The Fame Islands. 265 



latter by terns; while the inhabitants of the 

 interior of the islands vary with their formation. 

 For example, as we land on one of the outer 

 islands, which is rocky throughout, the higher part 

 alone being covered with very scanty, coarse 

 vegetation, with a tremendous clamour hundreds 

 of gulls, mostly lesser black-backed gulls, but with 

 a few herring gulls interspersed, start into the air, 

 circling and screaming round the intruders ; while 

 from among the rocks in the highest part of the 

 island seven or eight cormorants fly quietly off 

 to sea, followed by one or two eider ducks. 

 Walking about, it is hard to avoid treading on the 

 gulls' eggs, which are placed in rather loosely- 

 made nests among the coarse herbage or on the 

 rocks themselves. As the centre of the island is 

 reached it is easy to see the nests of the cormorants, 

 which are large, slovenly constructions, composed 

 principally of seaweed, mixed with pieces of drift- 

 wood, corks off fishing - nets, and other such 

 flotsam and jetsam, the whole covered and made 

 filthy both to sight and smell by the droppings 

 of the birds and remnants of fish. The eggs, 

 which are bluish-green in ground colour, are 

 covered with a white calcareous matter; but, 

 except when freshly laid, look as dirty as the 

 nests. Most of the cormorants, however, breed on 

 a rocky islet called the Megstone, a little distance 

 from the main group, of which the other birds 

 leave them in undisturbed possession. In a com- 

 fortable hollow between two rocks we find the nest 



