NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 185 



were forced to be inactive, and to spend our time in reading and 

 reclining on deck. 



With a fair but very light air of wind, we left our anchorage at 

 Obb in Harris, about 8 a.m. on the 30th May, to thread the some- 

 what intricate Sound of Harris; the bearings, landmarks, and 

 beacons appearing familiar to me from a previous acquaintance two 

 years before, when, along with Prof. Heddle of St. Andrews, and 

 Capt. M'Ewen, I stood in the very early morning on the deck of 

 the Dunara Castle, making mental notes of the navigation, as we 

 steamed towards far off St. Kilda. 



After clearing the westernmost beacon, and avoiding certain 

 sunken rocks, we stood away for the Sound of Shillay, between 

 the two islands of that name and the Isle of Pabbay. The two 

 Shillays are the westernmost of the islands of the Sound of Harris. 

 The wind freshened, and being favourable, we bowled along merrily 

 at about 6 knots an hour. But with this freshening, the dread 

 came that the wind would raise an angry sea on the Haskeir rocks 

 and prevent our landing; and so indeed we found, a few hours 

 . later, when having reached close to them, we stood off and on for a 

 time to enable us to judge of our chances. A score or so of the 

 Great Grey Seal ( Haliehoerus gryplius) tumbled off the easternmost 

 points of the main island into the white churning surf, which, in a 

 few short hours, had transformed the silent^ summer sea into a vast 

 heaving caldron. Seeing that no more could be done that day, 

 reluctantly we gave up, and ran for anchorage to Newton Bay, 

 North Uist. Some days before I had met Mr. MacDonald, of 

 Newton, at Loch Maddy, and he imparted to me certain ins and 

 outs of the Seal Eocks at Haskeir, one of my objects in reaching 

 them being, if practicable, the "annexation" of a good specimen of 

 the Great Grey Seal. Though not successful in this quest, as I 

 afterwards rowed past the places he described, whilst unable to 

 land, I recognised the spots which he had indicated to me with 

 close precision. 



On 1st June we left Newton Bay about 7 a.m., and soon hove 

 to near the western rocks of Haskeir Aag. Captain MacGillivray, 

 finding a considerable surf still running, and, being apprehensive of 

 more wind, would not allow our pilot — Mr. MacDonald — to land 

 along with us, Ms duty being on board the yacht; but my friend — 

 U. and myself, accompanied by two sailors — both "Dan" by 

 name — got into the gig and rowed over dose to the S.E. side of 



