86 THE GANNET 



small, and since about 1880 there has been absolutely no 

 demand for them for eating, consequently the harvest 

 of the Craig has been discontinued for many years, greatly 

 to the benefit of all the birds, though not altogether to the 

 satisfaction of the lessee, who paid to the Marquis of Ailsa 

 a rent of £30. Although Puffins were taken in great 

 numbers, and also Guillemots, from what I can glean the 

 harvest of young Gannets never exceeded 400 or 500, 

 which is less than one-third of what used to be gathered at 

 the Bass. But Gannets' eggs, which were not in request at 

 the Bass, were liked here, and the more accessible of them 

 are still collected and eaten with relish. Gray and Anderson 

 give a few interesting particulars of this Ailsa industry.* 

 According to their figures the number of sea-birds taken 

 weekly on Ailsa Craig, by means of cliff nets, used to average 

 1 50 dozen in the season, chiefly Puffins and Guillemots, with 

 some Gannets. If this went on for ten weeks, the number 

 would have mounted up to 18,000, and probably all of them 

 breeding birds, which could not fail to have its effect. These 

 we learn from another writer, were brought over by the 

 boat-load and hawked up and down the towns and villages 

 on the mainland, where, says Mr. J. Macrae (" Land and 

 Water," August 12th, 1871), the old Girvan bellman could 



* " Birds of Ayrshire and Wigtownshire," 1869, p. 62, and " Birds of 

 the West of Scotland," p. 436. 



