BY SANDY SHORES. 241 



the open ocean, that like a wide free flight, 

 and are consequently not known to breed on 

 any of the eastern coasts of England and Scot- 

 land. Islands and coast lines facing the open 

 Atlantic are therefore the great strongholds of 

 these birds, although a close scrutiny of suitable 

 portions of the extreme south-western coasts of 

 England may yet result in important discoveries 

 of breeding Petrels. 



One of the commonest and most wide-spread 

 species is the MANX SHEARWATER (P^t,ffinus widely 

 anglorum). We need not dwell upon the habits dl: 

 of any of these birds, for they can scarcely be 

 classed as coming within the scope of a ramble 

 along the shore. He who would study the ways 

 and movements of the Petrels must seek these 

 birds at sea, far from land, where they live 

 among the heaving billows, obtaining their food 

 from the ocean, and rarely visiting the shore 

 except to reproduce their species. The Manx 

 Shearwater makes a long, often winding burrow 

 in the loamy soil at the summit of the grassy 

 cliffs, or in the banks that slope down to the 

 sea. At the end of this hole a slight nest of 

 dry grass is formed, on which the female lays her 

 single white egg. At the entrance of the hole 

 a heap of droppings is almost invariably to be 

 seen. The sitting bird allows itself to be taken 

 without making any great attempt to escape, 

 remaining brooding over its egg until removed 

 by the hand. The note of this bird may be 

 expressed as kity-coo-roo. The general colour 

 of the upper parts of the Manx Shearwater is 

 black, the underparts white. 



> o -r> Widely 



Our next species is the STORMY PETREL distributed. 



