96 NAIRN. 



June 25th. I rowed to-day to the "old bar" about four or 

 five miles from here. Found some eggs of tern and the lesser 

 tern. Numbers of these birds were flying about, but the eggs 

 are so very similar in colour to the stones amongst which they 

 are laid, that it is not easy to find them. Going there we put 

 out a line for flounders and took it up on returning, catching 

 about fifty flounders, a gurnet, and a large cod. The latter was 

 long and lean as an eel, and had lost one eye. The men took it 

 to bait their crab-traps with, as it was quite unfit for use in any 

 other way. Immense numbers of flounders are left at low water 

 in the pools about the bar. 



June 28th. Went to Cromarty rocks to shoot rock-pigeons, 

 but saw very few. Great numbers of goats playing about on the 

 very edges of precipices. A few gurnets rose at the white-fly, 

 with which we fished going across. 



June 29th. Went to-day with Freebairn to the "old bar" 

 to fish for flounders. We caught a great number, and one small 

 turbot. Found also some terns and ringed dotterels' eggs. Shot 

 a guillemot on the way. We caught on the lines some gurnets, 

 as well as flounders. The gurnet takes sand-eels better than any 

 other bait. The flounders, when opened, are full of small shell- 

 fish always. The sand-eels are caught in great numbers on the 

 sandbanks, which are left bare by the ebb of the spring tides. 

 The people procure them by turning up the sand to the depth of 

 about three inches. 



