observed at the Salvage Islands. 49 



camp by lautern-light, skinning the birds collected during 

 the day, we were startled by one of these great Shearwaters 

 dashing into our midst like some great white moth dazzled 

 by the light; fortunately none of them ever struck us, or 

 we might have had the worst of the encounter. These birds 

 are evidently the Cormorants alluded to by Mr. Knight in 

 his 'Cruise of the 'Alerte/ p. 85. He writes: — "The 

 Cormorants dwelt with their families in fine stone houses 

 which they had constructed with great ingenuity. Some of 

 the stones were large and heavy ; it would be interesting to 

 observe how the birds set to work to move them, and how 

 they put the roof on. I have been told that they rake up a 

 mound of stones with their powerful wings in such a way 

 that by removing some of those underneath they leave the 

 roof above them.^^ Tliis is of course obviously impossible, 

 some of the stones being a great weight ; the fact is that 

 these little stone huts are put up all over the top of the 

 island by the Portuguese fishermen for the birds to nest in, 

 so that the young may be the more easily obtained when 

 they visit the place in autumn. This is commonly done also 

 in the Canaries. 



When pulled out of their stone houses during the daytime 

 these birds present a very ludicrous spectacle as they stalk 

 slowly off with a bewildered air, not unmixed with reproach. 

 After a time they get on the wing and make off, their eyes 

 having, I suppose, got accustomed to the light ; but if taken 

 from their nesting-chambers and thrown up into the air they 

 drop to the ground like stones, without making any attempt 

 to save themselves with their wings. Bulwer's Petrel acts 

 in exactly the same way. 



It has already been remarked that we were inclined to 

 suspect the Pardelas of stealing the young of the Yellow- 

 footed Herring Gull, but it must be admitted that there was 

 no direct evidence against them, beyond the fact that they 

 quartered the ground every evening, apparently in search of 

 food, in the immediate neighbourhood of the Gulls' nests, 

 and were armed with strong hooked bills, which looked 

 capable of making short work of do^vny young, and caused 



SER. VII. — VOL. II. E 



