494 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



used to be plentiful, but their numbers now are quite in- 

 appreciable, and they have, for the most part, taken refuge 

 in the lofty debris slopes and inaccessible ranges of Clo-More 

 and the coast towards Cearvig Bay. 



Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) used to breed sparingly 

 here, as also on the low islands off Loch Eriboll, but I saw 

 nothing of them except at Eilean Hoan, where a fisherman 

 pointed out the site of a last-year's nest. 



Kittiwakes (Larus tridactylus) frequent the cliffs on the 

 east side of Garbh in considerable numbers, but nests seemed 

 scarce. The rock is much whitened by the birds' excreta, 

 and indeed it has more the appearance of a resting than of a 

 breeding place. They breed, however, on the mainland at 

 several points between Garbh and Cape Wrath. 



Herring and lesser black-backed gulls (Z. argentatus and 

 L. fusciis). — The former, which are most abundant, occupy 

 the rough top of the island, but though a number of birds 

 were seen, but few nests were found. 



A single black guillemot ( Uria grylle) flew off the top of 

 the island, but I failed to discover the nesting-place. This 

 species is not numerous on this coast, but occurs all along it 

 in scattered pairs or small colonies. 



Eock pipits, equally abundant here as on other parts of the 

 coast. 



Guillemots, very few ; Eazorbills, scarce ; Shags, in caves. 



The view westwards from Garbh Island embraces Clo-More 

 and its stacks, and the fine range of cliffs and pufiin-haunted 

 slopes between Garbh and Clo-More, and beyond to Cape 

 Wrath ; and eastwards it extends to Whiten Head, embracing 

 Far-out Head and Balnakeil Bay and House. 



The vegetation of Garbh Island is fairly luxuriant, consist- 

 ing of clumps of sea pink, bladder-campion, scurvy grass 

 {Cochlearia officinalis). Of the latter, Mr Mackay informs 

 me, he has gathered leaves at Cape Wrath 3 inches 

 in diameter. 



I left Durness on the 2 2d and went on to Ehiconich, and 

 I completed my ornithological survey of the remaining part 

 of the coast from that point round the west side to Cape 

 Wrath. 



