312 Life of Audubon, 



but without the party being able to cHmb the rock. 



" The top of the main rock is a quarter of a mile wide 

 from north to south, and a little narrower from east to 

 west ; its elevation above the sea is between three and 

 four hundred feet. The sea dashes around it with great 

 violence : except in long calms it is extremely difficult to 

 land on it, and much more difficult to climb to its plat- 

 form. The whole surface was perfectly covered with 

 nests, about two feet apart, in rows as regular as a potato 

 field. The fishermen kill these birds and use their flesh 

 for bait for cod-fish. The crews of several vessels unite, 

 and, armed with clubs, as they reach the top of the rock 

 the birds rise with a noise like thunder, and attempt to fly 

 in such hurried confusion as to knock each other down, 

 often piling one on another in a bank of many feet thick- 

 ness. The men beat and kill them until they have ob- 

 tained a supply, or wearied themselves. Six men in this 

 way have killed five or six hundred in one hour. The 

 birds are skinned and cut into junks, and the bait keeps 

 good for a fortnight. Forty sail of fishermen annually 

 supply themselves with bait from this rock in this way. 

 By the twentieth of May the birds lay their eggs, and 

 hatch about the twentieth of June. 



" June 17. The wind is blowing a gale, and nearly 

 all my party is deadly sick. Thermometer 43°, and rain- 

 ing nearly all day. We laid to all night, and in the morn- 

 ing were in sight of Anticosti Island, distant about twenty 

 miles. It soon became thick, and we lost sight of it. 



" Jime 1 8. The weather is calm, beautiful, and much 

 warmer. We caught many cod-fish, which contained 

 crabs of a curious structure. At six p. im. the wind 

 sprung up fair, and we made all sail for Labrador. 



^^ June I9. I was on deck at three o'clock a. m., and 

 although the sun was not above the horizon it was quite 

 light. The sea was literally covered with foolish guille- 



