34 Tue ORNITHOLOGIsTS’ AND OOoLocists’ SEMI-ANNUAL. 
a pulley attached to the top, and over this pulley a rope runs which , 
is fastened to a pair of strong leather knee breeches. The climber 
gets into the breeches ; fastens them around his waist by means of 
straps; puts on an old plug hat padded with handkerchiefs to prevent 
falling stones from hurting his head ; slings over his shoulder two bags 
(one of the bags has a small pocket for the more delicate and rare 
eggs) and is ready for the descent. 
When all is ready the climber proceeds to and over the edge of 
the cliff, and steadily disappears from view. The climber always 
faces the cliff whether ascending or descending. The man nearest 
the pulley has a broad leather belt round his waist, and he lets the 
rope go once around his body, the men behind lowering away gently. _ 
This goes on for a few minutes till a signal from the hand rope de- 
notes that they are to stop lowering, meaning that the climber has 
got to a ledge which contains eggs. 
The ledges vary from four inches to one foot in width. When the 
climber reaches one of these ledges which contain eggs, he com- 
mences filling his bags with eggs. 
_ The birds leave their nests and eggs on the cine s Bees, 
screeching all the time and flying around. The Puffin is the only 
bird who stays in:his hole, and the climber has to seize him and drag 
him out before he can secure the single egg, and he often gets his 
finger bitten, for the Puffin has a powerful beak and from this fact it 
is called Sea Parrot in this district... 
The climber has been down over twenty minutes, when he signals 
to be drawn up and in a few minutes his head appears above the edge 
of the cliff and he is soon on #rra firma‘again. Heat once empties 
his bags, and has: secured over fifty eggs, chiefly Razorbills, Guille- 
mots and Puffins. Some of the eggs are very fine specimens and we: 
select a few for which we have to pay from four to six cents each. 
The better marked eggs are sorted out and the ordinary ones are.put' 
in a separate basket and are afterwards sent to Bridlington where they 
are sold to be eaten. I have found them very good eating. 
The climbers now move farther on and having fixed their ropes 
and bars, another man goes down, causing many Kittiwake Gulls to’ 
fly away screaming loudly. He ‘soon reaches their nests, which 
are made of seaweed, built in a ledge of the cliff, and contain two 
or three eggs each, which vary considerably. After a while hé is 
drawn up and as his head appears above the edge of the cliff, he calls 
