1 68 WILD WINGS 



a splendid season. A group of half a dozen Gannets stuck 

 devotedly to their nests and allowed us to photograph them 

 as near as we desired. When I pushed at one with my foot 

 to make it change its attitude, it merely raised its head and 

 squawked angrily. Those on the " Pillar," the isolated crag 

 out in the water, remained peacefully on their nests while we 

 photographed them. 



We had about two hours on the Rock, when the keeper 

 fired a bomb for us to return, as the barometer was falling 

 and the wind increasing. After dinner I changed plates again, 

 and three of us were then lowered down in the crate to 

 photograph Kittiwakes and Murres. It gives a somewhat 

 uncanny sensation hanging in mid-air, at times spinning 

 around like a top. But we forget that in gazing at the Kitti- 

 wakes peacefully upon their nests, or launching forth and 

 returning. Usually there were two eggs to a nest, in some 

 cases three, or only one, the latter, probably, in cases where 

 one or more had rolled out. A few nests already contained 

 young. The Murres shrank back bashfully against the wall 

 of rock under our interested gaze and the aiming of cameras. 

 In some cases the birds were but five feet from us, but they 

 had become accustomed to the passage of the crate. 



We had intended to remain upon Bird Rock one more 

 day. But late in the afternoon the keeper told us that the 

 barometer was still falling and that it would undoubtedly 

 storm the next day, and it might be another week before the 

 sea would calm down again. The wind was fair ; and for our 

 good, in order to catch our steamer, he advised us to start 

 back that afternoon. This we decided to do. Before that, 

 I again climbed by a ladder halfway down the cliff at the 

 north end, and crept along the narrow ledge out to the north- 

 west corner, where I exposed my remaining plates upon the 

 splendid array of birds on the ledges spread out before me,. 



