THE JOURNEY SOUTHWARD 565 



ample use of it. Almost every day he was up under the 

 rock shooting auks, which formed a daily dish at dinner. 

 In the autumn great stores of them were laid in to last 

 through the winter. At other times Jackson and Blom- 



KITTIWAKE ON HER NEST 



qvist would go up and gather eggs. They dragged a 

 ladder up with them, and by its aid Jackson clambered 

 up the perpendicular cliffs. This egg-hunting among the 

 loose basalt cliffs, where the stones were perpetually slip- 

 ping away from under one, appeared to me such dare- 

 devil work that I was chary in taking part in it. Far be 

 it from me to deny, however, that the eggs made delicious 

 eating, whether we had them soft-boiled for breakfast or 



