GUILLEMOTS, RAZORBILL, ETC. 149 



masses of rock lying on the grass-covered hillsides, 

 or in the crannies of the cliffs at the summit of 

 the island. As soon as we had fairly got ashore, 

 and begun to walk up the slopes, the Puffins, in a 

 dense whirling bewildering host, swept downwards 

 to the sea, or rose high in air to circle above our 

 heads, in the direst alarm. It seemed as if the 

 whole face of the island were slipping away from 

 under me, just like flakes of shale down a quarry 

 side ! Not a single bird, so far as I could ascertain, 

 uttered a note, but the whirring noise of the 

 millions of rapidly beating wings sounded like the 

 distant rush of wind ! But even Doon does not 

 harbour so many Puffins as find a home on the 

 face of the mighty cliff Connacher ; and when we 

 fired a gun and disturbed them from this noble 

 precipice, it seemed as though the face of the entire 

 cliff was falling outwards into the Atlantic, the 

 enormous cloud of birds overpowering one with 

 its magnificence ! As soon as the young are reared 

 the land is deserted, and the wandering pelagic life 

 resumed. 



In connection with this species mention may be 

 made of its former repute as an article of food. 

 Old records inform us that the young Puffins were 

 regularly gathered by the owners of the breeding- 

 places, and were salted down for future food. 

 Gesner and Caius assert that the Puffin was 

 allowed to be eaten during Lent, probably because, 

 in the words of Carew, of its coming nearest to 



