134 
ANIMAL LIFE ON THE 
shelves and squares, and sheltered crannies and nooks. All 
over these, where a pair of birds can find space for planting 
a nest, there they are in countless numbers, nestling or 
standing beside their mates, or feeding their young, while 
thousands are flying and circling in the air overhead, coming 
with their captured prey from near and distant parts of the 
sea, and returning for more. And what a volume of deafen- 
ing sounds commingling in hideoTis clamour ! But in the 
midst of the confused din the voice of each species of bird 
can be distinctly noted — from the shrill squeak of the gull 
to the hoarse croak of the puflin — while most conspicuous 
of all is the speaking voice of the kitiwake, crying out its 
own name in as many syllables, and repeating it time after 
time. Turning away from the scene, our ears are still 
followed with the curious medley of sound, and more than 
once we are brought to a stand, and compelled to look 
back to discover the dog that is barking after us, and the 
person who is calling our very name. 
Looking at the great mass of fallen rock between us 
and the sea, then gazing up on the overhanging, toppling- 
like crags above us, from whence these masses came, we are 
inspired with an uncomfortable feeling of insecurity. They 
have fallen before, and others will fall again, but our silent 
prayer is, may we view the fall thereof at a respectable 
distance. Continuing our course, we pass two caves of 
considerable dimensions. The first is called MacMalFs 
Cave, after a famous smuggler of that name, who is said to 
have used it as a hiding-place for his contrabrand goods. 
It runs into the rock a distance of 113 feet. The next, a 
little further round, is named the Mermaid's Cave, extend- 
ing to its innermost recess a distance of 142 feet, while 
its height, in the middle, is 36 feet. 
Eound the rough, stony path we plod our perilous way. 
