250 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke on Birds 



Indeed, the rock-scenery on the west coast is wild and 

 romantic in the extreme. 



Off and close to Ushant lie many hundreds of islets and 

 rocks, only a few of which are of considerable size, but none 

 of them appear to be tenanted during the breeding-season 

 by Gulls, Terns, or other marine species. On the large 

 island of Balance, which lies some five miles S.E. of 

 Ushant, many '' Hirondelles de mer,'^ " Perroquets de 

 mer,^^ " Goelands,^' &c. rear their young — at least so we 

 were informed, though we certainly never saw a Puffin in 

 the region. 



The island has the surprisingly large population of over 

 two thousand inhabitants. All the men are engaged in the 

 lobster-fishery and appeared to be well-to-do; for a rich 

 and practically inexhaustible harvest of these crustaceans 

 lies among the vast submerged reefs and the rocky sea- 

 bottom, which extend for miles around Ushant. 



There are two lighthouses on the island, namely the 

 Phare du Stif in the north-east, and the Pliare de Creach in 

 the south-west. The latter has long been lighted with elec- 

 tricity, and throws out powerful and rapidly revolving beams 

 which can be seen many miles off. 



At Ushant we had hoped to remain for several weeks, but 

 we had barely been six days on the island when an immigrant 

 in blue and white arrived ; to wit, a sergeant of gendarmes 

 (there are no police on the island) . He incessantly dogged 

 our footsteps at close quarters during our rambles, while 

 our place of abode was under his surveillance early and late; 

 and although we were not disposed at first to take any 

 notice of his presence, the espionage at length became so 

 intolerable that we reported the matter to the British 

 Consul at Brest, and requested him to protest to the French 

 authorities against the vexatious treatment to which we were 

 being subjected. This the Consul most obligingly did, but 

 his efforts were unavailing, for the authorities informed the 

 Consul that the gendarme had been sent to watch us by 

 instructions from Paris. 



By the advice of the Consul, in order to escape from more 



