y

^

NOTES ON THE
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK

Edinburgh : Printed by George Waterston & Sans

FOR
DAVID DOUGLAS

LONDON, . . SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, AND CO., LIMITED
CAMBRIDGE, . MACMILLAN AND BOWES
GLASGOW, . . JAMES MACLEHOSE AND SONS

•^; NOTES ON THE
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK

BY J. M. CAMPBELL

K
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JAMES MURDOCH

LATE SECRETARY TO THE BOARD OF NORTHERN LIGHTHOUSES

EDINBURGH: DAVID DOUGLAS, CASTLE STREET
1904

LIBRARY

PKEFACE.

THESE desultory notes were originally undertaken at
the instigation of an invalid friend, desirous of a
closer acquaintance with our lonely environments.

At the termination of a nine years' residence on
the Eock, I have been advised to publish them in
book form, and being fortunate in securing the
services of a generous publisher, they are now
collected from the columns of the local press and
issued in this form in the hope that they may
interest the general reader.

I have to thank the Editors of The Arbroath (hdde
and Chambers' s Journal for their courtesy

J. M. CAMPBELL,

Assistant Lightkeeper.

BELL ROCK LIGHTHOUSE,
May 1904.

927163

INTRODUCTION.

IN consequence probably of my connection of more than fifty
years with the Northern Lighthouse Board, and of the almost
equally long service of my father, I have been requested, and
with much diffidence have complied with the request, to write,
by way of Introduction to these very interesting and instruc-
tive "Notes from the Bell Rock," a few words regarding
Lighthouses, and a short account of the Northern Lighthouse
Service and its Lightkeepers. My love for that service, and
the esteem I have for those responsible and patient watch-
men of the night, whose duty it is to keep their lights burning
to guard the mariner from some of the dangers to which he is
exposed, and to guide him on his way over the vasty deep,
may possibly enable me to say something to interest readers
of the Notes in a service whose appropriate motto is " IN
SALUTEM OMNIUM."

The origin, as well as the early history, of lighthouses is
involved in much obscurity, although we learn from ancient
writers that lights of some sort, or beacon fires, were used
for guiding vessels or warning them of danger at least three
hundred years before the Christian era. The Colossus of
Rhodes and the Pharos of Alexandria are those that we first
read of, but very little authentic information is to be got
regarding them. At a much later date we know that sea
lights for such purposes were produced by the burning of
wood and coal in chauffers on coasts where they could be
well seen. One such beacon fire was shown from a tower
on the Isle of May, at the entrance to the Frith of Forth,
from the year 1635 till 1816, when the present lighthouse

was built, and is supposed to have been the first sea light

a

ii INTRODUCTION.

on the coast of Scotland. It is not unlikely, however, that
long before that date some of the most dangerous parts of
the Mediterranean were lighted in a like primitive manner.

The first lighthouse of any note of which we have authentic
record is the Tour de Corduan, near the mouth of the river
Garonne, in the south-west of France, which was founded in
1584, but not completed and lighted till 1610. On account
of the style and grandeur of its architecture, it was long
regarded as one of the wonders of the world, the Pharos of
Alexandria having been regarded as another. Its lightroom
was originally constructed for the combustion of wood in a
kind of chauffer raised six feet above the floor of the lantern ;
but it has undergone many alterations and improvements
since then, to bring it into keeping with the progressing and
modern system of lighthouse illumination, which has made
great strides during the last half-century.

Winstanley's wooden structure to mark the Eddystone
Rock off Plymouth was probably the next work of importance
in lighthouse building. It was lighted in 1698, but washed
away in a storm about five years afterwards when Winstanley,
who had gone there with some workmen to execute certain
repairs, and the lightkeepers all perished. A subsequent
lighthouse, also of wood, on the Eddystone, was accidentally
burned down about fifty years later, after which Smeaton's
structure of stone was placed on it. This building stood
until a few years ago, when it was seen the sea was mak-
ing such serious inroads on the rock on which it was
founded, that it was deemed advisable to take it down and
have another built on a different part of the reef. The
success of Smeaton's lighthouse having been assured, attention
was directed at the beginning of last century to the Bell
Rock, which was a source of great danger to vessels navigat-
ing the East Coast of Scotland, and particularly to those

INTRODUCTION. Ill

sailing to or from the Friths of Forth and Tay, many of them
being lost on it.

The Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses accordingly
resolved to erect a lighthouse there, somewhat after the
model of Smeaton's Eddystone, but the work proved to be a
much more difficult and arduous undertaking owing to the
Hock being always covered by the sea, except for a short time
at low water, whereas the Eddystone was never altogether
covered, even at high water. The Bell Rock is a low flat
lying reef, the surface of which becomes uncovered to any
extent only at low water of spring tides, but on which at
high water there is a depth of from twelve to sixteen feet. Its
extent is about 1400 or 1500 feet in length, with a breadth
of about 300 feet. In olden times it was known as the Inch-
cape Rock. Tradition has it that at one time an Abbot of
Aberbrothock being impressed with its danger, and anxious
to avert to some extent, if possible, the loss of life which
often occurred on it by shipwrecks, moored thereon a buoy
or log of wood, having a bell attached to it, which the action
of the sea tolled continuously, thus giving warning of danger.
It afterwards became known as the Bell Rock. Tradition
also says that a pirate known as Ralph the Rover, who
frequented these seas, finding that the bell interfered with
his nefarious occupation, removed it. Retribution, however,
was not long of overtaking him, for it is said that his vessel
shortly afterwards struck on the reef and was lost with all on
board. Southey's graphic ballad, descriptive of the legend,
entitled " Sir Ralph the Rover," is so well known that it
is quite unnecessary to do more than refer to it here.

The sanction of Government having to be procured before
the erection of the lighthouse could be proceeded with, con-
siderable time was occupied with the necessary negotiations,
but in 1807, Mr Robert Stevenson, the Engineer to the

IV INTRODUCTION.

Northern Lighthouse Board, was allowed to commence opera-
tions, and after encountering and overcoming innumerable
difficulties by his indomitable skill, energy, and perseverance,
he at last completed the work, and had a light shown from
it on 1st February 1811. It is very satisfactory to be able
to state as testifying to the excellency of the materials used
in its construction, as well as to the careful and well devised
scheme and execution of the workmanship, that the tower
as yet shows no symptoms of decay, and stands as strong
to-day as when newly erected.

In a highly interesting lecture which the writer of the
Notes delivered at Arbroath, about a year ago, he thus
described the lightrooin and lighting apparatus, which had
just been renewed, not on account of tear and wear, but to
bring it up to present day standard : —

" In the centre of the floor stands the revolving machinery
enclosed in a heavy metal case, upon which the huge lens,
with its supporting carriage, revolves. The lens itself — a
marvel of the glassmaker's art — is the production of a French
firm. Imagine a huge saucer, twelve feet in diameter, com-
posed of twenty concentric prisms of purest glass, each with a
diameter almost as much as a man may enclose with both
hands, terminating centrally in a sixteen inch plano-convex
lens or bull's-eye. Suppose the rim of this saucer to the
extent of four prisms be turned sharply inwards, the whole
set vertically on edge — convexity outwards — and a vertical
section — in which the bull's-eye and three adjoining prisms
are alone intact — projected a foot further forward, one may
gain some idea of that particular portion of the lens allotted
to the red flash, the colour of which is attained by means
of sheets of red glass attached inside the central section
and on the outside of the adjoining wings. On the opposite
side of the lens, and in a line with the central red section,

INTRODUCTION. V

is a similar section — minus the adjoining wings and the red
media — through which the white flash is transmitted. Both
flashes are intended to equal each other in intensity, which
accounts for the much smaller portion of the lens allotted
to the white. A belt of horizontal prisms, three feet wide,
connects the wings of the red section with the white on
either side, and reflects the rays of light equally to both
sections. Stooping underneath this belt, access is obtained
to a fixed circular platform in the interior of the lens. In
the centre of this platform, upon an iron pedestal, is placed
the source of illumination, a large six-wick lamp. Between
this platform and the top of the machine case, the circular
carriage upon which the superstructure of the lens is erected
revolves upon twelve five-inch steel rollers travelling upon
a circular metal pathway. Attached to the under side of
this carriage is a heavy gun-metal ring, six feet in diameter,
toothed on its inner circumference, which engages with a
horizontal pinion wheel rising from the corner of the machine
case, and through which the driving power is transmitted.
The machine — an exaggerated form of clockwork — is driven
by a weight of 400 Ibs. travelling in the centre of the spiral
stair on the first flat. The speed of the machine is regulated
by adjustable fans ; and a speed indicator, furnished with an
alarm bell, intimates the periods of winding — an operation
necessitating two minutes' stiff winding every half-hour. The
entire lens, with its supporting carriage, is estimated to weigh
about six tons. The lamp, as I have already stated, is placed
upon an iron pedestal in the centre of the platform, or service
table, as it is called, in the interior of the lens. It is fitted
with what is known as the stepped Doty burner, and carries
six concentric wicks, each slightly elevated above the other
towards the centre. The burner is six inches in diameter,
and consumes paraffin oil at the rate of eighteen gills per

VI INTRODUCTION.

hour. To maintain this supply, a forty gallon tank of polished
brass is placed on the lightrooin floor ; and a small force pump,
with triple plungers, working in conjunction with the revolving
machine, maintains a constant supply of oil, which is kept
cool by circulating within an inch of the burning edge of the
wicks, the surplus oil returning to the pump-tank. The flash,
on being transmitted through the lens, is reckoned to be equal
to 60,000 candles ; and the characteristic of the light — a red
and white flash alternately every half -minute — visible twenty
miles distant."

A description of the work of renewal of the lighting
apparatus and the erection of a new and enlarged lantern to
hold it on the top of the tower, is also given in the Notes \
and no further reference to it is needed than to say that
the light, which has the same characteristic as before, is
now, by means of the new apparatus, made much stronger
and more brilliant.

Such an erection as this lighthouse — standing, as it were,
a pillar in the ocean, with a stormy sea raging round it —
may surely be described as one of the noblest and most
wonderful works of man. As no ship has been wrecked
on the Rock since the light was first exhibited, it is incal-
culable how many valuable lives may have been saved by
it. Sir Walter Scott, on the occasion of his visiting the
Bell Rock as the guest of the Commissioners on their annual
tour of inspection in 1814, gave beautiful expression to his
feelings in the following appropriate lines, which he wrote
in the Lighthouse Album : —

PHAROS LOQUITUR.

Far in the bosom of the deep,

O'er these wild shelves my watch I keep,

A ruddy gem of changeful light

Bound on the dusky brow of night ;

The seaman bids my lustre hail,

And scorns to strike his timorous sail.

INTRODUCTION. Vll

The Eddystone and the Bell Rock Lighthouses having
been, as it were, the forerunners of the class of lighthouse
that required to be built on rocks exposed to the full fetch
of heavy seas, many more of the same sort have since been
erected off the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. That
of Skerryvore, which is situated in the Atlantic, west of
the Island of Tiree in Argyllshire, is regarded as probably
the finest specimen of lighthouse architecture in the world.
This lighthouse was the creation of Alan Stevenson, who
succeeded his father, Robert, as Engineer to the Northern
Lighthouse Board, and it is interesting to know that the
designing and engineering of the Northern Lighthouses has
now been in the hands of the Stevenson family for more
than a hundred years, Mr David Alan Stevenson, one of the
grandsons of Robert, now holding the position of Engineer
to the Board. But the family is not altogether indebted to
lighthouse engineering for its fame, as the late talented and
lamented writer and novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson, who
made a world-wide name for himself, was another grandson of
the Bell Rock Engineer.

It is not necessary to say more about lighthouses, but
I considered it desirable to give a short description of one or
two of the most notable, including that of the Bell Rock,
in which these Notes were written, to show from what
limited sources a man of intelligence and keen observation
can procure subjects of surpassing interest to engage his
attention, as well as to instruct and amuse others.

The Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom are the
Trinity House for England, the Commissioners of Northern
Lighthouses for Scotland, and the Commissioners of Irish
Lights for Ireland. The Trinity House exerts a certain
control over the Scottish and Irish Boards, particularly as to
the site and character of lights proposed by them, and

Vlll INTRODUCTION.

the Board of Trade holds the financial control of all three.
The Boards are not all similarly constituted, the members
of the Trinity House being mostly men of nautical knowledge,
while those composing the Irish Board are mostly connected
with the Corporation of Dublin. The Commissioners of
Northern Lighthouses are the Lord Advocate and the
Solicitor-General for Scotland, the Lord Provosts of Edin-
burgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee ; the Provosts of
Greenock, Inverness, Campbeltown, and Leith ; the eldest
Bailies of Edinburgh and Glasgow ; and the Sheriff's of the
maritime counties of Scotland. The origin of the Board dates
from 1786, and it was incorporated by an Act of Parliament
passed in 1798. The primary and general object of the three
Boards is the erection and maintenance of lighthouses and
other sea marks, such as beacons and buoys, for the security
of navigation and the saving of life and property. The funds
for these objects are got by levying tolls on shipping.

In 1815 the Northern Lighthouse Commissioners acquired
the right to erect lighthouses on the Isle of Man, which
since then has been under their jurisdiction.

In olden times, many lighthouses in England and Ireland
were the property of private individuals, who had the power
of charging dues for their erection and maintenance ; but the
Isle of May light was the only one of that kind in Scotland,
and it became the property of the Commissioners of Northern
Lighthouses by purchase in 1814. The tolls or dues have long
been collected for the different Boards by the Collectors of
Customs at the various ports, and are now paid into what
is called the "General Lighthouse Fund," which is held by
the Board of Trade, and on which the Lighthouse Boards
draw according to their requirements. Sixty years ago this
tax, as it may be called, on shipping varied as regarded
different lighthouses from a farthing to one-penny-halfpenny

INTRODUCTION. IX

per ton for each light passed, the rates on over-sea voyages
being generally double those for coasting voyages ; but since
then they hare frequently been reduced, both in amount and
in incidence. Ships of the Navy and all lighthouse vessels
are, of course, exempt from such dues. On 1st April
1899, an alteration was made by which vessels were no
longer charged a rate per ton for each light passed, but a
rate per ton per voyage, and in some cases a rate per vessel ;
and a deduction was made when a number of similar
voyages took place during the year. Very recently, a
further reduction has been granted by an abatement of
twelve-and-a-half per cent, on the total. This, of course,
is all paid by the shipowners, who have long been, and
still are, discontented at being charged for light dues at
all, their contention being that all the expenditure necessary
for erecting and maintaining lighthouses and other sea marks
should be paid out of the Imperial taxation of the country.
They also now desire to be represented on the three Boards,
and have a share in the management. I, who have seen
half-a-century's administration by the Commissioners of
Northern Lighthouses, may be allowed to express an opinion
that it would be very difficult to construct a Board to do its
work better than the Northern Lighthouse Board. The
Commissioners require no eulogy from me; but I cannot
imagine any other body of men, be they scientific or un-
scientific, nautical or commercial, paid or unpaid — and be
it noted that the Commissioners are all unpaid — taking more
interest in their work, or devoting more time and attention
to it. The introduction of shipowners, who may have conflict-
ing interests to serve in the lighting of different parts of the
coast, might introduce an element of discord from which the
present Board, so far as I am aware, has always been exempt.
The staff of the Board consists of an Engineer and a

X INTRODUCTION.

Secretary, who also acts as General Manager, with an
accountant, examiner of accounts, and five clerks. Then
there is a superintending staff, consisting of a superintendent,
with an assistant, and three district superintendents. Four
small steamers, the property of the Board, deliver stores
and oil, and fill with gas the lighted beacons and buoys, as
well as relieve the keepers at some of the rock lighthouses.
A number of boats also attend certain island and remote
stations. There are more than 200 lightkeepers attached
to about 80 lights, most of these lights being attended by two-
keepers, one acting as principal and the other as assistant.
At rock and fog signal stations, however, there are three
or four keepers, according to requirement; such lighthouses
as the Bell Rock, Skerryvore, and several others of that class
having four. At the Isle of May, which is an electric light
station, there is an engineer in charge, with six assistants.
Besides these, there are also a number of small beacon and
subsidiary lights which do not require the personal attendance
of lightkeepers. In the early part of last century light-
keepers were mostly chosen from the seafaring class, or from
men who resided in the district in which a lighthouse was
placed, and age was considered no detriment so long as they
were able-bodied and of good character. The Scottish Board
never employed women as lightkeepers, but not very long ago
it was customary in certain cases for lightkeepers' wives to act
in this capacity in Ireland. As lighthouses increased in
number, applications to fill the post of lightkeepers also
became more numerous, and now it is almost essential that an
applicant, in order to get his name placed on the expectant
list, should be either a mechanic or a seaman. Before
receiving an appointment he has also to undergo a period
of probation at one or two lighthouses, where he gets
instruction in his duties. There is now so much delicate and

INTRODUCTION. X*

expensive machinery in lightrooms that those placed in
charge should not only have skill to keep it in good
working order, but be able to execute slight repairs should
accidents occur. It is also found that seamen are most
suitable for rock or island stations, where there is much
boating or landing of stores and provisions, their early train-
ing and familiarity with the sea giving expertness to their
movements and a confidence which few landsmen can ever
acquire. There is now an age limit for entrance to the
service, consequently all are young when first appointed, and
before getting an appointment require to pass an examina-
tion in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and give evidence of
general intelligence. They must also pass a medical examina-
tion to prove that they are free from physical defects and
have a sound constitution, and freedom from colour blindness.
At sixty years of age they may retire, and at sixty-five they
must do so, pensions being awarded them according to their
period of service. The day duties are light, except during
spells of fog, when at those stations where there are fog
signals, and the sirens require to be continually sounded,
close attention must be given to the engines and machinery
connected with them. The night duties are divided into-
watches similar to those adopted on board ships. Light-
keepers are not allowed to read, write, or work while on
watch in the lightroom, as duty there requires all the
attention they can give to keep the lights burning brightly,
and at revolving lights to watch and wind up the machinery
periodically. Then during certain states of the atmosphere
the glass of the lantern requires cleaning, more especially
when snow is falling on it and obscuring the light. A
graphic description of this operation at the Bell Rock is given
in the Notes.

