Something about Sea Birds. 27 



■<i. 



gether. The smuggler was a small dandy-rigged fore and aft 

 craft, of about fifty tons, her canvass brown as though tanned. 

 The cutter was twice the tonnage at least, with a tremendous 

 mainsail, foresail, jib, flying jib, and gaff' topsail, all as white 

 as snow, and now bright with the first light of morning. The 

 fishermen told us the smuggler had most likely landed her 

 cargo at Hurst Castle in the night, as she never would have 

 been hovering about the coast after daybreak with any thing 

 on board. The sight was one of great interest to ourselves 

 as well as our companions, who were completely engrossed 

 with it, and loudly expressed their pleasure when they saw 

 that the cutter, spite of her superiority in canvass, was drop- 

 ping astern, and the distance between the two consequently 

 increasing. A puff of white smoke issued from the bow of 

 the cutter, it passed along the deck, and was speedily far be- 

 hind : the chase was hopeless ; the cutter tacked ; and the 

 report, reaching the shore, echoed among the rocks like 

 distant thunder. 



While engrossed in this animated chase, we had reached 

 the region of birds. Between the highest part and Sun Cor- 

 ner the cliff is more than perpendicular, it positively over- 

 hangs : here, then, is the retreat of innumerable sea birds ; 

 here the foot of man has never trodden ; here patent percus- 

 sions are of no avail. The inmates were already on the 

 move : guillemots and razorbills, in parties of tens, twenties, 

 and thirties, were continually dropping from their stations, and 

 whirling on rapid wing tow r ards the ocean ; the great grey sea- 

 mews wheeled in straggling companies, far far above the 

 summit, round and round, like eagles, and uttered continually 

 their sonorous and piercing call ; while in the distance the 

 black-headed gulls were collecting by hundreds about the 

 Needles. The fishermen now pulled us right in for the cliff; 

 and, as we approached, what a sight did we witness ! every 

 inch of projecting rock was occupied : there were hundreds, 

 thousands, millions of birds. I should premise, that through- 

 out the surface of the cliff* are excavated ledges, which are 

 caused by layers of a softer substance intervening, that has 

 crumbled, perhaps partly with frost, and partly with the ope- 

 rations of the tenants : these softer strata are perforated like 

 honeycombs by the puffins and razorbills. Along these ledges 

 the birds were crowded so thickly as positively to push the 

 foremost ones off by the pressure from behind, as fresh troops 

 issued from their holes : these would fly a little way, and, re- 

 turning, settle on the heads of the others, and thus, by slip- 

 ping in, find themselves a footing, the foremost birds being 

 obliged to tumble off, as these intruders had previously done. 



