North Atlantic.
Ocean voyage.
Montreal to Liverpool.
1911.
June 24 
to 
Jul 1.
(No 7)

Birds seen at sea off west coast of Ireland.
Murres far out from land.
Fulmars.
Little Black-headed Gulls
Gannet.
Puffinus major

  June 30 [June 30, 1911]. When I came on deck at 8.30 A.M. the first birds I
saw were two Murres. Coming from the westward they flew past me
within twenty yards and just on a level with my head. Just after passing
me they sheered off and alighted on the water some sixty yards away
settling on its surface very quietly and gracefully at the last with wide spread
tails and feet. Happening to glance sternward a minute or two later I
saw that a half dozen or more Fulmars were following close over the
wake of our steamer, now coming up almost to her stern, next wheeling
off to one side to fall behind and then coming on again in
swift pursuit with nervous quivering wing beats. They increased in
numbers through the day until by 5.30 when I saw the last there
were at least 12 or 15 of them. When I came up again at 7 P.M.,
after dining, I was surprised to find that they had been replaced
during the interim by about an equal number of Lesser Black head
Gulls. Besides the birds above named I saw during the forenoon a
Gannet and 5 Greater Shearwaters. All the while we were approaching
the north end of Ireland but no land or light was sighted before I
went to bed at 1 A.M. when the north west sky showed white with coming dawn