202 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



been robbed of their eggs ; they had none the next da}'. I found 

 on the smaller island a substantial Gulls' nest, just like that of a 

 Herring Gull, built of grass, scurvy-grass, &c, containing two 

 very small oval eggs with streaky markings. I examined all the 

 Gulls I could see very carefully, but could not detect L. canus, 

 so I came to the conclusion that the eggs were abnormally small 

 Herring-Gulls' eggs, and took them ; but when I blew them I 

 found that they contained yolks of a deep rich golden yellow 

 (almost orange-yellow), whereas the yolk of Herring-Gulls' eggs 

 is of a pale yellow. I have only taken the eggs of the Common 

 Gull some years ago in Norway, and I forget the colour of the 

 yolk, but I am told that it is dark and richly coloured. The eggs 

 in question, however, have the shape and appearance of Herring- 

 Gulls' eggs, and are not in the least like the usual type of Com- 

 mon Gulls' eggs. Rock-Pipits were common on the islands. 



Wishing to make the most of the fine weather, I left for 

 Abersoch in the afternoon, and on arriving there at once went 

 out to St. Tudwal's Islands. It was lucky I did so, for the next 

 morning one could not have landed on them. I found a little 

 flock of eight immature Turnstones on the rocks. There were 

 some grand old Cormorants on the larger island, but I cannot 

 make sure if this bird breeds on the cliff or not. Shags were 

 still on their nests, and there were some full-grown brown Shags 

 and light-bellied Cormorants about. All, except the old Shags 

 at the nests, flew out in a body, and settled on a low rocky islet. 

 The Razorbills and Guillemots had laid a good many eggs, which 

 they were loth to leave. A Herring-Gull carried off a bright 

 green Guillemot's egg just as our boat came up. It settled with 

 its booty on some low rocks at the foot of the cliff, and, as the 

 boat was going fast, I was in time to frighten the Gull away, when 

 we got the egg ourselves. The appearance of the Gull carrying 

 off this huge bright green egg was most curious, and, strange as 

 it may seem, the Gull had grasped the big end of the egg between 

 its mandibles. The egg is now before me, slightly indented on 

 one side at its largest diameter. 



All these islands are really very pretty at this time of the year. 

 The thrift (Armeria maritima) is flowering so thickly in places 

 as to produce sheets of pink, and the dark rocks are often varied 

 by great splashes of a close-growing light yellow lichen ; rich 



