THE BIRDS OF CUMBERLAND. 189 



that cannot flye but when they are over the sea. 



Ther is fowles ther builds in the St. 



Bees rocke : it is called : thes fowles as bigg and 

 swift of wing as duck and mallard : And build 

 in the Rocke, they hangs over the sea : and they 

 let downne a broad nett from the topp of the Rocke : 

 And frights the fowles of ther nests, and the netts 

 catch them : They cannot flye when they are half a 

 mile from the sea." A subsequent passage evidently 

 refers in detail to the fowling at St. Bees, but the 

 greater part of the leaf of the MS. in the Dean 

 and Chapter library (of which other copies are 

 only transcripts) is unfortunately missing. The 

 portion relating to the sea fowl runs : — " And I 

 have seen at this day .... on the shelves of 

 the Rocke as bigg .... a great broad nett cast 

 by two men .... top of Rocke : catch them 

 flying of ther .... at Rotington fowles cold 

 not flye at all on land : and a v . . . . like 

 Skeldrakes speckled winges .... the Rocke 

 hanging just over the sea." Rotington is in the 

 neighbourhood of St. Bees, and it appears from 

 this passage that Sandford had witnessed the 

 capture of the breeding birds by this curious 

 method of fowling, f 



The Common Guillemot seldom ascends our 

 estuary rivers, but we have notes of one or two 

 stragglers obtained some miles inland. Mr. Anson 

 shot a good specimen of the Ringed variety at 

 Skinburness. 



+ Pennant (Tour to Scotland in 1772) refers to St. Bees Head as " noted 

 for the great resort of birds," but makes no mention of fowling. 



