THE PUFFIN. 



81 



Puffin. 



he is assisted by the female; and so intent is the bird upon its 

 work, that it may be capturec^by hand by thrusting the arm into 

 the burrow. The average length of the tunnel is about three 

 feet, and it is seldom straight, taking a more or less curved form, 

 and being furnished with a second entrance. No nest of any 

 kind is used, but the egg is laid on the earth, at the end of the 

 burrow, so that, although it is at first beautifully white, it becomes 

 in a short time stained so deeply that it can seldom be restored to 

 its primitive purity. 



So deeply do the burrows run, that when a passenger is walk- 

 ing near the edge of the precipice upon which the Puffins breed, 

 he can hear the old birds grunting below his feet, angry because 

 they are disturbed by the footsteps above them. 



The young Puffin has many foes, who endeavor to seize it be- 

 fore its bill has attained its full proportions and its muscles have 

 gained their full powers. The parent birds, however, bravely de- 

 fend their young, and have been known, as a last resource, to 

 grasp the invader in the beak, and hurl themselves and the foe 

 into the sea. Once among the waves, the Puffin is in its natural 

 element, for it is an admirable swimmer and practiced diver, being 



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