﻿94 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  Numbers 
  of 
  Kittiwakes 
  sometimes 
  come 
  into 
  the 
  bays 
  in 
  

   winter 
  following 
  the 
  shoals 
  of 
  Sprats, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  found 
  this 
  

   species 
  so 
  numerous 
  on 
  the 
  Somerset 
  shores 
  as 
  the 
  Common 
  

   Gull, 
  which 
  appears 
  in 
  large 
  flocks 
  early 
  in 
  August, 
  and 
  is 
  much 
  

   later 
  in 
  starting 
  for 
  its 
  breeding 
  haunts 
  in 
  spring 
  than 
  the 
  Black- 
  

   headed 
  Gull, 
  not 
  leaving 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  April. 
  

  

  About 
  twenty-five 
  pairs 
  of 
  Herring 
  and 
  Lesser 
  Black-backed 
  

   Gulls 
  breed 
  together 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  face 
  of 
  

   Steep 
  Holm, 
  an 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  Channel 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  

   Brean, 
  and 
  among 
  them 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  pairs 
  of 
  Kittiwakes 
  nest. 
  

   There 
  are 
  no 
  Gulls 
  breeding 
  on 
  the 
  mainland 
  sea-cliffs 
  of 
  

   Somerset 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day, 
  but 
  a 
  colony 
  of 
  Herring-Gulls 
  nest 
  

   on 
  the 
  Lynton 
  Foreland, 
  only 
  three 
  miles 
  beyond 
  the 
  western 
  

   boundary 
  of 
  the 
  county. 
  The 
  larger 
  Gulls 
  are 
  not 
  numerous 
  at 
  

   any 
  time 
  upon 
  the 
  coast, 
  the 
  Greater 
  Black-backed 
  Gull 
  being 
  

   only 
  seen 
  occasionally, 
  either 
  singly 
  or 
  in 
  pairs. 
  

  

  Razorbills, 
  Guillemots, 
  and 
  Puffins 
  are 
  frequently 
  found 
  dead 
  

   on 
  the 
  Somerset 
  coast 
  after 
  gales, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  rarely 
  seen 
  alive, 
  

   as 
  they 
  keep 
  well 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  Channel, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  visit 
  the 
  

   Sprat-nets 
  around 
  the 
  Holms. 
  The 
  two 
  first 
  mentioned 
  seem 
  to 
  

   have 
  nested 
  formerly 
  on 
  Steep 
  Holm, 
  and 
  boatmen 
  have 
  shown 
  

   me 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  where 
  the 
  " 
  Murres," 
  as 
  they 
  call 
  them, 
  

   used 
  to 
  breed. 
  This 
  rock 
  was 
  once 
  a 
  great 
  resort 
  for 
  seafowl, 
  

   and 
  I 
  am 
  told 
  their 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken 
  to 
  Bristol 
  and 
  made 
  use 
  of 
  

   at 
  sugar 
  refineries. 
  An 
  old 
  resident 
  at 
  Weston-super-Mare 
  

   remembers 
  Kittiwakes 
  breeding 
  there 
  " 
  in 
  innumerable 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  " 
  less 
  than 
  thirty 
  years 
  ago, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  certainly 
  not 
  the 
  

   case 
  now. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  erection 
  of 
  the 
  batteries 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  

   some 
  thirty-six 
  years 
  ago, 
  and 
  the 
  consequent 
  need 
  of 
  resident 
  

   gunners, 
  had 
  something 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  banishing 
  the 
  breeding 
  sea- 
  

   fowl. 
  The 
  Alcidce 
  which 
  now 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  up 
  the 
  Channel 
  

   doubtless 
  come 
  from 
  Lundy 
  or 
  the 
  South 
  Wales 
  breeding 
  stations. 
  

   Divers 
  and 
  Grebes 
  are 
  rare 
  on 
  the 
  Somerset 
  coasts, 
  probably 
  

   finding 
  the 
  water 
  too 
  opaque 
  and 
  muddy 
  to 
  suit 
  their 
  fishing 
  

   habits, 
  and 
  the 
  Skuas, 
  Shearwaters, 
  and 
  Petrels 
  which 
  are 
  

   occasionally 
  noticed 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  wanderers 
  from 
  more 
  

   distant 
  haunts, 
  or 
  accidental 
  visitors 
  blown 
  into 
  the 
  Channel 
  by 
  

   adverse 
  gales. 
  It 
  seems 
  strange 
  that 
  the 
  Manx 
  Shearwater, 
  

   which 
  breeds 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  in 
  the 
  Scilly 
  Islands, 
  and 
  on 
  

  

  