Our Visit to Holy Island in 1854, by Dr. Johnston. 29 



was placed, on a height, and entering into the depths of the 

 water till the swelling waves reached his arms and neck, he 

 spent the darkness of the wakeful night in praises, which 

 were accompanied with the sound of the waves. And when 

 dawn was drawing near, he came up to land, and concluded 

 his prayer, on the shore, on bended knees. And as he was 

 doing this, there came forth two beasts, vulgarly called 

 otters, from the depth of the sea, which stretched on the 

 sand, began to warm his feet with their breath, and busily 

 to wipe them dry with their hair. As soon as this service 

 was completed, Cudberct gave them his blessing, and dis- 

 missed them to their native waters, while he himself returned 

 to the house to recite the canonical hymns with the brethren 

 at the appointed hour."* 



Observed on the beach nine sackfuls of the Periwinkle 

 (Littorina Uttorea), and as many heaped beside them as 

 might make twelve sacks in all. They are sent to London, 

 as well as to other large towns in the south ; and it is 

 singular to find that such a delicacy finds, to this day, a 

 ready sale. Not less than a hundred sacks have been sent 

 away this year already. The gatherers receive from Is. 3d. 

 to 1 s. 6d. per bushel, and three bushels fill a sack, so it is 

 evident that to pay the merchant they cannot be sold at 

 less than 10s. per sack. The corn-craik was uttering his 

 call in the corn-fields — the lark was singing in " the lift so 

 high " — a wind-hover was sailing now close over the ground, 

 and now hovering aloft over his victim — two species of gulls, 

 at least, were carefully fishing in the " lake-like " water — 

 and the shore-lark was flitting about, picking up insects 

 disturbed by the advancing tide. And after passing the 

 Castle, we were amused with the gambols of many rabbits, 

 old and young ; and a pair of peaseweeps flew about to warn 

 us off their breeding preserves. 



There was no attempt made to enumerate the plants that 

 grew alongside our path, but it was impossible not to notice 

 some of them. The Anthriscus vulgaris and Malva rotundi- 

 folia fringed the dyke-sides, meeting us before the village 

 was cleared ; Plantago coronopus covered the gravelly road 



* Works of Beda, by Stevenson, i., p. 560. The editor says that the beasts 

 were " doubtless seals " — a reading in which I cannot concur. Otters 

 frequent our shore ; but the remark is depreciatory to the miracle. [The 

 original is "lutrae," otters; Ridpath (" Bord. Hist.," p. 27, note) also 

 translates it '.' sea-calves." The scene of the miracle was the original 

 monastery at Coldingham (Coludi urbem), situated on St. Abb's Head,— J. H.] 



