PREFACE. XV 



terells, Alouettes cle raev., Tournpierres, Gannets, 

 Conrlis et Martin peclieur. 



As far as the eggs of many of the species actually 

 breeding in the Islands are concerned, this Act 

 seems to be a dead letter : the only birds of any 

 size whose eggs are not regularly robbed are the 

 Herring Gulls and Shags, and they take sufficient 

 care of themselves ; were the Act strictly enforced 

 it would probably be found that there would be — 

 as would be the case in England — a good deal of 

 opposition to this part of it, which would greatly 

 interfere with what appears to be a considerable 

 article of food with many of the population. 

 Probably the only compromise Avliich Avould work, 

 and could be rigidly enforced, would be to fix a 

 later date for the protection of the eggs — say as 

 late as the 15th June ; this would allow those who 

 wanted to rob the eggs for food to take the earlier 

 layings, and the birds would be able to bring up 

 their second or third broods in peace; and probably 

 the fishermen and others, who use the eggs as an 

 article of consumption, would be glad to assist in 

 carrying out such an Act as this, as they would 

 soon find the birds increase so much that they 

 would be able to take as many eggs by the middle 

 of June as they do now in the whole year, especially 

 the Black-back Gulls and the Puffins, which are the 

 birds mostly robbed, — the latter of which are 



