One fine morning I turned out at four o'clock and walked down to the beach with my field glasses. The first bird I fell in with was a Dunlin in breeding plumage. He was hard at work feeding, and

looked a very prim little fellow as he ran up and down the narrow spit of golden sand. It was (juite amusing- to watch him dash after the backwash of a breaker and make two or three hastv })ecks on the very edge of the water before the next wave rolled in and chased 1dm away. Sometimes lie dallied so long over the plenitude of edible morsels that he was obliged to resort to flight in order to avoid being overwhelmed by the seething rush of waters. I saw a Dunlin at this same place on three separate occasions, and as my brother one day came across three birds together we concluded the species might be breeding on the island, and at once instituted a systematic search for a nest; but although it has been asserted that the bird breeds in 8t. Kilda, we failed to tind any evidence of the fact. Hirta and the Doon have l)een separated at some distant age by the continual wear and tear of Atlantic storms upon the rocks that undoubtedly once joined them together, and a westerly wind now drives the waves through the narrow gap with great force and uproar. I climbed down into this ])ass one afternoon in order to get close to the awful l)illows as they rolled in. The sight was sublime, and I sat fascinated for I know not how long watching tlu; turmoil of waters leaping and thundering against the mighty crags. ( )n the Doon side of this storm-worn breach the cliffs rise precipitously from the sea. Here and there I observed a Fulmar Petrel brooding on a narrow-ledge in the utmost peace and S(M'urity. It was a wonderfully pretty sight to see the male l)ir(ls come to feed their mates, fboy never did this in a strictly business-like manned", but Hew up and toyed round their sitting mates foi- a second oi-

two Oil their exti'aordiuar' wiiin-.s and tlieii ulided gracefully away for some little distance, to return and do precisely the same kind of affectionate wantoning" several times over before tliev delivered the dainty morsels they had brought.

On the St. Kilda side of the gap the rocks slope considerably, and towards the tojj the earth covering- them is honeycombed by Puffin burrows. The owners of these suljterranean nurseries were present in great numl)ers, and kept on flying uneasily past my spray-dripping form close down by the sea. I noticed that they always flew closest past me when facing the wind, and assumed that this was done in order to get a steadier and better view of their strange visitor. Whilst sitting at this spot I heard a faint tway, twaying, whin-ing kind of note, something like that of a Kobin Redbreast when her nest has been invaded, but could not for the life of me make out whence it proceeded. I examined all the ledges of blaclv basalt opposite me with my field-glasses, but failed to discover anything to account for the strange sounds. This puzzled me considerably, but in a little while I solved the mystery. On a small ledge of rock in the mouth of a cave on my left I observed a little patch of brilliant orange colour appearing and disappearing simultaneously with the sound. It was the open mouth of a Black Guille-or, rather, towardsmot standing— crouching—breast me in such a position that I could not see the white patch on its wings. Presently this bird took to the water, and was speedily joined by two others of its own species. One of the neAV-comers and the bird I had been puzzled l:)y evidently had a difference to settle, and straightway began as pretty a fight as I ever witnessed. They seized

each other with their beaks, pecked, s}3hi8liecl the water, and flapped round and round in snuill circles until one of them got worsted in the encounter and dived to escape. Although vanquished he seemed loth to give u]) the struggle, and returned again and again to the charge. No sooner, however, had he got close uj) to the foe than his courage failed, and instead of taking his punishment he dived straight under his adversary and came up a long way in his rear. After a while he seemed to acknowledge himself beaten, and took his departure.

Whilst all this was going on the third bird, which I judged to Ije a female, kept swimming quietly round the contestants; but when the struggle was over she joined the conqueror, and they remained together in tranquillity for a long while at the same spot. During the afternoon I was joined by my brother, and tfjgether Ave descended a cliff not far aAvaA' in order io examine a number of Fulmar Petrels' nests, which Ave judged to l)e accessiljle without the aid of a rope. By a very diflicult and dangerous scramble, Ave managed to get down to the place where the l)irds were breeding. We ins])ectcd three or four nests, handling the t'gg in each and making a note of the pebbles and earth iqjon which it was lying. The native's of St. Kilda say that the sense of smell in a Kuhnar is so keen that tlu' bird will desert its vgg if it has only l)een breathed upon by a human being. Whether there is any truth in this assei'tioii or not I cannot tell, Init cui-iously enough Avlieii luy bi'otluu- descended to photogra])li some of these nests {I day or two at'tcMwai'ds he was disma}'ed t(j find every agg gone. As Fulmars' eggs are not gathered bA^ the natives on the island of St. Kilda

their disa})})earauce could not be accounted for in this way; and I think there can be but little doubt that they were forsaken through our interference, and afterwards eaten by either the Great Black-backed Gulls or Hooded Crows.

