130 BRITISH SEA BIRDS. 



describes their cries at the breeding-stations as 

 a " confused noise of a thousand voices, the calls 

 of the parent birds arr-r-r-r^ orr-r-r-r, err-r-r-r, 

 and mingled with these the countless tiny voices 

 of their young offspring on the face of the cliff 

 irr-r-r-idd, irr-r-r-idd uttered in timid and anxious 

 accents." I should here remark that the Guillemot 

 never flies over the land, never flies inland from the 

 rocks, but always when disturbed unerringly makes 

 for the sea, which is almost, if not quite, as much 

 its element as the air. 



The actions of the Guillemot are interesting 

 enough upon the sea, few sights being prettier 

 than a number of these birds busily engaged in 

 capturing their finny food ; but the most attractive 

 scenes in the life of this bird are to be witnessed at 

 its breeding places. Formerly these were much 

 more numerous than is now the case, especially in 

 England, but there, on the southern coast line 

 notably so, many a large colony has disappeared 

 for ever, and many another has been sadly reduced 

 in numbers. The distribution of the Guillemot 

 becomes much more local during summer, the 

 birds crowding in vast numbers to certain time- 

 honoured spots. Fortunately some of these still 

 remain fairly accessible to the lover of birds. One 

 of the most famous breeding stations is at the 

 Fame Islands ; another on the cliffs at Bempton ; 

 whilst less noted places are in the Isle of Wight, 

 the Scilly Islands, and the coasts of Devon and 



