THE GANNET. 561 



are St. Kilda and the Bass Rock, in the Firth of Forth. 

 On this rock stand the ruins of the once formidable 

 stronghold of the Douglas family, the Castle of Tantallan. 

 In circumference the island is about a mile : on the 

 northern side it rises to an elevation of eight hundred 

 feet, whilst towards the south it shelves almost down to 

 the sea. The isolated position of this rock, and the 

 difficulty of landing on it, have rendered it a fit retreat 

 for sea-fowl of various kinds ; and as the proprietor " pre- 

 serves" them, they nourish without sensible diminution. 

 The discharge of a gun causes the whole of the colony to 

 take wing ; and as they rise into the air, the eye of the 

 spectator is dazzled by the mazy intercrossings of white 

 wings, the ear bewildered by the discord of confused 

 screamings. A visit paid at sunrise, when flocks of 

 various kinds are wheeling about in all directions, will 

 more than reward the early riser for his activity, for 

 Scotland scarcely offers a more interesting sight. Of all 

 the numerous birds which frequent the rock, the Solan 

 Goose is the most abundant and most profitable, as almost 

 the only revenue of the island accrues from the sale of 

 these birds to the country people of the mainland, and at 

 the Edinburgh market, where they have fetched, for the 

 last century and a half, the unvarying price of two 

 shillings and fourpence a head. The size of the Gannet 

 is somewhat larger than that of the domestic Goose. 



"The only parts of the island where they can be ap- 

 proached are on the south and west sides. They sit lazily 

 and stupidly on and about their nests, which are composed 

 of a mass of weeds and grass, and will suffer themselves 

 to be stroked, patted, or knocked on the head, as the case 

 may be, with a most philosophical gravity. They are 

 frequently shot ; but as they then generally fall into the 

 sea, a boat has to be on the alert, or they are soon washed 

 away. The plan of lowering a man by means of a rope 

 held by the others, is also adopted ; but this is most 



o o 



