262 THE BASS ROCK. 



wonderfully recruited ; a circumstance I could nowise 

 attribute to any salubrity in the abode, but to the merciful 

 care of God over his faithful servants. 



The rabbits seemed also to have taken a great fancy to 

 the old chapel. Several were dotting about inside among 

 the nettles, and had no means of exit, as we stood at the 

 door. Their only enemies here are the raven and the 

 peregrine. We saw the bones of a guillemot, which the 

 latter had lately picked. On the top was a colony of 

 gulls. There were two pairs of the greater black-backed 

 or giant gull, and several pairs of the herring-gull. We 

 were fortunate in spying one of the nests of the giant with 

 two eggs. The boatman assured us they were fresh, as 

 three was the usual number. Shortly after, we detected a 

 herring-gull's with the full complement. The old tar was 

 more doubtful of them. We therefore took the whole lot 

 to what they call " the Spring," (though one accustomed 

 to the pure springs of the Highlands is loath to allow it 

 the name;) and old Jack was right, for the large gull's 

 eggs sank like stones ; while the herring-gull's rose up on 

 end, but did not come to the top. We thus saw that they 

 had been sat upon for some time, but not long enough 

 to prevent them from being blown. There are one or two 

 more of these wells, from half a foot to three feet deep, 

 with soft oozy bottoms. They afford drink to a few sheep 

 pastured upon the rock. At the fall of the year, there 

 were ten white-faced seven-month-old lambs put on ; 

 but the half died. Had they been the black-faced, and a 

 little older, they would have thriven apace, as the grass is 



