292 peesident's address. 



with nothing to protect them from being blown over into the 

 sea ; but the form of the eggs causes them, when disturbed, to 

 describe a very small circle instead of rolling to any distance, 

 and thus they are preserved. On this island the man lives who 

 watches to protect the birds, the family of the late Archdeacon 

 Thorp continuing to hold the lease of the islands, which he 

 obtained for the purpose of protecting the birds and their nests 

 from indiscriminate slaughter and plunder. On some of the 

 outer islands is a colony of the Great Seal [Halichoerus griseus 

 of Nilsson) : they were formerly in much greater numbers than 

 at present. The Common Seal (Phoca vitulina) is also seen 

 here frequently, though Holy Island is its more favourite resort. 



Mr. John Hancock has kindly furnished me with the follow- 

 ing list of sea-birds, which he found breeding here some years 

 ago:— 



Herring Gull, Lams argcntatus ; Lesser Black-backed Gull, 

 Larus fuscus ; Kittiwake, Larus tridactylus ; Common Tern, 

 Sterna hirunda ; Arctic Tern, Sterna arctica ; Roseate Tern, 

 Sterna dougallii ; Puffin, Mormon fratercula ; Cormorant, Carbo 

 cormoranus ; Eider Duck, Anas moUissinia ; Guillemot, Uria 

 troile ; Oyster Catcher, Haematopus ostralegos ; Shag or Razor 

 Bill (occasionally). The Ring Dotterel, Charadrius hiaticula, 

 was also found by Mr. Hancock. The Sandwich Tern, Sterna 

 hoysii, at the time of Mr. Hancock's visit, had deserted the 

 Fames, and was breeding on Coquet Island. 



On one of the outer islands (the Longstone) is the light-house 

 where Grace Darling lived, whose history and brave deed, on 

 the occasion of the v/reck of the Forfarshire steamer on the 8th 

 of September, 1838, is perhaps the chief source of general in- 

 terest in the Fames. This island, a mere rock, is only very 

 little elevated above high-water mark, and in stormy weather 

 the spray is driven completely over it, and sometimes, during 

 winter storms, the light keepers and their families have to re- 

 sort for refuge to the upper apartments of the light-house. On 

 this occasion we did not go out to the Longstone, but contented 

 ourselves with visiting first the Staple and Brownsman (hav- 

 ing written authority from Mrs. Thorp), where we saw large 



