92 WITH NATURE AND A CAMERA. 



men fastened at either end of a rope ascend the 

 rocks, and on all-fours crawl along the ledge where 

 the geese are resting. The latter have always a 

 sentinel posted, who, if he thinks all is well, cries, 

 ' Gorrok ! Gorrok ! J on hearing which the fowlers 

 advance ; but if the sentinel cries ' Beero ! ' the men 

 remain motionless with their bonnets drawn over 

 their brows, and their faces on the rock. If the 

 sentinel fancies it was a false alarm, and again 

 cries i Gorrok ! ' the first fowler progresses until he 

 is near enough to grasp the sentinel and twist his 

 powerful neck. The sentinel gone, the whole flock 

 falls into a state of panic and bewilderment, and 

 crowd upon the man on all sides. He has nothing 

 to do but despatch them. But it sometimes happens 

 that the whole troop take flight with a ' Beero ! 

 harro ! boo ! ' when the men have to crawl back 

 without any game for that night." 



On returning from their winter quarters the birds 

 are allowed to get thoroughly settled down on 

 their usual roosting rocks, when a dark calm night 

 is chosen for raiding them. 



If the sentinel gives the alarm, and the birds 

 fly off, they sometimes assail their would-be captors 

 in departing, and the men have to look out for 

 the safety of their eyes. Caps and mufflers are 

 occasionally carried off by the angry Gannets. 



During our stay Willie Macdonald caught an 

 old male bird whilst he sat asleep on Borrera in 

 broad daylight. The young Gannets are killed in 

 September. 



Guillemots are also caught at night, but in a 

 totally different manner. About three weeks after 

 the birds have returned to their breeding quarters 

 on the rocks they are suddenly driven away from 

 a number of favourite ledges late one evening, and 



