470 ALCAD^E. 



THIS singular looking bird, whose aspect is rendered so 

 peculiar by the form and colours of its bill, is only a sum- 

 mer visiter to the British Islands, making its appearance 

 early in April, and departing by the end of August. High 

 rocks or cliffs on the sea coast, or the short turf frequently 

 to be found on the table land above, are the places selected 

 by Puffins for the great object of their visit, the repro- 

 duction of their species, and various localities about which 

 they assemble in vast numbers may be enumerated. In 

 Ireland, Mr. W. Thompson says, the Puffin is a regular 

 summer visitant, having breeding-haunts around the coast. 

 This bird visits the Isle of Man ; the coast of Anglesey ; 

 the Scilly Islands, where it is more common than in Corn- 

 wall ; the high cliffs of the Isle of Wight, between the 

 needle rocks and Freshwater gate ; the Yorkshire coast ; 

 the Fern Islands ; Puffin island in the Frith of Forth, and 

 others of the numerous Scottish islands. 



In reference to the Scilly Islands, Frederick Holme, 

 Esq., of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, to whom I am 

 indebted for many interesting notices on our British Birds, 

 sent me the following. The Scilly Isles were held in the 

 14th century, under the king as Earl of Cornwall, by 

 Ranulph de Blancminster for an annual payment of six 

 shillings and eight pence, or three hundred Puffins at 

 Michaelmas. 



Early in May these birds deposit their single large egg, 

 sometimes in crevices and fissures on the perpendicular sur- 

 face of the cliffs, at the depth of three or four feet from the 

 front. Rabbit warrens are not unfrequent on our coast, 

 and where this happens the Puffins often contend with the 

 rabbits for the possession of some of the burrows. Many 

 Puffins, Mr. Selby observes, " resort to the Fern Islands, 

 selecting such as are covered with a stratum of vegetable 