The lives of all lightkeepers are insured, and much is

Xii INTRODUCTION.

done to make their position and that of their families a
comfortable one. They have a liberal allowance of holidays ;
and, if sickness overtakes them or any member of their
families, medical attendance and medicines are furnished by
the Board practically free. Comfortable dwelling-houses,
with a certain amount of furniture, are supplied to all of
them, with uniform clothing, bedding, cooking utensils, coal,
and oil for lighting purposes. When men are doing duty
on rock lighthouses, their food and all their wants are, as
a matter of course, supplied. At stations remote from
schools, a boarding allowance is given to enable light-
keepers to get their children boarded and educated else-
where. Nor must I omit to mention that all are liberally
supplied with illustrated and other newspapers, monthly
periodicals, and books of useful and general literature.
Lightkeepers and their families at most island stations have
also means afforded them for occasional attendance on Divine
ordinances. They have time to indulge in hobbies, such as
handicraft of various kinds, from the making and mending
of shoes to the construction of beautiful models of light-
houses and ships, or, like that of the writer of the Notes,
the studying of the natural history of the objects around
them. I knew one who, on the eve of his retirement, built
for himself a small boat of plate iron, in which he after-
wards used to go fishing.

The lights shown from lighthouses have all special
characteristics — such as fixed, flashing, or a variation in
colour — to distinguish them from each other, and to enable
the mariner when he sights them to know exactly off what
part of the coast he is. Unfortunately, this does not always
prevent shipwrecks occurring; for, although he should not
do so, sometimes the mariner mistakes his light, and runs
into danger instead of out of it ; or fog may render a light

INTRODUCTION. Xlll

invisible ; or a storm may drive a vessel on a lee shore in
spite of any light. It might be said that wrecks should
never occur from the first of these causes, viz., a mariner
mistaking his light ; but sailors are sometimes careless, like
other people, and only learn their lesson when too late. It is
different, however, when a master or officer has been storm
tossed, probably for many days and nights, without seeing
the sun or stars to give him an idea of his whereabouts.
Suddenly the fog lifts a little and he sees a gleam of light
which, in the anxious state of his mind, he supposes to be
one which he thinks he ought to be approaching, and then
taking, as he supposes, his correct course, runs on the rocks.
Such a case occurred about five years ago, when the s.s.
Labrador, bound from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Liverpool,
was lost on the Skerryvore reef. The captain had not been
able for many days to take an observation owing to fog,
and the tide had evidently carried him further to the north
than he reckoned on, when suddenly the light of Skerryvore
appeared, and mistaking it for a light on the north coast of
Ireland, he unfortunately altered his course, with the result
that the ship ran on a portion of the Skerryvore reef and
became a total wreck. Fortunately, all on board were
saved. Two boat-loads of crew and passengers were picked
up by a steamer and landed on the Island of Mull ; while
another boat, containing the remainder, eighteen in all,
reached the rock where the lighthouse stood, and, assisted
by the lightkeepers, landed and found shelter there, and
had all their wants attended to till the lighthouse steamer
Hesperus went to their assistance and took them to Oban.
Many acts of heroism since that of Grace Darling have been
performed by lightkeepers in saving life from shipwreck, and
have been suitably acknowledged by the Lifeboat Institution
or Humane Society. A short time ago, two daughters of the

INTRODUCTION.

principal lightkeeper at Kyleakin, observed a sailing boat
struck by a squall off the lighthouse, and its occupants (two
men) thrown into the water. The tide was running fast,
and as there was no time to lose, they rushed down to the
shore, and, getting into a boat, rowed out to where they
saw one man struggling in the water, and, after taking him
on board, rowed after the upturned boat, which had the
other man clinging to it, and saved him also.

In closing my short Introduction I cannot do better
than refer to a visit paid to the Bell Rock Lighthouse by
some fifty members of the British Association in 1850, and
give a few quotations from a speech made by Dr Robin-
son, of Armagh, at a general meeting of that Association
held in Edinburgh shortly afterwards, when he moved a
vote of thanks to the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses
for their courtesy in conveying the party arid showing them
over the Lighthouse. He said he had been led to an object
which, almost from the days of his childhood, engrossed his
attention, and which he had ever regarded as one of the
wonders of the world.

"When I visited that marvellous, beautiful structure,
rising up in its strength and loneliness out of the deep, I
found that though the sea was calm and the wind was still,
yet there was quite enough of danger in the enterprise of
approaching it. Under these circumstances it enabled the
mind to call up for itself the terrors which must in former
years have beset those who were unhappily entangled in
that wilderness of rocks, which that noble structure now
crowns as a beacon. ... It was impossible not to feel
admiration for the beneficent courage and the mechanical
skill of the late distinguished engineer, Robert Stevenson.
. . . When I thought of the extraordinary resources, both of
wealth and talent, that must have been accumulated to over-

INTRODUCTION. XV

come such a tremendous difficulty, I naturally looked to
the nature of the power by which such marvels had been
achieved, and I found not a mere unenlightened body of what
are called practical men, of persons who followed the road of
experience, going always into the same old track, and
incapable of availing themselves of the progress of the age
to perfect their feeble endeavours. I found I was among
men who were able to teach me in many important facts
regarding which I had in vain sought for information for
years, and which I learned in that excursion. . . . When
I was led to ask the question, Who are the controllers of
this admirable system? I learned with surprise that the
Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses are not a set of
salaried functionaries, whose professional habits might have
led them to interest themselves in these pursuits, but a
body of lawyers and municipal magistrates."

Dr Robinson's appreciation of the Commissioners in the
important services they render to the shipping interests is,
I am sure, shared and endorsed by all who know or have
known the Commissioners of any period.

J. M.

EDINBURGH, August 1904.

NOTES'-.,.;",:,- V

ON

THE NATURAL HISTORY

OF

THE BELL ROCK.

APRIL 1901.

I WONDER how many people have had the pleasure of a trip to
the Bell Rock Lighthouse. I don't mean the customary trip
per summer steamer, which keeps at a very respectable dis-
tance, and gives one but a faint idea of what the building is
really like ; but those who have made a landing on the Rock,
and spent an hour or two in admiring the ingenuity and skill
displayed in the erection of this noble structure, which has so
bravely stood the test of almost a century's storms. It is not
my intention to enter into a detailed description of the Light-
house, but merely to jot down in haphazard fashion any little
items which may serve to interest or amuse the general reader.
The usual signs which to the landsman's eye chronicle the
passing seasons are here unknown ; but to us, the fish, shell
fish, marine plants, migratory birds, etc., constitute an endless
calendar. Early this month the flocks of eider and long-tailed
ducks, which have been in close attendance since September,
have gone housekeeping, and one belated pair of eiders alone
remain, evidently as undecided as some of their human
contemporaries about taking the important step. The gulls,
which have been levying blackmail from the ducks all winter,
have almost all disappeared, and we miss their raucous voices
at our door, contending for the after-dinner scraps. One
would scarcely credit the swallowing capacity of these omni-
vorous birds. A piece of ham skin, nine inches long and

A

2 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

three inches broad, and about the consistency of sole leather,
e4ily''bpfed by a blackback without apparent effort.
,bir.d^, though not classed as divers, I have frequently

<g>ft'df)riip$e$ely under water to recover a sinking tit-bit. I
had an interesting view from the balcony the other morning
of a seal which was breakfasting off a full-sized cod which he
had just captured. Seizing the fish by the shoulders in his
teeth, and pushing it from him with his fore nippers he tore
off a great strip clear to the tail. Elevating his head in the
air, he gulped it over. Diving after the disappearing fish, he
quickly had it on the surface again, and the pushing and
tearing repeated till there was nothing left but the head and
backbone. A couple of gulls kept circling and screaming over
him, picking up any strayed pieces which came their way, but
he took good care their share was small, and kept a wary eye
on their movements, evidently suspecting they had designs on
the fish itself. They, in turn, I noticed, always kept their
wings elevated when resting for a moment on the water
awaiting his reappearance with the fish, prepared to shoot into
the air should he attempt to rush at them.

The white whelk, whose numbers here are legion, are now
making their appearance from their winter quarters, where,
in sheltered nooks and crannies, they have successfully resisted
the winter's gales. Unlike some of their species, which sub-
sist solely on marine plants, they are not vegetarians, but,
spreading themselves over the Rock like a devastating army,
they devour all animal matter they come across. Armed with
a strong muscular proboscis, containing within itself the neces-
sary boring apparatus, and which consists of a cylindrical
implement, the extremity of which forms the mouth of the
animal, and is surrounded by two strong muscular lips, en-
closing a tongue, armed with spines, they are able, by the
joint action of tongue and lips, to perforate the hardest shells.
Fixing itself on the defenceless mussel, the boring operation is
carried on through the furrow on the one side of the rim of the
whelk, and a neat cylindrical orifice, no bigger than a pinhole, is
eventually made in the mussel shell, through which the tongue

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 6

is thrust and the contents gradually extracted. Two years
ago the Rock was literally covered with patches of immature
mussels, but is now completely denuded by these rapacious
hordes. Some seasons the mussel spawn is pretty much in
evidence here, but they never come to maturity ; the white
whelk takes care of that; but apart from that cause, it is
doubtful if they could manage to subsist in such a boisterous
situation. The workmen, while employed here in the build-
ing of the Lighthouse, in order to regale themselves with a
fresh diet occasionally, made the experiment of transplanting
mussels from the shore, but without success. The white
whelk was evidently considered the chief offender, as barrels
of them were collected and destroyed without any appreciable
diminution of their numbers. The attempt was ultimately
abandoned in disgust.

" All is not gold that glitters," neither does every whelk
shell enclose its legitimate owner. Pick up that one which
moves with such unusual speed through this shallow pool, and
you will find a pair of lobster like claws dangling from its
mouth. Gently crack the shell — for you will find it next
to impossible to extract him alive otherwise — and you will
see, what one may be pardoned for supposing, a miniature
lobster, but which in reality belongs to another distinct
species, namely, the hermit crab. Whether he has obtained
occupancy by force of arms or merely through decease of
the original tenant is a moot point, but the first supposition
is highly probable, as he is a most belligerent little customer.
An amusing sight may be witnessed by placing several of
them, deprived of the shells, in an ordinary soup plate, with
a little sea water and some empty shells — fewer shells than
crabs. The fighting and struggling to secure houses is
ludicrous in the extreme. One may be seen almost successful
in mooring himself within a shell — which, by the way, is
effected by means of the shelly plates at the extremity of
his soft, twisted tail — when another seizes him by the nape
of the neck, as it were, and he is dragged reluctantly forth.
The evictor still holds him struggling at claw's length, and

4 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

not until he himself is safely ensconced does he relinquish
his grasp. Others, again, may be seen prospecting the interior
of a shell. Extended at full length on the top of the shell, with
their claws groping within, one is forcibly reminded of a
person " guddling " for trout. Should there be any portion
of the original whelk remaining in the shell, this, after
repeated tuggings, is cleared out. The tail is then inserted,
and the whole body withdrawn into the shell, providing it
is large enough ; if not, he stands a bad chance of being
evicted by the next pugnacious house-hunter.

MAY 1901.

FLOWERY May ! Well, not exactly. To us here this month
generally spells fish, and is looked forward to as a pleasant
change from the usual regime. It may probably surprise
many to learn that though planted here, right in the centre
of the fishing grounds, our table for the greater part of the
year is " fishless " ; for, unlike Mahomet and the mountain,
the fish must come to us, even to our very door — for from
our doorway the most of our fish are caught, save an occasional
one taken with rod and line from the deep pools left on the
Rock by the receding tide. The catching of fish from one's
doorstep will be easily understood when it is known that a
stumble from our door at full tide means a sheer fall of fifteen
feet into two or three fathoms of water. A stay fixed in the
doorway, with its outer end attached to the landing-slip fifty
feet from the tower, carries a weighted pulley, to which is
attached the fishing line, while pending from the pulley is the
snid and hook. The pulley is carried to the extremity of
the stay by its own momentum, and is hauled back by means
of the fishing line. The most of our fly-fishing is carried
on with this apparatus, our largest catches being generally
in the fall and consisting principally of poddlies, with an
occasional lithe or cod. Strangers often ask why we do not
keep a boat here; it might almost as reasonably be asked
why we don't keep a cow. Simply because we have not the
necessary accommodation — that is, unless one could be devised
with the properties of a limpet, and be none the worse for
several hours' immersion every tide. Besides, our Commis-
sioners have decreed that it would not be advisable, as the
temptation to wander might end in our being cast away, and
the possible result of the Rock being left even for one night
without its customary warning light might be too horrible to
contemplate.

6 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

Cyclopterus lumpus is again with us. This is not a new
form of the plague, but merely the technical term for the fish
called the lump-sucker, better known on the East Coast as the
paidle-cock and paidle-hen. Early this month they annually
visit the Rock to deposit their ova. This the hen does in
some convenient angle of the Rock, often so ill-judged as to
expose the nest at low water. The ova is cemented into a
compact mass, and adheres to the Rock by means of a
gelatinous envelope surrounding each egg. This operation
performed, the hen evidently considers her share of the
contract as finished, as she immediately clears out to deep
water, leaving the cock to mount guard over the nest. This
duty he faithfully performs, as he is always to be seen with
his nose close up to the ova, and never seems to leave it for a
moment. I have frequently taken them away from the nest
and placed them in a different part of the pool, but they
invariably returned to their post. A stick or other substance
intruded in the vicinity of the nursery is viciously snapped
at. The ova seems to be considered a desirable dainty by
other fishes, as the stomachs of the cod caught by us bear
indisputable evidence of the cock's inefficiency as guardian of
his embryonic progeny. The hen is about eighteen inches
long, and of a somewhat repulsive appearance. The cock is
about half this size, and more attractive, being brilliantly
coloured, combining various shades of blue, purple, and rich
orange. A broad sucking disc between the pectoral fins
enables the fish to moor itself to the rock and maintain an
upright position. The dorsal ridge somewhat resembles a
cock's comb, and is probably the origin of the name paidle-
cock.

"Treasure-trove — Discovery of Specie on the Bell Rock."
There is a heading for a sensational article, recalling visions
of that fictitious personage Ralph the Rover and his ill-gotten
wealth. Well, many a yarn is built on a less slender founda-
tion. Here are the facts : — The specie did not consist of
Spanish dollars stacked in massive oaken coffers, but of a
similar metal enclosed in a far more ingenious receptacle,

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 7

simply a shilling in a live mussel. The shilling appeared as
crisp as if newly struck, and bore the date 1839. It had
turned a dark brown colour and had some filaments ©f the
byssus or " beard " of the mussel adhering to it. The mussel
was one of a quantity taken from underneath Granton Pier,
and was being opened here for bait purposes when the
" discovery " was made.

On the evening of the 20th inst. we had a grand view of a
flotilla of torpedo destroyers steaming south. Although the
sea was comparatively calm, they appeared to be making
heavy weather of it; they literally "shovelled" the sea over
themselves, and the steersmen, being placed further forward
than in ordinary vessels, were being continually drenched.
The terrific speed and the flames spurting from their short,
stumpy funnels suggested the idea of their being on an errand
of life and death rather than on a peaceful tour.

We have just completed a small aquarium, by means of
which we hope to become better acquainted with the more
minute organisms with which the Rock at this season of
the year teems. Apart from the study of man himself, what
can be more interesting than to be an actual eye-witness
of the gradual evolution of the different forms in the great
life-scheme of the Creator, from the simple nucleated speck of
protoplasm (amceba), which multiplies by simple division, to
the more complex structure of the members of the vertebrate
kingdom 1

JUNE 1901.

A HEAVY, pounding, nor'-east swell in the early part of
this month has almost denuded the higher portions of the
Rock of the young vegetation, the tangles being as cleanly
cut as if by a reaper. The paidle-cocks' nests also suffered,
as not a vestige of them was left. Several cocks have been
seen wandering aimlessly about, their occupation evidently
gone.

On the afternoon of the 14th we had a heavy shower of
hail, accompanied with loud peals of thunder ; but on the
whole the month has been fairly good. At high water on
several days the Rock was literally black with poddlies
feeding on young sand eels, half-a-dozen terns and several
small gulls joining in the feast, while a number of gannets
kept wheeling and diving in the vicinity, evidently picking
up a decent living. The continual splashing of the fish in
pursuit of their prey could be distinctly heard by us through
our open window while lying in bed. Strange to say, our
efforts to " take in " a few of them met with but little success ;
probably the sufficiency of eels was the cause of their ignoring
our questionable lure. The few that we caught were choke
full of eels, several of which were disgorged in our doorway
still alive.

On the 4th of the month we had a visit from a carrier
pigeon, which had evidently strayed in the haze. It carried
no message, but was stamped on the wing, and had a
numbered rubber ring on its leg. After feeding, it was
liberated next morning, with a message attached. We
occasionally have similar visitors. Last year one of them
landed home in Warwickshire — the owner thanking us and
enclosing a consideration for our kindness to the bird.

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 9

" There's nothing new under the sun." This much quoted
aphorism was forcibly suggested to our minds the other day
while collecting specimens for our aquarium. In the first
instance, a spider-crab, which, when stranded high and dry,
appeared but an unsightly mass of tangled seaweed, when
placed in the aquarium assumed all the beauties of a verdant
grove. From every available point on the upper surface of
hie mossy-covered shell beautiful variegated plants streamed
and waved their delicately-feathered fronds. Conspicuous
amongst this luxurious growth were specimens of the coral-
lines or sea-firs, which a casual observer might easily suppose
to be miniature fir trees, but which in reality are plants only
in semblance. Each of these delicate looking plants is actually
an animal ; in fact, a colony of animals. Closely placed along
each side of the stem and delicate branches of other growths
are slight projections or nodules, each containing a separate
animal, which it surprises one to learn is eventually destined
to become a jelly fish. The benefits of this partnership be-
tween crab and coralline is probably mutual, but the advantage
to the crab in being thus arrayed is easily seen, as he can
remain completely concealed from his enemies, and be able to
stalk his prey with greater certainty of success. Shakespeare,
in his tragedy of "Macbeth," caused an attacking force to
advance under cover of a wood they had cut down for that
purpose, but here in Nature's own arena similar tactics are
being pursued, and probably were ages before " Birnam Wood
came to Dunsinane," or any of the genus homo ever saw the
light.

