52 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



suggested that as I had a good, sea-worthy craft, I might as 

 well extend my cruise to Sula Sgeir and North Eon a, which 

 were comparatively unknown. This I succeeded in doing, 

 and imagining that my account might be of interest, I wrote 

 out a short description of my visit. Since returning home I 

 have been able, through the kindness of Mr Dalgleish, to 

 obtain several extracts from notes made by visitors to both 

 Sula Sgeir and Eona, which are given below, though few of 

 them refer to ornithology. 



On Monday, June 18, I left Stornoway, in the yacht 

 for N"ess Harbour, near the Butt of Lewis, where I wished 

 to get a pilot, and at 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning I was 

 awakened and told that we were off I^ess. 



G-oing on deck, I found we were off the Butt of Lewis, in 

 a dead calm, with a ground swell rolling in from the north- 

 west, such as I have seldom seen. The boat was lowered 

 with great difiiculty, and I proceeded ashore. 



Ness is a very strange place, being a large bay open to the 

 south-east, the top of which is formed by a stretch of beauti- 

 ful white sand, on which a heavy surf breaks continuously. 

 The sides are formed by broken cliffs, and on the north side 

 of the bay is the so-called harbour, which is merely a slip 

 where the fishermen haul up their boats. 



I had considerable difficulty at first in getting any one to 

 volunteer to act as pilot, as all the men were just going out 

 to haul their lines, but at last a man of the name of Norman 

 MacLeod came forward. I give the name in case any one 

 intending to visit Sula Sgeir or Eona should want a good 

 pilot who knows the ground thoroughly. I should strongly 

 advise any future visitor to get a pilot from Ness, as the 

 Stornoway pilots are a terrible set of land-sharks. 



Leaving Ness about 5 a.m. on the 19th, we steered north- 

 north-east for Sula Sgeir. 



On the way out I got all the information I could out of 

 the pilot. He said that some years ago he had lived for 

 some time on Eona, tending the few sheep that are on 

 the island, and that a great many birds bred there, and 

 among them a bird which [answ^ered to the description of a 

 petrel of some sort. 



