21U 
MK. E. EiUWKljL ON THE ISLES OF SOILLV. 
Again I iiiako a short t|Uotatiun from Itay’s Willoughby, ■where 
under the heading of “ The Shear-water,” he writes : — 
“ Our learned and worthy friend >§//■ Thomas Broion of Norwich, 
among the designs and ricturcs of many other birds, sent us also 
that of this, with a short history of it as followeth. The 
Shear-tcater is a Sea-fowl, which fishermen observe to resort to 
their Vessels in some numbers, swimming swiftly to and fro, back- 
ward, forward, and about them, and doth, as it were, radere aquarn, 
shear the water, from whence perhaps it had its name. It is a 
fierce and snapping fowl, and very untractable. I kept two of 
them five or six weeks in ni}^ house, and they refusing to feed, 
I caused them to be crammed with fish, tilt my Servant grew 
weary, and gave them over ; and they lived fifteen days without 
any food.” 
On the last plate in this work (tab. Ixxviii) is an engraving of 
“ The Sheare-water,” which I think we may fairly conclude was 
copied from Sir Thomas Ilrown’s picture. It is certainly one of 
the best illustrations in the book, and shows that even at this 
early date (1G78) Norwich could boast of an artist who was a 
worthy forerunner of that school for which the city has so long 
been famed. 
Eefore leaving this interesting book to resume my narrative, I 
may bo permitted to make one more extract with reference to 
the IManx Shearwater. 
“In the description of the Faeroe Islands, written by 
Lucas Jacobson Dehes, I find an account of the manner of breed- 
ing and taking of some water-fowl . . . which because it 
confirms and illustrates what we have there delivered, I shall hero 
subjoyn. The Skrabe, that is our Mank Puftin, comes in FeFiiar/j 
about St. Matthias day, and fareth away about St. Bartholomew 
tide (August 24th) . . . The Skrabe (Puffin) builds on the 
Land under the earth ; scraping with its Leak and Claws lying on 
the back (whence it is called a Skrabe), it diggeth a hole in some 
places a foot deep, in some other eight or ten foot in several turn- 
ings, seeking especially to dig itself behind a stone, where it 
thinketh to lie securest. It is very remarkable that this bird is 
the whole day away from its Young, and never comes to it but in 
the night to feed it, and if it flies not from its Young at the dawn- 
ing of the da}'^, it stays with it the whole day over, and then llyeth 
