Aug. 



1890.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



121 



the end of the rope. He would climb up 

 twenty or thirty feet, then haul up the rope 

 to him, and so on until lie reached the top. 

 When lialf way up he fonnd that his gun was 

 too lieavy for liim and only endangered his life, 

 so he lowered it down by means of a rope, and 

 in its place took a club to ward off any attack 

 of tlie birds. One i^lace he passed over was 

 very dangerous. He could get no secure foot- 

 ing at all, but he found it was safer for him to 

 go ahead than to come back. Eacli of his feet 

 were resting on loose rocks, which were ready 

 to fall, and the same may be said of his hands. 



With death staling him in tlie face, he was 

 quite cool and collected, talking with the men 

 below. He is a man of splendid nerve power. 

 CJarefully making place for liis liands and feet, 

 by pulling away the moss and scraping away 

 the loose stones in the crevices, he made his 

 way up until he reached the top, which he 

 accomplished in one hour from the start. I 

 may state with truth that there are millions 

 of birds there. It was well worth looking at 

 to see their surprise and confusion when they 

 saw liim — craning their necks and flapping 

 their wings. With his club he could kill as 

 many as he cared to. They would not get out 

 of liis way. At one time they rose in a cloud 

 so thick that he was nearly knocked off the 

 top, some of them coming so close as to strike 

 liis head with tlieir wings. He only held his 

 ground by stooping and using his club. To 

 get the birds and eggs (of which he found 

 thousands) down, he used the rope which he 

 took u}) with him — the men hauling from 

 below. 



Close beside this island, and running out 

 towards it, is a jjoint of land about 10 feet 

 liigher than the top, about 100 feet distant, 

 and about 20 feet wide on top. Mr. Thos. 

 Cornick of the liglithouse department, who is 

 there doing some repairs to the lighthouse 

 tower, and who was standing and watching 

 the a.scent, suggested that, instead of lowering 

 the basket down the clilY, it might l)e brought 

 across tlie chasm between the point and the 

 island by means of a fishing line thrown from 

 this point to it. This was done, and as many 

 birds as were wanted were hauled across in 

 tliis way. Quite a number of live young birds 

 were sent over by tying them on a string by 

 the legs. Having got all that he wanted, the 

 greatest task was yet to be accomplished — 

 that of descending — the danger being tliat 

 the loose rocks would tumble down and kill 

 liim as he went, which he intended doing by 

 means of tlie rope which he took up, but in 



another spot, as where he ascended was too 

 dangerous a place to descend. Mr. Cornick 

 thought that instead of going down he might 

 be brought across from the top by means of 

 ropes, if Mr. Cahoon felt willing to trust him 

 to do so. He being perfectly satisfied to come 

 that way, a small rope was passed across (by 

 means of the fishing, line before spoken of) to 

 make a strap to go around a rock on the 

 island, and also some canvas to " serve " the 

 places where the straj) touched the rock. 

 Having got his ropes, which he was using at 

 the tower, and which were quite new and 

 perfectly safe, the end of one tackle-fall was 

 sent across and passed through a block (which 

 was made fast to the strap around the rock) 

 and tlien brought across again and knotted 

 together. Another strap was sent to him to 

 go around his body, so that he could fasten 

 himself to one part. All being in readiness, 

 he was asked if he thought everything was 

 safe. Expressing himself satisfied, the fisher- 

 men were arranged so that some could slack 

 out on one part and some haul across on the 

 other, W^hen he started to come he took hold 

 of the part that was running from him to 

 guide himself. When half way across, fear- 

 ing he might become exhausted before reaching 

 the other side, he shouted to the men on the 

 cliff to hold firm the vope, and loosening his 

 hokl he dropped a distance of 20 feet, the rope 

 around his body checking his fall and saving 

 him from instant death on the rocks 300 feet 

 below. He was then quickly drawn on to the 

 cliff, and was at once surrounded by a crowd 

 of sympathetic friends and fishermen, who 

 lustily cheered and shook hands, knowing 

 that it had indeed been a narrow escape for 

 the daring young ornithologist. — [St. John's 

 Evening Telegram^ July, 1889. 



Wanderings, No. 8. 



Again has come the unrelenting command 

 of "ye editor-in-chief," " Coi^y for the printer 

 to-morrow morning, and not too scientific 

 either." And although my brain is filled 

 from "morn till dewy eve" with Latin names 

 and scientific corresi)ondence I must throw 

 them aside and rack my thinking machine for 

 something "interesting." 



So now, as I sit here in my easy chair, with 

 tro])liies of many wanderings bedecking floor 

 nnd wall, my eyes are attracted by a beautiful 

 set of antlers of the Woodland Caribou, pre- 

 sented me during a trip to the province of 



