THE SHORES OF BRITAIN. 107 
were not made obtuse by necessity. The Gannets 
and Guillemots dwell in countless myriads on these 
naked rocks, laying their eggs and rearing their 
progeny wherever the surface presents a ledge suf- 
ficiently broad to hold them. ‘Their immense 
numbers render them an object of importance to 
the inhabitants of these barren islands, who derive 
from them, either in a fresh state or salted and dried, 
a considerable portion of their sustenance, 
In some other situations the fowlers have recourse 
to a still more hazardous mode of procedure. The 
cliffs are sometimes twelve hundred feet in height, 
and fearfully overhanging. If it is determined to 
proceed from above, the adventurer prepares a rope, 
made either of straw or of hog’s bristles, because 
these materials are less liable to be cut through by 
the sharp edge of the rock. Having fastened the 
end of the rope round his body, he is lowered down 
by a few comrades at the top to the depth of five or 
six ‘hundred feet. He carries a large bag affixed to 
his waist, and a pole in his hand, and wears on his 
head a thick cap, as a protection against the frag- 
ments of rock which the friction of the rope per- 
petually loosens; large masses, however, occasionally 
fall and dash him to pieces. 
Having arrived at the region of birds, he pro- 
ceeds with the utmost coolness and address; plac- 
ing his feet against a ledge, he will occasionally 
dart many fathoms into the air, to obtain a better 
view of the crannies ih which the birds are nest- 
ling, take in all the details at a glance, and again 
shoot into their haunts. He takes only the eggs 
