Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/537

Rh third underground, incubation being in full swing. The Puffins come to the islands about March 28th or 29th (or, as another man said, "about the tail-end of the month") for a few days to look about them, but not many come then. They come in full force at the latter end of April, and come to land about May 10th; they leave about Aug. 15th, but late breeding birds will stay nearly a fortnight later for the sake of their young; but if the latter are not ready to go then they are left. Marked birds have been known to return, and it is believed that they return to their old holes. The burrow of one old marked bird was blocked up with small stones one spring before the Puffins returned. The same bird after a time removed all the stones to a distance, and occupied its old home. I noticed that the Puffins did not rise well from flat ground, unless they could get a clear run, or the wind was against them; but they get up very readily with the least slope in their favour, unless the grass is long. Stray pairs were breeding where there was long grass, and these, on emerging from their holes, brushed the grass with frantic efforts for some distance, striding out vigorously with their orange legs. They prefer a sloping spot and short turf, or a bit of ground covered with sea-pink; probably they keep the turf short when they nest in great numbers, for they trample it flat, and in some places it is brown and looks dead. Here they run quickly and well. A sour smell comes on the wind when it blows over the burrows in such places. The silence of the Puffins was remarkable; it was rarely that a hard "arrr" was heard. Sometimes a grating guttural "go-ay" or "garr" could be heard from a bird below ground; but this is heard much more frequently when the birds have young. But when I stood close to hundreds of birds I did not hear a sound from them, until, as I approached within a few yards, they rose with a rattle and rush of wings, and filled the air like bees round a disturbed hive. A single bird will admit of an approach within two or three yards without moving, merely regarding you intently with its dark grey eye. On June 23rd the eggs (much discoloured with brown earth stains), some of which lay within arm's reach, were hard sat, and some young were just hatched. In this state, with the pip on the bill and the egg-shells under it, the young is covered with long down, black all over except the white belly. Bill dark horn-colour, and much