BLACK GUILLEMOTS. 61 



two on their extraordinary wings and then glided 

 gracefully away for some little distance, to return 

 and do precisely the same kind of affectionate 

 wantoning several times over before they delivered 

 the dainty morsels they had brought. 



On the St. Kilda side of the gap the rocks 

 slope considerably, and towards the top the earth 

 covering them is honeycombed by Puffin burrows. 

 The owners of these subterranean nurseries were 

 present in great numbers, and kept on flying un- 

 easily past my spray-dripping form close down by 

 the sea. I noticed that they always new closest 

 past me when facing the wind, and assumed that 

 this was done in order to get a steadier and 

 better view of their strange visitor. Whilst sitting 

 at this spot I heard a faint tway, twaying, whin- 

 ing kind of note, something like that of a Robin 

 Redbreast when her nest has been invaded, but 

 could not for the life of me make out whence it 

 proceeded. I examined all the ledges of black 

 basalt opposite me with my field-glasses, but failed 

 to discover anything to account for the strange 

 sounds. This puzzled me considerably, but in a 

 little while I solved the mystery. On a small 

 ledge of rock in the mouth of a cave on my left 

 I observed a little patch of brilliant orange colour 

 appearing and disappearing simultaneously with the 

 sound. It was the open mouth of a Black Guille- 

 mot standing or, rather, crouching breast towards 

 me in such a position that I could not see the 

 white patch on its wings. Presently this bird took 

 to the water, and was speedily joined by two 

 others of its own species. One of the new-comers 

 and the bird I had been puzzled by evidently had 

 a difference to settle, and straightway began as 

 pretty a fight as I ever witnessed. They seized 



