328 THE OCEAN. 
so much the more general among these innumerable 
regions of birds, as we principally disturbed the 
females which were then sitting. They had nests, 
eggs, and young to defend. They were like furious 
harpies let loose against us, and their cries ren- 
dered us almost deaf. They often flew so near us, 
that they flapped their wings in our faces, and 
though we fired our pieces repeatedly, we were not 
able to frighten them: it seemed almost impossible 
to disperse this cloud.” 
