TO BIRD ROCK IN AN OPEN BOAT 167 



the northeast, and was beating down the sea. It was moder- 

 ate, and very few birds were flying, nearly all being at their 

 nests. We took the opportunity, after working at various 

 ledges, when the swell had materially lessened, of having 

 a dory lowered by the steam winch from the top and rowing 

 over to North Bird Rock. The sea was breaking upon it quite 

 hard, but we ran the gauntlet, and landed safely on the spit 

 of gravel. Meanwhile the birds were flying off in wild confu- 

 sion, the Gannets from the top and the Kitti wakes from their 

 nests in the niches of the cliff, with some Murres and Razor- 

 bills. We gained the summits of each of the main sections 

 by scrambling up forty feet from ledge to ledge, aiding each 

 other in turn. The first man up, as he raised his head above 

 the summit, found himself face to face with a Gannet, which 

 squawked with terror and launched forth in flight fortun- 

 ately not into his face. The whole flat area of both parts was 

 covered with the rude seaweed nests of the Gannet, each with 

 its dirty-white egg. No one had landed this year to rob them, 

 either here or on the main rock, and the birds were having 



GANNETS NESTING ON THE TOP OF NORTH BIRD ROCK 



