Sea ^ Shore Birds 129 



with a noise of swishing and rattling of stones. A 

 splendid fountain of spray, caused by the body of 

 water colliding with a boulder, showers around. On 

 the cliffs, where the gorse is golden against the 

 delicate blue of the sky, where foxgloves are nodding 

 pink blossoms amongst a tangle of honeysuckle and 

 brambles, the rosy-breasted linnets are twittering 

 merrily to the accompaniment of the music of the 

 sea, and the skylarks are soaring in the air. Amongst 

 the thrift, whose tufts of pink heads are massed in 

 sweeps of colour, pipits are flitting and building their 

 nests in some clump where the long coarse sand-grass 

 affords concealment and shelter. There go the ships 

 on the horizon of the troubled waters, their white 

 sails gleaming in the sunshine. 



Along the face of the cliffs clacking jackdaws are 

 hopping and flying ; and perhaps, in a few favoured 

 spots, the handsome choughs, now so scarce. There 

 may also be some rock pigeons, which have founded 

 a colony, and have built their fragile nests in some 

 cavern, into the base of which at high tide the waves 

 boom and dash. 



In a sandy cove, round which the rocks rise in 

 precipitous and picturesque confusion, sheltering the 

 little golden bay from rough winds, groups of shore 

 birds are tripping, and bobbing their heads. 



As you stand on the edge of the cliff above, you 

 can see the conspicuous pied plumage of the oyster- 

 catchers, their scarlet bills gleaming in the sunshine, 

 and their shrill pipings sound clearly in the still air of 

 a bright May day. 



