BIRD LIFE ON THE ISLAND OF EIGG. 227 



cautiously making our way along the foot of the sheer face we 

 soon came upon the burrows of the Shearwaters, but it took us 

 some little time before we found the birds, and also the best 

 method of getting at them, for being nocturnal in their habits, 

 they are never seen leaving their nests, and they are also very 

 silent. We found over a dozen nests, and took out several of 

 the birds. As they can bite rather severely — sufficient to cut 

 the skin — it is advisable for the " Fachach " hunter to protect 

 his hands with gloves when investigating the holes. If returned 

 to the entrance of the burrow the birds immediately sought the 

 nest again, but wishing to see their flight, we launched one or 

 two of them into the air, when they flew down the declivity at 

 a great pace, with very direct flight, right out into the Sound of 

 Bum. One bird which was beyond our reach in its burrow made 

 a curious crooning or grunting sound whenever we attempted to 

 seize it. I mention this specially, as all the others were quite 

 silent. Owing to the nature of the ground, the burrows only 

 penetrate directly inwards for a short distance, when they run 

 off for several feet, at right angles along the face as it were, and 

 to many of them there was an entrance at either end. Passing 

 in the hand as far as the arm could reach, we never could feel 

 the birds nor the nest containing the single white egg, and it 

 was only by judging the direction of the holes and digging 

 through the face with the aid of a stout walking-stick that we 

 got at them. All the nests we found had eggs, though in most 

 cases they were highly incubated, and the chicks could be heard 

 cheeping inside. The nests were very primitive in structure, a 

 small quantity of dry heather-twigs apparently constituting the 

 whole affair. It would be somewhat difficult to say whether the 

 burrows were made by the birds themselves. Many are probably 

 excavated by Babbits, but as many of the holes would hardly 

 admit one's hand, I am rather inclined to think they are dug out 

 by the birds. Working on the rock face under a blazing sun 

 proved very laborious, yet so extremely fascinating it was only 

 when the sun began to sink behind the hills of Bum that we 

 thought of leaving the scene. 



Having now accomplished the main object of our visit, we 

 devoted the whole of the following day to traversing most of the 

 coast-line round the southern half of the island, from Laig on 



