370 LAIlIDiE. 



In Yol. I. p. 73, a climber is noticed as ascending the cliffs 

 from below to a buzzard's nest, while he was secured from falling 

 by a rope about his body, held by persons above. 



The method adopted at Arranmore — the largest of the islands 

 of Arran off Galway Bay — was different.'^ When Mr. R. Ball 

 and I visited that island in July 1834, a rock-climber — a tall 

 athletic fellow — so far intruded himself upon us when we were 

 walking towards the cliffs as to come up behind unheard in his 

 " pompootees,"t and spring high into the air for a few paces past 

 us in proof of his agility. We soon put this further to the test 

 by having him lowered over the loftiest limestone cliffs of the 

 island, perhaps five hundred feet in height. His manner of 

 descent was free and easy. He sat upon a stick, about a yard 

 in length and two inches in thickness, to the middle of which one 

 end of the rope was fastened, the other being held by men above. 

 AVhen coming near liis prey, he held the rope in one hand, and 

 with the other threw a noose fastened to a rod round the birds. 

 Several gulls so taken were brought up. When over the cliff, he 

 took pleasure in exhibiting himself, springing as far into tlie air 

 from the surface of the precipice as he could do without injury to 

 himself from the rebound. J He likewise performed various antics. 



* The description of Arranmore in O'Flaherty's 'West or H'lar Connaught,' 

 written in 1684, p. 67, contains the following passage : — 



" Here are birds which never fly but over the sea ; and therefore are used to be 

 eaten on fasting-days ; to catch which, people goe down, with ropes tyed about them, 

 into the caves of cliflts by night, and with a candle-light kill abundance of them." 



To the preceding, the editor of the work adds: — " The height of the cliff at 

 Dun jEiigus, in Arran, which Dun is one of the most remarkable remains of pagan 

 antiquity in the west of Eui'ope, is upwards of three hundred feet" (p. 66). 



t Sandals of cow's hide, exhibiting the hair outside, are worn by the islanders, 

 and the mere single skin (at least in those seen by me) used as sole. They are 

 worn over woollen stockings, and fastened by one or two strings across the foot. They 

 look singular on large stont men, and last only from thi'ee to six weeks. The wearer 

 can tread quite noiselessly, without any of the intolerable creaking so often heard 

 from what are considered more civilized foot- gear. I have been present when an 

 actor of some note, with his feet clad in creaking dress-shoes, played the Ghost to 

 the elder Kean's Hamlet, and apprised the audience long before he actually appeared, 

 of his " entrances," and by the same means gave token for some time after his 

 " exits," that he had not yet vanished into thin air. 



I Further detail in a similar case wLU be found most graphically narrated by Mr. 

 James Wilson, in his account of St. Kilda, published in his interesting ' Voyage 



