BIRD ROCK 179 
about, and its hoarse voice—half grunt, half groan 
—added to its unattractiveness. 
In Nature, however, their trim appearance was 
very pleasing; Paroquets, the French-Canadians call 
them, and one has only to see the bird in life to ap- 
preciate the applicability of the name. It is not 
alone their looks but also their actions which suggest 
the Parrot. Unlike the Murres and Razorbills, they 
do not rest on the whole foot, but stand quite erect 
on the toes alone, and 
run about with the 
characteristic pattering 
steps of Parrots. When 
the wind blew fresh 
from the sea they often 
faced it, hovering a 
foot or two above the 
rocks on outstretched, 
motionless wings, and 
retaining for several 
seconds this perfect bal- 
ance between gravity 
and air pressure. 
It is quite possible 
that I may have wholly 
misjudged the Puffin’s 
character, and _ that 
when unmolested their 
nature is peaceable in 
extreme. At any rate, 
they seem to be not only on excellent terms with 
their own kind, but with the very distantly re- 
lated Leach’s Petrels, with which they sometimes 
94. Young Puffin on nest at the end 
of burrow. 
