PUFFIN. 8fi5 



In the North Pacific (iu Behring Sea) the Puffin is represented by a distinct 

 though very nearly alhed species, F. corniculata, which is a slightly larger 

 bird. The black on the throat extends to the base of the bill, and the 

 horny appendage above the eye is more elongated. 



There can be little doubt that the Puffin is more or less a resident in 

 the British seas, but it is less frequently observed in winter, when it is 

 scattered over a large area, seldom approaching the land. The breeding- 

 stations are entirely deserted when the young are able to take to the 

 water; the sea in the immediate neighbourhood is almost as seldom visited, 

 only a few stragglers being occasionally seen. At the Fame Islands the 

 lighthouse-keeper told me that the Puffins return to their old haunt 

 about the first week in March; but in the Shetlands it is said they 

 do not arrive until the beginning of April; and in St. Kilda Dixon was 

 informed that the first of May was the date of their appearance. They 

 leave their breeding-stations again in early autumn, as soon as the young 

 are able to leave the nest-holes, and shortly afterwards almost desert the 

 locality for the remainder of the year. Saxby states that they leave 

 Shetland with remarkable punctuality about the 23rd of August ; and the 

 same date applies to St. Kilda, Ailsa Craig, the Fames, and other places. 



The Puffin is one of the most gregarious of sea-birds, and in a few 

 favourite localities its numbers are almost incredible. It spends a great 

 deal of its time in the water, and may frequently be seen in thousands, 

 studded over the surface of the sea, every now and then diving in search 

 of food. It is a very expert diver, and usually prefers to seek safety by 

 plunging under the surface rather than by flight. It expands its wings 

 at the moment of diving, and absolutely flies under water with great speed 

 and sometimes for a long distance. Notwithstanding its somewhat small 

 and narrow wings, which seem almost incapable of bearing such a plump 

 little body through the air, it is a bird of remarkably rapid and powerful 

 flight. Sometimes it rises in a lazy sort of way from the sea, flapping 

 along the surface, splashing the water with its wings, apparently for its 

 own enjoyment; but at other times it mounts rapidly into the air on 

 whirring wing and is soon far away. In spite of its short wings it often 

 flies very gracefully, guiding itself with its two bright orange-red legs 

 spread out behind, twisting and turning almost without any visible effort. 

 Dixon, when in St. Kilda, often saw hundreds of Puffins careering about 

 the air for a quarter of an hour or more without alighting. In places 

 where their haunt is rocky, great numbers of Puffins may often be seen 

 clustered on the ledges of rock, or even clinging in large masses to the 

 boulders. They often mingle with Razorbills and Guillemots on the 

 steepest part of the cliffs, every now and then one or two bii'ds dartng 

 off to plunge head foremost into the boiling sea below. The Puffin swims 

 well, sitting rather high in the water, where its large bill and queer facial 



