Welsh Journals

We went to Skomer this year in the first week of June, intending thence to visit many adjacent islands which we had not explored on former occasions, and we did so. Personally, I had three special objects in view: To determine the question of the specific difference of the Ringed and Common Guillemot, to find out what the Shearwater feeds on, and obtain some specimens of a large Vole, abundant there, which I am disposed to regard as an Island variety. We found several sad changes had occurred since our last visit. The Storm Petrels were very much scarcer, and hardly to be found. The Barn Owls no longer inhabited their little cave on the Mewstone. The Cormorants had completely deserted their colony a stray pair or two were nesting in another place. And on Grassholme the Gannets had been raided by rapacious egg collectors, so that in one of their colonies there were nothing but deserted and rotting nests. Not a bird, not an egg was to be seen there. This was on June 7th, and the following notes were made :-It would seem that, generally speaking, the first week in June is too late for getting their eggs, which were now nearly all hatched, or about to be many chicks were just breaking out of the shell others lately excluded were lying in their nests naked, leaden-black, and ugly others, further advanced, were covered with white down, but still small, while some were as large as ducklings a month or five weeks old. This difference in age and development is striking, but becomes more so when the fact is known that this state of things continues from the beginning of May to the end of August. Both sexes take part in the incubation of the eggs and feeding of the young, for I twice saw a Gannet come in from sea and displace its mate from the nest, who then took to the water and once I saw one feed its chick, then brood upon it, when a second bird came and fed the young one, after displacing its other parent. A certain person, whom mercy makes anonymous, wished to be of our party to Grassholme, but was not invited to go because he collects eggs for dealers, and had many times exhibited his brutal cruelty and indifference. He asked one of our party to bring him a dozen or two of the eggs. Six were taken for and given him. He expressed his angry disappointment, and being told that there were very few eggs, nearly all being already hatched, he said he would go himself, and if he could "find no eggs he would chuck every young Gannet into the sea," which is exactly in accord with what we had seen him do. We found one egg which was abortive (without yolk), and not much larger than a Wood Pigeon's. It is curious to observe the changes of colour these birds undergo. When first hatched they are wholly leaden or blue-black; next they are covered with pure white down till the pen-feathers appear, when the down is gradually displaced with dark brown grey feathers, and these are seasonally changed during the first three years, through a series of graduated mottlings, till at the end of the period the bird is again pure white, except the wing primaries which are black, and upper neck buffy.