LUNDY ISLAND. XXXIX 



south-west of the island are the Gull Rock and the Shutter Rock, 

 the last well known to the readers o£ Charles Kiugsley^s ' Westward 

 Ho ! ' as the spot where the Great Galleon, so long pursued by Sir 

 Amyas Leigh, was wrecked, and sank to the bottom with all hands. 

 The scene in which Sir Amyas, struck blind by the lightning in 

 the great storm, is led to the top of the island in order that he may 

 stand above and face the spot where his long-sought vengeance had 

 been wrested from him by a higher power, presents a description 

 of Lundy by a master hand : " So on they went to the point where 

 the Cyclopean wall of granite clifip which forms the western side of 

 Lundy ends sheer in a precipice of some three hundred feet, topped 

 by a pile of snow-white rock bespangled with golden lichens. As 

 they approached, a Raven, who sat upon the topmost stone, black 

 against the bright blue sky, flapped lazily away, and sank down the 

 abyss of the cliff, as if he scented the corpses underneath the surge. 

 Below them, from the Gull Rock, rose a thousand birds, and filled 

 the air with sound ; the Choughs cackled ; the Hacklets * wailed ; 

 the Great Black-backs laughed querulous defiance at the intruders, 

 and a single Falcon with an angry bark dashed out from beneath 

 their feet, and hung poised high aloft, watching the sea-fowl 

 which swung slowly round and round below ^■' ('Westward Ho !,' 

 chapter xxxii.) . 



Through the kindness of jNIr. John G. Naish, of Ilfracombe, we 

 are enabled to give a photograph of his oil painting of " The Birds 

 at Lundy." The scene is at the north-west end of the island ; 

 the small island in the picture is the " Seals'" Rock.^^ 



There are traditions that the White-tailed Eagle once nested on 

 the cliffs of Lundy, and the Osprey has had an eyrie there later 

 than 1835. The famous white-chested race of Lundy Peregrines 

 hold a precarious tenure of their ancient fastness, and have been 

 once or twice all but exterminated. In the month of September, 

 at the time of passage, numerous Quail and Land-Rails used occa- 

 sionally to drop on the island for a few days, affording excellent 

 bags. In the spring the beautiful Rose-coloured Pastor was oncp 

 a frequent visitor, and the Rev. H. G. Heaven was wont to declare 

 that he was almost sure to meet with it if he went out to look for 

 it, and at the request of his fi'icnd the late Dr. AVoodforde, of 



* The Kittiwnkes. 



d 



