THE SHORES OF BRITAIN. 107 



were not made obtuse by necessity. The Gannets 

 and Guillemots dwell in countless myriads on these 

 naked rocks, laying their eggs and rearing their 

 progeny wherever the surface presents a ledge suf- 

 ficiently broad to hold them. Their immense 

 numbers render them an object of importance to 

 the inhabitants of these barren islands, who derive 

 from them, either in a fresh state or salted and dried, 

 a considerable portion of their sustenance. 



In some other situations the fowlers have recourse 

 to a still more hazardous mode of procedure. The 

 cliffs are sometimes twelve hundred feet in height, 

 and fearfully overhanging. If it is determined to 

 proceed from above, the adventurer prepares a rope, 

 made either of straw or of hog's bristles, because 

 these materials are less liable to be cut through by 

 the sharp edge of the rock. Having fastened the 

 end of the rope round his body, he is lowered down 

 by a few comrades at the top to the depth of five or 

 six hundred feet. He carries a large bag affixed to 

 his w r aist, and a pole in his hand, and wears on his 

 head a thick cap, as a protection against the frag- 

 ments of rock which the friction of the rope per- 

 petually loosens ; large masses, however, occasionally 

 fall and dash him to pieces. 



Having arrived at the region of birds, he pro- 

 ceeds with the utmost coolness and address ; plac- 

 ing his feet against a ledge, he will occasionally 

 dart many fathoms into the air, to obtain a better 

 view of the crannies in which the birds are nest- 

 ling, take in all the details at a glance, and again 

 shoot into their haunts. He takes only the -eggs 



