COLONY OF CORVORANTS. 39 



of the boat, our shots were not invariably successful, yet we 

 soon managed to cover the greater part of the bottom of the 

 boat with the slain. 



The birds, after the first rush, soon diminished in num- 

 bers, and in about an hour became so thin as scarcely to 

 afford us the chance of a shot ; so we proceeded on our 

 way past Sun Comer, and found that between this point 

 and the Needles a whole colony of corvorants had esta- 

 blished themselves : the old hens were visible by dozens 

 sitting upon their nests. Precisely under the spot where 

 the corvorants were sitting was a narrow slip of beach. 

 On this we landed with great difficulty, as the swell of the 

 sea continued very heavy, and the bottom is here very 

 bad; and, being almost perpendicularly under the birds, 

 we could plainly see their long necks and stiff still heads 

 poked out to seaward : so we spent much time, swan-shot, 

 bullets, and excellent powder ; and finding that they did 

 not move their heads one inch to the right or left, we got 

 into oui' boat, and floated onward with the tide towards the 

 Needles ; resolving, however, to try the effect of shots from 

 above, as it was very clear they took no effect from below. 

 To accomplish this, we had to pass through the Needles, 

 and land in Alum Bay, whence there is a decent foot-path 

 up the cliff, and across to the top of that other cliff, on the 

 ledges of which the old hen corvorants were so sedately 

 planning for the welfare of their future progeny ; in fact, 

 where they were reckoning their chickens before they were 

 hatched. The water had gone down about three hours, 

 and the passage through the Needles was a ticklish affair. 

 The gap which we were about to attempt was little wider 

 than our boat, and had a constant current running rapidly 

 at ebb tide towards Alum Bay. The depth varied as each 



