MIGRATION OF PUFFIN. 53 



It was night before the three weary travellers reached 

 Sand-rock Hotel, beauteous place ! UnderclifF, never to 

 be forgotten ; when first I saw thy bewitching face, the 

 full moon was riding triumphantly over the ocean, silver- 

 ing the multitudinous ripples with her reflected image, and 

 making a broad and glorious track of ever-varying light 



- and thou wast bathed in more than ordinary splendour 

 by the brightness of her beams ! After roughing it on the 

 ocean, and among the cliffs of Freshwater and the Nee- 

 dles, the quietude and luxury of this spot seemed to invite 

 repose ; we tarried there many days ; and then, walking 

 through Appeldurcombe and Newport, arrived at Cowes ; 



- and there, taking ship, sailed to Portsmouth, and so 

 returned. 



I don't know how it is, but little trips like this of ours 

 to the island are of much greater worth than at first they 

 would appear : there is not only the gloss of newness on all 

 that we see and hear, but there is ' mind-food ' for a long 

 time to come. We ascertain certain facts that make us 

 thirst for more facts : we get hold of fragments of histories 

 so interesting that we want whole histories. For instance, 

 we find from the inhabitants of the Isle of Wight, that the 

 puffin comes and goes with the swallow; but we fairly 

 inquire, from whence does he^come, whither does he go ? 

 My authorities, White and Bewick, say nothing on the 

 subject. White, as far as I recollect, does not mention the 

 puffin : and Bewick tells us that they ' assemble ' early in 

 April ; a most vague and unsatisfactory announcement, 

 when implying the arrival of a bird of passage. I have 

 good authority for asserting that in the winter the puffin is 

 found on the western coast of Africa ; and I find that in 

 Italy, and indeed in the Mediterranean generally, it is a 



