in the Summer of 1828. 325 
sembling a cone split or divided from its very summit to the 
sea; and, as viewed from the sea in a boat, strikes the imagin- 
ation as the brickwork of a gigantic fortress, being in itself 
perfectly mural, with scarcely a broken chasm or rent observ- 
able, so regular and so beautiful is this bulwark of nature ; 
the strata of which are uniformly of a reddish cast. This face 
is estimated to be about 1500 ft. above the level of the sea, 
and is resorted to by innumerable hosts of aquatic birds, the 
kittiwake (Zarus Rissa L.) and guillemot (Colymbus Troille L.) 
occupying the lowest part; above them, the herring gull 
(Larus fascus Z.) and a few of the black-backed gull (Zarus 
marinus Z.) ; and, higher still, the Mank’s puffin (Pr ocellaria 
Puffinus L.), stormy petrel (Procellaria pelagica Z.), and 
common puffin (4’lca arctica LZ.) ; the whole forming a scene 
truly delightful to the eye of the ornithologist. 
As the” stormy petrel is scarcely ever to be seen near the 
land, except in very boisterous weather, one of the natives, 
for a trifling remuneration, agreed to traverse the face of this 
rock, and take me some from out its fissures. Accordingly, 
accoutred with a rope of hemp and hogs’ bristles, coiled over 
his shoulders, he proceeded to the cliff, having made one end 
fast by means of a stake, he threw the coil over the face of the 
rock, and gradually lowered himself down, but with the ut- 
most caution and circumspection, carefully pressing his foot 
hard upon the narrow ridges before he at all loosened his firm 
grasp of the rope, which he never altogether abandoned. I 
had previously thrown myself upon my chest, to enable me to 
have a better view of him, by looking over the cliff; and, cer- 
tainly, to see the dexterity and bravery with which he threw 
himself from one aperture to another was truly grand. The 
tumbling roar of the Atlantig was foaming many hundreds of 
feet beneath, and dashing its curling cream-like surge against 
the dark base of the cliff, in sheets of the most “beautiful 
white ; while the herring and black-backed gulls, alternately 
sweeping past him so as to be almost in reach of his arm, 
threw a wildness into the scene by the discordant scream of 
the former, and the laughing oft-repeated bark of the latter. 
This, however, he appeared entirely to disregard ; and, con- 
tinuing his search, returned in about half an hour with seven 
or eight of the stormy petrel, tied up in an old stocking ; and 
a pair of the Manks puffins, together with their eggs. The 
aa he told me, he had no difficulty in capturing. The 
ges of the stormy petrel are surprisingly large, considering 
fhe diminutive size of the bird, being as large as those of the 
thrush. The female lays two eggs, ‘of a dirty or dingy white, 
encircled at the larger end by. a ring of fine rust-coloured 
