Modern Cliff-Dwellers 



Petrels. Arrived May 6 



" Common May 6 



" Began to lay May 29 



Saturday, the 23rd of June, dawned clear and 

 calm. After breakfast we started out on a trip to 

 North Bird Rock, as the sea was smooth, and all 

 conditions favourable. The other men lowered me, 

 in charge of the cameras and various equipments, in 

 the crate, and then climbed down the long ladder. 

 There was a dory up on one of the lower ledges, 

 out of the reach of any ordinary sea. They manage 

 this very nicely by attaching the hoisting apparatus, 

 thus easily swinging it up or down. The Keeper 

 and his son rowed. As we neared the rocks, the 

 Gannets, far wilder than on the main rock where 

 they have become accustomed to the presence of 

 man, began to fly off in clouds, and I took a couple 

 of snapshots, which, owing to the plunging of the 

 boat, were not very successful. The rock is in two 

 parts. The main part, occupying hardly more than 

 an acre of space, begins with a few low ledges, then 

 rises up precipitous about forty feet. The top was 

 covered white with Gannets on their nests, as was 

 the other part, a most interesting formation. This 

 is called the "Pillar," or "Pinnacle," consisting of 

 a perpendicular column of rock rising sheer out of 

 the water some sixty or seventy feet, and, I should 

 think, absolutely unclimbable. 



There is no beach to these rocks, and the sea, 

 comparatively calm as it was, rushed upon the 

 ledges with considerable violence. Awaiting a good 

 chance, we ran our boat on to a flat rock and 

 jumped out. First we both took pictures of the 



73 



