The Birds of Pembrokeshtre. XXXIiii. 
and Ravens were noticed, but the absence of all Hawks occasioned 
surprise ; not even a Kestrel was visible. There are no Buzzards 
nesting any longer upon the island, but we were told that a pair of 
Peregrines had an eyrie there, and that Buzzards paid an occasional 
visit. 
Skomer resembles both Ramsey and Lundy in being without bush 
or tree, and is, in consequence, without any attraction for the soft- 
billed summer migrants, the /wrdide, or small birds that nest in 
leafy shelters. The short-eared Owl occasionally remains to breed; 
the Rev. C. M. Phelps possesses an egg taken from a nest upon 
the ground. A few Curlews, Peewits, and Sea-Pies nest upon the 
island ; we found the last with young just out of the egg among the 
sprouting bracken ; we also disturbed a single Whimbrel, that started 
up at our feet, and ran off slowly with trailing wings as if it had a nest. 
Other birds on the island are Wheatears, Rock and Meadow Pipits ; 
Storm Petrels that nest in the chinks of an old wall above the cliff ; 
Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, Cormorants, and Shags. 
The cliffs of Skomer present a great variety of colours, in this 
resembling those of Ramsey. At places they are coal black—this 
is at their base where they vividly contrast with the green sea-water 
and sea-weeds of coral and other hues; higher up are larger masses 
of deep orange, while patches of brown and grey, of different shades, 
are also intermingled. Seals frequent the caves in all the Pembroke- 
shire islands, and are often to be seen. 
About four miles to the south-west of Skomer is the smaller island 
of Skokholm, “the rocky islet,” of about 200 acres, which is held 
with Skomer, and affords summer pasturage for sheep; there is no 
house upon it. It rises to a considerable elevation above the sea, 
and, like Skomer, abounds in cliff birds; and is tenanted by 
numerous Manx Shearwaters, and by great numbers of rabbits. To 
the east is a small island called Skokholm Stack, where there is a 
little colony of Common Terns. At the time when the Roseate 
Tern used to breed in some numbers on the Scilly Islands it is just 
possible that a pair or two nested on Skokholm, as they used to be 
seen occasionally flying off the coast of the adjacent mainland at 
Dale ; this beautiful species has now, for many years, entirely aban- 
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