NOTES ON THE ORNITHOLOGY OF LLEYN. 173 



little Vernal Squill, still one of the attractions of Bardsey and 

 the cliff-tops of Lleyn, which would have been in full bloom at 

 the time of his visit. "We found," he writes, "a kind of 

 Hyacinthus stellatus vermis growing there in great plenty." 



I was in Lleyn for a day at the end of May, 1903, and went 

 to the Bird Kock. I saw nothing new there, but was able to 

 realize from what took place there during a couple of hours, the 

 amount of plunder, robberj 7 , and violence which goes on at a 

 great (and mixed) breeding station during the season. The 

 Kittiwakes and Guillemots were just laying, and, just as I was 

 pointing out a green egg of the latter to a companion, a Herring- 

 Gull alighted on the ledge and carried it off. I saw another waddle 

 along a ledge and clear out the eggs in a Kittiwake's nest ; and 

 on the flat-topped stack a Cormorant seized a Guillemot by the 

 neck, and, after shaking it like a Eat, and beating its life out 

 and hammering it on the rocks for some time, flew out with it 

 and settled on the sea, probably in order to try and wash it down. 

 We could not see if this was a success, but heartily wished the 

 Cormorant might be choked. The numerous Jackdaws passing 

 to and fro doubtless keep an eye open for any egg they can 

 snatch ; and, unless they are much better behaved than their 

 relatives in the midlands, I should fancy that a pair of Crows 

 which haunt the rock must be a considerable cause of anxiety to 

 the paler-coloured part of the population. Still, they can hardly 

 be worse than some of the " beautiful harmless white-winged " 

 Gulls, and one almost wonders that, knowing their own and 

 their friends' characters, birds should like to be such near neigh- 

 bours. But the robbery here is probably like the jobbery in 

 some other assemblies ; they are all in it, and so none complain. 



The country in Lleyn was much more forward than in 

 Merioneth. I saw two Bullfinches at Bodfean, and heard a 

 Blackcap there, and more than one Chiffchaff ; also the Grass- 

 hopper-Warbler at Nevin. There were young Swans in the nest 

 by the bridge near Pwllheli. On the edge of the Afon Wen mere 

 we saw, from the train, a Common Sandpiper, and I think it 

 very probable that the bird breeds there. 



