SUMMER CRUISES 283 



time. We saw no Falcons, as we did last year, neither 

 did Evans when he was there some ten days before, and 

 we fear the gamekeeper, who told him some time ago he 

 was going over from Lewis, may have done for them. 

 Though the Eagle's nest is to all appearance inaccessible, 

 being well overhung, anybody might kill the birds with 

 a rifle, and I consider their existence most precarious. 



The next day we were off to N. Rona. There the 

 sea was calm, but there was a good deal of swell, and 

 though I believe I could have got into the boat without 

 any risk, my brother begged me not to try it. I there- 

 fore stayed on board contenting myself with looking at 

 what J. Wolley used to consider the land of promise, and 

 admiring the accuracy with which you have depicted it. 

 Your view is really excellent. Evans went ashore and 

 stayed for some time, and my brother rowed backwards 

 and forwards along the rocks, while the yacht kept off 

 and on. Evans reported a pair of Falcons, but nothing 

 else more than the usual birds. The landing was easy 

 and I am very sorry I did not go. Of course there was 

 a great surf on the other side. Then we stood away to 

 Suleskerry, where we made no attempt to land, but I 

 suppose there would have been no real difficulty in 

 getting ashore or coming off had anything been to be 

 gained by it. 



I think there must be more Gannets there than on 

 Stack (perhaps twice as many), but, as Evans says, you 

 might add or subtract the whole lot from those at 

 St. Kilda without noticing the difference. After looking 

 the rock well over with our glasses we turned southward 

 and reached Loch E-oagh in Lewis where we lay that 

 night. Such a piping hot day it was, the sea like satin 

 but a fair swell upon it, and a good deal of haze ; sun 

 setting like a ball of copper and the moon rising like 

 another. 



Tuesday morning we were off to the Flannan Islands 

 which delighted all of us ! There was a bit of a swell, 

 but one could have landed almost anywhere, and we 

 boated in and about them for a couple of hours. No 



