474 THI STRAND AMAGAZTNT.

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BREFKDING GROUND AT PILLING MOSS,

the limits of a deep greenish grev, mottled with still deeper spots and markings. = Very like plovers”,” remarks an uninitiated friend. Very, mdeed ! These ase the so-called plovers’ cggs that figure on many a break- fast table!

FFew places afford such ghmpses of the sea birds at home as the outer Farne Islands. The Pmnacles arce narrow, ncedle-

like rocks, rising sheer out of the water, without o break, to an immense height. Therr almost level table-tops present the curious sizht of thousands of guillemots, close packed and standing on their tails— this 15 really their way of sitting, each on its once cgg, which 1t holds between its feet. No foot of man or beast can reach them ; but we can get a fair view from the high parts ad-

jacent. It may be their colour - — a parsonic black and white- and the leg bheing placed so far back that they have a standing-up look, that mmparts such ludicrous solem- nity. They utter a strange cry, all to- cether, and with mtervals of perfect

stillness between. [t 1s a strong,

resonant boom like thunder, loud and penctrating, but so welird that one may faney 1t passing for the supernatural in the dark, without very much help from the fears of the superstitious.