Gannets. 311 



the white gannets which resort there. I rubbed my eyes, 

 and took my spy-glass, and instantly the strange picture 

 stood before me. They were indeed birds, and such a 

 mass of birds, and of such a size as I never saw before. 

 The whole of my party were astonished, and all agreed 

 that it was worth a voyage across the Bay of Fundy and 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence to see such a sight. The near- 

 er we approached, the greater was our surprise at the 

 enormous number of these birds, all calmly seated on 

 their eggs, and their heads turned to the windward towards 

 us. The air for a hundred yards above, and for a long 

 distance around, was filled with gannets on the wing, 

 which from our position made the air look as if it was 

 filled with falling snowflakes, and caused a thick, foggy- 

 like atmosphere all around the rock. The wind was too 

 high to allow us to land, but we were so anxious to do so 

 that some of the party made the attempt. The vessel 

 was brought to, and a small whale-boat launched, and 

 young Lincoln and John pushed off with clubs and 

 guns ; the wind increased and rain set in, bift they gain- 

 ed the lee of the rock, but after an hour's absence re- 

 turned without landing. The air was filled with birds, 

 but they did not perceptibly diminish the numbers on the 

 rock. As the vessel drifted nearer the rock, we could see 

 that the birds sat so close as almost to touch one another 

 in regular lines, looking like so many mole-hills. The 

 discharge of a gun had no effect on those which were 

 not touched by the shot, for the noise of the birds stunned 

 all those out of reach of the gun. But where the shot 

 took effect the birds scrambled and flew off in such mul- 

 titudes and such confusion that, whilst eight or ten were 

 falling in the water dead or wounded, others shook 

 down their eggs, which fell into the sea by hundreds in all 

 directions. The sea became rougher, and the boat was 

 compelled to return, bringing some birds and some eggs. 



