Class II. G A N N E T. 61 



"rocks, innumerable birds of various forts and fixes, 

 " more than the ftars of heaven when viewed in a 

 " ferene night : if from afar you fee the diftant 

 "flocks, either flying to or from the ifland, you would 

 w imagine them to be a vaft fwarm of bees *." 



Nor do the rocks of St. Kilda feem to be lefs fre- 

 quented by thefe birds - 3 for Martin aflures us, that 

 the inhabitants of that fmall ifland confume an- 

 nually no lefs than 22,600 young birds of this 

 fpecies, befldes an amazing quantity of their eggs ; 

 thefe being their principal fupport throughout the 

 year: they preferve both eggs and fowls in fmall 

 pyramidal (lone buildings, covering them with turf 

 afhes, to preferve them from moifture. This is a 

 dear bought food, earned at the hazard of their 

 lives, either by climbing the moft difficult and 



* Eft infula par-va, Scoti Bajfe nominant, baud amplius milk 

 pajjuum circuitu amplitudo ejus clauditur. Hujus infulte fuperfi- 

 cies, menjibus Maio & "Junto nidis onjis pullifque propemodum io- 

 ta inftrata eft, adeo ut <vix, pr<s eorum copia pedem libere ponere 

 liceat : tantaque fuper-volantium turba, ut nubium inftar, folem 

 ccelumque auferant : tantufque <vociferantium clangor & ftrepitus, 

 ut prop} alloquentes <vix audias. Si fubjeStum. mare inde, tan- 

 quam ex edita turri 13 altijjtmo pracipitio defpexeris, idem quo- 

 quo < versum i inftnitis diverforum generum avibus natantibus prte- 

 desque inhiantibus, op er turn <videas. Si circumnavigando immi- 

 nentem clivum fufpicere libuerit ; <videas in jzngulis prcerupti loci 

 crepidinibus & receffibus, avium cujujlibet generis & magnitudi- 

 nis, ordines innumerabiles, plures fane quam noSte, fereno ccelo, 

 ftellce confpiciuntur . Si aduola?ites avolante/que eminus adfpexeris, 

 apunt profeclo ingens examen credas. De generat. Animal. Ex 

 ercit. ii. 



S f 3 narrow 



