AMONG THE WATER-FOWL 



likely to have for its next neighbour one of the 

 other species as an individual of its own kind. 

 Occasionally all on a ledge would . prove to be of 

 one species only, and often, when mixed, one kind 

 would greatly outnumber the other. But the only 

 way to get identified eggs was to watch a ledge, 

 note the order of the species as they sat upon the 

 eggs, and then mark the eggs as they were taken. 

 In addition to the above, there are a few individuals 

 of the type once named the " Ringed Murre," dis- 

 tinguished by a white line running back from 

 behind the eye. Naturalists are in doubt as to 

 whether or not this is a valid species, and, if not, 

 how to account for this aberration. 



We also investigated the nesting of the Puffins. 

 Securing a pick-axe, by hard toil we managed to 

 dig out several burrows. Each was from one to 

 two yards in length, ending in a larger chamber, 

 where the one dirty-white egg was laid in a slight bed 

 of grass and feathers. The soil is largely the debris 

 of red sandstone, which, we found, gives to some 

 of the eggs a reddish stain rather hard to remove. 

 In one instance we caught a Puffin on the nest. 

 Despite its struggles and biting, the Keeper's son 

 despatched it, and the work of taxidermy fell to my 

 lot, which occupied the remaining time before 

 dinner. 



About this time, as I had hoped, the clouds 

 rolled away, and we were favoured with an after- 

 noon of sunshine. Of course the camera came 

 again into vogue. After taking some more general 

 views, I began the attempt to photograph birds on 

 the rocks at close range. The south-east end Puffin 



66 



