FUBTHEB NOTES FROM LLEYN. 149 



there was a little peaty soil, turf, and thrift. Other nests were 

 in the turf at the edge of the rocks. The nests were made of 

 dead grass, scurvy-grass, thrift, &c. The amount of the material 

 depended on the situation of the nest. When in the turf or 

 thrift only a small quantity was present, and the nest consisted 

 merely of a depression with a slight lining ; but in rocky places 

 the cup was substantially built. When the nests were in sloping 

 places the lower side was well banked up with material, a large 

 clump of sea-pink being used sometimes for this purpose. One 

 nest on the bare rock was formed entirely of dead stalks of 

 scurvy-grass. I found no more than two eggs in any nest. One 

 egg found in a nest on the top of the island near the edge of the 

 flat part seemed from its size to belong to the Great Black- 

 backed Gull (though it was somewhat small for this) ; but, 

 though one of these grand birds hung in the wind with a crowd 

 of Herring-Gulls, I could not ascertain if the egg belonged to it. 

 There were many Oystercatchers about, and some Rock-Pipits, 

 and one Shag left the rocks. A Cormorant came round the boat 

 as we left the islands. The wind was so violent that it was not 

 easy to stand upright on the top of the island, and it was im- 

 possible to examine the west side of the islands from the boat ; 

 so I could not tell exactly what birds there were, and I probably 

 overlooked some. I picked up the bleached skull of a Weasel 

 on this island. The top of the outer island is covered almost 

 entirely with scurvy-grass, with a lot of sea-pink round the edges. 

 Many Herring-Gulls were breeding on it. One pair of Great 

 Blackbacked Gulls hung in the wind over their nest, uttering a 

 low deep " cag-cag-cag." The nest was quite by itself, away from 

 those of the Herring-Gulls, in the middle of the highest part of 

 the flat top, among the scurvy-grass. It was a cup-shaped hollow, 

 shallow, but well shaped, and had a fair amount of materials, 

 consisting of dead herbage. Two beautifully-marked eggs had 

 been laid. A stray Curlew went away with its rippling whistle. 

 The weather was so bad, and the men seemed so anxious to get 

 away, that I could not examine the island properly. As it was, 

 we had hard work to get back to Aberdaron, and got very wet 

 before we landed opposite the little Norman church, which has 

 sheltered so many weatherbound pilgrims, with its sunny yard 

 lying on a steep green slope facing the south. The old church 



