The Land of the Hills and the Glens 



spray against these dark grim rocks, to fall in glistening 

 cascades all around. 



On line summer evenings, when the sun sets late behind 

 the rocky island of Coll to the north-west, many herring- 

 drifters may be seen steering past the Ross as they make 

 for the Skerryvore banks. Rising and falling on the gentle 

 Atlantic heave, these drifters reach their fishing grounds 

 by sunset, and lie to their nets during the- short hours of 

 twilight, lifting them again before sunrise and making their 

 way to Oban, or to Mallaig, maybe, with their silvery catch. 

 In the still air the smoke of the fleet lies on the horizon in 

 the form of a dark cloud, extending for many miles on 

 either side of the busy community. When a stillness has 

 fallen over the waters many birds make their way to the 

 herring fleet; indeed a dead calm is in the Gaelic known 

 as "the Calm of Birds," from the fact that to the unruffled 

 part of the sea where herring or any other surface-swimming 

 fish are to be found, many birds wing their way, because there 

 is no wind to obscure their vision. Here the sulair or solan 

 dives with unerring precision ; here also there come the grace- 

 ful-flying shearwater, the guillemot and the wise razorbill, 

 while the consequential puffin usually accompanies them. 



And when full summer is come to the Ross of Mull big 

 lythe— pollack as they are known in the south — arrive at 

 the rocky shores from the deep waters of the ocean, and of 

 an evening the fishermen from Carsaig and from Uisgean put 

 to sea in their small boats, and, rowing over the ground 

 where flourish the great seaweeds known as "Tangles,'' lure 

 many of these strong bronze-coloured fish by means of the 

 white fly, or the rubber eel. At such times no breath of 

 wind ruffles the sea and away in the north-west sky the 

 sun is dipping behind the horizon, and the rowers speak 

 rapidly and incessantly in the Gaelic as they recall old 

 anecdotes of these fishing-grounds. 



I have noticed that the lythe seem to come in gradually 

 from the deep waters of the Atlantic. Thus around Tiree 



140 



