9658 Birds. 



increase in numbers. Several small parties of razorbills and guillemots 

 flew close past the boat, flying towards the rocks. It is not difficult to 

 distinguish at once the difference between the former bird and the 

 guillemot on the wing, even when at a considerable distance. The 

 razorbills have a much thicker and clumsier appearance about the 

 head and bill, more approaching to the puffin ; and the darker colour 

 of the upper parts, which is readily distinguishable at a distance from 

 the brown of the same parts in the guillemot, vvill also at once serve 

 as a distinction. When swimming on the water, and on the close 

 approach of the boat, the guillemot invariably took wing, scuttling 

 along the water for some yards before getting well up, like young wild 

 ducks. The razorbills, on the contrary, would dive, coming up again 

 at some distance from the boat. The guillemot, when on the wing, 

 has the same odd manner of moving the head about which may be 

 observed in them on the rocks, where they sit bowing and moving to 

 each other with the utmost appearance of politeness. 



The cry of the razorbill is frequently wonderfully like the short 

 bark of a young puppy. The resemblance is often ludicrous, and 

 gives one the idea of a pack of young foxhounds on the rocks. 



Two miles beyond the North landing-place, and not far from the 

 highest part of the cliffs, there is a remarkable dislocation of the 

 chalk strata, as if the bed of limestone had been violently pushed 

 together when in a soft state by some tremendous lateral pressure, thus 

 forming what geologists call synclinal and antictinal curves. The face 

 of the cliff is here much broken up into narrow ridges and shelves, 

 and at the time we passed every available resting-place was crowded 

 with birds, row above row ; and in places where the nature of the rock 

 permitted, they sat packed close together in crowds. Almost a con- 

 tinual stream of guillemots and razorbills was constantly passing out 

 to sea and returning to the rocks. Thousands of kittiwakes hovered 

 along the face of the limestone precipices, while many together, like 

 white patches of snow, sat here and there on the ledges. 



The amount of birds seen at this portion of the coast, both on the 

 wing and on the rocks, was prodigious, and far exceeded anything I 

 had seen before. Hundreds of kittiwakes were hovering over the boat, 

 but at a great height, — many of them showing as mere shadows in the 

 light sea fog which was drifting overhead, — like the pale ghosts of 

 departed kittiwakes revisiting their old haunts. 



During the whole of our boating excursion we did not see a single 

 puffin. 



In the afternoon we walked up to the village and inspected a fine 



