INGONISH, BY LAND AND SEA. 45 



men were trying to rescue him alive, while a 

 boy in a boat tossed by waves below shouted 

 advice to them. 



Middle Head, and many a mile of coast north 

 of it, is the home of the raven, or " big crow," 

 as the Ingonish people call him. Close to the 

 smuggler's cove a long, ragged point juts out 

 from the cliffs. At its extremity huge masses 

 of broken rock lie in the wash of the tide. As 

 we passed this point, I saw an uncanny shape 

 squatted upon its outer rock. It was a bird, 

 web-footed, gaunt, black, vulture - headed, yet 

 with a sac, a hideous skinny object, fitted like a 

 pelican's pouch beneath its beak. A native pass- 

 ing said it was a " shag," which meant nothing 

 to me until I found that " shag " and " cormo- 

 rant " were two equally expressive names for 

 this same nightmarish bird of rock and wave. I 

 crept out upon the point, first skulking behind 

 wild rose bushes and goldenrod, and then coast- 

 ing down a sandy slope, out of sight of the spec- 

 tre I was stalking. Gaining the water's edge, I 

 clambered along among huge rocks upon which 

 seaweeds grew and trailed their fingers in the 

 tide, and so came nearer and nearer to the shag. 

 Suddenly I looked up as a huge shadow swept 

 over me, and saw, black and big against the hot 

 sky, a passing bird which watched me with keen 

 eyes. Growing from the rocks which overhung 



