AMONGST THE SEA-BIRDS. 2IQ 



ornithologist can, in consequence, detect the birds' ages or sexes), 

 fly on either side, and amongst them wheel, in a very shy man- 

 ner, some black birds with swift-clipping wing, pronounced to 

 be Manx shearwaters (Puffinus Angloruni) by the sportsmen. 

 Together with his larger relative, the greater shearwater (P. 

 major), this is considered a desirable bird from its rarity, and 

 the firefly is turned towards first one and then another of the 

 friendly parties of gulls in which they are discerned. These 

 rise as we get within a hundred yards of them, in a noisy de- 

 sultory manner, but the shearwaters, with characteristic caution, 

 dash off sea-wards at once, their long clipping wings opening 

 and closing like a pair of scissors, speedily putting them out of 

 our reach. On nearing the Head, little households of puffins 

 (Fratercula Artica) meet us swimming round the Firefly. They 

 do not seem to go far from home, and look as comical while 

 swimming with their black collar and coloured bill, as when 

 sitting in their absurd fashion so gravely on the rock-ledges. 

 But as we laugh down they too go, for they are splendid divers, 

 but fly in an awkward manner, getting under weigh by splashing 

 along the top of the water for several yards with a hasty flutter- 

 ing which reminds the looker-on of a family of rats scuttling 

 away when disturbed by a terrier. These birds only remain the 

 summer with us. Amongst the crowds of different birds which 

 scream and dive and swim and fly round the yacht, every now 

 and then a gannet may be seen, having probably wandered 

 thus far down from the Bass Rock. Its size renders it very 

 conspicuous, to say nothing of its milk-white plumage and long 

 bill. Then a little band of petrels skims by, or a flock of jack- 

 daws flies up and down by the cliffs, cawing with rage at our 

 venturing so near their domains. It is curious to see how com- 

 pletely these clerical birds secularise themselves when they 

 quit the church towers. Here they are as noisy as gulls, and 

 fly about with a great loss of dignity. We look upon their 

 antics with wonder, and this unaccustomed laying aside of their 



