A NIGHT ON GUILLIAM. 253 



which, while it mocked every effort that attempted to 

 examine in detail, showed to the less curious glance like 

 a blue robe sprinkled with silver. But it is not by such 

 comparisons that so singular a scene is to be described 

 so as to be felt. It was one of those which through the 

 living myriads of creation testify of the infinite Creator. 



' About noon we hauled for the third and last time, 

 and found nearly eight barrels of fish. I observed when 

 hauling that the natural heat of the herring is scarcely 

 less than that of quadrupeds or birds ; that when alive its 

 sides are shaded by a beautiful crimson colour which it 

 loses when dead ; and that when newly brought out of 

 the water, it utters a sharp faint cry somewhat resem- 

 bling that of a mouse. We had now twenty barrels on 

 board. The easterly har, a sea breeze so called by fisher- 

 men, which in the Moray Frith during the summer 

 months and first month of autumn, commonly comes on 

 after ten o'clock A.M., and fails at four o'clock P.M., had 

 now set in. We hoisted our mast and sail, and were 

 soon scudding right before it. 



< The story of the Bhodry-more which I demanded of 

 the skipper as soon as we had trimmed our sail, proved 

 interesting in no common degree, and was linked with a 

 great many others. The Blwdry-more * is an active mis- 

 chievous fish of the whale species, which has been known 

 to attack and even founder boats. About eight years ago 

 a very large one passed the town of Cromarty through the 

 middle of the bay, and was seen by many of the towns- 

 folks leaping out of the water in the manner of a salmon, 

 fully to the height of a boat's mast. It appeared about 

 thirty feet in length. This animal may almost be re- 

 garded as the mermaid of modern times ; for the fisher- 

 men deem it to have fully as much of the demon as of 



* Properly, perhaps, the musculus whale. 



