NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 205 



may also mean fair and fertile, as opposed to black, bare, and barren 

 rock."* 



"Soraidh," continues Mr Macpherson, "is a very appropriate 

 name, though the termination ay or ey has a suspicious sound. 

 I read in your writing Bhodorherm, and I give the only Gaelic form 

 which occurs to me, which is almost similar in sound. There 

 can, I think, be little doubt as to the correctness of the name of 

 Bronn na cleit. * * * 'Hebridean names are very puzzling, 

 there are so many elements of corruption.'" 



Our view was, of necessity, a hurried one, as we had shortly to 

 put about, the wind springing up fast from the southward and 

 rapidly freshening, and the S. sky looking dark and "dirty." 

 We ran for it and made Loch Carloway early in the morning. 

 On June 10th we fished, as it continued stormy. In the harbour, 

 as already noted, two Pomatorhine Skuas were busy. Some boys, 

 questioned, said they had never seen such birds here before, and 

 wondered what they were, although some men affirmed that they were 

 always seen about these seas in summer ; but did these fishermen 

 not confound them with Richardson's Skua'? Are these barren 

 birds, or young birds not yet breeding? All I have seen, however, 

 this summer appear to have reached the adult stage, and the 

 peculiar tail-feathers were fully developed. Going out again to 

 the islands, we saw more, and one followed the vessel for miles, 

 flying on ahead and then resting on the water, until we again 

 came abreast of it. 



We interviewed Mr. Macaulay, postmaster and fisherman at 

 Carloway, who has often visited, and often landed on the Flannans, 

 and we arranged that he should accompany us as pilot and guide 

 next day if the weather turned out to be suitable. But during 

 the afternoon it blew harder than ever, and by night he said 

 it would be impossible to land, and that it would take two or 

 three days to lull the new swell, which being from N.E. by N. 

 would blow and roll right into the. S.E. landing-places, known to 

 and approved of by him. Two cross seas had got up the day 

 before, from N. and S., and now there was a newer swell blending 

 with the old N. one, and coming from N.E. by E. Mr. Macaulay 

 said that it would be no use, but we arranged to pay another visit, 



* In the case in question, this last cannot be the meaning, as both Gealtir 

 rocks are mere skerries shewing white if there is much surf on them; and thus, it 

 appears to me, they probably deserved the name of the white land. 



