BIRD ROCK 157 



portion of the flat, projecting shelves. Godwin 

 said, with the coolness of a man who had visited this 

 Rock for ten successive seasons, that what we saw 

 was not snow, but Gaunets. I rubbed my eyes, took 

 my spyglass, and in an instant the strangest picture 

 stood before me. They were birds we saw — a mass 

 of birds of such a size as I never before cast my 

 eyes on. The whole of my party stood astounded 

 and amazed, and all came to the conclusion that 

 such a sight was of itself sufficient to invite any one 

 to come across the gulf to view it at this season. 

 The nearer we appr(^ached the greater our surprise 

 at the enormous number of these birds, all calmly 

 seated on their eggs or newly hatched brood, their 

 heads all turned to windward and toward us. The 

 air above for a hundred yards, and for some dis- 

 tance around the whole Rock, was filled with Gau- 

 nets on the wing, which, from our position, made it 

 appear as if a heavy fall of snow was directly aljove 

 us." (Audubon and his Journals, i, p. ;](J0.) 



From his pilot, Godwin, Audubon secured some 

 information concerning the Gannets that tlien 

 nested on the top of the Rock. He writes : " The 

 whole surface is perfectly covered with nests, placed 

 about two feet apart, in such regular order that you 

 may look through the lines as you would look 

 through those of a planted patch of sweet potatoes 

 or cabbages. The fishermen who kill these birds to 

 get their flesh for codfish bait ascend in parties of 

 six or eight, armed with clubs ; sometimes, indeed, 

 the part)' comprises the crews of several vessels. 

 As they reach the top, the birds, alarmed, rise 

 with a noise like thunder, and fly off in such a 



