North- West Coasts of Sutherland and their Bird Life. 493 



are now in the collection of Mr Allan Scott of Balnakeil, in 

 Leith. 



It was quite impossible to estimate, even in the widest 

 manner, the number of puffins in this nursery. They may 

 be spoken of as densely occupying an area of 3 miles, in 

 cliffs 450 feet high. 



Next day we went inland, but saw little bird-life — dunlins 

 and golden plover being almost all the birds seen. We 

 visited a lonely loch, from which we vainly tried to allure the 

 heavy trout it is said to contain. 



In order to complete my survey of this north coast, I had 

 stiU to visit Garbh Island ; and for this purpose, a fine calm 

 day, with the wind off shore, was chosen, as the journey 

 must be made by boat. Mr Torquil Nicholson, school- 

 master at Durness, accompanied me, and we made a start 

 from Balnakeil Bay about eleven o'clock, with John Suther- 

 land and Hugh M'Leod as boatmen. 



Lythe {Merlangus pollachius) run to a heavy weight along 

 this coast, and are very powerful. They often run up to 10 

 or 12 lbs. weight, and are in their first rush stronger than 

 salmon. 



We shortly passed the entrance of the Kyle and the Glass- 

 lag Eocks, which at high tide form three islands, but are 

 united at low tide. On the outermost and innermost are 

 colonies of herring and lesser black-backed gulls, and a small 

 colony of shags. On the centre island, it appears that a 

 colony of Arctic terns have sole possession ; and I saw them 

 buffeting and diving down in mid-air after the gulls, when 

 the latter intruded themselves. The Glasslag Islands are 

 composed of limestone, but a little to the west, on the 

 mainland, gneiss commences, and there is no more lime- 

 stone — except Garbh Island — between this and Cape 

 Wrath. 



Garbh, or The Eough Island, well deserves the name. Its 

 limestone is full of fossils, and I obtained a few, but they are 

 exceedingly difficult to extract, owing to the very hard nature 

 of the rock. Many having been taken away, they are also 

 now more difficult to find. 



The nests of the seafowl are much disturbed here. Puffins 



