president's address. 79 



the rock, however, is cTusky and black. It is a friable white 

 crust that is spread over all which gives the island its whiteness 

 and splendoiu', a crust having the same consistency, colour, and 

 nature as an egg shell, which plasters everything with a hard 

 though friable and testaceous kind of covering. None of the 

 birds are permanent occupants of the island, but visitors for the 

 purpose of procreation only, staying there for a few weeks, in 

 lodgings, as it were, and until their young ones can take wing 

 along with them." 



John Kay, the founder of the Eoyal Society, visited the Bass 

 Rock in 1661.'^' He went to Leith, he narrates, keeping all along 

 on the side of the Frith. "By the way we viewed Tontallon 

 Castle and passed over to the Basse Island, where we saw on the 

 rocks innumerable of the Solan Geese. The old ones are all 

 over white, excepting the pinion or hard feathers of the wings, 

 which are black. The upper part of the head and neck, in those 

 that are old, is of a yellowish dun colour. They lay but one egg 

 apiece, which is white and not very large ; they are very bold 

 and sit in great multitudes till one comes close up to them, be- 

 cause they are not wont to be scared or disturbed. The young 

 ones are esteemed a choice dish in Scotland, and sold very dear 

 (Is. 8d. plucked). We eat of them at Dunbar. They are in 

 bigness little inferior to an ordinary Goose. The young one is 

 upon the back black, and speckled with little white spots, under 

 the breast and belly grey. The beak is sharp-pointed, the mouth 

 very wide and large, the tongue very small, the eyes great, the 

 foot hath four toes webbed together. It feeds upon Mackrel and 

 Herring, and the flesh of the young one smells and tastes strong 

 of these fish. The other birds which nestle in the Basse are 

 these : the Scout, which is double-ribbed ; the Cattiwake, in 

 English Cormorant; the Scart, and a bird called the Turtle-Dove, 

 whole footed and the feet red.^ There are verses which contain 

 the names of these birds among the vulgar, two whereof are. 



The Scout, the Scart, the Cattiwake, 

 The Soland Goose sits on the Lack, 

 Yearly in the Spring. 



* Select Eemains of the learned John Eay, M.A. and P.R.S., etc., hy William Derhani, 

 D.D., F.B S. 1760. 



