SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



raven and rockpipit, were sparingly distributed, 

 and at the rock base and off shore black guillemots, 

 oyster-catchers and a single eiderdrake were 

 observed. Cliff succeeded cliff with jagged edge 

 and sheer descent, but in vain did I shout or roll 

 down stones. Shags were resting on small rocky 

 borders, or a raven would be scared, but the eagerly 

 sought-for erne appeared not. Before and above 

 a cliff away ahead of me the herring-gulls were in 

 wild commotion, and with ever-increasing din were 

 hailing my approach to their home. Presently an 

 apparent rock, revealed for a moment by the tide, 

 drew my attention off shore, but not again 

 appearing at the regular motion of the tide made 

 me suspect its nature ; it proved to be a large 

 porpoise, but it did not at succeeding blows rise so 

 prominently into notice. On reaching the colony 

 of herring-gulls, I rested on the grassy summit of 

 a headland to watch their actions. Like huge 

 snowflakes, rising and falling and twisting in and 

 out amongst one another's trackless paths, they 

 heaved up and down, surging now this way 

 now that, in front of the rocky precipice, and 

 maintaining a ceaseless din not unpleasing to 

 the ear, and suiting in its wild melody their 

 terrible home. 



My attention was presently arrested by the 

 tameness of a twite on the edge of the cliff, and I 

 suspected its nest was at hand. The little bird, so 

 graceful in appearance, and so alert in action, 

 would seize one of the tiny flowerets of the sea- 

 pink in its bill, and, lowering it to the ground, hold 

 it in its foot and extract the seeds one by one, 

 allowing the scales to fall away. Presently she 

 flew to an adjoining fence, hemming in the head- 

 land, and then disappeared for a time. I turned 

 to watch the gulls again, and saw the young birds 

 running along the ledges, and one more advanced 

 than the others attempting flight. As I lay still 

 I heard the merry noise of young birds being fed 

 close at hand, and was so guided to the twite's 

 nest amongst the rocks just opposite the spot 

 where I lay. But it was safe from my intrusion, 

 placed on a shelf between two perpendicular slabs 

 of rock, and sheltered behind a patch of silene. 

 The five young birds were fully feathered, almost 

 ready to fly, and they sat in a line, clamouring 

 whilst their parent fed them. The old bird again 

 resorted to the sea-pink, and took short flights from 

 one jutting stone to another, but, instead of again 

 feeding them, departed, to remain away during my 

 stay, and the youngsters, after fidgeting on the 

 edge, settled down in peace and quietness. On my 

 departure, however, both twites were calling 

 beside me. 



A long detour was necessary round the next 

 cliffs, which from their lack of life failed in 

 interest. A few gulls were about, a shag and a 

 black guillemot were seen, and rock pipits, as 



hitherto, were on the landward portion. The 

 scenery, however, was made more impressive in 

 the absence of anything to detract from it. 

 Following this came a long point which might 

 perhaps be passed without any loss, but it must not 

 be omitted if we are to be able to say afterwards 

 that we searched the shore carefully. The rocks 

 in our immediate vicinity are not prepossessing, 

 but as we move outwards a spot is reached where 

 the grass-clad cliff sends forth a huge jutting 

 boulder with a downward slope into the bank. 

 This surely is the proper ground at last. I stand 

 still on the crest a few moments, and clap my 

 hands sharply several times, when from beneath 

 my feet there issues at once a huge uncouth bird. 

 It differed entirely from the picture I had before- 

 hand formed, but it was the erne at last. From 

 my position above her I am afforded a full view of 

 her — stout white head, short white tail, brown 

 body, black primaries — and as I watch her flying, 

 with slow wide swoop of her mighty wings, I deem 

 her a rough and rugged bird. She has left her 

 home but a little way, when she is followed by 

 a seagull, and another, and another. Her huge- 

 ness now is apparent by contrast. With measured 

 beat she flies back and forward in front of her 

 home, unheeding the herring gulls that noisily 

 swoop upon her in turn, and uttering her short cry 

 several times. At length she comes landwards, 

 sailing in for the cliffs, and as she passes in front 

 of them her very ruggedness is beautiful. Deserted 

 now by her screaming attendants, she flies along 

 a gulley and disappears. 



I varied my standpoint to judge of the eyrie as 

 fairly as possible, but I could not see the contents. 

 The ledge she had left was well adapted as a 

 perch for such a bird, and behind the masses of 

 seapink a nestling eagle might easily have been 

 resting unseen in the depression. I lingered by 

 the cliff-head in indescribable delight at having 

 attained my long-desired object, and then rambled 

 off to raise the bird a second time. I had mean- 

 while, however, to be content with what I had 

 seen of her, and a fortnight elapsed before I fell 

 in with another erne. 



46, Cumberland Street, Edinburgh. 



Duck Killing Birds. — A neighbour of mine 

 living at Broad Green, Liverpool, has a large 

 number of fowls, together with a few ducks. The 

 family have been wondering at finding dead birds, 

 mostly sparrows, in or near the trough containing 

 water for the fowls. The other day the mystery 

 was solved. One of the inmates on looking through 

 a window saw a young duck, about three-parts 

 grown, come waddling down the path and when 

 it got near enough to the group of unsuspecting 

 birds, it seized one of them in its beak and de- 

 liberately took it to the water-trough and held it 

 under the water until it was dead. — F. P. Marrat, 

 13, Nursery Lane, Broad Green, Liverpool. 



