604 



6 



in burrows dug-out in the ground by the bird itself or crevices in the rocks ; and only a single 

 egg is deposited by each female. Sometimes two females inhabit the same burrow. When the 

 young bird is hatched, it is well supplied by both parents with food, and does not quit the nest 

 until it is full-grown. The young are fed on small fish, chiefly the fry of the coal fish (Gadus 

 carbonarius), of which several together are carried in the bill of the old bird. 



In some parts of the coast considerable numbers are killed during the breeding-season ; and 

 on the island of St. Kilda it forms the chief article of food with the natives during the summer 

 months, being usually cooked by roasting among the ashes. Macgillivray says that it " is taken 

 by the fowlers in two ways : — when on its nest, by introducing the hand and dragging out the bird, 

 at the risk of a severe bite ; and when sitting on the rocks, by means of a noose of horse-hair 

 attached to a slender rod, generally formed of bamboo cane (procured probably from some 

 wreck). The latter mode of fowling is most successful in wet weather, as the Puffins then sit 

 best upon the rocks, allowing a person to approach within a few yards ; and as many as three 

 hundred may be taken in the course of the day by an expert bird-catcher." 



Macgillivray gives (Brit. B. v. p. 371) some excellent notes from Audubon respecting the 

 nidification of the Puffin on the coast of Labrador, which I transcribe as follows : — " There is on 

 the coast of Labrador a small island, known to all cod-fishers, and celebrated for the number of 

 Puffins that annually breed there. As we rowed towards it, although we found the water literally 

 covered with thousands of these birds, the number that flew over and around the green island 

 seemed much greater, insomuch that one might have imagined half the Puffins in the world 

 had assembled there. This far-famed isle is of considerable extent ; its shores are guarded by 

 numberless blocks of rocks ; and within a few yards of it the water is several fathoms in depth. 

 The ground rises in the form of an amphitheatre to the height of about seventy feet, the 

 greatest length being from north to south, and its southern extremity fronting the Streight of 

 Belleisle. For every burrow in the island previously visited by us there seemed to be a hundred 

 here ; on every crag or stone stood a Puffin ; at the entrance of each hole another ; and yet the 

 sea was covered and the air filled by them. I had two double-barrelled guns and two sailors to 

 assist me ; and I shot for one hour by my watch, always firing at a single bird on wing. How 

 many Puffins I killed in that time I take the liberty of leaving you to guess. 



" The burrows were all inhabited by young birds, of different ages and sizes ; and clouds of 

 Puffins flew over our heads, each individual holding a ' lint ' by the head. This fish, which 

 measures four or five inches in length, and is of a very slender form, with a beautiful silvery hue, 

 existed in vast shoals in the deep water around the island. The speed with which the birds flew 

 made the fish incline by the side of their neck. While flying the Puffins emitted a loud croaking 

 noise; but they never dropped the fish, and many of them, when brought down by a shot, still 

 held their prey fast. I observed with concern the extraordinary affection manifested by these 

 birds towards each other ; for whenever one fell dead or wounded on the water, its mate or a 

 stranger immediately alighted by its side, swam round it, pushed it with its bill as if to urge it 

 to fly or dive, and seldom would leave it until an oar was raised to knock it on the head, when 

 at last, aware of the danger, it would plunge below in an instant. Those which fell wounded, 

 immediately ran with speed to some hole and dived into it, on which no further effort was made 



