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



The " Lively " cutter came into the roadstead to-day, and 

 gave to the scene a little additional animation. She brought 

 a new boat for the coastguardsmen. In the evening we 

 waded across to St. Cuthbert's Isle, where we saw Statice 

 limonium in some abundance. Plantago maritima, Glaux 

 maritimci, and Sonchus arvensis grew here plentifully ; and 

 a large dock, which appeared to be Rumex crispus. The 

 front of the black rock was hung with Ramalina scopulo- 

 rum, and stained with Parmelia aquila. We met on the 

 island with two officers of the cutter — one made out to be 

 the doctor, and the other conjectured to be the clerk. They 

 were both gentlemen. In returning, we were arrested by 

 the Laminaria saccharina, to ascertain the size of some of 

 the specimens which strewed the shore. One frond measured 

 twelve feet in length, and it was not the largest. Ectocarpus 

 littoralis had also attained a remarkably large size. A 

 fisherman was digging lug-worms, of which the muddy sand 

 was teeming ; and he threw up one or two rag- worms 

 (Nephtys margaritacea). During the day a good deal of 

 rain had fallen, but the evening was fair and mild, favour- 

 able for the snail race, yet I noticed only two specimens of 

 the common slugs (Limax agrestis). 



27th. We took the nearest road to the Coves, starting at 

 10 A.M. On approaching the bank above them, the ring 

 dottrel flies about us alarmed, as if to say we had encroached 

 on her breeding ground. The advancing tide compelled us 

 to limit our researches to the ledges of rock that bound the 

 bay in front of the Coves, and little was found of any 

 novelty. The bottom of the shallow pools in the rocks is 

 covered with a close growth of Laurencia pinnatifida, in a 

 dwarf condition, and of a yellowish colour. On the face of 

 one ledge I gathered Gelidium covneum in some quantity, 

 and for the first time. I also picked up some specimens of 

 Cladostephus verticillatus, not before recorded as a native of 

 our district. There was a good deal of CeramAum acan- 

 thonotum, and other more common species. 



Turning homewards, we followed the sinuous shore, and 

 found amusement in watching the dottrels, which were 

 feeding in great numbers on the sand just at the edge of the 

 water. On what they were feeding we could not ascertain, 

 and yet the fare must have been plentiful that furnished 

 food for so many birds. The beacon erected on the links 

 here was visited ; and in the water south of it we noticed a 



