JULY, 1 88 1. 29 



anders made their appearance. Beautiful little creatures, 

 and wonderfully droll they were ; but only one now re- 

 mains alive, and that does not promise a lengthened 

 sojourn among us. This is to be regretted, but the 

 troubles that await pets are innumerable. One was 

 drowned, another was abstracted by the paw of a cat 

 through the wire netting ; and our little black-backed 

 gull, after being a source of pleasure and amusement for 

 several days, as it Coddled about the house and played 

 with the children, at last wandered too far, and was 

 found in a rat trap ; from whence it was removed for the 

 benefit of our tame kestrel, now in full beauty of plum- 

 age. 



The children levy blackmail on Lismore, in the shape 

 of a big bunch of its rich clover for their tame rabbits ; 

 and then we shake up our little sail and stand home- 

 wards. But first, ere we enter our own loch, we run our 

 boat alongside Tern Island, just to see the multitude of 

 nests, and ascertain the progress of the young. None 

 are more than a day or two old, and it is wonderful to 

 note the instinct of the little fluffy creatures, with the 

 bright white spec at the point of their bills, as they cower 

 quietly beside the unhatched eggs, or slip with scarce 

 perceptible movements into the heath alongside, and 

 crouch immoveably under some little tuft. 



No bird is so easy to rear as a gull, but a sea-swallow 

 requires fish, and is most difficult, if not impossible to 

 keep alive, except in very favourable quarters. Gulls 

 will eat anything, and we learn that the other day, as a 

 farmer was ploughing near us, a large gull, presumably a 

 black-backer, swept down before him and went off with 

 a mole ! Rather strange game for a sea-bird, but " all is 

 fish that comes into the net " with that omniverous bird. 



