564 PUFFINUXE 



the British coast-lands, except in those districts adjacent 

 to its breeding-haunts. It apparently does not frequent the 

 waters which separate Great Britain from Ireland ; even 

 in tempestuous weather I have not noticed it in mid-channel 

 in the Irish Sea. On the east side of England, however, it 

 has been met with some thirty miles off the coast, especially 

 near the fishing-grounds (Saunders). 



Mr. Harting, in his ' Handbook of British Birds,' 1901, 

 states that at least fifteen specimens have been obtained off 

 Yarmouth, between October, 1878, and December, 1885 

 (Trans. Norf. Nat. Soc., iv, 1886, p. 223). 



Off the Scottish coast, this bird is frequently seen, 

 particularly about the North and North-west, where its 

 breeding-haunts are at no great distance. 



It is of rare occurrence round the Atlantic-facing shores 

 of Ireland, and while, as Mr. Ussher points out, Mr. Warren 

 has obtained several specimens off the coasts of Mayo and 

 Sligo, the majority were water-logged and had been washed 

 ashore dead, so that it is difficult to say at what distance 

 from land they died. 



In addition, the Fulmar has also been recorded from the 

 following counties : Donegal, Londonderry, Antrim, Dublin, 

 Cork and Kerry. Moreover, there are exceptional instances 

 of its having been shot or taken alive at no great distance 

 from the coast (Thompson). 



On August 10th, 1906, I observed this species about 

 seven miles off the coast of Antrim, while later in the day 

 when some eighty miles farther out, it was plentiful ; in 

 Trans-Atlantic voyages I have found it to be the most 

 constant of oceanic birds in attendance on ships. 



Fulmars may be seen to advantage from the deck of a 

 steamer by taking up one's position about midship, and 

 keeping a steady look-out to sea through a powerful binocu- 

 lar. As the birds glide backwards and forwards alongside 

 the vessel, they constantly come into view, while a single 

 individual, indulging in a series of circling manoeuvres, may 

 be kept for a considerable time within the field of vision. 1 

 Not only have I been able to follow closely the general 

 movements, but in many cases have distinguished the form 

 of offal or other food picked up. 



Flight. For the most part the flight is not unlike 



1 A prism-binocular with a wide field of vision is essential for this 

 method of observation. 



