T. H. NELSON : A RAMBLE ON THE FARNE ISLANDS. 



127 



slight provocation, so, after impressing the scene on our memories, 

 we took boat for the ^legstone or Cormorant Island, lying to the 

 northward. 



As we drew near we could see the old Cormorants {Phalacrocorax 

 carbo) sitting on the top of the rock Hke sentinels, and they all flew 

 off in a body when we got within about two hundred yards of the 

 place. 



The position of the ^legstone, which is simply a high barren 

 rock, renders it a difficult place to land on if any sea is running, but 

 we, fortunately, had comparatively calm weather, and disembarked 

 at the foot of the rock without any trouble. The higher portion of 

 the island, where the nests are placed, is completely whitened over 

 with accumulations of excreta from the birds, and the odour arising 

 from this cause, together with putrid and half-digested fish, disgorged 

 by the birds while feeding their young, combined with the decom- 

 posing sea-weed of which the nests are made, may be better imagined 

 than described. We made a hurried survey of the rock, where there 

 were about forty or fifty nests, large clumsy conical structures, about 

 two feet high, made of sea-weed, containing young birds in every 

 stage of growth and hideousness, from those newly hatched to 

 others almost ready to fly. Only three nests had eggs, for the Cor- 

 morant is an early breeder, and probably the eggs we saw were laid 

 by birds whose nests had been robbed of the first or second laying. 

 I think one clutch belonged to a Green Cormorant {Phalacrocorax 

 graculus)^ of which there are one or two pairs supposed to nest on 

 the Megstone. 



We were all glad to turn our backs on the Cormorant Island, 

 and ran back to have another look at the Pmnacles. AVhen we 

 arrived there we found most of the Guillemots on the water, very 

 few birds being on the rocks, and, on going over to the Brownsman, 

 the keeper told us he had been taking the eggs that morning, thus 

 accounting for the rocks being deserted. 



The keeper showed us three large baskets full of Guillemots' eggs, 

 fresh from the Pinnacles, and we therefore took advantage of the 

 opportunity to select as many as we required of the best marked 

 specimens. There were also a few examples of Razor-bills' eggs, but 

 they bore a very small proportion to the number of the Guillemots'. 

 On going up to the house we obtained some very fine specimens 

 of both kinds in various shades of colour, which were promptly 

 produced from a drawer where a selection of the best specimens 

 was kept There were all kinds and varieties of Guillemots' 

 eggs, from light green to dark chocolate ; one was of a most curious 

 shape, somewhat Hke a small soda-water bottle, and of a uniform 



April 1887. 



