The Zoologist— July, 1870. 2219 



3 P, M. Towed into the north dock : some terns, guillemots and 

 razorbills off entrance to the harbour, and a single redthroated diver. 

 May 18, 7 a.m. Left Sunderland for the south. Wind S.W., 

 strong, squally. Very few birds seen, excepting kittiwake gulls. 

 Opposite Staiths passed two heavy-looking ducks flying north, 

 apparently eiders. 4'30 p. M. Off Speeton cliffs, Flamborough 

 Head. Immense quantities of sea-fowl seen. During the next hour 

 flocks of birds, principally guillemots and razorbills, were constantly 

 passing, all going in the direction of the Speeton rocks : in no case 

 were the birds flying seaward. The guillemots were decidedly in the 

 majority ; after these the razorbills, and lastly the puffins ; the latter we 

 had not before observed since leaving home : several passed the yacht, 

 flying in pairs, and others were swimming around. These Flam- 

 borough birds are now certainly much tamer than formerly, when 

 daily persecuted by boat-loads of excursionists : now they hardly 

 swerve to miss the yacht, flock after flock passing us within a few 

 yards ; last year, at this season, they rarely flew within gunshot. It 

 is pleasant to see their old confidence in man returning — to know 

 that they are now for a time safe, and no longer ruthlessly slaughtered 

 for mere wanton pleasure. These poor birds have long been hardly 

 and cruelly dealt with, and now we are making tardy recompense for 

 long years of heartless and desolating persecutions. Many of the 

 razorbills had small white-looking fish grasped between their powerful 

 mandibles. The guillemots seemed partial to little eels, for many I 

 noticed had these fish dangling from their bills: these eels must be 

 taken by the guillemot from the sea bottom. Most of the freshly- 

 killed birds of this species, killed on this coast, which I have at 

 various times examined, have always had, more or less, a quantity of 

 fine white sand mixed up with the down at the base of the feathers of 

 the under parts, which I can only account for by their mode of taking 

 their food from the sandy bottom of these seas. Between the Head 

 and Spurn we passed numerous parties of birds, principally razorbills. 

 The Flamborough birds go, daily, long distances to and from their feed- 

 ing-grounds, ranging further south, however, than northward : their 

 northern limit appears to be the Durham coast half-way between the 

 Tees and Tynej birds north of this, as a rule, flying towards the 

 Fame Islands. 



John Cordeaux. 



Great Cotes, Ulceby, Lincolnsbire, 

 June 18, 1870. 



