THE SHORE BIRDS. 



LITTLE AUK. My father once found a specimen of this bird on 

 the shore, stranded ; so he waded into the sea and 

 set it afloat again, and off it went. 



PUFFIN. After a severe gale in the winter of 1879 my father 

 found dozens of these birds washed up dead on 

 the shore, driven by stress of weather from the 

 Welsh coast, and drowned probably en route* 



SOLAN GOOSE 

 OR GANNET. 



Another sea bird, and out of his reckoning when he 

 touched the beach at Formby and got killed by 

 some inhospitable fowler. 



CORMORANT. Frequently found dead on the shore after a heavy 

 gale. 



FULMAR PETREL. We had a fulmar alive on our pond for several days 

 once, but sad to relate he died of starvation ; for 

 on dissection he was found to be half choked by 

 a bone firmly fixed in lower part of the throat, 

 through which bone all food had to pass. 



LEACH'S PETREL. Known also as the fork-tailed petrel. Several 

 examples of this bird have occurred recently, and 

 Mr. John Bushby, now of Frankby, near Birkenhead, 

 has two in his possession which he shot when a 

 resident at Formby. Out of six petrels which a 

 fisherman brought me in November last year (1891) 

 two were Leach's or fork-tailed petrels. 



*PUFFIN. Locally called "coulter neb," from the supposed resemblance of their "nebs'" or beaks 

 to the coulter of the plough. 



