230 Mr. George Tate on the Fame Islands. 



wrecked on the 5th September 1838, when 43 persons perished; 

 nine only escaped in a boat, and nine others were saved by the 

 noble exertions of Mr. William Darling and his heroic daughter. 

 Part of the unfortunate vessel yet remains wedged into a cleft 

 of the basaltic rock. There are a few patches of vegetation on 

 these islets, consisting chiefly of Silene maritbna and Glyceria 

 maritima; here, however, are large colonies of birds—of the 

 Gulls and Eider Duck, with a few of the Oyster-Catcher, which 

 is usually a solitary bird, building its nest as far away from its 

 congeners as possible. 



The Northern Hares are little more than rocks raising their 

 black backs above the sea; the Sagina maritima and Glyceria 

 maritima only live here in small patches ; but along the margin 

 of the sea, the Eider Duck, the Sea Swallow or Common Tern, 

 and the Sandwich Tern build their nests. Most of the other 

 outer islands are rocks — bare, cleft, and fissured ; on one of them, 

 the Longstone, the far lighthouse is placed. This island is only 

 4 feet above high-tide mark, and when the storm rages, the sea 

 spray is driven over it. A few years ago, so great was the mass 

 of water breaking upon it, that the keepers with their families 

 were compelled to flee for shelter to the upper rooms of the 

 lighthouse. Five plants only occur in this island, the most 

 abundant being Glyceria maritima, which flourishes, although 

 frequently covered with salt water. The Oyster-Catcher or Sea 

 Pie, the Common and Sandwich Tern, and the Eider Duck breed 

 here. Additional interest is given to this island, because in 

 this secluded sea-home Grace Darling passed the greater portion 

 of her short life, and from this rock she and her father went 

 forth on their mission of mercy to save the perishing voyagers 

 of the Forfarshire. 



The Crumstone is more than a mile southward from the Long- 

 stone, — a dark mass of irregular basaltic rocks washed over by 

 every high tide. No land plant lives here, nor can birds find a 

 secure place for their nests. Crowds, however, of Cormorants 

 rest upon it ; and their appearance when I saw them was sin- 

 gular, for, ranged in a rank, with their long necks stretched out 

 and their short wings extended, they seemed in the distance like 

 memorial crosses. But the Crumstone is chiefly interesting as 

 being the only island on which the Great Seal now breeds. Mr. 

 Selby was the first to determine the species to be the Halichcerus 

 griseus of Nilsson. Previously to the erection of the lighthouse 

 it frequented the Longstone and neighbouring islands, but the 

 presence of man has scared it away from them. These animals 

 were formerly numerous ; as many as forty individuals have been 

 seen at one time resting on the Crumstone. Their usual length 

 when full-grown is from 6 to 8 feet ; the largest ever killed was 



