. Here the Guillemots and the 
Razorbills chiefly congregate, and are also numerous on the westward 
face of the island, where are some fine cliffs, particularly Al/t-/elyn- 
Jawr, and Alit-felyn-fach, towering sheer and perpendicular over the 
sea dashing against them beneath; and here are placed numerous 
nests of the pretty Kittiwakes, that seem to cling, like Martins’ nests, 
to the least attachment provided by any ledge or niche. Here, too, 
the Shags have their malodorous abodes, with Herring Gulls and 
countless Jackdaws, while the nests of the Peregrine and Raven 
have also been taken on their lofty crags. At the north end of the 
island is a colony of Puffins that on Ramsey seem anxious to keep 
themselves distinct from the great concourse of other birds, and 
here, too, in the cliffs are numerous caves, in which Choughs and 
Pigeons build, the latter, probably, a mixed company of Stock Doves, 
escaped farm-yard Pigeons, and Rock Doves. Mr. Mortimer 
Propert, of St. David’s, our friend and authority for the birds of 
Ramsey and the St. David’s Peninsula, assures us that he is pretty 
confident that he has identified Rock Doves among the Ramsey 
Pigeons. The visitor to Ramsey will not be long upon the island 
before he will recognise a pair of Ravens, and hear their hoarse 
croaking challenge. He will also probably see Buzzards, Peregrines, 
and Kestrels. When we were upon the island we remember that we 
knelt upon the top of the cliff to look over into a Buzzard’s nest that 
was only some twenty feet below. A few Sea-Pies nest upon the 
island, and there are various small birds, such as Rock and Meadow 
Pipits, Stone Chats, &c., tenanting it, and we started a Blackbird 
near the farm. Besides the birds we have already mentioned, the 
Lesser Black-backed Gull nests on the slopes of the cliffs, at their 
summits; a pair of Greater Black-backed Gulls have nested 
occasionally on the extreme top of Vuys-y-bery, and Cormorants breed 
in about equal numbers with Shags. We have seen little parties of 
Manx Shearwaters flying over Ramsey Sound, and it is possible that 
a few may nest upon the island. 
D 
