. The birds of Ireland; an account of the distribution, migrations and habits of birds as observed in Ireland, with all additions to the Irish list . a month, and this has been corroborated by the obser-vation of Mr. MCarron on the Tearaght. The eggs are notalways hidden undergrc>uud, for in the faces of clay cliffs on theSaltees, where intrusion from land is improbable, eggs are occa-sionally exposed to view, and on the crowded parts of the LittleSkellig they are sometimes to l>e found on the l>are rock. In somespecimens streaks of l)rowu and uudershell grey are so pronouncedas to su
. The birds of Ireland; an account of the distribution, migrations and habits of birds as observed in Ireland, with all additions to the Irish list . a month, and this has been corroborated by the obser-vation of Mr. MCarron on the Tearaght. The eggs are notalways hidden undergrc>uud, for in the faces of clay cliffs on theSaltees, where intrusion from land is improbable, eggs are occa-sionally exposed to view, and on the crowded parts of the LittleSkellig they are sometimes to l>e found on the l>are rock. In somespecimens streaks of l)rowu and uudershell grey are so pronouncedas to suggest a reversion to a type like that of some Guillemotseggs. When feeding its young a Puffin will bring half-a-dozen littlefish held by their heads, the tails hanging down on each side ofits beak ; and this suggests that the bird has the power of holdingseveral while it continues to catch others. The young do notbegin to appear at the cutrauces of their Imrrows until they arefledged, and when they do, many are seized by the Peregrine,which is a usual neighbour of a large bird-colony. The departure for the water begins about the middle of July. ayW <if) W H 2 O 2 O oo 371 and takes place chiefly at uiglit or at daybreak, wheu the younggo tumbling and rolling down to the sea, and they then quit thevicinity of their breeding-haunts (MCarron). The movement isat its height about 1st August, and by the middle of that monthall the Puf&ns have left the land. After fishing off the coasts forseveral weeks, multitudes are seen passing away south for daysin October and November. Eagle Island, Mayo, is thus passed byvast flocks probably from North Mayo and the Donegal stations. During winter these birds leave us, though occasional examplesare met with, not only on the coast, but sometimes inland, wherestorms have driven them. Indeed, many, if not most, of thewinter Puffins are driven ashore by violent gales, and young birdsof the year are specially liable to this fate. In summe
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1900
