of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
211 
III. — THE COCKLE BEDS OF BARRA. By J. H. Fullarton, 
M.A., D.Sc. (Plate IV.) 
1. Historical. 
The history of the Barra Cockle Beds dates back to the sixteenth 
century. Dean Munro, in his History of the Western Isles (1540- 
1549), in describing the island of Barra, says — 'Not far from the Isles 
1 Watersay (one of the islets belonging to Barray) towards the north by 
1 twa mile of sea, lyes the Isle of Barray, being seven mile in lengthe 
' from the south-west to the north-eist and be north, and foure in 
' breadthe from the south-eist to the north-west, ane fertill and fruitful 
' isle in cornes • In the north end of this ile of Barray, there 
4 is ane rough heigh know, mayne grasse and greine round about it to 
4 the head, of the top of the quhilk ther is ane spring and fresh water 
4 well. This well truely springs up certain little round white things, 
1 less nor the quantity of confeit come, lykest to the shape and figure 
' of an little cokill, as it appeared to me. Out of this well runs ther 
* an little strype downwith to the sea, and quher it entres into the sea 
• ther is ane myle braid of sands quhilk ebbs ane myle callit the Fray more 
' of Kilbaray — that is, the grate Sandes of Barry. This ile is full of grate 
' cokills, and alledgit by the ancient countrymen that the same cockles 
1 comes down out of the foresaid hill through the said strype, in the first 
' small forme that we have spoken of, and after there coming down to the 
' sandes growis grate cokills always. Ther is na fairer and more profitable 
" sands for cokills in all the warld.' Martin, though a little more sceptical, 
writes in 1703 (Western Isles of Scotland) — 'And they say that the well 
' of Kilbar throws up embrioes of cockles, but I could not discern any 
' in the Rivulet, the air being at that time foggy.' 
This interesting piece of natural history is not quite so ridiculous as 
some of the stories attempted to be passsed for fact on the credulous 
public, such as the finding of a living frog embedded in the strata of 
the Coal Measures. Though the researches of Loven on the development 
of the cockle were then in the distant future, the Old Statistical Account 
(Sir John Sinclair's) in 1795 pointed out the fallacy of the origin of 
cockles from the ' animal culi ' of the well, as Buchanan, following in his 
predecessors' footsteps, had alleged. This story was further discredited 
by James Macdonald, who wrote a General View of the Agriculture of 
the Hebrides, &c, in 1811. He says — 'The story of the cockle embryos 
' being carried down from a spring and along the course of a rivulet near 
' Kilbar in Barray, we found to be merely a fancy ofjthe Venerable Dean 
' (Munro), perhaps suggested by the patriotic vanity of the natives. 
' The isle of Barray has indeed more cockles than any other island in 
' proportion to its extent, and much benefit is derived from them, not 
' only as food, but also as manure and cement, the shells being often 
' exported to all the neighbouring districts for these purposes. Various 
' other parts of the range of islands under review likewise contain vast 
' quantities of cockles ; and these shell-fish propagated their kind no 
1 doubt in the same manner here as in other parts of the world.' 
Sir John Sinclair (1814), in his General Report (vol. iv. ch. i. 
Appendix No. 4), also tells of 'an astonishing quantity of shell-fish, 
' especially of cockles, which are collected in hundreds of horse-loads at 
' a time, as the people live much upon them in the summer season, and 
' from the shells they also procure lime.' 
