nd, and short wings fluttering so rapidly that they were almost
invisible, while the singular birds looked like so many animated
triangles darting down diagonally to the sea, and gliding over it for
some distance before touching the water, into which they plunged like
arrow-heads, to disappear and continue their flight under water till
they emerged far away with some silvery fish in their beaks.

Some little distance below a few sooty-looking cormorants had taken
possession of an out-standing rock upon which the sun beat warmly, and
here, their morning fishing over, leaving them absolutely gorged, they
sat with wings half open and feathers erect, drying themselves, looking
the very images of gluttonous content.

Birds were everywhere--black, black and white, black and grey, and grey
and white, with here and there a few that looked black in the distance,
but when inspected through the glass proved to be of a deep bronzy
metallic green.

But while the air and rocks were alive with objects that delighted the
watcher's eye, there was plenty to see beside. Close in where the deep
water was nearly still, the jelly-fish floated at every depth, shrinking
and expanding like so many opening and shutting bubbles of soap and
water, glistening with iridescent hues. Farther out the smooth,
vividly-blue water every now and then turned in patches from sapphire to
purple, and a patch--a whole acre perhaps in extent--became of the
darkest purple or amethyst, all of a fret and work, while silvery
flashes played all over it, reflecting the rays of the burning sun. For
plenty of shoals of fish were feeding, over which the birds were rising,
falling, darting and splashing, as they banqueted upon their silvery
prey.

All this was so familiar to Aleck that, though still enjoying it, he
satisfied himself with a few glances before, carefully focussing the
glass he had brought, he began to sweep the coast wherever he could
command it from where he sat.

The opposite side of the rift seemed to take his attention most, and
perhaps he was examining some of the deep cavernous hollows seen here
and there high up or low down towards the sea; or maybe his attention
was riveted upon some quaint puffin, crouching, solemn and big-beaked,
watching patiently for the next visit of main or dad; or, again, maybe
the lad was looking at a solitary greatly-blotched egg, big at one end,
going off to almost nothing at the other, and wanting in the soft curve