56 



ST. PAUL ROCKS — BIKDS. 



Feb. 



and the sky free from heavy threatening clouds. We had then 

 entered the south-east trade wind, without having had two 

 hours calm. 



St. Paul Rocks, or Penedo de San Pedro, were seen on the 

 horizon at sunset of the 15th. They appeared extremely small, 

 being about eight miles distant ; and had we not been looking 

 out for them, I doubt whether they would have attracted 

 attention. Excepting " Las Hormigas,*" on the coast of Peru, I 

 never saw such mere rocks at so great a distance from any land. 



At daylight next morning, two boats were sent to land 

 upon, and examine them ; while the Beagle sailed round this 

 " sunk mountain top," sounding, and taking angles. Good 

 observations were made during the day, as the sky was clear, 

 and the water smooth. 



When our party had effected a landing through the surf, 

 and had a moment's leisure to look about them, they were 

 astonished at the multitudes of birds which covered the rocks, 

 and absolutely darkened the sky. Mr. Darwin afterwards said, 

 that till then he had never believed the stories of men knock- 

 ing down birds with sticks ; but there they might be kicked, 

 before they would move out of the way. 



The first impulse of our invaders of this bird-covered 

 rock, was to lay about them like schoolboys ; even the geo- 

 logical hammer at last became a missile. " Lend me the ham- 

 mer.?'' asked one. " No, no," replied the owner, " you'll break 

 the handle ;" but hardly had he said so, when, overcome by the 

 novelty of the scene, and the example of those around him, 

 away went the hammer, with all the force of his own right-arm. 



While our party were scrambling over the rock, a deter- 

 mined struggle was going on in the water, between the boats' 

 crews and sharks. Numbers of fine fish, like the groupars (or 

 garoupas) of the Bermuda Islands, bit eagerly at baited hooks 

 put overboard by the men ; but as soon as a fish was caught, 

 a rush of voracious sharks was made^t him, and notwith- 

 standing blows of oars and boat hooks, the ravenous monsters 

 could not be deterred from seizing and taking away more than 

 half the fish that were hooked. 



