Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

S6 - ST. PAUL ROCKS — BIliDS. 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 scrambli^ig 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 at 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.