70 



deafened by the varied and continued cries of at least 

 100,000 birds — Gannets, Cormorants, Shags, Puffins, 

 Razor-Bills, Gulimots, and the various kinds of Gulls, 

 raised their discordant notes at the same moment, and 

 by their numbers formed a canopy over our heads 

 that darkened the air, while their excrement, oc- 

 casioned by the sudden alarm we had put them in, 

 fell in a thick shower on every side. After the con- 

 fusion had somewhat subsided, we proceeded to the 

 west end of the island, and ascending to the summit, 

 found ourselves above the cliffs, where the Gannets 

 were sitting, close to each other, on their eggs. We 

 crept cautiously down amongst them, and so attentive 

 were they to their occupation of sitting, that it was 

 with difficulty they could be forced from their eggs, 

 though at other times they are extremely shy. — - 

 They lay but one egg, which is perfectly white, and 

 in shape and size nearly resembles that of a croco- 

 dile ; it is placed on the bare rock, surrounded by a 

 circle of wet sea-weed, which is constantly replenish- 

 ed by the male as it becomes dry. I had been told, 

 but doubted the fact, that during the time of incu- 

 bation the female holds the egg in her foot : this 

 I found to be the case. 



In a visit I made in the August following, the 

 young were many of them gone ; but still I had an 

 opportunity of examining them in their different 

 ages, previous to their leaving the island. When 

 first produced from the egg, they are black and very 

 ugly ; in a few days they become covered by a 

 resplendent white down ; in about a month after- 

 wards, their first feathers begin to appear ; tliey are 

 black the first year, spotted with white the second, 

 and on the third attain their mature plumage. The 

 specimens in the regular progression, taken at that 

 time, are in the Museum. 



