322 The Irish Naturalist. [Dec, 



aud turned out in a robe-de-nuit and an oilskin to find several 

 Dolphins plajdng round the bows of the ship. It was grand 

 to watch them away down in the blue water, dashing to and 

 fro under the ship's nose, now plunging deep, now turning 

 over and showing their white under-side, now rising and 

 cutting the surface with a whiz with their sharp dorsal fin. 

 Great efforts were made to harpoon one, but without re- 

 sult. 



This morning I came on deck at 6.0, roused by the unac- 

 customed absence of motion, to find the '* Granuaile " lying 

 at anchor in the Bay at St. Kilda. 



[My notes of our brief visit to St. Kilda are omitted here ; a short 

 notice of some of the plants I observed will be found in Amials of Scottish 

 Nat. Hist, for October, 1896.] 



We weighed anchor again at i.o, and are now slipping out 

 of the bay and setting our course south for lyOugh Foyle. 

 The mist hangs so low on the cliffs that it is no use going 

 round the island— a great disappointment, as we had been 

 eagerly looking forward to seeing the glorious cliff-scenery 

 of this group. 



9.30. P.M. Bkrnera Anchorage, Barra. — A sudden inter- 

 ruption of our homeward voyage. On leaving St. Kilda we 

 found a heavy ground swell from W. setting in, which steadily 

 got heavier. The wind shifted back and forward, the western 

 sky darkened, and it was evident that a blow was coming on. 

 It was fresh when we went down to dinner at 7.0, and when 

 we came up again it was blowing a whole gale, and increasing 

 every minute, and the sea was high and breaking, and 

 flying over our decks. The steamer rolled very heavily in 

 the beam sea. 



At 8.30 we sighted Barra Head, the southerly extremity of 

 the Hebrides, looming dimly through the mist and rain ; 

 north of it high hills and great headlands. Our course was 

 altered, and we stood in towards the land with a wild follow- 

 ing sea, and passed under Barra lighthouse, standing solitary 

 on the summit of an immense basaltic cliff 630 feet high. 

 Then our helm was put hard to port, and we slid through 

 calmer water, and have just cast anchor in Bernera anchorage, 

 between the islands of Bernera and Mingulay, with a tidal 

 rock just in front to break the force of the western sea as it 

 comes through the narrow channel. 



