496 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



abundant all along the cliff tops and slopes amongst the sea 

 pink tufts, and even occupying crevices in the cliff face. 

 Guillemots were plentiful on the v^est or seaward side, less 

 so on the landward side, where razorbills took the place of 

 them to a large extent. Herring gulls occupied the grassy 

 top and interior of the island, and kittiwakes in a large 

 colony, but with many immature birds, principally on the 

 north-west and west cliffs, or resting on the skerries. Rock 

 pipits were not abundant. 



A curious cave on the north-west side of Bulgie Island is 

 formed by a rent in the rock, which at high tide is filled to 

 the arch or nearly so, and at low water is about 15 feet in 

 height at the entrance. The swell of the Atlantic or its heavier 

 waves rushing into this cave confines the air, in what must 

 be a much larger cavity within, which, being liberated on the 

 gradual backflow of the wave, rushes out with a loud roar, 

 and casts the spray off the wave tops nearly to the height 

 of the cliff above, which at this point is close upon 100 

 feet. This cave indeed forms, as it were, enormous bellows, 

 and it is said, during certain conditions of the atmosphere, 

 the roar of its voice can. be heard by ships a mile or more 

 at sea. 



After rowing round the island the boat was backed to the 

 landing-place, a shelf of rock on the east side, and one of the 

 men and myself effected an easy landing. We scrambled over 

 the island. It is larger than it appears from the sea, i.e., there 

 is more pasture than one would suppose, and that apparently 

 is rich and capable of fattening several sheep. Sheep were at 

 one time kept upon it, but there are none now. The remains 

 of one or two sea-birds, with the flesh clean picked from the 

 bones, suggested the periodical visit of the peregrine falcon, 

 but it is said by the men that none of these birds breed on 

 this part of the coast, a statement, however, which I should 

 be inclined to doubt. The next occupied locality to the 

 south known to me is opposite Handa Island, or on Handa 

 itself, where a gentleman of my acquaintance this year 

 obtained the young, with the assistance of the brothers 

 Matheson of Scourie — famous cragsmen whom I have men- 

 tioned before in previous communications. 



