LEACH'S FORK-TAILED PETREL. 445 



beyond my highest expectations. We crossed the bay in a small boat 

 belonging to the smack, dangerously overcrowded, as many St.-Kildans as 

 could scramble into her going with us to search for eggs and catch birds. 

 Landing on this rock-bound islet was difficult work, owing to the strong 

 swell. As we approached the shore one of the St.-Kilda men leapt out of 

 the boat with a rope and assisted the rest to land. After taking off our 

 boots we climbed up the cliffs and over the grassy slopes to the summit, 

 where Donald told me we should find the birds we wanted. The place 

 where the Petrels breed is on that portion of the island nearest to St. Kilda 

 and at the summit. We had not been there long before Donald, who had 

 been searching the numerous holes, drew forth a struggling Petrel from its 

 nest ; and I was delighted to find that it was the Fork-tailed species. 

 Handing me the bird, he quickly drew forth the single white egg, and I 

 then waited until he found another nest within a yard or so of the first. 

 Placing my arm to the full extremity, I felt the little bird fluttering over 

 its egg and drew it out. This nest also contained a single egg ; and as I 

 was catching the bird it uttered a few squeaking notes ; excepting this, no 

 other sound was heard during our stay. When held in the hand, it emits 

 a small quantity of oil, precisely similar to that vomited by the Fulmar. 

 Most of this oil comes from the mouth, but occasionally a little is squirted 

 from the nostrils. Whilst I was packing the eggs Donald found another 

 nest, which I took ; and in less than half an hour I had taken eleven 

 nests of this rare little bird. In two of the holes we found a bird, but 

 no egg j they had probably gone into the hole to pass the day ; and in 

 one hole there was an egg, but no bird. We never found more than 

 one bird on the nest, and only a single egg is laid. Some nests are larger 

 than others, but in one hole the egg was laid on the bare ground. The 

 holes vary considerably in depth (from two to four or five feet), and 

 are burrowed in a precisely similar manner to those of the Puffin. The 

 holes are made in the soft peaty soil, and it is very easy to unearth the 

 nest. Sometimes the hole has two entrances, and then it is necessary to 

 stop one end up to prevent the bird from escaping. The nests are made of 

 dry grass, both round stalks and flat blades, a scrap or two of moss, and a 

 few bits of lichen and roots. Those holes which are inhabited by Petrels 

 usually have a little dry grass at the entrance. Many nests are placed 

 close together, an underground colony in fact, and we found half a dozen 

 nests within a radius of eight or nine yards. One of the birds we caught 

 I let go again to watch its flight. It flew about for a few moments in 

 a very erratic manner, as if dazed by the light, and then darted up and 

 down, and flew round and round with rapid beats of its long wings very 

 much like a Swallow or a Swift. We finally lost sight of it as it flew 

 behind a large stack of rock and went out to sea. This bird, during 

 its sojourn at St. Kilda at any rate, is almost exclusively nocturnal in its 



