8 Is it martyrdom or a rest cure ? 
of a small bird whose few remaining features suggested a ringed 
plover but that the legs were black. We erected the shed 
on its trestles, lashing it to the rocks above by ropes fastened 
to a ring-bolt at each corner of the shed, keeping the young 
well covered up during our proceedings, which were long, 
toilsome and so thirst-producing that we collared most of 
the boatman’s private stock of beer. On May roth it was too 
rough to land, but on the zoth I moved in with my furniture— 
a mattress, two pillows and a Jaeger three-blanket sleeping bag, 
as well as a Thermos of hot tea for the early morning, and plenty 
of provisions wrapped up in butter-paper and packed in a tin box, 
as I believe in doing things comfortably. I was rather doubtful 
about the wisdom of erecting the shed so soon after hatching, but 
trusted to the parents being accustomed to interference. There 
was, however, no sign of the old birds on landing. Halfway up 
there was-still no sign, and six greater black-backs, sailing over- 
head, looked ominous ; but just as we were getting to the eyrie 
the Falcon shot out, screaming. This year the inside of the shed 
had been painted black in aid of concealment, and at King’s sugges- 
tion we made use of ladies’ veils to fill up the gaps in the look-out 
slit, and found it better than the fishing-net we had been using. My 
friends left me at 12.40 p.m., and fifteen minutes later the Falcon 
alighted silently on rock B, and after peering round anxiously, 
dropped out of sight behind it, from which she emerged a little 
later, and walked in a stooping attitude to the young and covered 
them. In settling down she tucked them in under her with her 
beak. As I was particularly anxious not to scare her, I waited 
twenty minutes before I made an exposure. She seemed ‘quite at 
her ease, brooding the young and at the same time turning her head 
sharply in all directions as she watched what was happening to 
seawards. When I let off the focal-plane shutter she ran off, 
crouching, and flew away. She came back in five minutes, and after 
giving her another fifteen to settle down again, I ventured another 
exposure. This time she only turned her head sharply at the report, 
but afterwards the clicking, as I cautiously wound the shutter, 
made her more and more uneasy, until at last she got up and flew 
away. However, I managed to get four of her before 3 p.m. 
