BIRD-LIFE UPON THE CLIFFS. 213 



of the series of short tunnels that pierce the 

 red cliffs between these two small watering- 

 places. The winter storms of the last few years, 

 however, have left their traces upon the Clerk 

 Rock, standing alone amongst the heaving waters 

 some distance from its parent cliffs, and the time 

 now seems not far distant when it will topple 

 over and disappear for ever a familiar landmark 

 gone. We have often watched the Shags coming 

 home at nightfall to their ancient roosting places 

 on the Oar Stone and Thatcher Rocks in Tor 

 Bay ; strings of them flying along swiftly and 

 silently just above the waves, and retiring for 

 the night into the many clefts and fissures of 

 these weather-beaten rocky islets. The Gannet, 

 another member of this family, is known as a 

 visitor only to the south coast of Devon. Its 

 solitary breeding place in the county is on Lundy 

 Island. We shall, however, have more to say 

 about this species in the following chapter. 

 Whether any of the Shearwaters breed upon 

 the south coast of Devon we are as yet unable 

 to say. The birds are common enough in the 

 Channel, and there are many spots where a few 

 pairs might breed and never be detected. This 



