370 
LARIDiE. 
In Yol. I. p. 73, a climber is noticed as ascending the cliffs 
from below to a buzzard's nest, while he was secured from falling 
by a rope about his body, held by persons above. 
The method adopted at Arranmore — the largest of the islands 
of Arran off Galway Bay — was different."* When Mr. R. Ball 
and I visited that island in July 1834, a rock-climber — a tall 
athletic fellow — so far intruded himself upon us when we were 
walking towards the cliffs as to come up behind unheard in his 
“ pompootees/'t and spring high into the air for a few paces past 
us in proof of his agility. We soon put this further to the test 
by having him lowered over the loftiest limestone cliffs of the 
island, perhaps five hundred feet in height. His manner of 
descent was free and easy. He sat upon a stick, about a yard 
in length and two inches in thickness, to the middle of which one 
end of the rope was fastened, the other being held by men above. 
When coming near his prey, he held the rope in one hand, and 
with the other threw a noose fastened to a rod round the birds. 
Several gulls so taken were brought up. When over the cliff, he 
took pleasure in exhibiting himself, springing as far into the air 
from the surface of the precipice as he could do without injury to 
himself from the rebound. { He likewise performed various antics, 
* The description of Arranmore in O’Flaherty’s ‘West or H’lar Connaught/ 
written in 1684, p. 67, contains the following passage : — 
“ Here are birds which never fly but over the sea ; and therefore are used to he 
eaten on fasting-days ; to catch which, people goe down, with ropes tyed about them, 
into the caves of cliffts by night, and with a candle-light kill abundance of them.” 
To the preceding, the editor of the work adds : — “ The height of the cliff at 
Dun JEngus, in Arran, which Dun is one of the most remarkable remains of pagan 
antiquity in the west of Europe, is upwards of three hundred feet” (p. 66). 
f Sandals of cow’s hide, exhibiting the hair outside, are worn by the islanders, 
and the mere single skin (at least in those seen by me) used as sole. They are 
worn over woollen stockings, and fastened by one or two strings across the foot. They 
look singular on large stout men, and last only from three to six w r eeks. The wearer 
can tread quite noiselessly, without any of the intolerable creaking so often heard 
from what are considered more civilized foot-gear. I have been present when an 
actor of some note, with his feet clad in creaking dress-shoes, played the Ghost to 
the elder Kean’s Hamlet, and apprised the audience long before he. actually appeared, 
of his “ entrances,” and by the same means gave token for some time after his 
“ exits,” that he had not yet vanished into thin air. 
^ Further detail in a similar case will be found most graphically narrated by Mr. 
James "Wilson, in his account of St. Kilda, published in his interesting c Voyage 
