66 WITS NATURE AND A CAMERA. 



lining of dead grass, the other had no materials 

 whatever in it; the egg being simply deposited on 

 the bare peat earth. 



After photographing a Manx Shearwater's nest- 

 ing hole we descended to our boat. Whilst the 

 men got it into the sea my brother thought he 

 could negotiate the steep and slippery rock 

 running down to the water's edge alone, but he 

 had not gone far before he fell as suddenly as if 

 he had been walking on an inclined plain of ice, 

 and shot down towards the ocean at a terrific pace 

 with his camera, which he had held under his arm, 

 after him. The latter struck against a small pro- 

 jection of rock and stopped, but its owner continued 

 his wild career until he came to a kind of natural 

 basin full of water, just left by the receding tide. 

 Here he stopped all in a heap with considerable 

 abruptness and a big splash. I could not help 

 laughing when I saw him strike out, under the 

 impression that he had actually landed in Village 

 Bay. He scrambled cautiously back to his camera 

 on his hands and knees, and after carefully examin- 

 ing the apparatus for hurts, he told me that the 

 dizzying effect of the fall, and his quick transition 

 seawards, made him confident on feeling the cold 

 water that he had arrived in the ocean, and he 

 began to strike out in order that he might get 

 away from the rocks and the surf and swim towards 

 the place where the boat was being launched. 



Satisfied with our adventure we remained where 

 we were until McQuien came along to help us 

 down to the place of embarkation. 



As the boat was too small to carry seven of 

 us with safety we shipped my brother and Mr. 

 Mackenzie over to St. Kilda, and afterwards the 

 minister, Mr. Young, and I went a-fishing for 