In the second instance, our attention was centred in a
small jelly-fish swimming about in a quiet pool, its trans-
lucent body being scarcely distinguishable but for the
beautiful flashes of irridescent light it was continually giving
off in the bright sunshine. This beautiful object might,
without exaggeration, be truly termed a living gem. Trans-
ferring it to a glass of sea water for a closer inspection, our
curiosity was amply rewarded. In shape and size similar
to a nutmeg, its body was divided by eight equidistant bands

10 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

running, as it were, from its North to its South Pole. Two
long filamentous tentacles streamed from the lower portion
of the animal, and were constantly being shot forth and
withdrawn into its body, probably concerned in some way
in the animal's nutrition. Along one side of each tentacle
were ranged delicate filaments, scarcely perceptible to the
naked eye, and were probably of service in entangling the
minute food forms contained in the water. Each of the eight
vertical bands was seen to be furnished with minute plates
overlapping each other like the plume of a feather. These
plates, being continually in motion, were the means by which
the animal was propelled through the water; by revers-
ing the action it moved backwards, and by moving those on
one side only, a rotary motion was obtained, the action cf the
plates producing the most brilliant prismatic effects. Call
these plates paddles, and their different movements a-head,
a-stern, port and starboard, and man's wonderful invention
the paddle-wheel does not appear so very " new under the sun."
The various motions man obtains by means of ponderous
machinery are here vested in this simple, almost structureless
animal, which has aptly been likened to a drop of animated
sea water, and the facility with which it rises to the surface or
descends to any depth might furnish hints towards the solution
of the submarine vessel, which is at present so engrossing the
attention of naval authorities the world over. Dwellers by
the sea at this season of the year should have little trouble in
procuring specimens of this most beautiful and interesting
animal, which would certainly prove to them "a thing of
beauty and a joy for " — well, several days, if the water is
renewed.

JULY 190 L

EXCESSIVE heat, coupled with an unusual continuance of fog,
have been the principle features of this month. The continual
booming of our explosive fog-signal every five minutes, night
and day, would be rather apt to " get on " a stranger's nerves
were he compelled to sleep within a few feet of it ; as a rule,
it does not disturb us in the least, but with such protracted
spells as we have had this month it does become a trifle irk-
some. The first shot generally sends the beads of some of the
window cases rattling down the traps. This has a more dis-
turbing effect on us when asleep than the actual shot itself,
of which we are just dimly conscious.

The few boats which have been prosecuting the lobster
fishing here for the last three months have now abandoned
it. Although fairly successful at the commencement, they
were latterly reduced to a mere pittance. A return of four
lobsters for the hauling of fifty " sunks " is but a precarious
living. Anchored close to the Rock, in order to avoid being
run down by prowling trawlers, they often passed the night,
sleeping underneath their sails. Their cooking range, con-
sisting of an old metal pail with holes punched through the
sides, set on a stone slab, while an empty meat tin did duty
as kettle, fish-pan, or tea-pot, as occasion required. It is only
within this year or two that the Rock has again attracted
the attention of the lobster fisher, after a lapse of many years.
Prior to that time, we could always rely on an occasional
lobster being found in the holes on the Rock at low water ;
while crabs, which could be had in abundance, are now ex-
tremely scarce, and the lobster, as far as we are concerned,
might well be as extinct as the Dodo. We had rather a sur-
prising catch in a lobster-creel one time here. On hauling

12 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

our creel, instead of the expectant lobster a huge conger-eel
was found in possession, his girth just barely admitting him
through the " funnel." A further surprise, however, awaited
us ; for, on being cut open, a full-grown lobster was found
in his stomach. How the biter in this case escaped being
bitten is a mystery, as one would naturally suppose the
lobster, with his powerful claws, would be more than his
match. This recalls an incident which happened the other
day. A pretty little fish, of a kind we had not yet seen, was,
after some manoeuvring, placed in a bucket of water along
with some other fish, sea weeds, and shells. On examining
our catch a little later, our pretty stranger was nowhere
visible ; suspicion falling on an ugly-looking little " poach "
complacently resting at the bottom of the bucket, Jeddart
justice was summarily meted out to the suspected cannibal ;
a post-mortem conclusively established his guilt. That these
fish are cannibals there is not the slightest doubt. I picked
up one about a foot long on a beach in Orkney, which had
partly succeeded in swallowing, tail first, a brother half his
size, but had been choked in the attempt ; the horns on either
side of his victim's head becoming embedded in his gullet, he
could neither entertain nor reject him. Amongst the numerous
aliases by which the " Poach " is known are the following —
Bullhead, Hardhead, Cobbler, Shoemaker, Gunflucker, Corn-
per, and Johnny Mainland, the latter being his Orcadian
name.

The terns have increased to over a hundred this month ;
from daylight to dark their creaking voices are dinning in our
ears. Most active little birds, they are almost continually on
the wing, wheeling and diving with wonderful celerity. Their
prey being surface-swimmers — chiefly herring-fry at present —
necessitate a dive of only a few inches. The young birds, of
which there is a goodly sprinkling, though almost as big as the
parents, have not yet acquired the forked tail nor the pro-
nounced plumage of the older birds. Awanting also in
dexterity, they are being frequently fed by their parents. It
is amusing to witness the chagrin of a youngster when, as

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 13

sometimes happens, an old one has mistaken it for its own
offspring, and only discovers the error when about to drop the
glistening prize into its gaping mouth. Woe to the gull who
dares invade their sphere of operations when following a
shoal of "fry"; he is soon put to rout at the point of the
bayonet — for their bills are quite as sharp pointed. While
stationed in Orkney I have, when in the vicinity of their nests,
been "assaulted to the effusion of blood" as the police reports
say, their bills easily penetrating my tweed cap. Horses and
cattle are driven in mad flight before these bold little birds,
they all the while pecking mercilessly till well clear of their
nursery.

The pleasure steamers which formerly visited the Rock
from Leith and Dundee have this summer scarcely made an
appearance, possibly the attractions of the Glasgow Exhibition
is the cause ; as yet, only three visits have been made, and
these from. Dundee. An hour's fishing is generally given the
passengers by the Dundee steamer. The diversity of tackle
with which some of these amateur fishermen are equipped is
fearful, and clock-weights, half-bricks, and scrap-iron of every
conceivable shape take the place of the ordinary sinker.
Closely ranged along the vessel's sides, one can imagine the
result of lines so differently weighted, and should a fish be
hooked confusion follows. If the sea happens to be a bit
" choppy " many of them may be seen earnestly engaged in
compulsorily contributing to the support of their erstwhile
intended prey, each drawing his own line of demarcation down
the vessel's side, as if suspicious of his neighbour encroaching
on his territory.

AUGUST 1901.

THE extreme heat prevalent in the earlier part of this
month was characterised by a number of unusual visitors but
ill adapted for any lengthened sojourn here. Butterflies, bees,
wasps, and moths innumerable were to be seen flitting about
the rocks in the daytime and clinging to the lantern at night,
numbers of them being drowned every time the rocks were
submerged. Several daddy-longlegs and a single specimen of
the beautiful painted butterfly were seen among the ill-fated
host. Why they should have journeyed to such inhospitable
quarters is not very apparent, but possibly the steady westerly
wind then blowing was responsible for their presence here,
and, finding themselves unable to stem the current, like many
other unfortunates, they followed the line of least resistance —
then, Facilis descensus Averni, and there you are ! We
have frequent glimpses at present of an exportation of which
the statute-books take no cognisance. Quantities of thistle-
down are to be seen careering before the off-shore wind,
probably with Norway for their future home. What a
wonderful provision of Nature that enables these mute
messengers of the fleeting summer to virtually wing their
way to pastures new ! suggestive in their silent flight of the

. . . whisper down the field,
Where the year has shot her yield,
And the ricks stand grey to the sun.

The sea in our vicinity is just now actually alive with
shoals of immature fish, chiefly sand-eels, herring-fry, arid
what appears to us to be finger-long whitings. Incessant war
is being continually waged upon them by the terns from
above and the poddlies from below. Watch this particular
shoal of " fry " as it swims with the current past our door ;

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 15

notice the orderliness which prevails amongst them, as of a
disciplined army. But from below the poddlies have sighted
them, and swift as light they are amongst them with a deadly
rush. Completely disorganised, the "fry" scatter in every
direction. Some seek shelter beneath the glassy domes of the
passing jelly fishes ; others, twisting and doubling like hares
coursed by hounds, spurt spasmodically along the surface in
their frantic endeavours to escape the enemies destined by
nature for their destruction. The successful raiders are seen
scurrying about, with their glistening prizes dangling from
their mouths, dodging the thieving attacks of their less
successful brethren in the foray. But suddenly a flash of
bronze in the bright sunshine betokens the leap of the lordly
lythe, as he in turn seizes his victim from amongst the attack-
ing force and as quickly returns to his lurking-place among
the luxuriant tangles. And so the war is waged, the strong
preying upon the weak, right down the chain of life, till the
unaided eye can but discern the destroyer alone. One is apt
to experience a feeling of revulsion at the tactics pursued
by the lythe in thus lurking concealed, while above him his
prey sport in blissful ignorance of his presence. On the other
hand, with what little compunction do we ourselves, by every
available means, harry their numbers to supply our table,
and a savoury dish they are at present ; cooked when freshly
caught they are simply delicious.

On Saturday the 10th we had a heavy thunderstorm ;
the lightning was extremely vivid, and appeared to zig-zag
from the sea to the zenith, while the thunder, at first resem-
bling the rippling discharge of small arms, gradually increased
to the deep boom of heavy ordnance. The hitherto unbroken
sea was threshed into white foam by the heaviest rain I have
ever seen here. The poddlies, though busy amongst the " fry "
at the time, would not deign to look at our " fly," and, though
we tried our best, we did not succeed in hooking a single one.
A similar result is experienced during the operation of our
explosive fog-signal. As an instance how fish of the same
kind may differ, there is a circular pool on the Rock at low

16 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

water, a couple of fathoms deep and about four fathoms in
diameter, named Neill's Pool, but which we have jocularly
nicknamed "the hospital," as the poddlies taken from there
are, as a rule, extremely poor in flesh, often presenting queer
abnormities. Some are twisted and deformed; others have
constrictions upon their bodies, where at some period of their
existence they had been almost cut in two by the snap of some
larger fish, probably a lythe ; others, again, have been taken
with hooks embedded in their jaws and gills, and, though in
the last stages of emaciation, do not apparently profit by their
former experience. The full-grown lythe may be truly termed
the poor man's salmon, not from a food point of view — though
in itself not to be despised — but as a source of sport. Equipped
with a rod such as fishermen use who fish for a living, and for
a lure preferably a fresh-water eel about six or seven inches
long, skinned from the " busking " downwards, a struggle with
one of these lusty fish imparts most of the pleasurable sensa-
tions of the salmon fisher. Possibly at the first cast your
lure is flipped clean out of the water by a vanishing tail,
denoting that his lordship has not quite made up his mind
about your invitation. However, your next cast is almost
sure to be followed by a swift rush, which carries him well
out of the water, and your lure is off to the bottom and
possibly your tackle along with it, for, despite your triple gut,
unless great care is exercised in the first few mad rushes,
there will be a dissolution of partnership. Easily fagged,
once you succeed in getting his head above the surface, a
little judicious towing will land your two-feet bronzed beauty
at your feet.

SEPTEMBER 1901.

THE Rock has taken on quite a wintry appearance. The
vegetation on the more exposed portions has entirely disap-
peared under the influence of the heavy seas experienced dur-
ing the greater part of this month. The acorn barnacles
with which the higher parts were encrusted are following suit
owing to the ravages of the white whelk ; the terns have
deserted us, and, to complete the prospect, on the morning
of the 19th we had the first visit of our winter boarders, the
eider duck. A chip of rock covered with acorn barnacles
becomes an interesting object when placed in the aquarium.
Each conical shell is packed as close as possible to its neigh-
bour, apex upwards. The apex is open, and fitted with a
lid composed of four shells. Under water these lid - shells
are seen to separate, and a bunch of " fingers " set on a stalk
are thrust out, make a clutch, and are withdrawn. The
"fingers" have extremely fine hair-like processes fixed at
right angles to them, the whole forming a sort of net through
which the water is filtered and the minute food-forms retained.
It is interesting to know that although now fixed immovably
to the rock these animals began life as free swimmers, and,
strange to say, closely resembled the young crab. Another
object we had under observation at the same time was one
of the sea anemones, named the dahlia wartlet. A fleshy-
looking disc studded with pieces of broken shell and sand, it
appeared anything but attractive ; but seen in the aquarium,
the connection with its floral namesake was at once apparent.
Unfolding itself from an orifice in the centre, as one would
"flype" a stocking, rows of beautiful coloured tentacles were
disclosed. These tentacles have the property of adhering to
any object they come in contact with, and contain within

B

18 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

themselves some wonderful mechanism. Placing a fly on
the extremity of one of the tentacles, it was immediately
held fast. The whole of the tentacles then curled inwards,
carrying the fly with them, thus clearly showing their
function.

The heavy easterly surf has deprived us for the present
of our fishing, forcing the fish off the rock to deeper water.
There are evidently plenty about, as the gannets are to be
seen busy diving in the vicinity. It is extremely interesting
to watch these birds pursuing their prey. Flitting near the
surface, they enter the water at an angle of about twenty
degrees ; again, at a higher altitude, they drop like a plum-
met, describing an arc of bubbling foam from their entrance
to where they emerge with a bounce a few feet further ahead,
beating the water with their wings for several yards before
being again fairly on the wing. The air cells pervading
various parts of the body of a bird, and which contribute to
its buoyancy, are probably vested in a greater degree in the
gannet, an extremely large one being situated in front of the
forked bone, or clavicles. Several instances are recorded
where a bird which had its windpipe temporarily obstructed
was able, by means of these cells, to carry on the function of
respiration through the wing bone, the broken end of which
protruded through the skin. The voluntary compression of
these cells, by expelling the air, destroys the buoyancy of the
bird, and explains the amazing rapidity of its descent. An
objectionable method is practised in some places for the
capture of these birds. A submerged piece of planking with
a herring fixed to its upper surface is set adrift, or towed
from a boat, in the vicinity of their fishing grounds. Swoop-
ing from an altitude, say, of a hundred feet, they apparently
see but the herring alone, with the result that their necks
are dislocated by impact with the plank, the impetus of their
descent being sometimes so great as to bury their bills to the
base in the wood. It is a common sight here, during the
breeding season, to see these birds trooping past in Indian
file to their home on the Bass Rock, in batches of a dozen

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 19

or so, each preserving a regular distance from his neighbour.
Though I have frequently watched them pursuing their
vocation, I have never seen them bring their prey to the
surface, nor could I say whether their dive was successful
or not ; but occasionally they emerge from their dive with a
satisfied " honk," which may be translated " got 'im." Gifted
with an insatiable appetite, they sometimes gorge themselves
to such an extent as to be incapable of rising from the water,
when they may be easily captured, as they make no attempt
to dive. An instance of this was witnessed by a large crowd
one Sunday, a few summers ago, in Arbroath Harbour.
Some conception of the carrying capacity of these birds may
be had when it is known that a sitting mother bird has been
seen to insert her bill into the inviting mouth of her returned
partner and deftly extract, one by one, as many as six full-
grown herring.

A " false alarm " was occasioned at the end of last month
by two cormorants or scarts appropriating the signal poles as
a roosting-place. One of these poles is fixed on either side of
the balcony, and projects horizontally. When a signal is
made from the Rock, two-feet discs are suspended from them
in pre-arranged positions. A wire stay from the balcony
railing supports the extremity of each pole, and on this stay
the birds were seated, one at the outer end, the other in the
middle. Discs in this position, but pendant from the pole, by
our code reads " Send boat," and this the keeper on shore duty
in Arbroath construed it to be and acted accordingly, with the
result that we were somewhat alarmed by the appearance of
the harbour tug about eleven the same evening. Our impres-
sion was that something serious had happened on shore, and
that one of our number was urgently wanted. On the tug
hailing us, and saying they had been sent out in response to
signals shown from the Rock that afternoon, our minds
reverted to the birds, and our fears set at rest. Considerable
alarm prevailed amongst our families, and not until the tug
returned with the news that " All was well on the Rock " were
their fears allayed.

20 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

On the morning of the 27th the sea round the Rock was
seen to be strewn with apples, a few dozen of which we
managed to secure. Their presence here is a mystery, and we
trust has no connection with the long spell of fog we have had.
On the 24th we completed a fusilade of forty hours, a record
run of fog.

OCTOBER 1901.

