310 THE OCEAI^. 



up three in succession in the course of a few minutes. 

 If, after having captured a fish, it is awkwardly 

 placed in the beak, it hesitates not to drop it, secuie 

 of seizing it again in the descent. 



To the immense congregations of aquatic birds, for 

 the purpose of hatching and rearing their young in 

 places congenial to their habits, allusion has already 

 been made ; and the following picture, vividly drawn 

 by the pen of an accomplished naturalist, is probably 

 not overcharged. 



Le Vaillant, on visiting the tomb of a Danish 

 captain at Saldanha Bay, near the Cape of Good 

 Hope, beheld, after wading through the surf, and 

 clambering up the rocks, such a spectacle as lie 

 supposed had never appeared to the eye of mortal. 

 " All of a sudden, there arose from the whole surface 

 of the island an impenetrable cloud, which formed, 

 at the distance of forty feet above our heads, an im- 

 mense canopy, or rather a sky, composed of birds 

 of every species, and of all colours ; — cormorants, 

 sea-gulls, sea-swallows, pelicans, and, I believe, the 

 whole winged tribe of that part of Africa was here 

 assembled. All their voices mingled together, and 

 modified according to their different kinds, formed 

 such a horrid music, that I was every moment obliged 

 to cover my head to give a little relief to my ears. 

 The alarm which we spread was so much the more 

 general among these innumerable legions of birds, as 

 we principally disturbed the females which were then 

 sitting. They had nests, eggs, and young to defend. 

 The}' were like furious harpies let loose against us. 



