CHAP. XI.] Excursion to Gamrie. 208 
duff, and took the path which leads along the cliffs, hoping 
thereby to meet with something rare or strange in the or- 
nithological world, and worthy of my shot. In this way I 
had nearly reached the highest point of Gamrie Head with- 
out meeting with any thing but the common tenants of 
these rocky braes, when my attention was attracted by the 
screaming of a number of birds at the bottom of the cliff. 
On looking over, I observed that they consisted of several 
hooded and carrion crows, together with two ravens, two 
Iceland gulls (Zaurus Icelandicus), and a number of other 
dark-colored gulls, apparently immature specimens of the 
great black-backed species, one of which, in perfect plum- 
age, was standing and picking at an object floating in the 
water close to the rock, and about which all the other 
birds were screaming. It appeared to me, and it afterward 
proved to be the case, that they were making food of the 
object about which they were fighting; but the black-back- 
ed bird kept them all at bay, allowing none to approach, 
not even the ravens themselves. 
“ Having feasted my eyes for a while on the Icelanders, 
the thought struck me that I would descend the cliff in 
order to procure one of them, if possible, and also to get 
a nearer view of the object which had drawn the various 
birds together. Accordingly, observing a narrow track 
near me, I commenced my descent, but I had only pro- 
ceeded a short distance when I found myself on the brink 
of a precipice. I was about to return, when, accidentally 
looking over, I observed a portion of the rock jutting out 
a little beyond the one on which I stood, and about four 
feet and a half below it. I now concluded that, if I could 
gain this rock, I would still find the path to enable me to 
continue downward. With these hopes, and having laid 
down my gun, I swung myself down upon the rock. I 
had no sooner done so than I heard a low growl, as if pro- 
ceeding from a rabid dog; and on looking along the rock, 
I was a good deal surprised at seeing two foxes standing in 
