302 ■ Life of Audubon, 



previous night, and again the flotilla bounds to the fish 

 ing ground. As there may be not less than loo schoon 

 ers or pick-axes in the harbor, 300 boats resort to the 

 banks each day; and as each boat may procure 2,000 

 cod per diem, when Saturday night comes, about 600,000 

 fishes have been brought to the harbor. This having 

 caused some scarcity on the fishing grounds, and Sunday 

 being somewhat of an idle day, the captain collects the 

 salt ashore, and sets sail for some other convenient har- 

 bor, which he expects to reach before sunset. If the 

 weather be favorable the men get a good deal of rest dur- 

 ing the voyage, and on Monday things go on as before. 

 I must not omit to tell you, reader, that while proceed- 

 ing from one harbor to another the vessel has passed 

 near a rock which is the breeding place of myriads of 

 puffins. She has laid to for an hour or so, while part of 

 the crew have landed and collected a store of eggs, ex- 

 cellent as a substitute for cream, and not less so when 

 hard boiled as food for the fishing grounds. I may as 

 well inform you also how these adventurous fellows dis- 

 tinguish the fresh eggs from the others. They fill up 

 some large tubs with water, throw in a quantity of eggs, 

 and allow them to remain a minute or so, when those 

 which come to the surface are tossed overboard, and 

 even those that manifest any upward tendency share the 

 same treatment. All that remain at bottom, you may de- 

 pend upon it, good reader, are perfectly sound, and not 

 less palatable than any that you have ever eaten, or that 

 your best guinea-fowl has just dropped in your barn- 

 yard j but let us return to the cod-fish. The fish already 

 procured and salted is taken ashore at the new harbor by 

 part of the crew, whom the captain has marked as the 

 worst hands at fishing. There on the bare rocks, or ele- 

 vated scaffolds of considerable extent, the salted cods are 

 laid side by side to dry in the sun. They are turned 



