74 
the edges of lakes, rivers, and estuaries, and on the coast. It spends 
more than half the year round the seashore, but on the approach of 
spring the bird travels far inland to breed. In general appearance 
it is of a very pale brown or grey colour, beautifully striped and 
ticked with darker brown on the back and wings. When in flight it 
appears to be almost white. A very slight but well concealed nest is 
made to receive the four pointed eggs, which are very similar to those 
of the common plover, being of a buff-colour ground speckled and 
blotched with rich dark-brown. The old birds are very demonstra- 
tive wnen the nest is approached and almost lead you to it in their 
anxiety to entice you away. 
Shearwater, Manx (Pages 58-64). — Presumably so called from 
the way in which it cuts the water with its bre.ast and feet when 
it attempts to rise off the surface. The shearwater cannot rise 
straight up from the water like other seabirds, but has to fly along 
the surface of the water for some considerable distance before it 
gets sufficient way on to lift it clear of the surface. 
Although this bird breeds in colonies, it is more or less of rare 
occurrence, not from the fact, however, that the birds are ab.sent, but 
more probably for the reason that it is a night bird, and is over- 
looked. 
The predominating colour of the shearwater is dull sootyblack on 
the upper side, and white below, the breast being extremely closely 
feathered with satin-like feathers. Being purely a water bird, it 
is totally unable to walk on land. When forced to try, however, 
by taking a grip of the ground with its hooked beak it manages to 
drag one leg along after the other in a very ungainly wobble. It is 
like some of the other seabirds inasmuch as it cannot rise off the 
level ground when it wants to fly, but must get on to the edge of a 
rock and literally throw itself off after it has spread its wings. 
The shearwater usually nests on the face of .some solitary high- 
standing island, and burrows out a tunnel (similar to the puffin) in 
the peaty deposits on the ledges of precipitous sea-cliffs, at the end 
of which it lays its solitary pure white egg, which has a remarkably 
highly polished surface, almost like porcelain. Very little nest 
is made, merely a few blades of peculiar marine grass w-hich is 
evidently an article of diet. In some cases, the egg is laid on the 
bare ground. These birds never on their own accord enter or leave 
their burrows in daylight, although they are at times seen during 
the day as far as ten miles out at sea. Whether these are old birds 
that have been unable to get back to their nests before daylight 
appeared or whether they are /em.ale birds out feeding who have left 
their mates to perform the duties of incubation, is doubtful. 
Should anyone have the good fortune to spend a night on an 
island tenanted by shearwaters, he is likely to remember it to his 
dying day, so weird is the experience. With most surprising 
punctuality night after night, they emerge from their burrows 
at precisely the same hour to indulge in the most unearthly and 
awe-inspiring shrieks and cries. The only sound that in any way 
approaches the call of the shearwater is a long drawn-out agonising 
bray of a donkey. Standing on the cliff-tops with these ghostly 
and almost invisible apparitions crying all round you, echoed and 
re-echoed from far out to sea, inland, overhead, and out of the very 
bowels of the earth, is enough to try the nerves of the most 
enthusiastic naturalist. 
