NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF LLEYN. 205 



Hell's Mouth. It is said that of a great pack of Red Grouse 

 which were driven from the East Carnarvonshire mountains in 

 severe weather some five years ago, and settled down on these 

 hills, a few remained to breed, and still do so. 



I went to Nevin to examine the bird-life at the Bird Rock 

 (Careg y llain, the " Rock of the Leap "). It is a remarkably fine 

 bird-station ; a big nearly perpendicularly-faced flat-topped but- 

 tress of rock, grey and pinkish on its face, and green-sided, 

 standing conspicuously out from the graceful line of the coast. 

 This grey rock-face is splashed with yellow lichen, and varied 

 with patches of brilliant ivy, light green fern, and grassy ledges 

 with bluebells, campion, and thrift. A jutting elbow of bare 

 rock is washed white, and lined with rows of Guillemots and 

 dotted with Razorbills. About the top and a little way down 

 Herring-Gulls breed. Then comes a cliff-face with ledges occu- 

 pied by a very large colony of Cormorants — scores of fine old 

 birds streaming out over the sea one day when a boy rattled 

 stones down from the top. Razorbills also are dotted about this 

 front. Below again are crowds of Guillemots, and lowest of all 

 (except one row of Guillemots) a vast crowd — thousands perhaps 

 — of Kittiwakes, which come out like a snowstorm when they are 

 alarmed, while their cries of " kitty-wayke " break forth at times 

 into a volume of sound. On the south side there is a low rounded 

 green-topped cliff, frequented by the Kittiwakes and more Guille- 

 mots and Razorbills; and beyond that another small cliff, on 

 which are many Cormorants, and a few Razorbills, Guillemots, 

 and Kittiwakes. Off it are two stacks with a few Herring- Gulls 

 on the inner, among the masses of thrift ; on the outer a lot of 

 Gulls and Cormorants were sitting about, but not nesting. In 

 the face of the great cliff there is a high cave or hollow, in and 

 out of which Shags were passing. Fifteen species of birds 

 inhabit the cliff, if we include the Rock-Pipits, the Wrens, 

 whose song resounded among the rocks, and small blue Pigeons, 

 five of which passed, unfortunately overhead, and did not give me 

 a sight of their backs. I have good evidence that at least twelve 

 of these (without counting the Pipit and the Wren) breed there, 

 among them the Barn-Owl. Along the coast between Nevin and 

 the Bird Rock are little green pastures, divided by banks and 

 grey stone walls, sloping down, to drop finally in a green broken 



