THE SKELLIGS AND SEA-FOWL. 267 



When the parent Puffin brings food to its young, 

 it often consists of sprats. The old bird carries 

 these to shore, sometimes eight at a time : the heads 

 are held in the bill and the tails hang down on either 

 side. How does she catch and hold more than one 

 at a time ? I consider thus. She bites them so 

 hard and firmly, each in its turn, that they stick to 

 the bill when she opens her mouth to seize another. 

 Even when shot with such a mouthful, they will not 

 fall out, but remain fixed, as an apple partly cut 

 through will adhere to the knife. 



THE MANX SHEARWATER (Puffinus anglorum) 

 breeds numerously on the Skelligs in holes under 

 stones, as before described. The young bird is 

 covered with long stone- coloured down, which 

 remains on the body for a considerable period. 

 When first hatched they are but a round downy 

 ball, and the head cannot easily be discerned. 

 They leave their nesting haunts about the 1 5th of 

 August. On foggy nights they may easily be caught 

 by means of a lantern. They cannot in thick 

 weather find their holes as they come in from the 

 sea, and squat about on the open ground. They 

 feed greatly on squid, and I have found two, and 

 even three dozen bills of this fish inside them when 

 opened. 



THE STORM PETREL (Procellaria pelagicd) nests 

 in numbers on the Skellig Rock, and a few other 

 suitable places round the Irish coast. Like the 

 Manx Shearwater, they remain at sea till dark, for 

 the reasons above mentioned ; and about ten at night 

 they may be seen fluttering to land like midges, 

 almost striking one in the face if a light be carried. 



