PUFFINUS ANGLORUM. 
Manx Shearwater. 
Procellaria Anglorwn, Raii Syn., p. 134, 
Puffiniis Anglonm, Briss. Orn., tom. vi. p. 131. 
Procellaria pujjinus, Briinn. Orn. Bor., p. 20. 
Nectris Anglornm, Knhl, Mon. Proc. Beit. Zool., p. 146. 
Puffinus arcticus, Fah. Prod. Isl. Orn., p. 56. 
Cymotomus Anglornm, Macgill. Man. of Brit. Orn., vol. ii. p. 13. 
Nectris puffinus. Keys. & Bias. Wirb. Eur., p. .04. 
There are but few situations in the British Islands which are of a rocky nature and facing the sea, nor any 
little Inlets around our coasts, that are not visited by the Shearwater ; and in many of them it breeds : the 
Isles of Scilly on the south, the Farn Islands on the east, Lundy and the Isle of Man on the west, the 
Orkneys, Shetlands, and Hebrides and St. Kilda in the North Atlantic are only a few of the localities frequented. 
It is also found in Iceland, in the Faroe Islands, Spitzbergen, on the coast of Norway, in the Baltic Seas, in 
Heligoland, on the coasts of France and Spain, and throughout the whole of the Mediterranean, in Madeira, 
the Azores, and on many parts of the eastern shores of North America. During some periods of its existence 
it lives far out at sea, at others within soundings. At the period of incubation it makes a cradle for its 
young in the deserted rabbit-holes on the low islands and shores in which those creatures abound, the lee sides 
of great stones near the beach, the crevices in upright basaltic rocks, and all similar situations. Its powers 
of flight are considerable, and, being very restless, it spends much of its time in flying to and fro in a direct 
line over the surface of the water. 
The late D. W. Mitchell’s account of the bird as seen by him on the coast of Cornwall is given with all 
the freshness of his wonted style, and with the faithfulness and geniality of a true lover of nature. This 
account I shall repeat here, believing that it will not he the less interesting because it has previously appeared 
in my late friend Yarrell’s ‘ History of British Birds.’ 
“ To the westward of St. Agnes, in the Scilly group, lies a barren island called Annet. Its northern slope 
is abrupt and craggy; it gradually slopes towards the south, and narrows into a sort of peninsula, where the 
sandy soil is rich enough to produce a dense growth of short ferns. Here is the stronghold of the Shear- 
water. Sit down on a rock which commands the little territory, and you will see nothing but the Terns, who 
have a station on the higher and central part of the island, and are making a flight of inquiry. Yes, you will 
see a hundred or two of Oystercatchers, who do not like your landing so near their nests, and make short 
journeys, hither and thither, whistling all the while like birds possessed. You will see two or three pairs of 
Turnstones and a few Ring-Dotterels, perhaps a Curlew. You may wait all a sunny day In June, hut not a 
Shearwater will you see on land or water. There are plenty near you all the time, however, as you may 
ascertain by the odour which issues from the first burrow you look into among the ferns. As soon as the sun 
is down, you will see a little party of five or six flitting silently across the sound, or steering out to sea. The 
latest fishers from the colony of Terns are coming home from the sandy shallows, five or six miles away, with 
their throats and beaks crammed with Lance-fish, when the Shearwaters begin to wake. You will not see them 
come out of their holes : yon first catch sight of them skimming round the corner of a rock close to the water. 
Perhaps they will have a great gathering, such as I observed one evening in ‘ Smith’s Sound.’ There was 
a congregation of at least three hundred in the middle of the tideway, washing, dipping, preening feathers, 
and stretching wings, evidently just awake, and making ready for a night’s diversion. As I wanted a few 
specimens more than I had dug out of the burrows, I ran my boat well up to them, and, when they rose, got 
as many as I wished, besides a few unfortunate cripples who were only winged, and proved by their agility 
in swimming and diving, a good deal too much for my boatmen. I tbink a good dog would have no chance 
with them ; they allowed me to come quite close. They sit low in the water, and make no noise when 
disturbed, though in tbeir holes they are eloquent enough, the Scillonian synonyms of Crew and Cocka 
thodon being derived from the guttural melodies they pour forth when the spade approaches the end in 
which the egg is deposited. I once caught a pair in a burrow who were crooning a duet of this kind 
before we commenced operations. I presume they were in the honeymoon, as there was no egg. They 
produce but one egg, which, when fresh-laid, is of the most dazzling whiteness, and of a peculiarly beatitiful 
texture. It measures two inches and five lines in length, by one inch and nine lines in breadth, is very 
large for the size of the bird, and is frequently deposited on the fine sandy soil without any preparation, 
though generally there is a slight accumulation of fern-leaves and old stems. When you kill a Shearwater 
