The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-30
FARCE ISLAND BIRD CATCHERS
MN THEY GATHER 4 LIVING
TROW THE CLIFFS.
Inherent Methods Employed BY the Crags-
men In collecting Birds and Egss
The Dangers OF Their Occupation,
and Their Courage and FoOlhartiness.

men In tOllect'nB birus anu Eebb
The Dangers Of Their Occupation.
and Their Courage and Foolhartilness.
B,rd catching az II il carried on In the
yarn, Islands may be said to be absolutely
,,,,,,rI. On some OF the islands 1t con-
.,iutes, even at the present day, prin-
r,pol source Of living for the people. Such.
tr instance, says Forest and Stream, Ia the
case on Dimurr and on Mikines, where some
thirty families DWELL $1,000 puffins be-
,,oes other birds and many hundreds OF
gannets being annually taken.
OF the twenty-four islands OF which
Farce consists only those as rule which
have one or more sides facing the open
sea possess perpendicular cliffs. Some
Of these are barren and useless. there being
no shelves and lodges upon which the birds
can Law their eggs; Others are more or less
40 from having been severely harried.
Ri, the real bird cliff swarms with life from
ton 10 bottom. and with their grand sur
rnlndings and their myriads OF inhabitants
Alling the air they present an attractive
spectacle
What may be desc ribed as real bird
cliffs arc the precpitous rocks inter.
spersed with steep slopes Of greensward,
mndaland, as 1t is called, where the puftins
build.
One cannot but admire the daring and
courage of the islanders, when, han ging
nv rope. they carry on their work on the
face Of the precipices; and again when,
having unfastened the line from the body,
thew climb from ledge to ledge over inter
yenng spaces where there Is barely foot
hold. To this apparently somewhat fool
hardy mode OF procedure, however, COM
raratively few accidents by falling are due,
and especially is this the case In conneo-
zion with taste, that is firm rock, or Gill
ola secure character. The lose Is, OF course,
less reliable, but the accomplished crags-
man. when being let down by the rope.
will always note the more uncertain pro-
ulberances and stones, and kick them
avav on his downward progress.
Should he not take this precaution there
is always the danger that the friction OF
the line after he has passed may have the
effect and he may be killed by the falling
debris. And 30 when clambering without
rope he must advance with the greatest
circumspection. An entirely different mat
ter is the disruption arising from natural
causes. portion Of rock may be looked
upon with suspicion and avoided In con-
sequence, but it may nevertheless remain
IN it's place for hundreds OF years; while
on the other hand, mass considered per-
fectly safe may come away any day with
out warning;
On the bird cliffs the grass quickly taket
root on the slopes which diverge slightly
from the perpendicular. and soil acoumu-
Iates rapidly around 1t. When this mas
-toi,1 ant
make their holes, and take up their abode
in il. When these have entered into COM
plete possession. the cragsmen come, one
or more in company. Quietly they set about
their work, capturing, one bird after the
other by thrusting their arms into the
holes. seizing them upon the nests and
pulling them forth. This loosens the soil
and puts it in motion and insttnctively the
men seize hold Of the grass; but II the whole
mass has been detached they are hope,
the brave cragsmen have performed their
last tourney Again the soil accumulates
in the same spot. again come the puffins
and build. and again come the cragsmen.
and again the same story H disaster and
death Is repeated. The more uneven such
a place and the greater number OF rregu-
larities which it possesses the better OF
course is the hold which the soil takes
and the safer the lundaland becomes.
Before describing the various methods OF
capture: it may be well to examine nm the
from the foot, where the cormorants, the
shags, the black guillemots and the auks
sit: only the two last named really belong
TO the cliff; the others have their nests else
where Ten or fifteen fathoms above the
water ard upward-well, clear at any rate
OF the seas, which in summer even in stormy
weather never attain the height they do in
winter-there are the breeding places OF
the guillemots, the most important and
Characteristic of the Farce clin birds. They
take up their abodes In hundreds OF thous-
ands upon the lodges Of rock, and there
each lays it's single egg, with the pretty
green ground color and the black spots.
The eggs, OF which two are never found
together, are exactly alike, and according
to the cragsmen they are 80 strong that II
one falls sharp end first from the cliff into
boat il will make mole In the boat rather
than break.
The guillemots place their eggs far bs ok
on the ledge, close to the perpendicular
rock and they sit with their backs toward
the sea, thus presenting the appearance of
a black line. The younger and non.breed-
ing individuals on the other hand sit further
ouf on the ledge. facing seward. and form
ing white line. Upon small and narrow
shelves amid the guillemot colonias are the
breeding places Of the kittiwake. Tt Is not
where it does not occur in such large num-
bers as on tract Of rock inhabited by this
species OF gull only. Its edible qualities,
moreover, are not good, and 1t builds singly,
which renders its capture troublesome:
Neither is it welcome guest on the bird
rock. where it has tendency to expel the
guillemots by taking possession OF their
breeding places.
Then there are the auks, building singly
all about the cliff in holes and depressions.
Along with the guillemots they belong to
the black footed kind and aretnot included
in the division of the spoil, becoming, ac-
cording to ancient custom, the property
Of the individual captor. The fulmar.
which is comparatively new visitor to
these parts, as it only put in an appearance
about a generation ago, has it's breedin
places on the upper part Of the cliff, which
was formerly unoccupied by the other
birds, on account. no doubt OF the incon-
venience attaching to ascending 30 high.
When the fulmars came they found the
lower portions OF the rock occupied, and
they we're therefore obliged to be content
with the upper story, 30 TO speak There
would appear to be a continuous immigra-
ton Of these birds, as, although each lays
only one egg. they arc increasing rapidly
in numbers, and In all likelihood they will
shortly dispossess the guillemots, to great
extent. OF their breeding plaoes-to the dis