30 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xiv. 



' Kawk, Kawk ' twice, the female immediately left the 

 nest, answering him similarly, and flew straight across and 

 pitched beside him, both well in view. The male at once 

 picked up something from the ground in his beak and hopped 

 once towards her, and I clearly saw her take whatever it 

 was and swallow it. She did not wait longer, but came back 

 at once and again settled on the eggs." 



Extract of March 14th says : " Rise at 6 a.m., fine morning, 

 bike to the cliffs, in station 6.15, male arrives 6.25, I can 

 distinctly see food in his mouth, he pitches on the sloping 

 ground of the opposite side of the ravine and calls the female. 

 She does not come ; he calls several times — no response ; 

 leaving food there he flies towards the nest and, sweeping 

 close by, utters vibrating notes. Female flies off, uttering 

 same notes, and both fly to the place where food is left ; 

 female feeds and immediately returns to the eggs." 



Once or twice when coming in he alighted on the nest, 

 when this happened they left the nest at once and flew away 

 together. 



As my station was above and fairly close to the nest, it 

 was interesting to watch the hen resume her position on the 

 nest after leaving it. She pitched first on the rim, looked 

 in for a second, then stepped down, or waddled like a duck 

 would convey a better idea, amongst the eggs, squatted 

 down and rocked herself with sideway movements apparently 

 placing the eggs with her breast, and was then still. When 

 I watched from this position she did not show the slightest 

 concern at my presence and we spent hours watching each 

 other, the bird blinking continually at me ; sometimes she 

 sat with her head outwards from the rock, at another with 

 her tail outwards, the change taking place after a flight. I 

 did not see her change position whilst sitting. When leaving 

 the nest and well away from it, one leg would be stretched 

 down to its full length, her chin or throat scratched and often 

 excrement would be voided. 



On March 19th, 2Cth and 21st, a gale was blowing from 

 the N.E., with snow and rain, and it was unsafe to venture 

 on the cliff head, consequently no notes were taken on these 

 dates, but on the 22nd I distinctly saw movements of her 

 body as though chicks were hatched — she would shift her 

 position slightly and put her beak towards the bottom of the 

 nest beneath her breast. On this date chicks were no doubt 

 present, but not fed. Reckoning from the last egg laid, my 

 incubation-period coincides with that given in the Practical 

 Handbook of British Birds. 



