286 BY THE DEEP SEA. 



certain of the thinner shelled bivalves may be utilised for the 

 Puffin's food. It is a great diver, and sometimes the habit is 

 its ruin. I have a fine specimen that was drowned by running 

 its head into the mesh of a mackerel-net, and failing to extri- 

 cate itself in time to prevent death by drowning. Young 

 specimens are sometimes blown in exhausted during winter 

 gales. Many other birds are similarly overcome. 



The pretty little Storm Petrel, or Mother Carey's Chicken 

 (Procellaria pelagicd), whose stuffed body is before me as I 

 write, was blown in early in November, 1895. I tried to 

 restore it to vigour, but it was too far exhausted to take food, 

 and this appears to be the common condition of those that 

 are blown in. On the same day many Gulls, Guillemots, and 

 Shags were washing into our "porth," and several of these 

 were cared for, restored to health, and given their liberty a 

 few days later. 



The Great Northern Diver (Colymbus glacialis) and the 

 Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis] are also winter visitants to most 

 of our shores. It is thought the Diver may breed on some of 

 our extreme northern islands, but there appears to be no 

 evidence that it does so. It is a regular visitor to the Cornish 

 coasts in winter, and it is well worth watching from some 

 rocky headland. It is large and powerful, and excels not 

 merely as a proficient diver with plenty of "staying power," 

 but is a vigorous swimmer, and a very capable flier. It is a 

 pity those who see it are not more content with the sight, 

 instead of being possessed with the desire to get a gun and 

 shoot it. One would like to see it more often alive, and less 

 frequently adorning the halls of country houses near the 

 coast. 



The Fulmar is not of such general occurrence as the Diver, 

 except in the far north St. Kilda, Orkney and Shetland. St. 

 Kilda is its breeding-place, and they are merely stragglers that 

 put in an appearance during winter on more southern shores. 

 The hooked-bill and tubular nostrils distinguish it from the 

 gulls at a glance. 



