A Trip to the Farallones. 



inconsistency, for they are inveterate 

 plunderers themselves. As the eggers 

 go about the rocks, starting all the 

 birds from their nests, the gulls follow 

 closely in their train, breaking every 

 cormorant's tgg which they chance 

 upon, and devouring the contents. 

 They even manage to crack the tough 

 shell of the murre's eggs if any happen 

 to escape the vigilance of the eggers. 



Continuing our scramble up the 

 rocks we presently reached the summit 

 of the west end, where a scene never to 

 be forgotten lay before us. We were 

 upon the very edge of a precipice with 

 a sheer drop of several hundred feet 

 to the sea below. Far beneath, the 

 angry surf was foaming and thundering, 

 while away off was the unbroken hori- 

 zon line of the ocean, misty and vast, 

 distinguished with uncertainty from the 

 gray-blue sky. All about the rocky 

 ledges were vast crowds of murres, 

 huddled upon the narrow rims of the 

 cliff wall. It was a scene of indescrib- 



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