264 The Fame Islands. 



rocks, but even then the masses appear but 

 slightly loosened, as the greater number refuse to 

 budge. The guillemots, however, are not the sole 

 occupants of the Pinnacles, as nearly every shelf 

 or projection in the perpendicular face of the rock 

 is occupied by the nest of a kittiwake ; and, in our 

 opinion, one of the most beautiful sights which the 

 islands afford is that of these pretty little gulls as 

 they fly circling round, clamouring loudly the 

 while, when disturbed from their nests by the 

 presence of the boat and its crew, the white and 

 blue-grey of their plumage relieved by the black 

 tips to their wings, and their greenish-yellow beaks 

 contrasting well with the dark rocks which form 

 the background of the picture. They are not, 

 however, confined to the Pinnacles, but nest in the 

 adjoining islands wherever there are perpendicular 

 cliffs. Before taking leave of the guillemots and 

 kittiwakes, we may remark that they can be 

 approached, within a very few yards, from the top 

 of the neighbouring cliff, on which, indeed, an odd 

 guillemot's egg or two can be seen, laid, no doubt, 

 by birds crowded out of the main body; and from 

 this position it is easy to look down into the well- 

 built nests of the kittiwakes, and to see their 

 spotted brown eggs or speckled downy young. 

 The islands may be described as being generally 

 steep and cliffy on one side, and sloping down to 

 the water on the other. Most of them are rocky 

 even on the low side ; but one or two have shingly 

 beaches, the former being occupied by gulls, the 



