206 A HISTORY OF 



when he is in these holes, he maketh himself loose of the rope 

 which he fastens to a crag of the rock, that it may not slip from him 

 to the outside of the cliff. He then goes about in the rock, taking 

 the fowl either with his hands or the fowling-staff. Thus, when he 

 hath killed as many birds as he thinks fit, he ties them in a bundle, 

 arid fastens them to a little rope, giving a sign, by pulling, that they 

 should draw them up. When he has wrought thus the whole day, 

 and desires to get up again, he sitteth once more upon the great rope, 

 giving a new sign that they should pull him up ; or else he worketh 

 himself up, climbing along the rope, with his girdle full of birds. 

 It is also usual, where there are not folks enough to hold the great 

 rope, for the fowler to drive a post sloping into the earth, and to make 

 a rope fast thereto, by which he lets himself down without any 

 body's help, to work in the manner aforesaid. Some rocks are so 

 formed that the person can go into their cavities by land. 



" These manners are more terrible and dangerous to see than to 

 describe ; especially if one considers the steepness and height of 

 the rocks, it seeming impossible for a man to approach them, much 

 less to climb or descend. In some places, the fowlers are seen 

 climbing where they can only fasten the ends of their toes and fin- 

 gers ; not shunning such places, though there be a hundred fathom 

 between them and the sea. It is a dear meat for these poor people, 

 for which they must venture their lives ; and many, after long ven- 

 turing, do at last perish therein. 



" When the fowl is brought home, a part thereof is eaten fresh ; 

 another part, when there is much taken, being hung up for winter 

 provision. The feathers are gathered to make merchandize of, for 

 other expenses. The inhabitants get a great many of these fowls, as 

 God giveth his blessing and fit weather. When it is dark and hazy 

 they take most ; for then the birds stay in the rocks : but in clear 

 woather, and hot sun-shine, they seek the sea. When they prepare 

 to depart for the season, they keep themselves most there, sitting on 

 the cliffs towards the sea-side, where people get at them sometimes 

 with boats, and take them with fowling-staves." 



Such is the account of this historian ; but we are not to suppose 

 that all the birds caught in this manner are of the gull kind : on the 

 contrary, numbers of them are of the penguin kind ; auks, puffins, 

 and guillemots. These all come, once a season, to breed in these re- 

 cesses and retire in winter to fish in more southern climates. 