THE flock of eider ducks which keep us company through
the winter increases daily, and now numbers over thirty.
Swimming and diving amongst the breakers from daylight till
dark, it is astonishing how they escape being smashed on the
bare rocks. The receding wave may leave them almost
stranded, and just as the incoming breaker is about to engulf
them, they pop through its base and come up on the other side
in a smother of foam. They are sometimes quite close to the
tower, and then we have an interesting view of their proceed-
ings. The diving of one is generally the signal for the
remainder to follow, and the whole flock may be clearly seen,
a couple of fathoms down, scurrying over the rocks in eager
quest of the different dainties on their menu, consisting
chiefly of small crabs. The capture of one of these crabs by
no means ensures that it will ultimately contribute to the
duck's sustenance — this is not intended as a reflection on their
digestive power, which appears equal to anything short of
nails, considering the quantity of hard-shelled crabs they assimi-
late during a day's fishing — for, on gaining the surface with
his prize, he may be immediately assailed by the marauding
gulls and compelled to dive with his prey. This may be
repeated several times, until he reluctantly surrenders the
succulent tit-bit, or is compelled to swallow it under water —
a proceeding they are evidently averse to, otherwise the gulls
would fare but poorly in their nefarious calling. The un-
certainty of the crab's final lodgment is again demonstrated
in the case of the successful "blackmailer." Hastily swallow-
ing his booty to avoid being plundered in turn by his fellows,
he is again on watch for the reappearance of his unwilling
providers. But retribution occasionally overtakes the despoiler
as it does his human prototype, with the difference that

22 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

in default of imprisonment, he is mulcted in the contents of
his stomach, the nemesis in this case being the dusky-coated
skua or robber gull, who with his hawk-like flight easily heads
him at every turn, and the chase terminates only when the
contents of the stomach are disgorged, or the excrement
voided, either of which is adroitly caught by this foul free-
booter of the sea before it reaches the water.

A hazy moonless night, with a sou'-easterly breeze and
drizzling rain — given these conditions, at this season of the
year we have numerous visits of various birds, members of the
autumnal migratory flight. Making straight for the light,
they dash themselves against the heavy plate-glass of the
lantern; many of them are thus killed and swept by the
wind into the sea. Others, again, arrive with more caution,
and though taken in the hand and thrown clear of the tower
invariably return, and remain fluttering against the glass till
daylight reveals to them the futility of their exertions in that
direction. The most numerous of these visitors are the red-
wings and fieldfares, but blackbirds, larks, starlings, wheatears,
finches, tits, etc., may be met with in the course of the
season. It is somewhat startling, when on watch in the light-
room, to hear the thud with which they strike. The wood-
cock, owing to his rapid flight, strikes hardest of all, and the
other extreme is met with in the smallest of our British birds,
the tiny gold-crested wren, whose presence on the lantern is
announced by a feeble tinkling sound, which a robust butter-
fly might easily imitate. The heavier birds do not always
strike with impunity ; instances have occurred where ducks
have gone clean through the lantern to the derangement of
the revolving gear of the light, the splintered glass bringing
the machinery to a dead stop. An incident of this nature
happened a few years ago at Turnberry Lighthouse, on the
Ayrshire coast, the intruder in this case being a curlew or
whaup. A storm-pane is considered a necessary adjunct to
every lightroom, and is always held in readiness to be shipped
in case of such emergency. At some shore stations it is
customary on the approach of a favourable night, during the

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 23

migratory period, to keep the cats indoors to prevent them
mangling the expected catch. In one particular instance the
birds collected of a morning filled an ordinary clothes-basket,
and a few nights later included five wild geese, which were
secured out of a large flock that came to grief on the dome.

An hour before daybreak on the 22nd it appeared as if we
were about to suffer a bombardment, and that daylight was to
witness the commencement of hostilities. No less than seven
torpedo-boat destroyers were seen creeping close up to the
Rock, their low black hulls scarcely discernible in the feeble
light, and not until daylight disclosed the white ensign were
we assured of their intentions. A little later they were joined
by three gunboats and, after some clever manoeuvring, formed
into three lines, the gunboats occupying the centre. They then
steamed away in the direction of the Firth of Forth. Two
hours later other three gunboats passed us, going in the same
direction, escorted by four destroyers, and followed shortly after
by a solitary gunboat. Extremely interesting it was to witness
the precision and dexterity of their movements as they swung
into their respective positions for the advance, their semaphores
all the while going like windmills. Again, on the 24th, about
11 a.m., a fleet of about a dozen battleships, headed by a
dispatch boat, was seen moving in stately procession from the
Tay, evidently bound for the Forth.

We have had several heliographic communications from
our shore station in Arbroath during the month, and providing
there is sunshine there is now no difficulty in transmitting
messages to the Rock by this means. Four years ago the late
Dr Russell, Arbroath, while on a professional visit to the
shore station, for which he was medical attendant, witnessed
our initial attempts in this direction, and, convinced of the
feasibility of the method, urged upon us, in his character-
istically vigorous style, the necessity for persevering in our
attempts, at the same time predicting that it would ultimately
prove successful. Little did we then dream it was soon to
become the means of conveying the sorrowful intelligence of
this estimable gentleman's death.

NOVEMBER 1901.

BOISTEROUS weather prevailing for the greater part of this
month, we have been closely confined to the house. Our
connection with the amphibia being so extremely remote
completely disqualifies us from enjoying our usual " constitu-
tional," the grating, even at low water, being occasionally
swept by the heavy seas. Our winter boarders, the eider
ducks, have been reinforced, on the morning of the 14th —
somewhat later than usual — by the arrival of a flock of long-
tailed ducks. These, with the eiders, will keep us company
till April again calls their attention to domestic affairs. Our
relief, which was due on the night of the llth, was effected
just in time; had it been delayed another day a "missed
relief" would probably have been recorded. The morning
after brought a severe north-easterly gale, which precluded
all possibility of making a landing during the three succeed-
ing days. That is usually the time allotted by the steamer in
the attempt. Should she fail to make a landing on the third
day, we are abandoned for another fortnight, minus the time
engaged in the attempt. As our stock of fresh provisions is
generally consumed by the time the relief is due, a missed
relief means a fortnight's regime of " hard tack " and " beef
embalmed," of which during the winter months we have a
three months' reserve stock on hand in case of such emer-
gencies. Fortunately, this is not of common occurrence ;
during the past six years but three reliefs have been missed,
and only one in the preceding ten. This speaks much for the
ability and skill of those concerned in the handling of the
boats, for during the winter months the landings were until
recently effected in darkness, and an exciting scene it was to
see the two boats buffeting their way through the foaming

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 25

channels, with jutting rocks so close on either side that an
oar's length deviation would entail serious disaster. A power-
ful searchlight has of recent years been added to the equip-
ment of the relieving steamer, and is of much advantage in
the guidance of the boats, though it has the peculiarity of
grossly exaggerating the tempestuous appearance of the sea.
The sea, which on the evening of the relief was comparatively
calm, was the next day rolling down on us like a solid wall,
and viewed from the balcony in all its magnificent grandeur
what a puny, frail, unstable structure our habitation seemed
in comparison. Each succeeding wave seemed imbued with
the sole motive of accomplishing our destruction, and as they
struck and sliced away on either side in two mighty crescents
of hissing foam, blinded our kitchen windows seventy feet
above the rock. Clashing together again to leeward with a
roar, as if incensed at our stubborn resistance, they drive their
way furiously along the remaining portion of the reef in foam-
capped ridges, and where the cross seas meet them the spray
is flung high in the air from their points of intersection. The
appearance of the reef at this stage, as seen from our elevation,
is of a number of rectangular enclosures, each about the size
of an ordinary bowling-green, with well-defined walls, the
whole under a heavy coating of snow, with each corner marked
by a snow-laden tree. At high water — the sea having flowed
about twelve or fifteen feet on the building by that time — the
waves, generally unbroken, slip past harmlessly ; an hour
before or after high water is when we experience the heaviest
shocks, for then the depth of water is such that the waves are
arrested by the rock when close to the tower, and their whole
volume flung violently against the building. The effect of
such weather on the tower must be felt to be understood.
The nearest description I can give of the seas striking is as if
a log of wood were hurled by each sea, striking end on, and
a short, sharp, tremulous motion — sufficient to rattle the
crockery in the kitchen cupboard — is imparted to the tower
by each impact. This tremor is more particularly felt when
the gale subsides and the heavy swell sets in, for when

26 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

the gale is at its height, the seas are so broken and tossed
about that their assaults are but feeble in comparison with
those of the long curly-headed combers of the after-swell.
The bell-shaped formation of the base of the tower is admirably
adapted for withstanding the assaults of the sea, and is built
solid to a height of thirty feet, above which the seas never
strike, though I have seen the spray carried right over our
balcony, a hundred feet from the rock. That the building
remains to all appearance as intact as when completed, almost
a century ago, speaks volumes for the skill and ingenuity
displayed in its erection. In weather such as I have de-
scribed we are as completely cut off from outside assistance
as though we were at the North Pole ; indeed, it is doubtful
if there is another situation — save similar ones, of course —
where men could live so comfortable and unconcerned and yet
remain for the time being so completely "ungetatable."

DECEMBER 1901.

As a consequence of the stormy weather which has been
prevailing here of late, we have been visited by numerous
"Travellers." This may seem strange considering the in-
clemency of the season, but stranger still when it is known
that our reception of them is fiercely hostile, and our duty
only considered accomplished when we have completely
annihilated them. Huge boulders of hard red sandstone,
sometimes weighing over three tons ; these are our " Travel-
lers," and their appearance on the Rock is at once resented
and their speedy removal effected by blasting and hammering
whenever the tide and weather permits. This is absolutely
necessary, for if allowed to remain lying in the boat tracks
they cpnstitute a serious danger at relief times, besides the
possibility of their carrying away portions of our cast-iron
grating, which occasionally does happen in spite of all pre-
cautions. Where they come from is a mystery; ever since
the tower was built they have been in evidence. Although
composed of the same material, the Rock itself does not
suffer any apparent diminution, nor can their original abode
be located even at the lowest tides. Many of them carry a
crop of seaweed and tangles, and have their angularities
rubbed down and water-worn ; none of them, however, bear
any trace of recent detachment, but probably from their
similarity of structure they at some remote period formed a
part of the reef. They generally effect their entrance from
the south side of the reef during the prevalence of a heavy
ground swell. This side of the reef forms a steep declivity,
sloping to 35 fathoms at a distance of J mile, while at a
similar distance on the north side the depth, though not
exceeding 1 1 fathoms, presents a more precipitous barrier to
these wanderers of the deep. A dull, rumbling noise, distinctly
audible in the light room, announces their presence at the

28 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

base of the tower, and at low water a dotted line of chips and
abrasions marks their passage across the Rock to where they
are again hurled to the depths. Others, again, may bring up
in some sheltered corner, where, if not considered dangerous,
they may remain a fixture for years.

An instance occurred recently where one was wheeled
against our grating after occupying a safe position for many
years. Those that take up positions in the boat tracks are
of course assailed at the earliest opportunity, an operation
which generally entails a bit of submarine mining on our part.
The reef consists of hard, red sandstone, arranged in irregular
layers, with a dip of 15 degrees towards the south-east and
extends in a north-easterly and south-westerly direction,
having an area of about 500 yards by 100 yards considered
dangerous to shipping. The north-east end, on which the
Lighthouse is built, is slightly higher, and has an area of about
140 yards by 70 yards, the highest portions of which do
not exceed 10 feet above the lowest tides. The geological
formation of the Bell Rock is similar to that of the Redhead,
in Forfarshire, and can be traced northward through Ross-
shire, while in the opposite direction the shores of Berwick
present the same features, and continues as far as Cumber-
land. Soundings prove the existence of a ridge or shallower
part of the sea bottom extending a considerable way in these
directions, and as the adjacent coasts present ample evidence
of the sea having at some remote period in the world's history
occupied a much higher level, the theory that the Bell Rock
did not always occupy the isolated position it now does, but
stretched continuously from the Red Head to Berwick,
damming the waters of the Forth and Tay, appears highly
tenable. Possibly our present day " Travellers " are, through
some great seismic disturbance, wandering evidences support-
ing this theory.

An item of interest to Arbroath Freemasons is the laying
of the foundation stone of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, on the
10th July 1808, with Masonic honours, by the builder, Robert
Stevenson, who, in his own words, applied the square, the level,

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 29

and the mallet, and pronounced the following benediction : —
" May the Great Architect of the Universe complete and bless
this building," on which three hearty cheers were given and
success to the future operations was drunk with the greatest
enthusiasm. Another interesting feature of that period was
the existence of the "Pressgang," which, owing to our war
with the Northern Powers, was considered necessary. Centres
were established at Dundee, Aberdeen, and Arbroath, and
were the means of rendering the Lighthouse operations popular
with seamen, as they stood protected from impressment while
in that employment. Prior to this there was a tendency
among seamen to shun the works on account of the hazardous
nature of the undertaking. As the impress officers were
exceedingly active in their duty, it was found necessary to
furnish each seaman engaged in the operations at the Rock
with a "ticket," descriptive of his person, to which was
attached a silver medal, emblematical of the Lighthouse
Service. On one side of the medal was a figure of the Bell
Rock Lighthouse, and on the other the word " Medal,"
referring to the Admiralty protection, and a description of the
person by the engineer. One of these medals is at present in
possession of an Arbroath gentleman, and is said to be the
only one in existence. The following is a copy of one of the
"tickets," taken from " Stevenson's Bell Rock Lighthouse " :—

BELL ROCK WORKTABD,
Arbroath, 31st March 1808.

"John Pratt, seaman, in the service of the Honourable the
Commissioners of the Northern Lighthouses, aged 35 years, 5 feet 8
inches high, black complexion, and slightly marked with the
smallpox."

(Signed) ROBERT STEVENSON,
Engineer for Northern Lighthouses.

Obverse.

"The Bearer, John Pratt, is serving on board of the 'Sir Joseph
Banks ' tender and craft, employed at the erection of the Bell Rock
Lighthouse."

The signature of the Master of the tender.

(Signed) DAVID TAYLOR.
The signature of the bearer (Signed) JOHN PRATT.

30 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

Notwithstanding these precautions, so rigorous were the
impress officers that they actually pressed a Bell Rock seaman
named George Dall, while on a visit to some friends near
Dundee, in July 1810, and this despite the fact of his having
the protection medal and ticket in his possession. These
proofs the officer chose to ignore, holding that a seaman only
stood protected on board the ship to which the Admiralty
protection had been granted, or in a boat belonging to the
ship. This was absurd, as it was impossible for each man to
carry the ship's protection with him. However, Dall was
kept a prisoner, and only on the representations of the
Lighthouse Commissioners did the Dundee Magistrates order
his release.

JANUARY 1902.

A RAMBLE round the rocks at low water just now discloses
a scene of bareness quite in keeping with the season of the
year. The upper surface of the higher lying rocks is as bare
as a street pavement, and only an occasional patch of acorn
barnacles remains of the encrustation with which they were
invested during the summer. The white whelk, so much in
evidence here, have all gone into winter quarters, and under-
neath projecting ledges and in sheltered nooks they may
be seen in myriads, their position being so judiciously chosen
as to be completely protected from the heavy north-east seas.
So closely are they wedged together that were a given space
to be cleared it would be found almost impossible to replace
them in the same area. Detaching one from its anchorage, it
seems quite dormant and inert, and appears to have lost the
alacrity with which, in summer, they withdraw themselves
into their shells, and only with apparent difficulty is the
operculum or door of their domicile closed against intruders.
To witness the continual thumping and pounding to which the
Rock is subjected during the winter, one is surprised to find
that life in any form should continue to exist under such
conditions. A close search reveals exceedingly minute forms
of life. Here in this stony basin, originally but a shallow
depression in which a stone had lodged, and by the swirling
action of the seas converted to its present shape, with its
sediment of broken shells, is a small crab, so small indeed that
a split pea might easily conceal him. He is not a youngster
either, but fully adult, in proof of which we have frequently
found them, in the proper season, with their spawn attached.
Deep in his little pit he seems quite immune from the furious
seas that tumble overhead as the tide makes. Numbers of

32 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

small white-banded whelks, which one may easily crush be-
tween the fingers, maintain their position on the base of the
tower, despite the constant swirl of waters, though they may
be detached with a nick of the finger.

Yegetation now exists only at low- water mark ; above
that, broken tangle roots, or, to be more correct, the claspers
are seen still adhering to the rocks, the tangles themselves
having been shorn clean from their moorings. Away towards
the south-west, in the deeper water, a boat may float among
whole groves of storm-torn tangles as they flaunt their
tattered banners in the frosty sunlight, suggestive of leafless
trees in a winter landscape. Over the recently emptied con-
tents of the cook's slop-pail a flock of gulls are circling and
screaming, actually hustling each other in their attempts to
capture anything edible. A solitary " black-back " is seen
amongst the noisy crowd, and as he swoops at some tempting
morsel, his black, beady eye watches our every movement with
suspicion. What a handsome bird he is as he swings past
within a few feet of us, the back and wings presenting a dead
black appearance in startling contrast with the immaculate
whiteness of the fan-shaped tail and the remainder of the body.
Despite his handsome appearance, he is a veritable vulture,
and nothing comes amiss to him in the way of food, be it fish,
flesh or fowl. Frequently I have seen them make a meal of a
wounded duck, and once witnessed in Orkney a tug-of-war
between two of them for the possession of a dead lamb,
resulting, thanks to its decomposed state, in an equal division.

More gruesome meals are credited to them by those who
have witnessed their proceedings on a wreck strewn shore
where loss of life had been involved. A terror also 011 the
grouse moors, they devour both eggs and young, and even the
sitting grouse herself is not safe from him. One can scarcely
credit such a sweeping indictment against this handsome bird,
but the proofs are all too plain. Consequently we find him out-
side the pale of the Wild Birds Protection Act, an Ishmael
among his kind, whom any man may slay when and where-
ever found. Except when harrying the eider ducks of their

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 33

legitimate spoil, he may be seen riding gracefully, head to
wind, in front of our kitchen window, with his weather eye
always lifting in our direction. A hand thrust from the
window is sufficient invitation, he is up at once, and the
smallest morsel tossing among the foaming breakers does not
escape his keen eye. How gracefully he floats back to his
former position, lighting on the surface like a fleck of foam.
What a contrast to the eiders, who, when changing their
fishing ground, wing their way with such rapid wing beats as
to give one the impression that they are barely able to support
themselves, and finally strike the water with an awkward
splash, reminding one of the somewhat inelegant term with
which boys designate a bad dive — a " gutser." Should a flock
of eiders be fishing to leeward of the tower, an amusing sight
may be witnessed if advantage be taken, while they are under
water, of pouring a little paraffin oil from the balcony, so that
it will drift in their direction. No sooner does the head of
the first emerge in the greasy track of the oil than he is
conscious of something unusual having taken place. Flippering
hither and thither with outstretched neck, he becomes quite
excited, and each as he bounces to the surface joins in the
commotion, frequently colliding with each other. Finally,
with loud cacklings, the whole flock takes wing, evidently in
high dudgeon at the insult offered to their olfactory organs.

