Clafs II.] B 1 
££ ference: the fur face is almofl wholly covered 
<£ during the months of May and June with nefts, 
CC an ^ y oun g hmds ; fo that it is fcarcely 
<£ pojfhle to walk without treading on them : and 
££ the flocks of birds in flighty are fo prodigious as 
<£ to darken the air like clouds ; and their noife is 
cc fuch that you cannot without difliculty hear your 
t£ next neighbour's voice. If you look down upon 
<c the fea, from the top of the precipice, you will 
t£ fee it on every fide covered with infinite numbers 
££ of b irds of different kinds, fwimming and hunt- 
tc i n P> f or their prey : if in failing round the ifiand 
t£ you furvey the hanging cliffs,you may fee in every 
<£ cragg or fiffure of the broken rocks, innumerable 
C£ birds G f various forts and fizes, more than the 
t£ ftars of heaven when viewed in a ferene night: 
u if from afar you fee the diftant flocks, either 
“ flying too or from the ifiand, you would imagine 
t£ them to be a vaft fwarm of bees 
Nor do the rocks of St. Kilda feem to be lefs 
frequented by thefe birds ; for Martin allures us, 
that the inhabitants of that fmall ifiand confume 
annually no lefs than 2.2,600 young birds of this 
fpecies, befides an amazing quantity of their eggs ; 
thefe being their principal fupport throughout the 
year; they preferve both eggs and fowl in fmall 
pyramidal ftone 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 mo ft difficult 
and narrow paths, where (to appearance) they can 
barely cling, and that too, at an amazing height 
over a ramno- fea : or elfe being lowered down 
from above, they collect their annual provifion, 
thus hanging in midway air ; placing their w 7 hole 
dependance on the uncertain footing of one per- 
fon who holds the rope, by which they are fuf- 
pended at the top of the precipice. 
The Garnets are birds of paflage. Their firft 
appearance in thole lflands is in ]\darch ; their 
R D S. i6t 
continuance there till Augufl or September , accord¬ 
ing as the inhabitants take or leave their firft egg; 
but in general the time of breeding,and that of their 
departure feems to coincide with the arrival of the 
herring, and the migration of that fifh (which is 
their principal food) out of thofe feas. It is pro¬ 
bable that thefe birds attend the herring and pil¬ 
chard during their whole circuit round the Britifh 
iflands; the appearance of the former being al¬ 
ways efteemed by the fifhermen as a fure prefage 
of the approach of the latter. 
They are well known on moft of our coafts; but 
hot by the name of the SolandGoofe. In Cornwal 
and in Ireland they are called Gannets ; by the 
IVelfh Gan. The excellent Mr. Ray fuppofed the 
Cornifh Gannet to be a fpecies of large Gull; a 
very excufable miftake, for during his fix months 
refidence in Cornwal, he never had an opportunity 
of feeing that bird, except flying; and in the air 
it has the appearance of a Gull. Mr. Moyle firft 
dete&ed the miftake; *and this year the Rev. Mr. 
Rorlafe, by prefenting us with a fine fpecimen of 
this bird, confirms the opinion of Mr. Moyle ; at 
the fame time he favoured us with fo accurate an 
account of fome part of the natural hiftory of this 
bird, that we fhall ufe the liberty he indulged us 
with, of adding it to this defcription. 
££ The Gannet comes on the coafts of Cornwal 
u in the latter end of fummer, or beginning of 
<£ autumn ; hovering over the flioals of pilchards 
u that come down to us through St. George's 
cc channel from the northern feas. The Gannet 
£< feldom comes near the land, but is conftant to 
<£ its prey, a fure fign to the fifhermen that the 
<£ pilchards are on the coafts ; and when the pil- 
<£ chards retire, generally about the end of No- 
££ vember , the Gannets are feen no more. The 
££ bird now fent was killed at Chandour near 
<£ Mountfbay. Sept. 30, 1762,after a long ftruggle 
<£ with a water-fpaniel, aflifted by the boatmen ; 
££ for it was ftrong and pugnacious. The perfon 
R r u who 
* De generate animal, exercit. II. 
Moyle's Works t I, 424. 
