PEESIDENT S ADDEESS. 75 



by a blackbird and her young, and every room with tall nettles, 

 among which were plenty of the common garden snail. 



The sloping surface of the Bass may be perhaps about seven 

 acres, and is supposed to afford pasturage for thirty sheep. This 

 it possibly would do in some seasons, but at the time of our 

 visit the grass seemed much destroyed by the Eabbits' burrows, 

 and by the holes made by the Grannets when preparing materials 

 for their nests ; and thus scarcely gave sufficient pasturage for 

 more than half a dozen sheep. Bass mutton is in great esteem, 

 and brings high prices, consequently more Bass mutton is sold 

 in Edinburgh than the island can possibly produce. The rich- 

 ness of the soil, formed out of decomposed trap-rock, is no doubt 

 owing to the constant flight of the birds across the island, and 

 to its having been formerly tenanted by Grulls and other sea 

 birds in greater numbers than at the present time. 



There was little difficulty, and with care no danger at all, in 

 passing from terrace to terrace up the sloping south face, when 

 aided by some slight help from the guide now and then where 

 the rocks were bare and slippery. The ruins of the little chapel 

 stand on the second terrace ; the walls are still left, and in them 

 are hollowed stones, one on the right hand of the entrance and 

 the other at the east end of the building for holy water and 

 other religious uses of bygone days. This is said to be the oldest 

 structure on the islet, and it would have been well for the repu- 

 tation of the Bass if it had been the only building. The ruins 

 are now being fast undermined by rabbits, which have been in- 

 troduced of late. No doubt this was done to increase the profits 

 of the lessee, but they may prove a doubtful advantage. 



From the chapel our guide took us up to a point on the south- 

 west side of the island, that we might be enabled to look down 

 on one of the breeding places of the Grannets. 



"How fearful 

 "Aud dizzy 'tis to cast one's eyes so low" 



we thought as we approached the edge of the cliff, where a 

 precipice of more than two hundred feet went sheer down below 

 us. The sight was beyond description. The face of the rock 



