168 Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 
the other t\vo_, separated as usual from the third, and this 
time behind two small stones on tlie floor of the cave. We 
"were soon back, and this time Stenhouse went over, not 
twenty yards from the first nest; we soon had the eggs, 
which proved the lightest in colouring of the three clutches. 
Eefore going to the boat we blew them, and found all 
more or less incubated, some perhaps five days, some quite 
twice that time ; but none were infertile, as we had expected 
the separated single eggs to be, and no one could doubt for 
an instant that the three in each case formed one clutch, the 
colouring being identical, though the separated specimen of 
the first clutch was rather the smallest. 
The Falcons (very dark birds) seemed to pay little 
attention to us, and uttered no sound that I heard -^ they 
did not come within easy gun-shot, for which I was secretly 
rather glad, though I wanted a skiu. We did not shoot at 
them: they looked like gigantic Swifts, -with their sooty 
colour and long pointed w'ings. 
We were soon on our way to the cliffs where the Blue 
Rock-Pigeons abound. All the best stances had been taken 
up; but we found a place, and I know that I fired thirty-seven 
shots for eight Pigeons, an Alpine Swift (spread of wing 
20 inches), and a Kestrel [Falco tinnunculus) , which I shot 
by mistake, as it came fair from the sun : the Pigeons gave 
extraordinarily difficult shots. Occasionally an Eleonora 
passed along, looking no doubt for wounded birds, and a 
couple of Eagles were also hunting (I could not make out 
their species). Both Alpine and Common Swifts were 
hawking high overhead, and one Bed-legged Partridge passed 
out of range, going very fast away from the Eagles : he was 
nobbled by a fine shot of Halsey's a few seconds later, and 
was a very large bird, weighing 24 oz. 
The gloaming was on us, and it was pitch-dark before we 
got to the passage in the inner harbour. However, with the 
lights of the fleet to help, 9 o^clock saw us on board, after 
a delightful and sporting day. 
I forgot to mention that on the island we found some 
old nests, apparently of Gulls, and in one cave on the face 
of the clitt" was a large nest of sticks : I shall examine this, 
