Among the Water-Fowl 



it is a strain upon the nerves to be ever on guard 

 against taking a single careless step and tailing oft^ 

 the cliff. The birds seemed so wonderfully at 

 ease, launching off into space, that, after watching 

 them awhile, it seemed almost natural and proper 

 to follow their example. 



At length, in our tour of investigation, we came 



around to the 

 south - east end 

 ot the island, 

 where the Puf- 

 fins breed. The 

 ground here was 

 rather less grassv, 

 rough, with rock 

 cropping out. 

 Here and there 

 ivere holes in 

 the ground, the 

 entrances to the 

 burrows ot the 

 Puitins, which 

 most otten led 

 in under some flat rock. Groups of Putfins were 

 congregated upon several projecting rocks at the 

 edge oi the cliff, and now and then an incubat- 

 ing bird would scurry out Irom a hole, as we 

 approached, and liy off. Here the cliff was broken 

 into a series ot comparatively broad ledges, which . 

 one could reach successively bv several iron ladders. 

 It did not seem as tormidable as on the other 

 side, and we both made the descent to the lowest 

 ledge, about titteen or twenty feet above the water. 



60 



GAXXET AXD BRUNXICH S MURRES IXCUBATIXG 

 AS SEEN FROM ABOVE 



