Oh. II.] THE GANNETS' NESTS. 31 



selves off the ground imtil they had got rid of the superfluous 

 weight in their stomachs. On examining the vomited food, 

 I found it to consist invariably of flying-fish, generally of a 

 large size, and usually but sUghtly digested. There were 

 sometimes six or seven of these fish, in other instances only 

 three or four, and in two or three cases a squid or two inter- 

 mixed with them. But what numbers of flying-fish must 

 exist in the neighbourhood to afford such a daily supply to 

 so large a number of birds ; and yet we did not see a trace of 

 flying-fishes about the island, and might otherwise have 

 supposed there were none. Meanwhile the gannets formed 

 a thick cloud overhead, the noise of whose screams and the 

 rustling of whose wings formed a wild accompaniment of 

 sounds. They flew so close overhead that we could have 

 knocked them down with a stick in any numbers, and I was 

 obliged to wave my gun about as I walked along, in order to 

 keep them from carrying away my hat. By degrees the birds 

 rose higher, and those we had disturbed returned to their 

 nests as soon as we had passed a few yards beyond. 



In the latter part of the afternoon a seining party came 

 from the ship, and the nets being prepared, four casts were 

 made very successfully. A great number of fish were taken 

 and stowed away in the sail-bags, but it was too late and too 

 dark to examine them very closely, and they were distributed 

 amongst the ship's company and dressed for breakfast. 

 Among them were a great many of a large silvery mullet ; 

 no flying-fish, however. In one of these hauls the net was 

 so impeded by the quantity of the reticulated Ulva before 

 mentioned, that it was drawn in with great difficulty. 



It was now dark, and a breeze was springing up. A blue 

 light burnt from the shore was answered by another from 

 the ship, thus distinguishing her position, and having em- 



