Wanderings of a Naturalist 



the distant Isle of Tiree, lying in the Atlantic more than 

 twenty miles to the westward of Mull. Nothing more wind- 

 swept than this flat island can be imagined, so that it is 

 unexpected to learn that the chiefs of that day migrated 

 thither from Duart at the coming of winter. 



Along the western side of the Isle of Mull the scenery 

 is exceptionally fine. Here the coast is deeply indented by 

 the Atlantic, and almost joining one another are three wild 

 and beautiful sea lochs, by name Loch Scridain, Loch nan 

 Ceall and Loch Tuadh, or in English the North Loch. Imme- 

 diately to the south of Loch Scridain, and near its entrance, 

 lies the world-famous Island of lona, where Saint Columba 

 took up his abode during the seventh century, after leaving 

 Ireland, his native land. lona is separated from Mull by the 

 Sound of lona, a strip of water just over a mile across. But 

 even this narrow passage is sometimes impassable during the 

 winter months for over a week at a time, for through the 

 Sound a very strong tide runs, and a heavy swell rolls in 

 from the main ocean to the south. The one hill on lona is 

 only a few hundred feet in height, but from its summit a 

 wide view is obtained over land and sea. Far out into the 

 Atlantic, should the visibility be good, one can see the lonely 

 lighthouse of Dubh Hirteach. Here, I believe, on one occa- 

 sion the waves were so tremendous that they smashed into 

 fragments the strong glass encasing the reflectors at the 

 very top of the tower. What on this occasion must have 

 been the feelings of the light-keepers, absolutely cut off from 

 the outer world, with the lighthouse rocking and quivering 

 as it was struck by each enormous wave in succession ? 



To the west of Dubh Hirteach there lie, some ten miles 

 south-westward of the Island of Tiree, a number of dangerr 

 ous rocks, many of them showing only at low tide. On the 

 largest of these rocks, by name Skerry vore (Gaelic, Sgeir 

 mhor, or big rock), is a fine lighthouse of granite. It 

 is only during a storm or high spring tide that this rock is 

 awash even at high water. From the lighthouse tower the 



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