89 



A WINTER VISIT TO THE FARNE ISLANDS. 



By the Rev. H. H. SLATER, M.A., F.Z.S., 



Irchester, Wellingborough', Member of the British Ornithologists' Union. 



Some few years ago I was in the habit of paying one or more visits 

 of a few days to Bamborough every winter, and the following is a 

 record of a day's experiences on one of these occasions. Four of us 

 — of whom the others shall be hereinafter designated as E., W., and 

 M. — left Mrs. Henry's comfortable little inn at Bamborough (Mrs. 

 Henry has novv^, alas! 'gone over to the majority') at the extremely 

 inconvenient hour of 3 a.m., for North Sunderland, where we intended 

 to take boat for the Islands. Though we had sent word the day 

 before of our intentions, we found the whole village asleep on our 

 arrival, but as we had come this time an hour before we wanted to 

 start, having had a similar experience on a previous occasion, we 

 managed to get off in good time to be concealed safely on the 

 Meg-Stone before dawn. 



The Meg-Stone, as all who have visited the Fames will remember, 

 is the smallest of the islands and the nearest in shore, and, being 

 almost invisible at high tide, is the one where the old phrase, 'exitium 

 est avidis' (or, let us say, 'infaustis') *mare nautis,' is oftenest and 

 most fatally exemplified. 



No incidents occurred on our outward voyage, except that a 

 string of wild geese passed, 'hawnking' loudly, over our heads, and 

 that one of the party, a black spaniel, showed unmistakable 

 symptoms of 'mal-de-mer.' 



As soon as certain light streaks in the east heralded the advent of 

 the rosy-fingered Aurora, as Virgil or some other penny-a-liner might 

 say, we were aware of the voices of passing ducks, and other birds, 

 who had been feeding during the night on shore, and, hidden in our 

 clefts of rock, we waited for events to develope. The boat was 

 lying concealed in a little creek, so as to be ready to pick up any 

 dead birds which might fall in the sea, an excellent purpose which 

 events unfortunately frustrated. Cormorants and other birds began 

 to pass over us, and I heard several shots fired, and at last saw three 

 ducks coming straight to me, nice and low down, of whom two fell in 

 the sea about thirty yards from me. Next to appear was an adult 

 drake Eider, whom I wanted, and who collapsed almost upon the two 

 other dead ducks. It was now almost daylight, and as there seemed 

 to be a lull in the proceedings, I thought I might as well get the 

 boat to gather my three victims, whom I had been contemplating 

 with satisfaction. To my annoyance, I caught sight of it some dis- 

 tance away, with M. in the bows, firing vigorously from his 'bow 

 chaser.' So I could only go to cover again, and watch my three 



Nov. 1884. 



