COLONY OF CORVORANTS. 
39 
of the boat, our shots were not invariably successful, yet we 
soon managed to cover the greater part of the bottom of the 
boat with the slain. 
The birds, after the first rush, soon diminished in num- 
bers, and in about an hour became so thin as scarcely to 
afford us the chance of a shot ; so we proceeded on our 
way past Sun Corner, and found that between this point 
and the Needles a whole colony of corvorants had esta- 
blished themselves : the old hens were visible by dozens 
sitting upon their nests. Precisely under the spot where 
the corvorants were sitting was a narrow slip of beach. 
On this we landed with great difficulty, as the swell of the 
sea continued very heavy, and the bottom is here very 
bad; and, being almost perpendiculai'ly under the birds, 
we could plainly see then* long necks and stiff still heads 
poked out to seaward : so we spent much time, swan-shot, 
bullets, and excellent powder ; and finding that they did 
not move their heads one inch to the right or left, we got 
into our boat, and floated onward with the tide towards the 
Needles ; resolving, however, to try the effect of shots from 
above, as it was very clear they took no effect from below. 
To accomplish this, we had to pass through the Needles, 
and land in Alum Bay, whence there is a decent foot-path 
up the cliff, and across to the top of that other cliff, on the 
ledges of which the old hen corvorants were so sedately 
planning for the welfare of their futm^e progeny ; in fact, 
where they were reckoning their chickens before they were 
hatched. The water had gone down about three hours, 
and the passage through the Needles was a ticklish affair. 
The gap which we were about to attempt was little wider 
than our boat, and had a constant current running rapidly 
at ebb tide towards Alum Bay. The depth varied as each 
