398 HISTORY OF 



its value to those in whose vicinity it breeds, 

 renders it still more an object of curiosity. 



The puffin, like all the rest of this kind, has its 

 legs thrown so far back, that it can hardly move 

 without tumbling. This makes it rise with diffi- 

 culty, and subject to many falls before it gets 

 upon the wing; but as it is a small bird, not 

 much bigger than a pigeon, when it once rises, 

 it can continue its flight with great celerity. 



Both this and all the former build no nest, but 

 lay their eggs either in the crevices of rocks, or in 

 holes under ground near the shore. They chiefly 

 choose the latter situation ; for the puffin, the 

 auk, the guillemot, and the rest, cannot easily 

 rise to the nest when in a lofty situation. Many 

 are the attempts these birds are seen to make to 

 fly up to those nests which are so high above the 

 surface. In rendering them inaccessible to man- 

 kind, they often render them almost inaccessible 

 to themselves. They are frequently obliged to 

 make three or four efforts before they can come 

 at the place of incubation. For this reason the 

 auk and guillemot, when they have once laid 

 their single egg, which is extremely large for the 

 size, seldom forsake it until it is excluded. The 

 male, who is better furnished for flight, feeds the 

 female during this interval; and so bare is the 

 place where she sits, that the egg would often 

 roll down from the rock, did not the body of the 

 bird support it. 



But the puffin seldom chooses these inaccessi- 

 ble and troublesome heights for its situation. 

 Relying on its courage, and the strength of its 



