146 NATHANIEL SOUTHGATE SHALER 



vening beds of shale, which had retreated under the action of 

 frost and rain. These shales made an admirable place for birds 

 to nest, and there they were by myriads, the din of their cries 

 and the vast sense of wingedness which seemed to be in the air 

 making another world of it all. 



After rowing about the island to take in the scene, we landed. 

 Two of my companions set to work with their guns, while I un- 

 dertook to scale the cliffs and gather eggs, easily mounting from 

 shelf to shelf, admiring the vast congregation of sedate, bright- 

 eyed mothers perched in every place of vantage. I gained a 

 broad ledge, favored by the large gannets, whose eggs I wanted. 

 It was a rather clay-covered slope, wet with the rain that had 

 just fallen. As I advanced, the gannets would rise unwillingly 

 and whirl about me, screaming their rage as I gathered their 

 eggs in my basket. When I had made a good collection, my feet 

 slipped, and in an instant I was down on my back and gliding 

 towards the edge of the cliff. Neither heels nor fingers could be 

 planted deep enough to stop me, so I had to turn to clutch my 

 fisherman's knife. This brought me up, with nothing to spare 

 in the way of manoeuvring ground. Motion arrested, I managed 

 to dig the heels in, and then to cut places for hands so as slowly 

 to work to a place of safety. It must have been nigh half an hour 

 before I was well out of the fix. After the first moment, the 

 danger of going over the precipice was by, but there was an- 

 other nearly as serious from the attacks of the gannets. These 

 creatures seemed to recognize my helplessness, as they showed 

 by their vigorous attacks on me. I was several times struck by 

 their bills, fortunately not in the face, which I managed to pro- 

 tect by my knife, with which I struck several birds which came 

 at that part of me. At the end of the fight, I had had enough of 

 bird-nesting, which I have always looked upon as a mean busi- 

 ness. The gunners had a plenty of birds and a great lot of eggs 

 of the sea-pigeon; they had shot a large male gannet, which 

 seemed dead when thrown into the boat, but revived as we rowed 

 toward our ship, and was disposed to have vengeance for his 



