JUNK ROCKS OF CROMARTY. 243 



rocks for some time, and shooting a few pigeons, 

 at the risk occasionally of having the bottom of our 

 boat stove in by the hidden rocks round which 

 the large tangle floated gracefully in the passing 

 waves, treacherously concealing the rocks from 

 which they grew, we turned our boat's head home- 

 wards. By this time the wind had dropped entirely, 

 and the tide running strong against us, we had to 

 row for four hours in a heavy haddock boat to 

 reach our destination. I had only one man and 

 a boy with me, the latter of no use ; so I took an 

 oar myself and pulled steadily on, stopping only 

 occasionally to haul in a gurnet or other fish. 



Both goats and sheep were feeding about the 

 rocks, and even the latter seemed to get easily to 

 places which appeared to be reachable only by 

 means of wings. The small patches of bright 

 velvety-looking grass, which grew here and there 

 on corners of ground formed by the debris of the 

 cliffs, however difficult of access, were all tenanted 

 by them. 



On one bit of emerald-coloured grass, not larger 

 than a good -sized tablecloth, a sheep and her 

 young lamb were feeding at their ease. Although 

 I stopped the boat and examined the place care- 

 fully, no way of access to this little bit of table- 

 land could we discover. The well -contented 



