134 ^vc\^ 071 the Bird Rocks of the Gulf of St. La-wrcncc. [April 



That it ever compared in extent with the Bird Rock colonies 

 seems to me extremely doubtful, although Dr. Bryant has so 

 stated. At Bonaventure some of the ledges are accessible to a 

 good climber, while many others may be reached by the aid of 

 ropes, so that by the continued pillaging of their nests the Gan- 

 nets have greatly decreased in number. 



A few Gannets still linger at Perroquet Island, of the Mingan 

 group, in spite of the fact that Dr. Bryant predicted twenty-seven 

 years ago that it would soon be deserted. In 1881 Mr. Brewster 

 speaks of having seen several hundred birds, but in 1887 Capt. 

 Collins found but a dozen or fifteen sitting by their empty nests. 

 The Indians regularly make a clean sweep of this island, and it 

 seems wonderful that a single Gannet should still exist here. 



It was my fortune to visit the Bird Rocks on the 9th of July 

 in company with Capt. J. W. Collins and Mr. William Palmer, 

 our object being that of everyone who lands there, to kill birds 

 and gather eggs. 



We were favored with an unusually light wind and calm sea, 

 and with a little precaution succeeded in beaching our boat on 

 the shelving ledge on the southerly side of the Little Rock, with 

 no farther accident than that of shipping a bucketful or so of 

 water. 



We found that we had been preceded by a party of three 

 fishermen, who had killed a few Murres and Razorbills in order 

 to make a little change in their daily bill of fare, stewed Murre 

 being a dish by no means to be despised. Scores of Gannets 

 were seated on the top of the islet or wheeling anxiously over- 

 head, but a careful search revealed the fact that not an egg or 

 nestling of this bird was to be found. Neither did there appear 

 at first sight to be either ^^'g or young of the Murre or Razorbill 

 in any spot accessible to man, although by dint of much peering 

 under ledges and peeping among the masses of fiillen rock a few 

 of each were brought to light. Some of these little nestlings 

 were found in crevices of the rocks scarcely above the level of 

 the tide, and had it not been for their faint but continuous peep- 

 ing, their presence would have been quite unsuspected. 



On the northern side, under the overhanging clifls, a small 

 number of Murres, Razorbills, and Puffins had their nesting 

 places on the inaccessible ledges, and on the perpendicular walls 

 of the southern side a few Kittiwakes had literally reared their 

 young. 



