THE PUFFIN. 
37 
a stuffed and perfectly dry skin of a Kingfisher, which has been 
washed and soaked in water for many hours, and yet retains 
the peculiar odour, which is so strong that after I had prepared 
it, many and copious ablutions were required to divest my hands 
of the horrible emanation. 
To those who collect eggs, and care for numbers, the discovery 
of a Kingfisher’s nest is a singular boon. Not only does the 
bird lay a great multitude of eggs, the aggregate mass of which 
exceeds her own dimensions, but she is a fearless and indefati- 
gable layer, and if the eggs are removed with proper care; she 
will produce an enormous number in the course of a season. 
The comical little Puffin ( Fraterculo arcticd) may be 
reckoned among the true burrowers, possessing both the will 
and the power of excavation, but exercising neither unless 
pressed by necessity. 
As is the custom with most diving birds, the Puffin lays only 
one egg, and always deposits it in some deep burrow. If pos- 
sible, the bird takes advantage of a tunnel already excavated, 
such as that of the rabbit, and ‘ squats ’ upon another’s territory, 
just as the Coquimbo owl takes possession of the excavations 
made by the prairie dog. The rabbit does not allow its domi- 
nion to be usurped without remonstrance, and accordingly the 
bird and the beast engage in fierce conflict before the matter is 
settled. Almost invariably the Puffin wins the day, its powerful 
beak and determined courage being more than a match for the 
superior size of its antagonist. 
When it is unable to obtain a ready-made habitation, it sets to 
work on its own account, and excavates tunnels of considerable 
dimensions. 
The Feroe Islands are notable haunts of the Puffin, because 
the soil, which is in many places soft and easily worked, is 
favourable for its excavations. The male is the principal exca- 
vator, though he is assisted by the female ; and so intent is the 
bird upon its work, that it may be captured by hand by thrust- 
ing the arm into the burrow. The average length of the tunnel 
is about three feet, and it is seldom straight, taking a more or 
