. The birds of Iona & Mull . irs remained indifferent spots, and these were in most brilliant plumage—veryunlike their sombre winter garb, the body covered with a com-bination of red, black, and white, giving the appearance of tortoise-shell, and the neck and breast curiously marked with black andwhite. In fact, they were in full breeding dress; and Isuppose these pairs must have remained here with the intentionof nesting in this country. The mode I generally adopt now to destroy life in birds,whether wounded or not, is by tying a loop in a bit of twine,putting it over the birds head, suddenly
. The birds of Iona & Mull . irs remained indifferent spots, and these were in most brilliant plumage—veryunlike their sombre winter garb, the body covered with a com-bination of red, black, and white, giving the appearance of tortoise-shell, and the neck and breast curiously marked with black andwhite. In fact, they were in full breeding dress; and Isuppose these pairs must have remained here with the intentionof nesting in this country. The mode I generally adopt now to destroy life in birds,whether wounded or not, is by tying a loop in a bit of twine,putting it over the birds head, suddenly pulling it tight by bothends, and in a few seconds life is extinct with apparently littlepain. It is almost the only effectual way of killing some of the LETTER I. 43 stronger sea-fowl, which are remarkably tenacious of life. Itdoes not hurt the skin, if it is required, as the loop will easilyopen again, especially if the horse-hair snooding of a fish-hook isused. It is certainly a much neater manner than that of knocking. the wounded birds head against the side of the boat, or a stone,which disfigures it very much, and causes the blood to flow somuch as to make it disagreeable to carry in the pocket. I havepractised it now so long that I lasso my victims with as much -±4 THE BIRDS OF IONA AND MULL. paternal kindness as the Grand Signor bowstrings his super-annuated ministers. This letter has been detained for a week, as during this furiousweather our posts are few and far between. One of our unfor-tunate Mull postmen perished in the last snowstorm. His wifewas the first person to discover his body lying stark and stiff ina snowdrift not many hundred yards from his own door. II. Iona, 30th January 1852. The Storm Petrel (Thalassidroma iwlagica). This interesting and most diminutive member of the great orderof Natatores visits our coasts in considerable numbers during thesummer for the purpose of incubation. On fine calm eveningsat this time of the year, after the smooth sur
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirdsscotlandhebride
