PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 121 



before heard of the last named bird breeding here. On a 

 subsequent occasion my brother and I were returning from 

 and near to Crag Lough when we saw a flock of about thirty 

 goldfinches ; this was the only flock we had then or since seen 

 of these birds. I have frequently found the nests of the 

 curlew here and elsewhere containing eggs, but only once, 

 namely in 1862, did the old bird sit till I was within a few feet 

 of her. On that occasion I saw that the eggs were near 

 hatching, and so left them. 



In the same year — 1862 — I spent a most enjoyable day at 

 the Bass Rock. The summit was then covered with grass, 

 and on it there were many gannets sitting on their nests of 

 seaweed, each containing one egg. When I walked about 

 amongst them they remained sitting quietly on their nests, 

 never attempting to fly. On the eastern side of the rock yet 

 greater numbers were to be seen sitting on their nests. There 

 were also many guillemots, puffins, and other sea birds on 

 the wing ; not, however, to be compared with the number seen 

 at Ailsa Craig. After returning to the little hostelry on the 

 mainland for dinner, a party of three arrived with a gun. 

 They had come expressly from some considerable distance to 

 obtain a specimen of an immature gannet, that is, of the bird 

 in its spotted black and white plumage, and they wished me 

 to return to the island with them. I did so with pleasure, and 

 found there was only one particular bird in the whole colony 

 which answered to the object of their quest. It was sufficiently 

 conspicuous in its flight, but the repeated attempts to secure 

 it proved in vain, and the ammunition was reduced to half an 

 ounce, which was reserved for one last shot. This, however, 

 proved fatal, and the bird fell dead close to the boat, and we 

 at once returned to the inn. I have had a variety of guns 

 through my hands from my youth up, but I must say that the 

 lock of this one was the most primitive specimen I ever saw 

 or heard of. On my return to the mainland no bedroom was 

 obtainable, so I lay on the sofa. Sleep, however, was im- 

 possible, owing to the sound of a wheezy old clock which 

 stood in the room, and to the noise made by a company of 



