EXPLORATIONS IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND LAHRADOR. 



715 



rather by size, Gannets occupying the highest and broadest ledges, 

 and Murres and Razorbills taking what is left. There is, of course, 

 something of a tendency for little groups of the same species to nest 

 together, but Bruunichs and the Common Murre may be seen occupy- 

 ing the same ledge. While the erection of the light house on the Great 

 Rock did not directly affect the Murres and Razorbills as it did the 

 Gannets, it nevertheless led to the decrease of tbe smaller birds in a 

 very curious manner. In foggy weather a cannon is tired every half 

 hour to warn passing vessels of the hidden danger, and this gun, being 

 placed near the northern cliff, is in proximity to the favorite breeding- 

 places of tbe Murres and Razorbills. The < flfect produced upon the 

 birds is well described by Mr. Brewster, who says : 



At each discharge the frightened Murres fly from the rock in clouds, nearly every 

 sitting bird taking its egg into the air between its thighs, and dropping it after 

 flying a few yards. Tins was repeatedly observed during our visit, and more than 

 once a perfect shower of eggs fell into the water around our boat. So seriously had 

 the Murres suffered from this cause that many of the ledges on the side of the rock 

 where the gun was fired, had been swept almost clear of eggs. 



This was in 1881, but now M. Turbid says that the birds have be- 

 come somewhat accustomed to the Sound, so that the destruction from 

 this cause is comparatively small, and we noticed that very few birds 

 would fly at the report of a shot-gun, although fired close by them. 



At the time of our visit youug birds of the various species breeding 

 at the Bird Rocks were common, with the exception of Gannets and 

 Leach's Petrels. The Gannets are the last of the young birds to make 

 their appearance, the three that we obtained from the pillar near the 

 Little Rock being the first of the season. The difficulty of securing 

 Leach's Petrels renders any exact statement regarding them impossi- 

 ble, and it can only be said that all of the five eggs obtained contained 

 embryos. 



The following table, kindly furnished by M. Turbid, shows the date 

 of arrival of the various species, the time of their becoming common, 

 and the date at which the first young were noticed. 



From this table it appears thai the Puffins and Petrels arrive in a 

 body, while the other birds straggle along over a period of three or 

 four weeks. 



It was the intention, wind and weather permitting, to have touched 

 at Penguin Islands, off Cape la ilune. as the name indicated the possi- 



