208 HILLSIDE, ROCK, AND DALE 



interest that I sat on the rocks and looked out over 

 the group of islands, each crowded with bird life. 

 The early morning and evening seemed the most 

 attractive times. On the nearer islands light-winged 

 terns are very busy taking food to their sitting mates; 

 some hover over the water, and when a fish is seen 

 they drop and sometimes go under the surface. In 

 calmer water, under shelter of rocks, eider ducks are 

 swimming, each with quite a large family just hatched, 

 the more handsome males leading the way, while 

 other male eider ducks are swimming in farther off 

 deeper water, and are difficult to distinguish from 

 the patches of sea-spray. Lesser black-backed gulls 

 are beating along shore, followed by smaller terns ; 

 but in the evening light all birds seem to be larger 

 than they really are. 



The tide is at its highest ; on one side of our 

 small island the waves are beating against the rocks, 

 making a continual "washing" noise, quite unlike 

 the continuous moaning on a longer stretch of coast. 

 The sea on the opposite side is emerald-green, but 

 not so bright as it was earlier in the day. Meadow- 

 pipits are singing their sweet, trembling songs from 

 St. Cuthbert's Tower, and two swallows circle round 

 the old stone building. The lark is singing his last 

 evening song; for the sun, now and again seen 

 through the clouds, is nearing the water. The family 

 of ringed plovers are busy in the small sandy bay 



