10 
FLAMBOROUGH HEAD. 
[Nature and Art, January 1, 18(57. 
and we are constantly distressed by meeting tlie 
so-styled sportsmen on their return from a too 
successful battue with clusters of Guillemot and 
Puffin, &c., swinging from their guns. Thus the 
birds have been ch'iven away from the lower ranges 
of cliff, and it is plain, if the present senseless 
and cruel persecution is continued a few years 
longer, that the neighbourhood will be deprived, in 
the eyes of all true lovers of nature, of its greatest 
attraction. Besides the thousands of birds which 
are thus annually destroyed and carried away by 
“ excursionists,” a large number are wounded and 
disabled, and it is not unusual to see wounded 
birds struggling in the water unable to rise. This 
slaughter is carried on at a time when many 
thousands of sea-fowl have young ones to support 
and rear ; and what must be the fate of the young 
when the parents are shot? Not satisfied with 
shooting at them on the wing, we have seen 
merciless wretches fire into the birds as they sat 
crowded together on the narrow ledges of rock, 
totally regardless of the misery and pain which that 
one discharge alone may cause to the many they will 
only partly disable and cannot secure. After passing 
the North Landing-place we shall find the cliffs 
gradually increase in height, and when we reach the 
northern extremity of “Danes’ Dyke,” we look down 
a precipice nearly 300 feet deep. It is only by 
keeping, as we have done, along the summit, and 
following the ins and outs of the coast-line, that 
we can fully enjoy the grandeur of the scenery. Let 
us get over the slight fence which seems to protect 
the cattle from falling over the precipice, and, lying 
down on the green sward, crawl to the edge and 
look over. What a magnificent scene ! Hundreds of 
feet below, the green water breaks against the cliff ; 
but at this height the wash of the waves is scarcely 
audible. Bight and left stretch the giant walls of 
white limestone, their surface scarred and broken 
by long exposure to the weather, and furrowed and 
seamed by narrow ledges and ridges, which form 
secure resting-places for those long rows of 
Guillemot ; while hundreds now are wheeling and 
screaming far below, dwarfed in size by the distance 
and the stupendous character of the scenery. Let 
us try and obtain a better view of the birds : and 
this we may do by crawling to the edge of a pro- 
jecting portion of the cliff, which will enable us to 
look directly down upon them as they sit on the 
ledges of the opposite rock. Yonder birds sitting 
nearly upright, with the dark brown head, neck, and 
ripper parts, and the white breasts, are Guillemot, 
and form by far the greatest proportion of the many 
inhabitants of the rocks. Their eggs, as well as 
those of the other sea-fowl, are much sought after as 
an article of food, and great quantities are taken in 
the spring from the ledges by the “ cliff-climbers,” 
who descend from the summit by a rope ; several 
of the neighbouring villagers obtaining a part 
livelihood by this dangerous occupation. The eggs 
of the Guillemot show an almost endless variety 
in shade and markings, and it is almost impossible 
to find two alike. Placed as they are on the narrow 
shelves of rock, without any nest, we may well 
wonder how they ever retain their position until 
the young are hatched. Providence, however, has 
ordered that although they are very thick at one 
end, they gradually taper to the other, which, com- 
pared with other eggs of the same size, is very 
narrow, so that when disturbed by any cause, 
they roll round on the small end as on a pivot 
without falling off. If we carefully inspect those 
long rows of Guillemot, we may possibly discern one 
of that closely-allied species (perhaps after all it is 
only a variety) called the “ Kinged or Bi’indled 
Guillemot.” This bird closely resembles the common 
one, only differing from it in having the eye encircled 
by a narrow white ring from which a streak of the 
same colour extends down the neck. The Kinged 
G uillemot is considered a rare bird at Flamborough. 
On the same ledge with the Guillemot are three or 
four birds, not unlike them in appearance, but with 
the upper parts black instead of dark brown. The 
bill, however, is the distinguishing feature ; it is 
much stronger and thicker than in the Guillemot, 
with a white furrow across it, and a white streak 
extending from the base of the bill to the eye. 
This peculiar beak marks them at once as “ Razor- 
bills.” We may also know them by their 
cry, which resembles the word “ urr urr, ” or 
“ orr,” while the call of the Guillemot resembles 
the noise made by a policeman’s rattle, and sounds 
like the word “ girrrrrrr.” 
Yonder, again, are two Puffins or Sea Parrots 
sitting together, at the mouth of one of those crevices 
in the cliff. Coitld we see the bottom of the crevice, 
we should probably find a single round egg, grey 
spotted with brown. The eggs which are thus con- 
cealed at the bottom of narrow and deep holes are 
seldom taken by the “ cliff-climbers.” What a grave 
look the birds have as they sit facing each other, 
their great red, yellow, and blue beaks giving them 
quite a top-heavy appearance. Those gulls with the 
grey-blue backs, white head, wings, and tail, so 
many of which we see sailing slowly backwards and 
forwards, halfway down the cliff side, may be easily 
recognized by their cry, which somewhat resembles 
their name, “Kittiwake.” The Speeton rocks are a 
well-known breeding-place of the beautiful Kitti- 
wake gull. We may see some of the young birds 
on the ledges below ; and so unlike are they to the 
old birds in plumage as to have been taken for a 
distinct species. 
That blue bird, with the white patch between the 
tail and back, which has just dashed over the cliff 
top, is the “Kock Pigeon,” and nearly resembles our 
well-known domestic “ Blue Kock.” There is little 
doubt that all our domestic breeds of pigeons have 
sprung from the wild Rock-doves. They breed in 
considerable numbers in the sea caves below, and 
from their wild and shy nature and rapid flight fall 
less readily victims to the roving gunners. The 
eggs, which exactly resemble those of the domestic 
bird, are. placed in the most inaccessible parts of 
the caves, in shallow nests constructed on ledges 
of the rock. 
We have now reached the highest part of the 
Speeton cliffs ; from this point the chalk range 