Sea pheasant is the name by which the long tailed duck is
known in some localities, and as we watch a flock of them
crossing the reef in full flight the synonym is at once apparent.
In style of flight and shape, to the long tail feathers, they
are similar to the pheasant, but only half the size, with
beautiful plumage of black and white. Here they are known
as " candle wicks," their call notes needing but little stretch of
the imagination to be rendered "Here's a candlewick,"
repeated several times in shrill falsetto, which on a quiet day
becomes somewhat annoying as it clamorously floats through
our bedroom window. Some queer visitors we have here at
times in the way of birds. Once we captured a large owl
dosing sleepily in one of our windows. During the week of

c

34 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

his captivity he would not deign to partake of any food we
offered him. Coming off watch one night I took one of a flock
of larks which were making suicidal attempts to pierce the
plate glass of the lantern. Placing it in the room where the
owl was roosting, it fluttered to the window, when, like a
flash of lightning and equally as noiseless, from the other side of
the room the owl came crash against the glass, a few feathers
later on testifying his appreciation of this form of dietary.

FEBRUARY 1902.

PIERCING cold weather here of late, with a good deal of frost
and occasional snow showers. No matter how heavy the
snowfall may be here we only see it falling, as it does not lie
long round our doors, and only when our gaze is directed
Arbroath wards — which, you may be sure, is not seldom — are
we reminded of its occurrence. The close of last month saw
our barometer taxed to its utmost intelligence, and though
a tenth higher would have seen its limit, nothing of a
phenomenal nature was noted. The solan geese or gannets,
which are pretty much in evidence here during the breeding
season, foraging for their families on the Bass Rock, gradually
disappeared, till during the month of November not one was
to be seen. A solitary one was seen in the first week of
December, and since then the number sighted has gradually
increased, till in the middle of the present month, as many as
eight in one string were counted winging their way southward.
The Bass Rock, Ailsa Craig, and the outlying stacks of lonely
St Kilda, are said to be the only breeding places of these birds
in Scotland. At the beginning of the past century they were
considered a dainty article of food by the Edinburgh gentry,
and the Bass Rock was rented for the purpose of supplying
the market, the birds selling at the rate of half-a-crown
a-piece. I have seen it stated that the modus operandi of
these birds when engaged in fishing is to flit along the surface
till fish are sighted, when they rise to a high altitude, close
their wings, and drop hawk-like on their prey. This, I
venture to think, is scarcely correct. My experience is that
when flitting near the surface if fish are sighted they are
invariably struck at without rising to a higher elevation. It
is a well known fact that objects under water are more easily

36 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

distinguished from a height than from near the surface, so
that it may be taken for granted that the higher these birds
are flying when in pursuit of prey the deeper the fish are
swimming. Again, when diving from a high altitude, the
wings are kept rigidly outspread, and as the tail is never seen
spread rudder-like, as in the case of the hawk, any deviation
from their line of descent is controlled by the long narrow
wings, and only when nearing the " plunge " are they partially
closed.

For the past fortnight we have had the company of a
solitary seal. His fishing does not seem to be very successful,
either in quantity or quality, as the only catch we have seen
him negotiating was a saithe the length of a man's forearm.
Playing with it as a cat would a mouse, he would allow it to
swim feebly for some distance, then diving he would bring it
to the surface, till latterly, with a toss of his head and a
thrust with his fore flipper, he quite disembowelled it, an act
of charity which the screaming gulls were not slow to
appreciate. Although so long here he has not been seen to
rest on the rocks ; indeed, I only once saw one ashore here,
and as we had a somewhat amusing experience with him it
will perhaps bear relating. For several days it was seen, as
the tide fell, to rest in one particular place a few yards from the
base of the tower. Our outer door opens outwards, and is
always closed at night, not that we are afraid of burglars, but
merely to prevent the entrance of the seas, and for our own
general comfort. The opening of this door always alarmed the
seal, and sent him into the water instanter. Dropping a line
from the balcony at low water, we made the end of it fast within
a few feet of his accustomed resting place. Next day, as the
tide fell and the rocks began to appear, he was seen to take
up his former position, yawning lazily as he rolled from side
to side in the sunshine. Fixing a four ounce charge of tonite
to our electric cable, we quietly lowered it down the line we
had already made fast till within about six feet from where
he lay, apparently in blissful ignorance of what was happening
overhead. When yawning at his widest, we, by means of our

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 37

magneto-exploder, fired the charge, and, well — he stopped
yawning and went away ! and his going was about the
smartest thing I ever witnessed. The force of the explosion,
being unconfined, merely tilted him on his side, but quickly
recovering himself he flopped into the water and shot seaward
through the gully like a flash, a black line under water
denoting his course. Rounding the outer end of the gully, he
doubled back on the outside of the reef, and when opposite
his original position, made his appearance on the surface, a
very much startled seal. His aspect was quite comical as he
stood, so to speak, on his tip-toes evidently investigating the
cause of his hurried departure.

Several schools of porpoises have been seen this month,
presumably in pursuit of herring. To anyone who has seen
these animals gambolling in front of a ship's bows when
travelling at her best, the ease with which they maintain
their distance is a matter of surprise — always on the point of
being run down, but ever ahead, snorting playfully as if in
derision at the possibility of their being overtaken by their
lumbering follower. Off the island of Anticosta, in the Gulf
of St Lawrence — where these animals attain a size several
times larger than those of our home waters, and are of a cream
colour — I had an interesting view of their manner of suckling
their young. I have seen it stated that the mother by
muscular compression expels the nutritive fluid, which is
absorbed by the young one as it floats to the surface. The
operation appeared to me to be one of actual contact. The
young one — which, by the way, is of a slatey-blue colour —
snuggling as close as possible to the mother as she lay some-
what on her side on the surface, all the while exhibiting the
tenderest solicitude for her offspring. Truly the one touch of
nature which makes the whole world kin. It is surprising to
learn the evolution these animals have undergone in order to
accommodate themselves to their altered circumstances. Land-
dwellers at one stage of the world's history, but acquiring a
taste for fish, they gradually became aquatic in their habits,
dispensing with such portions of their anatomy as were no

38 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

longer necessary, while developing others more appropriate
to their new sphere of existence, till, like their big brother the
whale, from being a four-footed animal they became quite
fish like in appearance, even to the cultivation of a dorsal
fin, though still possessing rudimentary traces of their former
construction. Change is apparent on every hand in the plan
of nature ; ages were necessary for the evolution of our present
day horse from his five toed ancestors ; and after all it does
not seem so very startling when the transformation is enacted
before our very eyes in a few short stages, as in the case of
the common frog, from the gill breathing tadpole to the lung
breathing adult. More startling it is to learn that man
himself was at one time a gill breather, and, as biologists
affirm, still exhibits traces of gill clefts at one stage of his
embryonic development.

MARCH 1902.

SIGNS of uneasiness and unrest are now apparent amongst our
winter boarders, the eiders and long-tailed ducks. Taking
wing on the slightest provocation, they wheel aimlessly
round the Rock, and instead of their usual steady persistence
in diving for a living, they seem quite discontented with their
lot, and plainly making up their minds to desert us for the
summer. Advances by the males are as yet met with scorn-
ful rebuffs by their less showy plum aged partners, but soon a
mutual understanding will be arrived at, and before the
month closes they will have gone house-hunting, eiders
possibly to the Isle of May, while the long-tails, being
migratory, seek their homes in the frozen North. It seems
a strange anomaly that the less robust looking longtail should
choose such rigorous latitudes for the rearing of its brood,
while the sturdy " dunter," swathed in his arctic coat, should
elect to stay at home. On the other hand, we have been
visited on hazy nights by numbers of larks and thrushes
returning to our shores, after wintering in " Norroway ower
the faem." These members of the spring migratory move-
ment often come to grief on our lantern, and when one
considers the number of lighthouses round our coasts, it will
be understood that the death-roll from this cause alone must
be extremely high. Designed to save life, we unwittingly
lure our feathered friends to their destruction.

A couple of seals have been sporting round our door of
late, and they also exhibit signs of exuberance in keeping
with the season. At high water they come quite close to the
tower, and their antics are seen to advantage from our
balcony. Rolling over each other, they make for the bottom,
gliding along the rocks like hounds hunting in couples ; then

40 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

with a rush they are on the surface, floating bolt upright,
with their muzzles almost touching, staring with their large,
expressive eyes into each other's face. An almost human
touch was given to their play by one taking the head of the
other between his fore-flippers, as if about to salute him, or
more likely her, in the orthodox fashion. One was seen the
other morning in possession of a large fish, while a number of
gulls sat at a safe distance round him, waiting for the frag-
ments when the feast should begin. By the way he glared at
them, he was evidently annoyed at their presence. Sinking
for a few seconds, he appeared on the surface minus the fish.
This was evidently intended as a ruse, and meant to imply
that he had lost it ; but the gulls seemed to know better, and
kept their position. Diving, he made his appearance some
distance off, this time with the fish in his mouth, only to find
himself, to his annoyance, again the centre of wistful ex-
pectations. Presuming these gulls to be up-to-date birds,
their exulting cacklings might be literally rendered — "You
better begin, Mister Phoca ; it's no use trying, you know ;
you can't possibly dewett us ! " At least, the seal seemed to
think so, for he there and then opened the banquet with a rip
of his teeth that distributed the offal amongst the hungry
cordon.

The rocks become at this season of the year invested with
a, slippery coating of algae, which renders it extremely difficult
to maintain one's footing, and also necessitates repeated
applications of hot lime to our gratings in order to render
them passable. Myriads of minute whelks, no larger than
turnip seed, strew the rocks and crunch under foot as we
walk, while great patches of mussel spawn delight the heart
of the more venturesome of the white whelks — a prospecting
party who will doubtless communicate the promising state of
the commissariat to their fellows still in winter quarters.

Fishing in the Rock pools has been tried for the first time
this season, and resulted in the capture of a solitary "cobbler."
It may be a month hence before we meet with any success.

This month has been extremely mild, though the hills

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 41

behind Arbroath are still seen to carry portions of their
winter coat, while the higher ranges inland are completely
snow-capped. On a clear day our view is limited by Tod
Head, about twenty-five miles to the north, and St Abb's
Head thirty miles south of us. The coast-line presents a
uniform flatness, which becomes monotonous in comparison
with the more picturesque raggedness of the West Coast. A
most conspicuous feature in the landscape in the vicinity of
Arbroath is the clump of trees on the summit of the Law
Hill — a landmark well known to navigators, and easily
discernible, as it stands sharply defined against the sky-line.
Arbroath, when not enveloped in smoke, is clearly seen,
and with the aid of our telescope the after-church prom-
enaders can be distinguished on the Protection Wall, or
wending their way towards the Victoria Park.

APRIL 1902.

THE extremely low tides prevalent at the opening of the
month enabled us to extend our hunting grounds somewhat
further than usual, and also to reach and demolish several
" travellers " which the heavy seas had hurled into the boat
tracks, thus constituting a serious danger at relief times.
Quite a forest of luxuriant tangles now cover the lower lying
portion of the reef. Their dripping blades appear on the
surface, scintillating in the brilliant sunshine like so many
diamonds, till the receding tide permits the warm sun to rob
them of their freshness, their beauty vanishing in a
perceptible vapour, leaving them flaccid and inert till the
returning tide restores their pristine beauty. The badderlock
or henware is here also in great profusion, and usually selects
a position the reverse of peaceful, being generally found
where the wash of the seas is most constant. Of rapid
growth, they attain a great length, some measuring fully
sixteen feet ; one we had under observation was seen to
increase a foot in length in six weeks time. Owing to hazy
weather we had a number of compulsory visitors to dinner
yesterday. Seated outside our kitchen window was a party
of fog-bound travellers, consisting of a pigeon, a starling, a
wagtail, a robin, and a couple of wheatears. The starling
was sitting bunched up by himself, preserving a stolid
indifference at his enforced detention, and appeared to treat
the animated expansion and flirting of the wheatears' tails as
undue levity, unbecoming their sorrowful predicament. The
beautiful black-throated wagtail is all alertness, and the
slightest movement on our part sends him circling round the
Rock till, unable to sight the land, he is fain to regain his
resting place. The pigeon has been here a week now, and

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 43

evidently has no intention of leaving. Should the window be
left open he makes bold enough to enter, although but the
other day he gave us a somewhat dramatic illustration of the
proverbial hen on the hot " griddle " by rehearsing a fandango
on the top of our cooking range, a position from which he had
to be forcibly removed. To-day, the 21st, he has been joined
by a companion of his own species, a red-chequered homer ;
but instead of the mutual demonstrations of pleasure one
would expect to witness at their meeting in such isolation,
they remained quite indifferent to each other's presence, the
newcomer possibly from motives of disdain, as he appears to
belong to the aristocracy, seeing he sports an aluminium
bracelet, on which are the letters "U.B." and the year 1901,
besides a number composed of three figures, which, unfor-
tunately, I took no note of. A strong southerly breeze on
the 22nd deprived us of their company. Losing the shelter
of the tower, they were unable to make headway against the
wind, and, fortunately for themselves, were driven landwards.

On the 20th a small patch of paidle-fish spawn was seen
cemented in a sheltered nook of the rocks. This is unusually
early for nesting operations, as it is generally May before they
are much in evidence here. The extremely small quantity
may denote a change of mind on the part of the depositor ;
besides, the site is badly chosen, as the nest is a couple of
feet above low water, and consequently without the cock's
guardianship for some time each tide. Possibly the heavy
seas prevalent during the past fortnight may have warned
the builder of being somewhat premature in her operations.

We had ocular demonstration the other day concerning
a matter of which doubts have been expressed, namely, the
skinning of their prey by seals. Not only do they skin their
fish, but each shred of skin is greedily swallowed as soon as
stripped. The skinning entails a good deal of trouble, as the
fish is pushed away from the seal at every mouthful, and con-
sequently sinks, so that a dive is necessary each time in order
to resume operations. Why he should take all this trouble
is not apparent, but presumably he understands his own

44 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

business best. His operations at present are watched by us
with longing eyes, for though he appears to have all he wants
we are as yet fishless. However, the presence of the paidle
spawn is a hopeful sign, and is the first attraction for the
wandering cod, by whom it is greedily devoured, providing
they can steal a march on the red-coated sentry — a difficult
matter, one would think, considering how assiduous he is in
the protection of his charge. The white whelks, presumably
adopting the promising report of the reconnoitring party sent
out last month, have turned out en masse, and are now wag-
ing a one-sided war of extermination upon the defenceless
mussels.

The times change and we change with them. Our present
light is doomed, and what the assaults of almost a century's
gales have failed to accomplish will succumb to the demands
of modern innovation. Doubtless, the presiding genius of
the reef will be congratulating himself, as he bares his head
each tide to witness the process of demolition, on the return
of the palmy days when as yet no meddling light interfered
with the working of his own sweet will in dealing death and
destruction to many a stout ship. Happily, this view is only
apparent, for by early autumn a much more powerful light
will be installed, and a new lease of life granted to the grand
old building which has so effectively served the maritime
world since 1811. Probably but few on shore noticed the
first appearance of the temporary light on the evening of the
30th. Of weaker power, but presenting similar characteristics
as the future light, namely, red and white flashes alternately,
with an interval of thirty seconds between each flash, it will
remain in use till ousted by its more powerful successor.

MAT 1902.

DECEMBER in May fitly describes the prevailing state of
the weather during this month. Chilling winds, accompanied
by snow, hail, or sleet showers, engender doubts as to the
veracity of the calendar, but the arrival of a number of terns
on the 18th dispels all doubts upon the matter. Sojourning
in Africa since their departure in September, they invariably
make their appearance here in May. At present there are
about thirty of these energetic little birds busy diving among
the breakers, picking up small fry, among which is seen inch
long sand eels. A flock of kittiwake gulls also hunt along-
side of them, while several gannets are to be seen further off,
plunging in pursuit of larger game. Clustered in sheltering
nooks of the rock are numerous patches of ova, deposited by
the white whelk. Closely resembling ears of wheat in size
and shape, each is attached to the rock by a short footstalk,
terminating in a flattened disc. On being pressed, a milky
fluid, somewhat granular, is exuded from the free end. The
whelks themselves are at present feasting on limpets, whose
shells have been fractured by the debris consequent on the
alterations in progress, though at other times they do not
appear to attack the limpets, their thick shells possibly making
the game not worth the candle.

Despite the inclemency of the weather, the work in
connection with the alterations is being rapidly pushed for-
ward. The removal of the old lantern and parapet wall
turned out a more laborious undertaking than the erection of
the new ones. Strength and stability were the outstanding
features of the old erection, and were* carried to such an
extent as would probably be considered superfluous in these
days. The stone parapet wall would in itself be an eye-opener

46 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

to our modern jerrybuilders. Octagonal outside, circular
within, the wall was composed of five courses of Craigleith
freestone, each course feathered and grooved, while each stone
dovetailed its entire depth into its neighbour. At each point
of the octagon holes were drilled from top to bottom of the
wall to receive the two inch iron bolts which secured the
heavy cast iron lantern to the parapet. It was necessary to
reduce the stones to fragments before hurling them into the
sea, in order to prevent them obstructing the boat tracks or
damaging the gratings. Between the outer and inner linings
of the copper dome a scrap of newspaper was found wrapped
round what appeared to be a file handle. The printed matter
was quite legible, and bore reference to an unfortunate episode,
happily long since relegated to the realms of oblivion, namely,
the investigation into the conduct of the then Princess of
Wales in 1806. In one of the ventilators which pierced the
parapet wall on a level with the balcony, but long since dis-
used, a perfectly desiccated specimen of a wren was found.
Attracted probably by the light while on a migratory journey,
it had evidently taken shelter in the ventilating tube just
prior to its being plugged up with a wad of tow, a material
which for many years has been superseded throughout the
service by cotton waste.

