200 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



obliged to leave hurriedly, and it blew a heavy gale for some days 

 afterwards. I shall refer later to Mr. Heywood Jones' notes, which 

 he kindly sent me, along with lists of Lewis birds. 



Dr. Heddle and I made two attempts to land upon the Flannans, 

 and it was only with considerable difficulty that we managed to suc- 

 ceed the second time, and then only upon the easiest of access, Eilean 

 Tigh. We had previously, whilst interrogating fishermen and 

 others who had landed on these islands, found that there was con- 

 siderable difference of opinion as to the situations of the landing- 

 places. Some said there was only one landing-place between the 

 two principal islands ; others that there were several, suitable to the 

 direction of the wind. Some reported that the outer islands of the 

 group were never landed upon ; others — and one most persistently — 

 that they could all be landed upon, and that a 1ST. wind was the 

 worst for landing, and a W. or S.W. the best. 



Coming out of Loch Tarbert, and, after clearing the island of 

 S car p — whence fishermen go out to the neighbourhood of Flannan 

 for deep-sea fishing — we had a pretty stiif breeze and good tumble 

 of a sea on. In order to avoid the long reefs which lie off Loch 

 Resort, and over which high surf was breaking, we had to tack well 

 out before we could run into our night's anchorage at Loch 

 Thamanabhaidh (pronounced Hamanawai) in Lewis.* The next 

 day we spent fishing, as it was too stormy to attempt the Flannans. 



On the 9th June we made a fair start. A gentle summer 

 "airie" took us out of Loch Thamanabhaidh about 7 a.m., but we 

 were becalmed soon after till 11. With another almost impercepti- 

 ble land-breeze, we came across the track of a large fishing-boat. 

 They had a few Ling, Skate, one Tusk, and an enormous Halibut — 

 about 80 lbs. — and we laid in a stock. Soon after this, we got 

 again into the " doldrums." The men had been cleaning the fish 

 on deck, and Kittiwakes had gathered round us, attracted by the 

 offal. While lying in the sun, I jumped up, with an exclamation, 

 " There's a Skua, and a Pomatorhine, too," rousing my companions 

 — U. and Dr. Heddle — from their novels or their slumbers. 

 I rushed down stairs for a certain implement and put the fact 

 on record beyond cavil. " A bird hit 's history — a bird missed 's 

 mystery." How curious to find the great invasion of Skua Gulls 

 still lingering on our shores and seas far into our now almost arctic 



* This may be read in continuation of my paper upon Haskeir and its Bird 

 Life (see page 181), as it takes up the rope's-end where it was then dropped. 