As I was anxious to procure a good picture of the war of waters in the gap I have just mentioned between 8t. Kilda and the Boon, it was arrane-ed that m' Ijrotlier and I should walk over there one afternoon to take a photograph, and that a boat sh(juld afterwards pick us up and convey us to the latter island. We found it impossible to make a picture on account of the showers of fine spray which were being driven through the defile, blurring the lens of our camera the moment it was exposed. In a little while the boat hove in sight, and we took off our boots and descended the slippery rock to embark. Seeing a chance of some fun with big Finlay ]\IcQuien, who turned out to be one of the rowers, I tied mx boots toofether bv the laces, and having no fear of their sinking on account of one of them being com2)osed largely of Ijy an early clind)ing acci-cork— a necessity caused dent—I purposeh' threw them short of where he stood in the bows of the boat ready to make a catch, and they fell with a splash into the sea. Poor McQuien I I shall never forget his look of alarm at what he supposed to be a very awkward accident, nor his astonishment when he saw the C(jrk boot float and support its companion in the water. AYhen he recovered them he squeezed the former, rolled up the whites of his eyes, and exclaimed, "Vary khood, vary khood I "

After a deal of difficulty we managed to jump into the boat, which was jigging about like a cork

ill a whirlpool on account of a heavy groinid swell and the rush of a current which came from a cave close by. In a few minutes we landed on the Doon, and hauled our craft liiuli and dry upon a rock, which was almost as steep as the roof of a liousc. We climbed to the top of the island, and then along its narrow serrated ridge until we came to a place where Finlay McQuien and his companion could show us an example of their skill with the fowling rod. My l)rother descended to the very brink of an awful precipice, and getting his camera into such a ])osition as to counnand a view of a rnind^er of Fulmar Petrels sitting on a narrow ledge of rock, waited for the fowlers to descend. Finlay Gillies tied a rope round the body of McQuien, who stealthily crept down, rod in hand, until he came within reach of the unsus|)ecting birds, when he quietly pushed the instrument forward till the open noose at the end was just in front of the head of the one he had selected for his victim. By a dexterous twist of the wrist the fatal circle of horse-hair and Gannet quills fell round the neck of the Fulmar, which instantly spread out its wings and sprang forward, only to tighten the noose, and by its fluttering frighten all its companions away. As the bird was being brought up the picture on the opposite i)age was taken. The two small figures on the top of the high pinnacle of rock in the illustration represent our friend Mr. John Young and myself, who were watching the sport from this Dantesque coign of vantage.

In retracing our steps along the sunnnit of the island we discovered a, Forked-Tailed Petrel's l)urr()W c(jntaining several nests. We examined two of these, and found that whilst one contained quite a liberal

FINLAY McQUIEN CATCHING FULMARS.

lining of dead grass, the other had no materials whatever in it; the egg being simply deposited on the bare peat earth. After ])hotographing a Manx Shearwater's nest-ino- hole we descended to our boat. Whilst the men got it into the sea my brother thought he coukl negotiate the steep and slippery rock running down to the water's edge alone, but he had not gone far before he fell as suddenly as if he had been walking on an inclined plain of ice, and shot down towards the ocean at a terrific pace with his camera, which he had held under his arm, after him. The latter struck against a small projection of rock and stopped, but its owner continued his wild career until he came to a kind of natural basin full of water, just left by the receding tide. Here he stopped all in a heap with considerable abruptness and a big splash. I could not help laughing when I saw him strike out, under the impression that he had actually landed in Village Bay. He scrambled cautiously back to his camera on his liands and knees, and after carefully examining the a})paratus for hurts, lie told me that the dizz}ing effect of the fall, and his quick transition seawards, made him confident on feeling the cold water that he had arrived in the ocean, and he began to strike out in order that he might get away from the rocks and the surf and swim towards the place where the boat was being launched.

Satisfied with our adventure we remained where we wore until McQuien came along to help us down to the place of eml)arkation.

As the boat was too small to (;arry seven of us with safety we slil])ped my brother and Mr. Mackenzie over to St. Kilda, and afterwards tlu' minister, Mr. Young, and I went a-fishing for

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