Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 5 (1901).djvu/174

150 is so near the shore that in wild storms the sea heats against the churchyard-wall, and the spray flies right over the double-isled church, and on to the houses beyond. The Manx Shearwater breeds within the confines of Lleyn; on Bardsey Island, for instance, whence two birds were afterwards sent to me by a man who had mistaken my instructions. But I had the pleasure of liberating them in Abersoch harbour, and of seeing them go safely out to sea with their easy ghostly flight. Moreover, I found two birds on another island, in their burrows with their eggs. The burrows were in a steep grassy slope immediately over a much steeper rock falling to the sea; so that the birds on emerging could easily take wing. The holes were about five feet deep, and turned, shortly after entering the ground, sharply to the left, and ran parallel to the shore. At the end of each burrow was a mass of short dead grass mixed with bits of Shearwater down, forming a nest; but whether this material was collected by the Shearwaters or by Rabbits before the former took possession, I cannot say. The birds bit hard and savagely, and also scratched; and, armed as they are with a hard and sharp curved end to their bills, and very sharp claws, I should think they were quite capable of making it unpleasant for a Rabbit. I put a bird down on the glassy slope, and found that it rose fairly well. As it went away, low over a quiet sea, the narrow wings flapped with slight and easy strokes, which were continuous as far as I could see the bird. It was quite a different style of flight from that pursued by the Shearwater when seeking for food, viz. a few flaps and then a glide on outstretched wings. I took the opportunity of noting down the following description of the soft parts:—Tarsus and part of toes pink; the back of it from the heel down to the upper joint of the toes, the whole of the outer toe and two spots on the inner and middle toes (upper surface), the edges of the web, and nearly all the under surface of the web and toes, blackish. Claws dark horn or blackish. Inside of mouth pale flesh-colour. Lower mandible, save edge and tip, light bluish horn, the rest and the upper mandible dark horn. Iris dark brown.