184 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xiii. 



inaccessible. I came to the conclusion by examining one bird 

 that I caught that Shearwaters are unable to stand on the 

 feet a'one, the range of flexion at the tarsal joint not being 

 sufficient to admit of this, and that when on the ground 

 therefore they rest on the feet and tarsi. Propulsion forward 

 is effected by a series of backward kicks, the feet being at the 

 same time extended on the tarsi, the hind part of the body 

 raised and the front lowered until almost if not quite on the 

 ground. When setting off thus on sloping ground they can 

 progress, with the help of the wings also, at a surprising pace. 



MANX SHEARWATER. 



While crossing the sound on June 12th I saw two or three 

 birds off the east coast, otherwise I saw nothing of them by 

 day, and it was not until the night of the 24th that I heard 

 anything of them. On that night they appeared to be flying 

 round and round the house, and so loud were their cries that 

 at times they seemed to be passing close to the window. In 

 the mass, the noise they made reminded me more than anything 

 else of a litter of quarrelling or hungry spaniel puppies, while 

 the individual cry which Mr. Aplin syllables " cock-cock-go- 

 grow," sounded to me like " ke-wuk-ke-wow." 



In September a young bird was caught on the 4th at the 

 south end of the island ; one hit the lantern on the 2nd/3rd, 

 and another on the 7th/8th. No jthers were seen. 



