GUILLEMOTS, RAZORBILL, ETC. 149 
masses of rock lying on the grass-covered hillsides, 
or in the crannies of the cliffs at the summit of 
the island. As soon as we had fairly got ashore, 
and begun to walk up the slopes, the Puffins, in a 
dense whirling bewildering host, swept downwards 
to the sea, or rose high in air to circle above our 
heads, in the direst alarm. It seemed as if the 
whole face of the island were slipping away from 
under me, just like flakes of shale down a quarry 
side! Nota single bird, so far as I could ascertain, 
uttered a note, but the whirring noise of the 
millions of rapidly beating wings sounded like the 
distant rush of wind! But even Doon does not 
harbour so many Puffins as find a home on the 
face of the mighty cliff Connacher; and when we 
fired a gun and disturbed them from this noble 
precipice, it seemed as though the face of the entire 
cliff was falling outwards into the Atlantic, the 
enormous cloud of birds overpowering one with 
its magnificence! As soon as the young are reared 
the land is deserted, and the wandering pelagic life 
resumed. 
In connection with this species mention may be 
made of its former repute as an article of food. 
Old records inform us that the young Puffins were 
regularly gathered by the owners of the breeding- 
places, and were salted down for future food. 
Gesner and Caius assert that the Puffin was 
allowed to be eaten during Lent, probably because, 
in the words of Carew, of its coming nearest to 
