2824 The Zoologist — November, 1871. 



Four years since I found very few breeding between the north 

 landing and the lighthouse. On this particular morning they 

 swarmed, both on sea and rock, by thousands. At one spot, within 

 a deep fissure in the coast, in looking upwards, after rattliug the 

 oars in the rowlocks to alarm the birds, the patch of blue sky 

 which roofed the fissure, seemed scribbled over with the dark 

 forms of puffins as they dashed to and fro, till the eye grew bewil- 

 dered in following their rapid flight. It was most amusing to watch 

 their quaint attitudes and gestures, and note the rapidity with 

 which they paddled along the narrow ledges. I observed several 

 young sitting at the entrance of their holes: unlike the young 

 guillemots, which are carried into the water by their parents, the 

 young puffin remains on the rocks till he can fly down. There 

 were comparatively few guillemots, and I only saw two razorbills, 

 and not more than half-a-dozen during the three days we were at 

 Flamborough ; I am told they have never been numerous this year, 

 and the cliff-climbers have taken very few of their eggs. There 

 were great numbers both of old and young razorbilled auks out at 

 sea and off the Humber mouth in the last week of August: these 

 may have come down from some more northern breeding-station 

 and have followed the enormous shoals of herrings which about 

 that time appeared oif the coast.* 



Numbers of house martins were hawking under the clifis, and 

 we noticed several of their nests, here and there, snugly attached 

 beneath some sheltering ledge : it would be difficult to find a safer 

 and more secure position. The raven once nested at Flamborough : 

 the last nest was taken about thirty-five years since from the cliffs 

 near the King and Queen rocks. The disappearance of the last 

 pair of ravens was marked by a tragic event; the unfortunate man 

 who descended to the eyrie was killed by the breaking of the rope 

 on his ascent. Of late years the raven has been only known as a 

 very rare and occasional visitor : I am told that a pair nested on 

 the Filey Cliff up to about thirteen years since. 



* Duiing the last week in August there were from 400 to 500 Yarmouth and 

 Lowestoft luggers fishing from twenty to thirty miles of the mouth of the Eiver 

 Humber, and these vessels came into Grimsby to discharge almost as deeply laden 

 as they could swim. On the 31st of August and the 1st and 2ud of September there 

 was a glut in the herring market, the fish selling at £2 per last, and from one penny 

 to threepence per 100. Upwards of ninety waggon-loads were sold at the dock-side 

 for manure to the farmers at tliirty shillings per ton. On Monday, the Uh, the 

 arrival was equally large. — J. C. 



