STORM-I’ETREI,. 
139 
beyond description, most of the island being at an elevation of 
three or four hundred feet above the level of the waves. 
Rocky promontories stretched far into the sea ; huge 
masses of rock protruded from the ocean and rose one or two 
hundred feet high. Here the waves dashed against perpen- 
dicular cliffs, and there they foamed and fretted against craggy 
piles of rocks ; and in many places the sea had hollowed out 
caves underneath the cliffs or worn chasms in the coast, which 
extended up into the mainland like Norwegian fjords. Such 
was the home of the Stormy Petrel ; but at first we did not 
suspect the existence of these birds on the island. The natives 
(with whom we were obliged to converse through our 
“ Buttons,” a young Celt who accompanied us to do the dirty 
work) continually assured us that we should soon be able to 
add the dainty dish of fried “ Blasquet Chickens ” to our 
modest menu ; but it was not until the nth of September that 
they were able to produce these wonderful birds, which proved 
to be young Stormy Petrels, as large almost as their parents, 
with half feathers, half down. Cooked on toast like Snipe, we 
found them delicious eating, very rich, but not at all fishy. As 
soon as we discovered that we were encamped in the midst of 
a colony of these interesting birds we commenced a diligent 
search, and soon found plenty of young, besides catching a few 
old birds which were still sitting on unhatched eggs. The 
nests, which seldom consisted of more than a dozen blades of 
dead grass, were placed in holes in the rocks or the rough walls 
put up to protect the little potato patches from the sheep. We 
could often detect their presence in the evening by the faint 
cry of the young bird clamouring for food, and in places where 
the loose stones had been piled into heaps we found that the 
removal of half of them often disclosed several nests to view. 
“ On the 17th of September I took the boat and crossed 
over to the adjoining island of Inishnubro, and found many 
young Petrels and a few still unhatched eggs. On this island 
the nests were principally on the steep grassy slopes in old 
rabbit burrows. We never by any chance saw a Stormy Petrel 
on the wing during the day ; but when the nights became 
enlivened by moonlight we could see them flying about like 
bats, bringing food to their young. So far as we were able to 
judge, this was entirely oil. As soon as the young bird was 
