132 L.VCAS on the Bird Rocks of tke Gulf of St. La-cvreiice. [April 



sufficient room to accommodate their larger companions. There 

 is, however, a tendency of birds of a feather to flock together 

 in little groups of a dozen or two, and at a distance the cHfts 

 appear seamed with white, owing to the lines of perching Gan- 

 nets. 



The top of the rock is now entirely deserted by all birds except 

 the little Leach's Petrels, who burrow in security among the 

 fragments of stone that everywhere show through the shallow 

 soil. Like all their kind these little birds stay at home all day 

 in order to indulge in the reprehensible practice of staying out 

 all night. Consequently none were visible at the time of our 

 landing, late in the afternoon, although a few minutes digging 

 unearthed, at the extremity of a single rat-like burrow, four 

 birds and five eggs. 



It is very evident from a little comparison that the interesting 

 colony at the Bird Rocks has become sadly diminished in num- 

 bers. At the time of Cartier's visit, every inch of available 

 space seems to have been occupied by breeding birds, and even 

 so late as the time of Audubon this still appears to have been the 

 case. The Gannets were then largely used for bait by the fisher- 

 men of Byron Island, and it is related how a party of six killed 

 with clubs 640 birds in less than an hour. In 1S60 Dr. Bryant 

 estimated the number of Gannets breeding on top of the Great 

 Rock alone at 50,000 pairs., although this is very likely too high 

 a figure. In 1872, owing to the erection of a lighthouse, the 

 colony on top of the rock had become reduced to 5000, and in 

 1881 Mr. Brewster found that the Gannets had been entirely 

 driven from the summit, although the Little Rock was still 

 thickly populated. He places the total Gannet population of 

 the Rocks at 50,000 which is still an extraordinary and impres- 

 sive number, though much less than the figures of previous 

 observers. 



At the time of Mr. Brewster's visit the Murres were rapidly 

 decreasing in number owing "to the recent introduction of a 

 cannon which is fired every half-hour in foggy weather. At 

 each discharge the frightened Murres fly from the rock in clouds, 

 nearly every sitting bird taking its e^^ into the air between its 

 thighs and dropping it after flying a few yards. This was re- 

 peatedly observed during our visit and more than once a perfect 

 shower of eggs fell into the water around our boat. So serious- 



