16 LUNDY ISLAND. 



our courteous guide, to visit the north end, the resort 

 of countless sea-birds, and in going to it we skirted 

 along the eastern side. Viewed from the road above 

 the landing-place, this line of coast presents a curious 

 appearance.* The gray cliffs rise nearly perpendi- 

 cularly from the sea, to a height varying from fifty 

 feet to as many yards ; then a broad green slope very 

 even and regular, forming an angle of 45 with the 

 horizon, (less or more,) carries up the elevation to four 

 or five hundred feet, and there is the flat summit. 

 The regularity of these slopes is remarkable, and one 

 is ready to fancy that some gigantic carpenter has 

 been at work, bevelling off the edge with a plane. 

 From the sea the deep rich verdure of this inclined 

 surface has a very attractive appearance, and when 

 looked at narrowly, has a roughened texture, like that 

 of a close-grown forest. This is owing to the nature 

 of the herbage, which consists almost exclusively of 

 the common brake-fern. In winter, as we were in- 

 formed, the brown hues, assumed by this plant in 

 decay, give to this side of the island a ruisset tint par- 

 ticularly rich and mellow. 



One of the first things that attracted our attention, 

 and that continued to excite interest, was the extra- 

 ordinary abundance of the cocoons of a small species 

 of hawkmoth, known to collectors as the Burnet-moth. 

 In the open waste places, the stalks of grass and the 

 slender stems of herbaceous plants were studded with 



* This view. is seen on page 3. All the views of the island are 

 from sketches taken by myself on the occasion of this visit. 



