28 



YEARBOOK, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE 



[Vol. II. 



owing to the great amount of guano deposited on them. They all 

 slope at a considerable angle, making it unsafe to go on them except 

 with calked shoes. The safest way, however, is to keep the rope at- 

 tached to the harness, but that limits the operations. 



Some of the more nervous of the birds would scamper off at the 

 first sight of a man being lowered — they seemed unable to fly from 

 their nests, but made mad, awkward rushes through the mass of other 



Fig. 16. — One of the numerous Gannet nesting ledges. Bonaventure Island. 



brooding Gannets, all of which fought them as they passed through 

 and then fought among themselves, having a regular family quarrel 

 after the fleeing bird had passed. Upon reaching the edge of the 

 ledge, the stampeding Gannets would slide down the sloping rocks with 

 wings spread, taking ofif with a graceful downward curve. On the 

 other hand, many of the birds refused to move, and it was necessary 

 to have a stick to ward ofif the thrusts of their strong beaks. Often 

 adults refused to leave their nests, so that close-ups, such as that 

 shown in figures 17 and 18, were easy, to say nothing of studies of 

 young, such as the one shown in figure 19. 



We had little use for firearms, most of the Gannets being caught 