The ping-pong craze has come our length, and in imitation
of other manlier sports a trophy has been instituted for
competition, the said trophy to become the property of the
holder after being won thirteen consecutive times. The trophy
takes the form of a handsome cup of silver, or, to be more
explicit, of a metal usually found in conjunction with silver,
and is quite Grecian in its simplicity of design. It is con-
sidered to be of foreign origin, and bears evidence of having
at one time been profusely chased and engraved. A beauti-
ful pastoral scene is depicted on the one side, while, on the
other, two foreign words are barely decipherable, namely,
" Lait Concentre." The trophy generally graces our tea table
for some time prior to the competition, and materially aids in
stimulating the nagging energies of the competitors.

JUNE 1902.

ONLY towards the end of this month did we experience any-
thing like summer weather. Belieing the wintry weather we
had been experiencing, the fragrant odour of the hawthorn
blossom borne on the off-shore wind imparts a pleasurable
sensation, recalling scenes of earlier days when void of care
we went " nourish " gathering, or later on disported ourselves
amongst the "hips and haws." Here, no sylvan scenery
greets the tired eye nor gives respite to the senses from the
everlasting waste of waters, with its ever-changing moods,
from placid glassy calm to the wildest turbulence, when
blustering Boreas drives his team amain, and the white-
maned coursers charge down upon us like an avalanche. As
the tide drops, and the long lush tangles trail their tattered
tops on the surface, a dank heavy odour is perceptible,
scarcely so pleasing to the senses as that of the " hawthorn
bud that opes in the month of May." Equipped with a stout
stick bearing an iron hook, an hour's crab-hunting among the
rocks brings one into contact with many forms of life other-
wise unnoticed. Groping underneath a projecting ledge, to
ascertain if the inmate is at home, the eye is arrested by
minute nodules of scarlet jelly pendant from the roof, and
destined to become a close imitation of their terrestrial name-
sake the anemone, or, in similar situations, patches of white
whelk ova appear like so many grains of wheat arranged as
close as possible to each other.

Recently a solitary instance was noticed of a whelk carry-
ing the ova attached to the exterior of its own shell. Many
different species of whelks are thus met with, some scarcely
distinguishable by the naked eye. The intrusion of the crab-
stick soon betrays the presence of the crab. Gripping the

48 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

"cleek" in his claws, he prepares for resistance by forcing
his back against the roof of his domicile with all the power
his crooked legs are capable of. Should he feel himself being
drawn he immediately releases his grip, and, if possible,
"seeks his benmost bore." Should the cleek find a favour-
able hold, such as under the armpit, so to speak, he is soon
dislodged, but if the hole be somewhat crooked it is extremely
difficult to move him, and even then he may make his appear-
ance in sections, as he parts company with the different mem-
bers of his body on the slightest provocation, a proceeding
about which he has but little compunction, as he knows well
others will soon sprout in their places, a convenience which
Nature might with advantage have extended to the genus
homo. Poachers, it is stated, have made use of these crusta-
ceans while " ferretting " rabbits, by sending them into the
burrows with a stump of lighted candle stuck on their backs.
One can fancy the surprise with which " bunny " would stand
aghast at such a fearful apparition.

Scarcely a bird is to be seen in our vicinity at present,
nesting operations calling them elsewhere. A few foraging
gannets are seen daily passing and repassing, catering for
their sitting mates on the Bass Rock. The terns and gulls
will probably have their wants supplied from the shores in
the neighbourhood of their nurseries. The nest of the tern
is of the simplest description — a slight depression on a
gravelly beach or grassy mound, or even the bare surface of
a rock is considered sufficient for their purpose, nest-building,
in their estimation, being evidently considered superfluous.
It is surprising that the eggs remain in some of the positions
in which they are deposited. I have frequently set them
rolling along the rock surface by the action of my breath.
On their exit from the egg the young are immediately led
by the parents to a shingly beach, or other place of conceal-
ment, where it is extremely difficult to detect them from
their surroundings. Here they are fed with sand-eels and
other small fry till such time as they are able to wing their
way to the fishing grounds themselves, though even then they

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 49

are frequently the recipients of the parents' generosity, their
hunting powers being as yet inadequate to supply their needs.
The work in connection with the alterations here pro-
gresses rapidly, and by the end of next month it is expected
but little will be left undone. To all external appearance
the work is already finished, but the building of the huge lens
and revolving machinery, along with the internal fittings,
have yet to be completed.

JULY 1902.

MYRIADS of medusae or jellyfishes are constantly streaming
past our door, apparently without any powers of volition of
their own, but helplessly at the mercy of the tides. Of
various sizes, shapes, and colours, they impart quite a gay
appearance to the seascape, somewhat resembling a grassy
sward carpeted with beautiful flowers — huge sunflowers
predominating — the whole moving silently just beneath the
green, glassy surface. Great tremulous discs, twelve inches
in diameter, trail their streaming tentacles several feet
behind them ; others, again, no larger than a pea possess the
power of radiating, from the ciliary bands with which they
are furnished, all the colours of the rainbow. Stranded high
and dry, what a contrast to their former glory, now an inert
mass of slobbery mucilage. At one period of their existence
they appear quite plant-like in their habits. Attached to the
rocks, they closely resemble miniature fir trees, each plant
ultimately producing whole colonies of juvenile medusae.
Fish have been fairly plentiful this month, but owing to the
work at present in progress we have but little time to avail
ourselves of the opportunity. On the 6th a red chequered
pigeon, stamped "J. B. Sollaway, Beeston," on wing, was
released after a night's detention. On Saturday the 12th,
other two pigeons were captured at 8.30 p.m. One a red
chequered homer, with aluminium ring on leg marked N.TJ.
01, H.A. 587, also rubber racing ring on other leg, marked
132 outside and 263 Q inside; the other a blue chequered
homer, with leg ring marked N.TJ. 99, C. 8953, and racing
ring marked Q 513 inside and 174 outside; wing feathers
stamped "Walter H. Walker, Bank House, Horsforth,
Leeds." Both pigeons, after being watered and fed, were
released at 11 a.m. on 13th, each steering a sou'-westerly course
from the Rock.

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 51

On the evening of Sunday the 27th our new light was
exhibited for the first time, the coveted honour of " first light "
falling in the ordinary routine of duty to the writer. The new
apparatus — a bewildering arrangement of massive glass prisms
— is in striking contrast with its predecessor, the old reflector
system of lighting, a system, by the way, now almost obsolete.
The following description of the new light is copied from an
engraved plate affixed to the new apparatus: — "Combined
hyper-radiant and 1st order apparatus, with equiangular diop-
tric elements and catadioptric back prisms ; power of red flash
and white flash equalised. White and red flashing light, show-
ing white and red flashes alternately every half minute, the
period being one minute. Designed by Messrs Stevenson,
Civil Engineers, Edinburgh. Contractors, Messrs Steven &
Struthers, Glasgow, and Messrs Societe Des Etablissements
Henry Lepaute, Paris. David A. Stevenson, Engineer to the
Board. Apparatus makes one revolution in one minute — 1901."

Occasionally during the progress of the alterations our
population, unlike that of Arbroath, increased to a somewhat
alarming extent, mounting at times to a grand total of seven
all told. Considering that the majority of the population
were unaccustomed to life under such " cribbed, cabined, and
confined " conditions, it was surprising to witness the cheer-
fulness and good humour with which they accepted their
sixteen weeks' solitary confinement. At times the resources
of our commissariat were taxed to their utmost. Beef, which
is stored in our safe on the balcony, and retains its freshness
for a fortnight in cold weather, demands a liberal salting at
present, otherwise it does become a trifle "gamey," but, on the
whole, it is preferable to its relative in tins — a relationship,
by the way, extremely difficult to prove, and hopelessly so
should the label be missing. What though at times a trans-
verse section of our loaves disclosed a landscape in cerulean
tints undreamt of by the most vivid impressionist, the trans-
ference to " hard tack " was accepted with better grace than
when a similar move had to be made from the salted meat
to the "embalmed commodity."

AUGUST 1902.

THE coating of acorn barnacles with which the higher
surfaces of the Rock and also the base of the tower are
whitened in summer is fast disappearing before the ravages
of that ruthless destroyer the white whelk. Seen from the
balcony, this encrustation resembles a lime-haurled wall, and
presents a suitable background for the observation of moving
objects under water. These barnacles are frequently mis-
taken by the casual observer for young limpets, whereas,
unlike the limpet, which moves freely from place to place in
quest of vegetable diet, the moment the young barnacle settles
to erect his limey habitation, he possesses a fixity of tenure
which terminates only with his existence. An outer wall,
with razor edges, surrounds a hollow cone, his private apart-
ment, and probably guards his four-leaved door from injury.
This opening, through which all business with the outer world
is transacted, is scarcely discernible when above water ; but
immediately the tide covers it, the hollow cone is seen to fall
apart in four vertical sections, a bunch of fingers is thrust
forth and rhythmic clutches made at invisible food. How
little they resemble their relatives who swing by their
pendulous stalks from ships' bottoms or submerged wreckage,
and see the world without any exertion of their own. The
ancients firmly believed that from these animals certain birds
were produced, probably from the resemblance of their shelly
casement to the beak of a bird, and the bird known as the
barnacle-goose owes his name to this belief. Even to-day
there are persons who solemnly declare that the Northern
Diver is so evolved.

Another fallacy common amongst fishing communities on
the West Coast is the attributing the destructive effects of

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 53

the teredo navalis, or ship-worm, to the innocent barnacle,
whose only fault is the resistance their multitudes offer to a
ship's progress through the water. A log of wood which has
been adrift at sea for a lengthened period will generally be
found to have its surface clustered with pendulous barnacles.
The removal of these disclose minute pin-holes on the surface,
which, in the interior, assume the diameter of a man's little
finger, and permeate the log from end to end like a honeycomb.
Each little tunnel is smoothly enamelled with a deposit of
lime by this indefatigable borer, the teredo. Though boring
parallel with his neighbour, the thickness of paper only
separating them, they never, by any chance, encroach on each
other's bore. Their tracks are seen to abruptly diverge when
all but into that of their neighbour, so that they are evidently
cognisant of each other's proximity, an interesting fact also
apparent in rats on board wooden vessels, who, though they
will gnaw their way through any woodwork, instinctively
refrain from suicidal attempts on the outer skin of the ship.

On the memorable 9th we had a bird's-eye view of the
Coronation celebrations in Arbroath. With the aid of our
telescope the crowds on the Common were clearly visible, the
ladies in white dresses being most conspicuous. The flash of
the guns firing the royal salute was seen fifty-five seconds
before the report reached us. In the afternoon the sports in
the Victoria Park occupied our attention, and the white-clad
competitors in the high jump could be seen taking their
preliminary run and rising over the obstacle. Parties
straying on the beach had only their heads visible, and as
they neared the margin appeared to vanish under water.
The progress of the bonfire on the Common at night was also
watched, and the moving figures could be plainly seen
silhouetted in the glare. Probably but few noticed our
attempt to celebrate the occasion. Two strings of flags from
the balcony to the rocks fluttered gaily in the breeze, while
the balcony railing was similarly decked. Amongst those
suspended from the rail was a flag of peculiar interest,
namely, one which had been sewn by Miss Stevenson, a sister

54 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

of the builder, Robert Stevenson, almost a hundred years ago.
The central subject depicted on the white ground is the Bell
Rock Lighthouse ; on the right, the patron saint of Scotland
with his cross ; while a ship under full sail occupies the left,
the whole bordered with a deep edging of red. The figures
are extremely well executed, and the colouring to the flesh
tints remarkable. The flag was presented to the Rock by
Miss Stevenson to be used as a table draping during divine
service.

Several white butterflies and moths innumerable were seen
passing here this month. It seems these insects have their
migratory periods as well as birds, and at stations favourable
for their observation they appeared, to quote from a writer in
a recent number of " Chambers's," "as a dense snowstorm
driven by a light breeze, and this not for one day only, but for
many in succession. Whereas birds come and go with
clockwork regularity, the immigration of butterflies is un-
certain, and of all those which survive the perils of the deep
no single one returns."

SEPTEMBER 1902.

A GOOD deal of heavy weather has been experienced on the
Hock this month, and the stability of our new lantern
subjected to a fair strain, though probably nothing to what
it will have to encounter during the course of the winter.
The lantern — composed of gun metal astragals, narrowed to
the utmost limit compatible with strength, in order to inter-
cept as little light as possible — may be looked upon as a huge
hollow cylinder of glass, which in itself seems but a feeble
barrier to the onslaughts of the storm. But the three tiers
of triangular panes are of heavy plate glass, and the apparently
slim like astragals are braced together in the most effective
manner to ensure the greatest degree of strength, and need
cause no uneasiness to the stranger viewing the outlook during
the progress of a gale. It is awful to think that out in that
dark void, amid the warring elements, fellow beings may be
battling for their lives in close proximity to where we sit in
comfort and security, totally ignorant of their condition, and
utterly helpless to render them the slightest assistance.
Probably a case in point occurred during the gale of the 3rd.
On the 9th, about noon, we were somewhat surprised to see
the gunboat Seamew approaching the Rock with a hoist of
flags, indicating that they wished to communicate with us.
Bringing up close to the Rock, they signalled, " Have you seen
a vessel in distress 1 " to which we answered " No " ; and then
remembering we had seen a torpedo boat pass the day previous,
and fearing another case of "buckling" had occurred, we
asked "Was it a torpedo boat?" in reply to which they
communicated the intelligence, "No; it is a sailing craft
from Anstruther last Wednesday, and seven hands." On our
replying " We have not seen her," the signal " Thank you "
was hoisted, and the gunboat steamed out to the eastward on

56 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

her sorrowful quest. Passing a torpedo boat at gun practice,
she was seen to signal her also, with the difference that the
flags then used had no existence in our code. Later in the
evening she was again seen making for Dundee.

We have had several takes of fish of late, though there
seems to be a scarcity of " fry " compared with last year, the
absence of which probably accounts for the terns failing to
call upon us with their young for a few weeks' feasting prior
to commencing their migratory journey southwards. Gannets
may be seen at present striking at fish within a few feet of
our doorway, while a flock of young gulls hover expectantly,
with feeble peeping cries anticipating the feast in store for
them when the dinner scraps make their appearance. Further
off a few eider ducks — who only arrived on the 25th, some-
what later than last year — evidently eye the proceedings of
these juvenile degenerates with disdain, preferring to refrain
from such pampered luxuries and dine on the products of the
chase alone. The eiders present are as yet all adult males,
the females presumably still occupied with family cares teaching
the young idea how to shoot, or rather fish, if plucking mussels,
catching crabs, etc., can be called so, for such is their diet, and
does not include fish. Strange that the foremost arrivals
among migratory birds are all males. Why this is so is not
agreed upon by observers, some supposing that the females
are detained by maternal duties ; others, again, affirm that they
migrate en masse, and that the more vigorous males soon out-
strip and ungallantly leave the gentler sex to bring up the
rear. On the 6th we had our first intimation of the autumnal
migratory flight in the arrival of a flock of wheatears, accom-
panied by a solitary wren. On the 27th several greenfinches,
larks, and starlings were making insane efforts to follow the
line of most resistance, resulting in our new lantern receiving
its first baptism of blood, as the glass next morning testified.
Several porpoises are to be seen puffing and blowing a mile
off, and on the 28th a school of " finner " whales were seen
heading north.

I see by the Arbroath Guide that one of our old fog bells

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 57

has been presented by our Commissioners to the Arbroath
Museum, a fit resting place after its long sojourn on the Rock.
Should the date upon it happen by any chance to become
«rased, what possible controversies it may yet become the
subject of amongst posterity as to its connection with that
mythical personage " Ralph the Rover." I myself can testify
to its having conformed in one respect at least with that of
the poem, for on lowering it from its position on the balcony
for shipment the tide had overflowed the Rock about a couple
of feet, causing the bell to settle with an audible gurgle, or
as one of the seamen (Eraser) appropriately quoted, " The bell
sank down with a gurgling sound."

OCTOBER 1902.

WE have had occasional visits of feathered migrants during
the month, but it is a matter of remark that each year sees a
decrease in the number of arrivals here. Probably the
increased number of lights on our coast accounts for this
diminution, some proving more attractive than ours. A few
years ago it was quite on the cards at this season of the
year — thanks to the migratory instinct — to have an additional
course at dinner, to which fieldfares, blackbirds, and redwings
were the voluntary contributors, and even at times the gamey
woodcock "graced the groaning board" — for our "board,"
being double-leaved and somewhat senile, does occasionally
groan, and this without reference to any superincumbent
strain. Amongst the more noteworthy of our captures here,
at various times, the following may be mentioned : — A pere-
grine falcon, large horned owl, small brown owl, kestrels,
sparrow hawks, crows, cormorants, corn-crakes, and a turtle
dove. Birds generally arrive here in a fagged condition, and
are easily captured. As an instance, a kestrel landed on
our balcony railing during fog, and, despite the explosions
of our fog-signal twenty feet overhead, tucked his head
under his wing and fell sound asleep. Another arrival of
note was a common blue pigeon, which, after a few hours'
stay, surprised us by depositing an egg in our doorway.
Disturbed on our appearance, it reluctantly deserted its
treasure, but not without many backward glances before
spreading its wings shorewards.

