This uninhabited island is of an oval shape, about a mile in length, and
half a mile in breadth. Near the centre is an old square tower, supposed
to be the fragment of a religious house. During the summer the island
swarms with various birds of passage, particularly the _alca artica_, or
puffin. The firing of a gun will frequently cause clouds of these birds
to rise, uttering loud and dissonant sounds.