116 Thick Clusters of Rotges. 



experienced. At 2 a.m. we came up to where the 

 water was swarming with innumerable rotges : a 

 couple of boats were lowered, and four guns sent 

 away to shoot for the " pot." They returned in 

 less than twenty minutes with between three and 

 four hundred. The little birds were swimming 

 and flying in such thick clusters thai forty -five were 

 killed at one discharge from a gun, and thirty -three 

 at another ! It sounds very much like murder. 



The flesh of these birds is excessively sweet, and 

 they afford a very pleasing contrast at our meals to 

 the continual beef and potatoes. At 11 a.m. we 

 caught a glimpse of Cobourg Island, situated at the 

 entrance to Jones' Sound, and by 3 p.m. were off 

 Cape Horsburgh. 



Occasionally, during intervals between the snow 

 showers, we succeeded in getting a peep at North 

 Devon, so called, I presume, from its extreme dis- 

 similarity to the coast along the north side of our 

 own beautiful county, for it was apparently the 

 very picture of barrenness and desolation, and co- 

 vered with snow. Everywhere snow ! Still skirting 

 along the edge of the middle ice, we arrived at what 

 was considered the northern limit of our fishing- 

 ground, off the entrance to Lancaster Sound. Fires 

 were burned down, and the ship, for the first time 

 since leaving the S.W. fishing, once more put under 

 canvas. 



August is generally regarded as a blank month, 



