314 The Irish Naturalist. [Dec. 



sailing in glorious sweeps up and down and round and round, 

 their white breasts gleaming through the mist. The little 

 dark Stormy Petrels were there too, but did not come so 

 close. 



This morning I slipped on deck at 6.0. The sea very 

 rough. Found Green and the mate taking a sounding with 

 the deep-sea sounding machine. The wire stopped at 130 

 fathoms. In reeling it in we lost the lead and 50 f. of wire. 

 By log we had run 236 miles, and ought to be within four 

 miles of the rock. Weather as thick as ever, raining and 

 blowing from E.N.E., with a high topping sea, and no 

 chance of seeing anything at a greater distance than a mile. 

 Sounded again at 7.0 a.m. in 80 f., and at 8.0 a.m. in 100 f. 

 As we had apparently crossed the Rockall bank, and were 

 going down the other side of it, we stopped, and the greater 

 part of the day we were hove-to, working slowly eastward, and 

 simply waiting for something to turn up, as on account of our 

 not having had a glimpse of the sun for two days no observa- 

 tions could be taken, and we had no idea of our position. We 

 tried trawling, but what with the roughness of the sea the net 

 got foul of the propeller, and was torn to pieces, so we gave it 

 up. Cold, wet, dark, and cheerless, with half a gale of wind 

 and the rain and spray incessantly driving over the vessel — 

 not a pleasant picture ! At 3.30 we sighted a sail ahead, and 

 went off in pursuit. Overhauled her about 5.0 — the Ketch 

 885 of Berwick. By hailing her from windward and running 

 to leeward of her for her answer, we got the direction of the 

 rock— W.S.W. The distance was not so satisfactorily heard, 

 with the roaring of wind and wave. Some thought the skipper 

 said 10 miles, some 20, some 35. " We'll run down anyway 

 and have a look at it," said Captain Ouirk ; so away we went 

 W.S.W. with the sea behind us, rising in mountains over our 

 stern and occasionally sweeping the decks aft. I now write 

 sitting in comparative shelter on the saloon skylight, forward 

 of the bridge, oilskins from head to foot, as is the entire com- 

 pany, steadying myself by my feet, jammed wide apart into 

 the rail in front. We should be nearing the rock at last. 



9.30 A.M., Saturday, Juniv 6. — East night after running six 

 miles we heaved the lead — 85 fathoms. As we got under 

 weigh again the chain of the steam steering gear broke, and 

 we lay-to for an hour trying to repair it. No use, so we went 