Podley-fishing has been fairly successful during the
month, and several codlings have been taken from the pools
at low water. Whilst photographing lately, another of our
number was busy endeavouring to extract a breakfast from

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

Port Hamilton. Hooking a fair sized codling, the camera
was turned on the scene, and fish a la photo figured in our
bill of fare next morning. A few years ago a photo was-
taken of a paidle cock and hen, both of which were taken
from their nests for this purpose, and proved amenable
sitters ; the cock appearing in the photo quite conscious of
his importance, though the hen appeared somewhat bored,
having been snapped in the middle of a huge " gape," which
some of my previous sitters might interpret as a yawn. Both
were returned to their nests none the worse of their unique
experience, and possibly yet relate their feelings before the
camera to the admiring wonder of fishy audiences, till puffed
with the idea of their own importance they now probably
suffer from a disease (peculiar to some higher vertebrates
with as slender a reputation) resulting in what is colloquially
known as " swelled head."

Wouldn't the fishermen of Arbroath fancy their lines had
fallen in pleasant places should the fish they pursue at such
hazard come sailing voluntarily into the harbour, and even
without the usual ceremony of dropping them a line, appear
on the surface, mutely asking to be lifted out? Such, how-
ever, was our experience lately. Shortly before daybreak one
quiet morning our attention was attracted by the movements
of a few gulls, evidently interested in some object in the
water at the edge of the reef. As daylight advanced it was-
seen to be a large fish wobbling erratically upon the surface.
On extinguishing the light and descending to the rocks, which
the advancing tide had not yet covered, the fish was seen
to have entered the Johnny Gray boat track, and was pro-
pelling itself, keel upwards, in our direction. A fish in this
unusual position indicates an abnormal distension of the
swimming bladder, which, by over-increasing its buoyancy,
entirely upsets its centre of gravity, and forces it topsy-turvy
to the surface. A steam trawler, which had been working
close to the Rock for several days previous, was probably
responsible for our friend's "blown" condition. Stepping
gingerly over beds of white whelks as we wade bare foot to-

€0 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

welcome our visitor, we mentally contrast our inferiority with
more juvenile days — a time when even road metal could be
safely negotiated. The screaming gulls resent our interference
with their expected feast, no doubt slanging us unmercifully
as we land our capture, an arm-long lythe, safely on the
grating. Their clamouring, however, is soon stilled, as each
retires with as big a share of the offal as his strength and
agility can command.

The long-tailed ducks are now only wanting to complete
the list of our winter boarders, and their advent may be
looked for early next month. The eiders have now attained
their numerical strength for the winter, and are busily en-
gaged picking up a living, not only for themselves, but also
for the parasitical gulls which hover in close attendance,
shepherding them with unwearied diligence. The peculiar
cackling of the eiders — not unlike that of wild geese — becomes
somewhat disturbing as their operations are occasionally
carried on underneath our bedroom window. Gannets are
now rarely seen here, but at their breeding haunts on the
Bass Rock — which we had the opportunity of visiting while
on our way here last relief — they are still in evidence, though
by the end of the month they will have commenced their
journey southwards. A new light is being completed on the
Bass Rock, and on the first of December, yet another factor
in our dwindling list of visitors will be in operation —
ostensibly a lighthouse — but to our feathered friends, alas ! a
veritable slaughter-house.

NOVEMBER 1902.

EXCEEDINGLY stormy weather, with a prevalence of sou'-
easterly winds and heavy seas, has been our portion here this
month, restricting our movements out of doors, till with
circling round our promenade on the balcony one almost
doubts the possibility of ever again being able to hold a straight
course when opportunity offers. Workmen have been en-
gaged this month fitting up a service of copper piping from
the grating at the base of the tower to the cisterns in the oil
store on the third flat, whereby the operation of storing oil
will in future be rendered much easier. The oil will now be
landed in forty-gallon casks, instead of the small six-gallon
ankers as formerly, emptied into a sifting tank on the
grating, and by means of a rotary pump forced upwards to
the oil cisterns — a vast improvement on the old system, when
each anker had to be hoisted indoors, and then shouldered
upstairs to the cisterns.

A pleasing incident of the month was the arrival of a
handsome present for each of the keepers, consisting of a
silver mounted briar pipe, a pound of golden bar tobacco,
and a liberal supply of first class reading matter. All
keepers throughout the service — over 200 — were similarly
supplied, so that the gift will be seen to be a pretty extensive
one, and the donor, James Coats, junr., Paisley, has without
doubt earned the gratitude of the service by this generous act
of kindness.

About the beginning of the month we had a few feathered
visitors, chiefly blackbirds, fieldfares, and starlings. On the
morning of the 5th several struck heavily on the lantern, but
were swept away by the strong sou'-east wind then blowing.
The gannets have now all disappeared, none having been seen

<62 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

since the 27th. The eiders continue in close attendance and
have had their numbers augmented by the arrival of the
longtails on the 9th, a week earlier than last year, thus
completing our list of regular boarders for the winter. At
6 p.m. on the 13th we were privileged with the unusual
spectacle of a lunar rainbow. The bow — a faint white arc
against the dark background — was distinctly visible in the
nor'-west, though, of course, void of the vivid colouring
inseparable from its solar namesake.

While taking a turn round the balcony on the evening of
the 15th, our attention was attracted to what appeared to be a
peculiar shaped mass of foam resting on the rocks immediately
beneath us. On careful observation, however, the object was
seen to move slightly in the faint moonlight, and by the aid
of our telescope the outline of a seal could be dimly seen.
On the change of the watch at 6 p.m. an attacking party,
including the workmen then on the Rock, was organised, and
& plan of campaign drawn up. Descending the outside
ladder, which was fortunately in deep shadow, we were able to
gain a footing on the Rock unperceived. His suspicions had,
however, evidently been aroused, as he was seen to lift his
head sniffing uneasily in our direction. Bracing ourselves
within the margin of the shadow cast by the tower, we
charged down upon him at the double, expecting to see him
beat a hasty retreat to the water; but, to our surprise, he
made no effort whatever in that direction, but seemed to
consider himself quite a match for us, and that there was no
present necessity for retreating. Snarling and snapping
viciously as we surrounded him, he appeared at a great dis-
advantage compared with his agile movements when in his
element, his hind flippers being now of practically little use to
him, his lumbering movements being effected by the aid of the
fore flippers alone. His furious efforts to sample portions of
our anatomy were easily avoided, and by laying hold of his hind
flippers, as one would trundle a barrow, he was immediately
placed hors-de-combat. An unfortunate squid or cuttlefish,
which had been left stranded by the receding tide, when pushed

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 63

within his reach was seized and energetically shaken with all
the vim of an accomplished ratter. The wooden shaft of a
boat-hook was similarly treated, and still bears evidence of his
utter ignorance of the dental profession. A rope being
procured, a clove hitch was slipped over one of his hind-flippers,
the other end made fast to an eye-bolt on the Rock. Thus
secured, he was left to his novel reflections for the night.

As the tide covered the Rock he could be seen in the clear
moonlight ploughing along the creamy surface, stretching his

tether in every direction in futile efforts to escape. At day-
light next morning he was found sheltering under a projecting
ledge of rock. What a clean, well-groomed fellow he looked,
with his sleek, glossy coat glistening in the sunshine, his
squat, plump body adapting itself to the inequalities of the
surface on which it rested. His coat, by the way, as much
fur as that of a horse — grey above, mottled with dark spots,
while the under surface is of a creamy yellow. His beautiful
teeth gleaming white against the scarlet interior of his mouth,

64 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

as he snapped fruitlessly on either side, suggested the max-
imum of robust animal health. As a memento of his visit the
camera was brought on the scene, and another addition made
to our list of illustrious visitors.

Liberating him proved to be more difficult than his
capture, for when cut adrift he persisted in facing us instead
of making for the water, towards which we endeavoured to
drive him. After some manoeuvring, however, he was driven
to the edge of the gulley, but even with his body half sub-
merged he maintained a defensive attitude, not seeming to
realise that he was at liberty to depart. An incoming wave,
however, moved him to a sense of his position, and with
a defiant snort he slipped under water. Omitting, in his
hurry, to take proper bearings, he took the wrong direction,
and, finding himself in a cul-de-sac, made his appearance again
on the surface, and with a hurried glance at his position again
sank, this time making a bee-line for the outlet, being clearly
seen, as he passed under water close to where we stood, and
was last seen buffeting his way through the foaming breakers,
evidently none the worse for his compulsory detention on the
Bock.

DECEMBER 1902.

THE broken stones and other debris, consequent upon the
late alterations here, which had collected in various holes
in the Rock and maintained their position up till now, have
nearly all been cleared out by the severe gales of this month,
and a couple of heavy iron poles, erected lately to mark the
boat tracks or entrances to the landings, and which were sunk
two feet in the solid rock and heavily cemented, have been
shaken loose in their sockets by the pounding seas which have
been besieging us of late. The rocks appear bleak and bare,
and utterly void of vegetation. The white whelks have
collected their scattered forces, and gone into winter quarters.
Secure in sheltering nooks, they lie huddled together in close
packed squadrons. Numerous small white banded whelks
adhere to the base of the tower with a tenacity that seems
surprising considering the swirling seas they are subjected to.
This species, however, never seem to dream of hibernating.
The eiders and longtails, with an unswerving attention to
business, pursue their calling amid the hurly-burly of broken,
tumbling seas — evidently little concerned whether the weather
be fair or foul — and in the glassy hollows alternating between
the breakers they can be distinctly seen scurrying over the
rock surface like so many fish. Gannets this month are con-
spicuous by their absence, and only a few parasitic gulls
divide their attention between the kitchen refuse and the hard
won earnings of the eiders.

On several occasions during the month our fog signal was
brought into action through the occurrence of heavy snow-
falls. A silent, feathery fall on shore no doubt has charms
peculiarly its own, but at sea constitutes a very serious danger
to the anxious mariner as he steams at reduced speed through

E

66 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

the fleecy curtain, shrieking his every two minute warning,
his vessel's head scarcely visible from the bridge. In snow-
storms such as we have had of late our lantern soon becomes
plastered up with snow on the weather side, necessitating
constant removal to prevent it from completely blinding our
light in that direction. This is an operation often accom-
plished with difficulty, especially when carried out in the
teeth of a gale — an experience somewhat akin to lying out 011
a yardarm under similar conditions, only one doesn't have the
lift and 'scend of the vessel to contend with ; yet his grip must
be equally as sure, or, as the old salts phrase it, " Every finger
a fish-hook," on such occasions. Mounting by an outside
ladder to the grated gallery which encircles the base of the
lantern, one is exposed to the full force of the blast, and a
firm grip must be taken to avoid being blown away. Below,
the seas in wild tumult break against the building with a
deafening roar, sending a perceptible tremor through the
entire structure with each impact. Only by energetically
hauling on the hand-rail can the slightest progress . be made
in the desired direction, the wind's eye being the objective
point, where possibly on arrival one may find himself pinned
flat to the lantern, like an entomological specimen, by the
force of the wind. The snow removed, the return journey
is effected by simply allowing oneself to be blown gradually
back.

While relieving the Bass Rock on our way ashore last
relief, a good opportunity was afforded of witnessing the
mode of effecting a landing under adverse circumstances.
On arrival there, it was considered dangerous to attempt a
landing at either of the two landing places, owing to the
heavy sea then running. The landings — a flight of concrete
steps from the water edge to the rocks above — are situated
on either side of a slight promontory immediately beneath
the lighthouse ; and as deep water obtains to the rock face,
it will be obvious that similar conditions must frequently
prevail at either landing. The boat being loaded with the
necessary stores, and the relieving keeper on board, an

NOTES OX THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 67

approach was made to within suitable distance of the Rock.
A kedge anchor was then thrown overboard, and the boat
slacked down till within working distance. The keepers
meanwhile had been busy erecting an iron pole or derrick
on the rocks above the position now occupied by the boat,
and which, being slightly inclined seawards, a tackle from
its extremity was drawn by means of a guy-line to the boat,
and the stores hoisted ashore by the keepers in charge of the
tackle-fall above. Seated in a loop of the rope, the relieving
keeper was then hoisted, and his shore -going neighbour
similarly lowered. As an extra precaution, a second boat
was sent from the ship to stand by the working boat in
case of accident. Fortunately, however, their services were
not required.

Our final relief here for the year was effected with some
difficulty on the 29th. Owing to the doubtful aspect of the
landing, only one boat was sent ashore instead of two as
usual. The fortnightly supply of coal and water being
omitted on this occasion does not, however, inconvenience
us, as a three months' reserve stock of necessaries is always
maintained during the winter months.

JANUARY— FEBRUARY 1903.

BRIGHT, sunny weather characterised the opening day of the
year, the sea assuming a suspicious placidity quite sumnier-like
in appearance but for the keen nip in the air perceptible out
of doors. This state of affairs, however, proved but ephemeral,
and for the remainder of the month we have experienced
most boisterous weather. Strong westerly winds occasionally
attained the force of a gale, accompanied with driving seas,
which roared and sang a lullaby scarcely compatible with
the shore-dwellers' sense of security, but which, strange to
say, has a more somnolent effect upon us than a breathless
stillness, though an occasional thumper of a sea, more forceful
than its fellows, demonstrates the stability of our domicile by
imparting a gentle tremor to the entire structure, awakening
in the sleeper a glimmer of consciousness and a hazy impression
of a traction-engine lumbering somewhere in the vicinity.

Our entrance doorway — thirty feet from the Rock — faces
south-west, and is guarded by a heavy double leaved door,
which opens outwards, and held open against the building
by means of heavy brass thumb-snecks. An inner or vestibule
door of solid brass is placed six feet further inwards —
the walls here, by the way, being seven feet thick, tapering
to one foot immediately beneath the balcony, sixty feet
higher up. This door is also double-leaved, with the upper
panels of heavy plate glass, frequently obscured by the strong
westerly wind whipping the tops of the seas as they rise
in front, and carrying them souse into the doorway. Stand-
ing here during the prevalence of a gale, the outlook is being
constantly darkened by a curtain of hissing foam drawn across
the doorway, as each sea breaks against the base of the
tower, flinging the spray high overhead. Fifteen miles in
front of us lies the Isle of May, with its castle-like lighthouse
crowning its summit, while on a lower level stands a white-
washed relic — remnant of a time, not so long ago, when the
Island boasted a double light, and electricity had not as yet
usurped sole sway. Emerging from the right of the May

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THK BELL ROCK. 69

appears the bluff outline of the Bass Rock, while away in the
far distance North Berwick Law cleaves the sky-line. Away
to St Abb's Head, on the left, the Haddington coast stretches
hazy and indistinct, while the green, grassy slopes of Fife, with
the spires of St Andrews faintly visible, fill in the right of
the picture. Laying hold of the man-ropes suspended in the
doorway, and turning to the right, the Forfarshire coast is
seen extending from the Tay in a long unbroken line, with
the snow-clad Grampians towering majestically in the back-
ground. Right in front of us are the smoking stalks of
Arbroath. Two conspicuous white dots in the foreground
mark the pierheads, in front of which an impatient "flaxer"
cruises in glorious uncertainty of ever being permitted to
fulfil her charter and deposit her Riga-run freight on the
right side of the bar. This is the panorama from the view-
point of our doorway on a clear day, but, as seen of late
through sheets of flying foam, it reminds one of a cine-
matograph display, in which the films are far from perfect.

On the first Sunday of the year hundreds of gulls were
seen resting on the surface of the sea, half a mile nor'-west
from here, evidently by their movements enjoying a feast of
"fry," and in all probability proclaiming the presence of
herring shoals. During the gale of 10th January over a
dozen gannets were seen swooping and diving, presumably at
herring. Only with difficulty could we maintain our position
on the balcony, owing to the force of the wind, yet these
birds circled and dived amid the turmoil of wind and water
with a graceful ease and precision that seemed truly wonder-
ful considering the force of wind they occasionally beat up
against, or, as they turned broadside on, were wafted without
the least exertion in the opposite direction. The first week of
February saw hundreds of these birds back to their breeding
haunts on the Bass Rock. From the deck of the " Relief "
steamer lying within a few hundred yards their movements are
clearly seen. Each projecting ledge of the precipitous cliffs
is tenanted by some members of the cackling crowd, their
heads see-sawing from side to side. The birds are evidently
engaged in brisk conversation, a monopoly of which is certainly

70 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

not tolerated amongst them, judging by the vigorous efforts of
each to be heard above his neighbour. Probably the new
lighthouse is being discussed in the light of an innovation 011
their ancestral rights of possession, and later, as its beams
fall athwart their nursery, tradition may recall man's former
intrusion on their solitary keep many hundred years ago. No
doubt their ups and downs since last meeting on terra firm®
are fully discussed, for it is a curious fact that these birds are
rarely, if ever, known to rest on shore except when engaged in
domestic duties. Occasionally a depraved specimen may be
seen floating helplessly on the water, a victim of his own
gluttony, having dined not wisely but too well.

February has been a repetition of its predecessor, cold and
blowy, with excessive rainfalls. In a shallow depression on
the higher rock surface our attention has been attracted to a
solitary plant, a specimen, I understand, of " Himanthalia
lorea." A cylindrical stem (an inch in length) supports a
thick, fleshy disc, about an inch in diameter. From the
centre of this disc three separate branches rise with their
terminals, blunted at first, but which were gradually seen
to bifurcate. This is our " flower in the crannied wall," and
is in its own way equally as suggestive.

The eiders are occasionally seen varying their diet with a
vegetable course. Seizing the tip of a tangle blade two or
three inches from the surface, they spin round it like a top,
till the portion held in their bill is twisted off and greedily
swallowed. No need for them to evade the gulls while
engaged in this repast. It is most amusing to witness the
discomfiture of the gulls as they hurry from a distance expecting
to share in something edible, only to find the duck negotiating
six inches of seaweed. That the white whelk itself is not im-
mune from enemies was recently brought before our notice, one
being picked up with a long black worm dangling from its
mouth. On withdrawing the worm — somewhat resembling a
boot lace — portions of the deceased tenant followed. Doubt-
less every organism ha,s its own particular parasite.

" Big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em,
And these again have lesser fleas and so ad infinitum"

MARCH 1903.

