Pennant's assertion, that from their extreme affection for their young, when "laid hold of "by the wings, they will give themselves the "most cruel bites on any part of their body "that they can reach, as if actuated by despair; and when released, instead of flying

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away, they will often hurry again into their "burrows. They bit me with great violence, but none of them seized any parts of their own body a few of them, on being released, ran into the burrows, but not always into those from whence I had taken them. If it was more easy for them to escape into a hole, than to raise themselves into the air, they did so; but if not, they ran down the slope and flew away. The noise they make, when along with their young, is a singular kind of humming, much resembling that produced by the large wheels used for spinning worsted. When I first went amongst their burrows, I heard this noise on every side of me, and could not conceive from whence it proceeded, till the sound of my footsteps frightened many of the birds out of their holes, and it was immediately explained. On being seized, they emitted the noise with greater violence, and from its being interrupted, by their struggling to escape, it sounded not much unlike the efforts of a dumb man to speak. The young ones are entirely covered with a long blackish down, and in shape are altogether so different from the parent birds, that no one could, at first sight, suppose them the same species. Puffins do not breed, till they are three years old; and they are said to change their bills annually.-Their usual food is sprats and sea-weeds, which render the flesh of the old

birdsexcessively rank. The young ones, however, are pickled for sale by the renters of the island, and form an article of traffic peculiar to this neighbourhood. The oil is extracted from them by a peculiar process, and the bones are taken out, after which the skin is closed round the flesh, and they are immersed in vinegar impregnated with spices.

EXCURSION FROM CAERNARVON TO BEDDGELERT; AND THENCE TO PONT ABERGLASLLYN, INTO NANT HWYNAN, AND TO THE SUMMIT OF SNOWDON.

Glangiona.-Beautiful View.-Ascent to the Summit of Moel Aelir, and View from thence.-Bettws -Nant Mill.-Llyn Cwellyn-Red Char-Castle Cidwm.-Tradition respecting the Giant Cidwm.-Llyn y Dywarchen, and its floating Island.-Llyn Cadair. Beddgelert.-Moel Hebog.Beddgelert Church.-Tradition of Llewelyn and his Dog. -Poem founded on this Story.-Priory.-The_old_and new Inns at Beddgelert.-Pont Aberglasllyn.-Tradition respecting this Bridge.-Salmon Leap, and Fishery.Scene beyond the Bridge.-Traeth Mawr.-Embankment of Land from the Sea.-Moonlight scene at Pont Aberglasllyn.

EXCURSION INTO NANT HYWNAN.

Dinas Emrys.-Account of Merlin and his Prophecies.-Llyn y Dinas-Crom Llan.-Fine View.-Llyn Gwynant.-Immense Stone.-Waterfall.-Character of Nant Hwynan.

EXCURSION TO THE SUMMIT OF SNOWDON.

Tremendous Ridge of Rock called Clawdd Coch.-Prospect from Snowdon-Cwm Llan.-Liquor prepared from the

Mountain-Ash Berries.

THE

HE distance from Caernarvon to Beddgelert, the grave of Gelert, is about twelve miles, and the road is in general very excellent; being the

great road from Caernarvonshire into South Wales.

GLANGWNA.

About two miles from Caernarvon, I passed, on the left, Glangwna, one of the most charming retreats in the principality. The house is small, but surrounded with wood, and so completely sequestered, as scarcely to be seen from the road. The grounds are not extensive, but they have an elegant wildness; and the walks through the woods and along the banks of the river Seiont, whose stream dashes in foam among the rocks of its bed, are scarcely exceeded by any on a small scale, that I have yet seen. This beautiful place is the property of Thomas Lloyd, Esq. of Shrewsbury.

;

From an eminence in the road, about four miles from Caernarvon, I was presented in front with a view extremely fine, along Nant Gwyrfai, the Vale of Freshwater. A range of sloping rocks formed the middle distance. The dark and towering rock of Mynyd Mawr, was seen to rise from behind, on the right of the vale and, on the opposite side, this was well contrasted by the smooth and verdant mountain Moel Aelir. The vale appeared closed at some distance, by part of the side of the lofty Arran. Just at this station, there are several rude, but extremely picturesque cottages, some of which were half obscured by trees. The road is at first hidden, but it is seen at a little distance in front, sloping down into the vale: the latter

was intersected by moss-grown walls, and rude hedge-rows.

I left the road for the purpose of ascending the summit of the hemispherical mountain, called

MOEL AELIR,

The frosty hill. This I did without much difficulty, and found the prospect from the top to far surpass my expectations. The Rival mountains appeared quite near, and beyond them the whole remaining extent of the promontory of Llyn, as far as Aberdaron, was visible. Part of Cwellyn Pool (by the road leading to Beddgelert) was seen just below, from the edge of which the immense Mynydd Mawr reared his black and rugged sides. Beyond this was one of the Nantlle Pools, and near the latter, the small pool of Llyn Cwm Ffynnon. Extending from hence southwards, was a long range of mountain summits, and hollows, some verdant, and others totally destitute of vegetation, but the shades and colours of the whole were strikingly grand and beautiful. At some distance part of the yellow sands of Traeth Mawr, were seen beyond the rocks. The distant mountains of Merionethshire, closed the scene in this direction. On the south-east side of my station, I observed a dreary vale, with nearly perpendicular boundaries, called Cwm Dwythwch, the hollow of the rapid burrowing river, containing a small pool, in which the finest and best flavoured of all the Caernarvonshire trout are said to be caught. Beyond this, Snowdon is