620 The Zoologist— March, 1867. 



had a companion which escaped ; on dissection its stomach was found 

 to be perfectly empty. Then a chilch of hard-set peregrine's eggs 

 had to be blown, and altogether it was late before we could manage 

 to retire to rest. 



We commenced explorations next morning by going round part of 

 the island in a boat ; Brace's Castle, as some ruins are called, was 

 passed, and many caves were visited; the scenery everywhere magni- 

 ficent, but in no way superior to that of the Horn. The razorbills, 

 guillemots and kittiwakes had not even yet begun to breed, and only 

 a few of the puffins, great numbers of which covered the water. As 

 the Manx shearwater was the main object of our expedition, we 

 landed at the foot of Altnahuile, one of their breeding haunts, and 

 after a toilsome clamber we stood on the summit. Two of the men 

 who had been to fetch a rope now returned with a noble salmon net 

 line, very different from the one we had used at the Horn, and one of 

 the natives at once descended as far as the first terrace. 11., who 

 dining his brief interval of shoes and stockings, had been chafing 

 vehemently against these necessities of civilization, and who had been 

 levelling in the least possible clothing for the last ten minutes, was the 

 next to follow, and I then went down myself, but the shearwaters had 

 scarcely begun to lay, and one egg, with the parent bird, was the 

 only result of our labours. The terraces in which these birds burrow 

 have a slope of fully 45°, and are covered with a long and slippery 

 grass, rendering extreme circumspection necessary on casting off the 

 rope, as one must do to move about freely. The shearwaters lie very 

 deep down in the burrows, and like the puffins are capable of giving a 

 very severe bite to exploring fingers, but they can also scratch like a 

 cat, as we found the next day. The egg, as is well known, is quite 

 white, and has a strong musky smell, though in this respect not to be 

 compared with the egg of the fulmar petrel. The Gaelic name for 

 the bird is " faher" (pronounced fah-her). 



From the summit of the cliffs we had a fine view of Islay, the Paps 

 of Jura were distinctly visible beyond and to the right the Mull of 

 Cantire; Ailsa Craig was also just perceptible, the eye being directed 

 to it by the continuous stream of gannets setting out for their fishing: 

 they were very numerous all round the island, but kept far away from 

 our boat. Nothing of interest occurred during the remainder of the 

 day, but on the following morning we visited Kenrimer Cliffs, another 

 breeding-place of the shearwaters, and obtained eleven eggs, and as 

 many birds as we wanted for stuffing; the bird in every case being 



