Birds. 9657 



part of the roclvs thousands of the beautiful kittiwake gulls. We only 

 saw three puffins, however ; they have certainly not yet arrived on 

 the coast in any number, as these were the only birds of that species 

 seen during our visit. Last year, in July, next to the guillemot they 

 were the most numerous. I did not succeed in finding the ringed 

 guillemot, for although I ran my telescope carefully along row after 

 row of birds as they sat upon the cliffs, and in this way examined 

 great numbers of them, 1 failed to detect one with the white eye streak. 

 Occasionally, on one approaching the edge of the clifls, a small flock 

 of rock pigeons would dash out from below, looking mere miniatures 

 in size compared with their domestic allies. This was owing, no doubt, 

 in a great measure to the gigantic character of the surrounding objects, 

 which gave all the sea-fowl a much smaller appearance than was really 

 the case. 



April 25th. On coming down this morning I was much pleased to 

 find the wind had changed during the night, and was now blowing 

 full W., a favourable quarter for our proposed boating excursion under 

 the cliffs. On walking down to the North landing-place we found a 

 heavy swell still rolling into the little bay, the eflfects of the late 

 northerly winds. 



Having engaged our boat we were presently pulling through the 

 surf and out into the sea, keeping well out to escape the ground swell, 

 which was anything but pleasant close in shore. Soon after leaving 

 the Bay the light mists, which during the morning had enshrouded the 

 headland, began to clear away. 1 never before saw Flamborough look 

 to such perfection as it did this morning ; the grand range of cliffs 

 on our left rising perpendicularly from the water, their tops still circled 

 by their gauze-like wreaths or mist. Seen through the medium of 

 this light transparent veil they loomed gigantic. Filey Bay in the 

 distance was enveloped in the same thin veil, with the famous " Brig" 

 showing low down on the water as a darker shade. While far out to 

 seaward the horizon was shut in by a rich purple haze. The sea was 

 not rough, but a long unbroken swell was rolling in. As our light 

 boat rose like a sea-gull on the summit of these long rolling swells, far 

 out to our right we saw " wold " beyond " wold " of green water heaving 

 gently upwards and then sinking again ; floating on their green ocean 

 fields, far as the eye could reach, were innumerable kittiwakes and 

 herring gulls, black and white razorbills and guillemots, dotted about 

 on the waters like flowers in the inland meadows. 



We found but few birds on the cliffs till opposite the northern ter- 

 mination of Dane's Dyke. From this point they began gradually to 

 VOL. XXIII. 2 N 



