GANNETS ON THE COAST OF CANADA 293 

 " L'isle des Ouaiseaulx [Oiseaux].* 



" II y en avoit d'aultre plus grans, qui sont blans, qui 

 se mettent a part des aultres en vne partie de l'isle. qui sont 

 fort mauuaiz a assallir ; car ilz mordent comme ehiens et 

 sont nommez Margaulx,'''' etc. 



Translation after Hakluyt. 



"Upon the 21 of May [1534] ... we came to the 

 Island of Birds, which was environed about with a banke of 

 ice, but broken and crackt : notwithstanding the sayd 

 banke, our two boats went thither to take in some birds, 

 whereof there is such plenty, that unlesse a man did see 

 them, he would thinke it an incredible thing : for albeit the 

 Island (which containeth about a league in circuit) be so full 

 of them, that they seeme to have bene brought thither, and 

 sowed for the nonce, yet are there an hundred f olde as many 

 hovering about it as within ; some of the which are as big as 

 jayes, black and white, with beaks like unto crowes : they 

 lie always upon the sea ; they cannot flie very high, because 

 their wings are so Uttle, and no bigger than halfe ones hand, 

 yet do they flie as swiftly as any birds of the aire levell to 

 the water ; they are also exceeding fat ; we named them 

 Aporath.-f . . . 



* I have not quoted the whole passage in the French. 

 I Probably the Razorbill {Alca torda, L.). 