TRADITIONALLY correct, the advent of this month was decidedly
leonine, and its exit as certainly lamb-like ; but between these
periods, though a few really beautiful days could be credited
to the latter symbol of peacefulness, the lion was largely in
the ascendant. Borne on the off-shore wind comes the odour
of heather — not the fragrant perfume one usually associates
with this sweet-smelling plant, but the smoky incense con-
sequent on moor-burning — and at night the higher levels of
the coast line exhibit lights which are certainly not recognised
in the Mariners' Sailing Directions.

Over a score of steam trawlers have been busy in our
neighbourhood all the month. Sunday or Saturday is all
the same to them ; they are at it night and day, and the
weather must be bad indeed to detain them in port. Often
they are seen passing here burying themselves to the fore-
mast in the seas on their way to the fishing grounds, perhaps
twenty miles outside of us. The Rock seems to be a recog-
nised stage in their journey ; for, whenever abreast of it,
over goes their log, and a compass course is laid for the
distant banks. Here, far outside the three-mile limit, the
presence of the Brenda or the Minna * causes no alarm ; and,
providing their numbers are correctly exposed, receive no
interference from these coasting policemen. A few summers
ago, one of these same trawlers, while on her way out from
Dundee one Sunday, surprised us by driving right up on the
reef in broad daylight, a hundred yards from the tower.
Fortunately, the sea was like glass at the time, otherwise
the consequences must have been disastrous. The tide being
on the ebb, their attempts to back off were unsuccessful ; and
there they remained hard and fast from one o'clock till six in
the evening, when a passing trawler succeeded in towing them
off, evidently none the worse of their brief acquaintance with
the Bell Rock. During their detention, the crew paid us a
* Fishery Board cruisers.

72 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

visit in their boat, recalling to our mind a story in which a
clumsily handled brig, in coming to an anchorage in a crowded
harbour, ran aboard of a vessel already anchored. Visiting
this vessel a few days later, to apologise for the occurrence, the

offender was thus announced by the steward : " Captain S

has come on board, Sir." " Oh, indeed," sarcastically remarked
the aggrieved mariner. " Has he brought his brig with him ? "

The rocks are this year more plentifully strewn with
mussel-spawn and acorn barnacles than usual j and already
the whelks have sallied from their winter's sleep, bent on
their destruction. Hundreds of hermit crabs have also made
their appearance, notably first in the deeper pools, but gradu-
ally taking up their quarters in the shallows. Towards the
end of the month, a few small spats of paidlefish spawn were
seen deposited in convenient crevices of the rocks. This is
unusually early for "nesting" operations, and engenders
hopes of an early fishing, as the ova is generally the first
inducement for the wandering cod to come within reach of
our rods. Numerous clusters of the wheat-like ova of the
white whelk are also seen ; but, unlike that of the paidlefish
(lumpsucker) — which may be detached from its gelatinous
fastenings in a solid mass— each egg adheres separately by its
own footstalk. Though the adult " paidles " are only to be
seen here during the period of incubation — the term seems
quite applicable, seeing that the guardian " cock " is always
in close attendance, with his nose thrust into the centre of the
mass of ova, at which point there is always a depression, and
frequently a hole right through it — juveniles are occasionally
met with at all seasons \ and, on the first anniversary of their
birthday, are seen to have attained the length of two inches.

Numbers of peculiar looking slugs are met with at present,
somewhat resembling a section of a small orange with the skin
attached. On their upper surface, near to one end, a minute
orifice is seen, through which a small rosette like arrangement
is protruded when at rest, but which is instantly withdrawn
when the animal is disturbed. This is the only visible sign of
life in this otherwise inert object, and is probably its means of
obtaining a living. Its under or ambulatory surface is similar

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 73

to that of a limpet, without its tenacity, but with a somewhat
similar rate of progression. Another small slug noticed this
month — no larger than one's finger nail and recalling the
general appearance of the "fretful porcupine," with "quills"
arranged along its back, and displaying beautiful shades of
brilliant blue and crimson.

Saturday, IJfili. — A beautiful warm sunny day, the sea like
glass, dappled here and there with great greasy-like patches
peculiar to still weather. Flocks of eiders, longtails, and gulls
appear to be having a day off, and float listlessly hither and
thither, seeming only intent on making themselves aggressively
audible in the stillness, the longtails piping a shrill treble to
the sonorous bass of the eiders, while the gulls contribute a
fairly good imitation of a laughing chorus. Later, the gulls
are seen to bestir themselves, as myriads of small circles break
the glassy surface in their vicinity, betraying the presence of
"fry," their legitimate food. Pecking from side to side as
they float silently through the shoal, they evidently enjoy the
feast thus provided for them. The sight of the gulls thus
engaged apparently reminds the ducks of their negligence in
this respect, and paddling full speed ahead, they are soon busy
diving in the shallower water of the reef. The longtails push
their way right up to the base of the tower, round which they
are seen circling, plucking at the green vegetation adhering to
the stonework, and cackling loudly as they breathe for a few
seconds on the surface, all unconscious of our presence on the
balcony a,bove them. A small piece of coal dropped while
they are still under water causes them to shoot away like
startled minnows, and only when they have put some distance
between them and the source of alarm do they make their
appearance on the surface, evidently much flustered by the
mysterious noise. Though a couple of fathoms deep, their
alarm was apparent at the same moment the coal struck the
surface, proving that the sound and not the appearance of the
falling body was the disturbing cause. The end of the month
still sees them in close attendance, but any day now may witness
their exodus. But few spring migrants have come our way this
month, principally a few blackbirds, thrushes, and starlings.

APRIL 1903.

WARM, sunny weather in the earlier part of the month raised
our hopes of a change of diet, and, coupled with the early
appearance of the paidlefish spawn, our expectations of an
early fishing ran high. On the 8th, the capture of three
small cods in " Johnny Gray " track increased our hopes, arid
again on the 9th, eight were taken, but since then we've had
no other. Cold, blowy weather, with heavy seas, has rendered
all attempts in this direction futile ; however, the attraction —
as evidenced by the stomachs of those captured — still in-
creases, and numbers of bloated paidle "hens," with their
lower jaws portruding like a prize bull-dog, are seen cruising
sluggishly among the tangles in quest of a suitable nesting
place. The nests this season are unusually small ; sometimes
they contain as much ova as would fill a quart pot. Each
ovum is a sixteenth of an inch in diameter, and were all
permitted to come to maturity — instead of becoming food for
other fishes as most do — would soon fill the sea of themselves.
" All nature is at one with rapine and war," and necessarily so,
otherwise we would soon be crowded out of existence.

Our winter residents, the eiders and longtails, have
gradually disappeared. On the 4th, a representative pair of
each alone remained, but these have now thought better of it
and gone the way of their more sensible comrades. A few
gulls, herring, and kittiwakes hover about, and guillemots and
gannets are now common.

The gannets, I am informed by the keepers on the Bass
Rock, commenced laying there on the llth. The solitary egg
these birds deposit is heavily coated with lime, which, when
scrubbed off, exposes a pale blue surface. This coating is
probably the origin of the fallacy that these birds ensure the

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 75

safety of their eggs by cementing them to the bare rock. On
the contrary, each nest is composed of quite a barrow-load of
material of the most miscellaneous description. One of these
nests noted on the Bass this season was seen to have the end
of a soft-soap barrel for a foundation, armfuls of withered
grass, dried tangles, bits of rope, string, cotton waste, and
other flotsam and jetsam picked up about the Rock. Amongst
the lining of the nest, pheasant and partridge feathers were
seen, which were certainly not garnered on the Bass. The
harvesting of the withered grass was accomplished between
dark and daylight^ and, therefore, unnoticed by the keepers,
but the area of their operations, as seen next day, suggested
the presence of a lawn mower. Thousands of these birds are
slaughtered annually by the St Kildians as an article of diet,
and the wonder is, considering the solitary egg deposited and
that three years elapse before the adult stage is reached, that
they continue so numerous.

Dr Wallace, in his " Natural Selection," speaking of birds
in general, tells us that, if permitted to live, in the ordinary
course of production "in fifteen years each pair of birds
would have increased to more than two thousand millions.
Whereas we have no reason to belie*ve that the number of the
birds of any country increases at all in fifteen or in one
hundred and fifty years. On the average, all above one
become food for hawks and kites, wild cats or weasels, or
perish of cold and hunger as winter comes on."

Myriads of white whelks are now scattered over the Rock
surface, and already patches of mussels and acorn barnacles
have been cleared by their voracity. Their ova, which is to be
met with in almost every nook and cranny, is left to take care
of itself. A patch of this ova is situated in a position which
a paidle-hen subsequently fancied for a nursery, and, scorning
all rights of possession, plastered her ova indiscriminately
over that of the whelks, with the result that they are now
under the special care of the guardian " cock."

A stranded cuttlefish was an object of much interest one
evening this month. What a queer-looking object it appeared,

76 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

with its eight long tentacles squirming in all directions, its
body a slobbery mass of animated mucilage. Although only
a foot in diameter it required some force to detach it from
the rock, as each of the tentacles is furnished with rows of
suckers on its under side. By extending the tentacles in
front, the animal was able to move along the Rock surface,
not in a jerky fashion, as might be expected, but with a
continuous gliding motion, clearly showing that each sucker
acted independently of its neighbour. If taken hold of, one
or other of the tentacles is immediately twisted round the
hand with a tenacity that seems surprising considering the
size of the animal, and one can then realise to some extent
the stories occasionally heard of its giant relatives of the
tropics. Irritated, it appears to have the properties of the
chameleon, flushing through all the gradations of colour in
quick succession, and latterly discharging a jet of fluid of
inky blackness. This resource, however, was utterly useless
in the present circumstances, but, on placing the animal in
a shallow pool of water, its use was at once apparent, for
on being touched it immediately rendered itself invisible by
the inky fluid discharged. Frequent irritation, however,
exhausted its stock of ink, and latterly only clear water
was expelled. This expulsion, when effected 011 the Rock,
was accompanied by an audible murmur. The narrow slits of
eyes closely resemble those of a dog-fish, and the head, with
the anterior tentacle elevated in the air, grotesquely reminds
one of an elephant in the act of trumpeting.

MAY 1903.

DURING the first few hours of this month our lantern was
the centre of a twittering throng of feathered migrants.
Wheatears, rockpipits, starlings, wrens, and robins fluttered
erratically through the rays or clamoured in their innocence
against the glass, apparently desiring a closer acquaintance
with the source of light. Puffs of feathers floated away on
the easterly breeze as some unfortunate, less discreet than his
fellows, crashed against the invisible barrier. The coming
dawn, however, reveals to the survivors the absurdity of their
position, and ere the light is extinguished they have resumed
their journey shorewards. Frequent fogs occurred in the
earlier part of the month, and during the prevalence of a long
spell a long-eared owl was captured on the balcony and held
prisoner for a week, during which time various samples of our
commissariat were offered for his acceptance without avail.
A luckless sparrow, the only one by the way I have seen here,
was then captured and placed at his disposal. This proved
more in his line of business, for on the morning after the rump
and tail feathers alone were left. Next day the indigestible
portions, feathers, etc., were cast up in the form of a compact
ball. Later a thrush was similarly offered, but after a couple
of days in each other's company remained untouched. It was
amusing to see the spirited attitude assumed by the thrush
when in the presence of his natural foe. Screaming agres-
sively at the slightest movement of the owl, he would lunge
furiously in his direction, his bill all the while snapping
audibly. The fog having cleared somewhat, both were then
set at liberty.

Another very rare visitor seen here this month was a
sheldrake, which passed close overhead flying south. This is

78 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

the first I have seen here, but in Orkney these birds are very-
numerous and are there known as the burrow duck, or sly-
goose. Sly they certainly are, as evidenced by a pair which
nested regularly within a couple of hundred yards of the
lighthouse at which I was then stationed. A covered drain
was the site annually chosen, the nest being placed several
yards from the mouth, which opened out on a spacious grassy
hollow. The bright brown and white plumage, with vermilion
bill and feet, render these birds most conspicuous objects in an
ordinary landscape ; but squatting on a shingly beach, where
their colours harmonise better with their surroundings, their
presence is less easily detected. Frequently I have watched
their movements with a telescope from the lantern, and though
no one was stirring within seeing distance of them, the
greatest caution was always exercised in approaching the
nest. Lighting a hundred yards from the nest, a pretence of
feeding diligently was made, though their heads could be seen
frequently lifting in the direction from which intrusion was
to be expected. Gradually circling nearer the nest, passing
and repassing it with apparent indifference, till within a few
feet of it they would then suddenly vanish. The exact
moment of their entrance I was never able to note, as they
appeared to assume an invisibility during the remaining few
feet of their journey that was really astonishing, but which is
less a matter of surprise when one has witnessed the squatting
in concealment of a hen pheasant on sparse grassy ground.
Burrow duck is a name applied to these birds from their
habit of nesting in disused rabbit burrows. I have counted as
many as forty young ones following a single pair, while others
may have only three or four juveniles in their train. It
is said they do not scruple to steal the young ones from each
other. If alarmed while feeding among the decaying sea-
ware on the beach, some of the parents will fly to meet the
intruder and endeavour to divert his attention in another
direction, while the others fly seawards, followed by their
callow broods flapping their little wings, while their feet
tip-tip the surface — a veritable walking on the waters.

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 79

Just as the rocks were being overflowed the other day, we
had a visit of another bird which is but rarely seen here,
namely, the oyster-catcher. The plumage beautiful black and
white, the feet and bill a brilliant red ; the latter, which is
flattened vertically, suggestive of a stick of sealing wax.
Though fairly well acquainted with this species, I never had
the good fortune till now to see them in the role of limpet
pickers, by which name they are known in some localities.
From the balcony, with the aid of the telescope, his move-
ments were brought within a few feet of us. Wading an
inch or so deep, where the limpets were probably opening to
the influence of the incoming tide, he appeared to make a
judicious selection ; then, with a single sidelong blow of his
chisel-like bill, he turned the no doubt astonished mollusc
upside down. Seizing it in his bill, he carried it to a still
dry portion of the Rock, and in a twinkling he had the limpet
out of its shell, and journeying up his long bill to its doom.
The tip of the upper mandible appeared to do the scooping
out, while the lower merely acted as a resistance outside
the shell, the operation being performed more quickly than
even the adroit oyster-man turns out his wares on the half-
shell. Though not web-footed nor in the habit of diving, I
remember seeing one of these birds, which had been winged
with a gun-shot, dive repeatedly in order to escape further
injury.

On the afternoon of the 16th, two days earlier than last
year, a loud chorus of discordant voices floating to our bed-
room windows announced the presence of a large flock of
terns — their first arrival here since wintering in the sunny
south. Screaming and diving, they appear tireless in the
pursuit of their prey, which, with the aid of the telescope,
is seen to consist of inch-long "fry." How trim and neat
they appear as they cluster on the rocks as the tide recedes,
pruning their feathers and chattering vociferously ; the head
enshrouded in a black, glossy skull-cap, the back and wings
a bluish grey, the under parts of unsullied white; the long
sharp-pointed scarlet bill tipped with black in harmony with

80 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

the legs, and small webbed feet. This active little bird is
also called the Sea Swallow, an alias assumed from its long
narrow wings and forked tail.

The sea has been literally alive with large poddlies this
month. Morning and evening they can be seen " breaking "
on the surface in pursuit of "fry," splashing loudly in their
efforts. Though somewhat averse to our lure, we generally
manage to secure a breakfast. On quiet, still days, good
sized cod are seen prowling over the rocks ; and, though lines
were set at low water, they were seen at high water to pass
the temptation with indifference. Fishermen aver that all
fish have times when the most tempting delicacy fails to
attract their attention ; and possibly this is the case with
those which have been lately under our observation. Hermit
crabs at present are seen to be carrying spawn; and one
which was removed from its shell was seen to have the spawn
so far advanced that, when placed in a shallow pool, they
released their attachment with the parent, and began life as
free swimmers. A small fish of the blenny species, when
taken from the crevice in which the tide had left it, was
quite dark coloured, but when placed in a pool was seen to
adapt itself to the colouring of the bottom on which it rested,
assuming a mottled grey scarcely distinguishable from the
pool bottom.

Painters have been busy for the latter half of this month
repainting the outside of the building. Favoured with suit-
able weather, a fortnight sufficed for the operation of donning
the triennial coat, which will explain the apparent proximity
with which it has been lately viewed from Arbroath.

JUNE— JULY 1903.

A CLOSE inspection of the flowing tide as it swirls around our
gratings reveals the presence of myriads of minute globular
jellyfishes — the cydippe pileus — said to be the favourite food
of the arctic whale, though one would scarcely expect these
bulky cetaceans to thrive or even subsist on such watery
diet. Ranging in size from a pin head to a walnut, what
a gap each mouthful must make in their numbers. The
poddlies themselves are not averse to this form of food, as they
are occasionally seen to disgorge them when landed in our door-
way. The common jellyfish progresses through the water with
a pulsating movement of the entire disc, such movement being
termed " pulmonigrade," and somewhat resembles the action of
an umbrella being partially opened and closed. The mode of
progression in the case of the cydippe is, however, different,
and is termed " ciliograde," as the propulsion is effected by
means of eight vertical bands of cilia or minute plates over-
lapping each other. Each plate having an independent action
of its own, the animal can propel itself in any desired direction,
or, by resting them against its spherical body, sink to the
bottom. In sunshine these animals in their evolutions emit
the most beautiful combinations of colour one could imagine,
but " you seize the flower, its bloom is shed " — scooped up in
the hollow of the hand their beauty vanishes, and only a small
spat of inert transparent jelly remains. Here at present in
the Rock pools one may witness a peculiar phase in the evolu-
tion of the jellyfish. Along with many beautiful varieties of
marine vegetation, miniature forests of fir trees garnish the
bottom of each shallow pool. These liliputian firs, with their
branches no thicker than a hair, are but plants in semblance,
for here is the opening chapter in the life history of the
medusae. Under the lens each fragile shoot is seen to con-
sist of multitudes of small discs piled upon each other like so
many saucers, each of which will, in due course, detach itself
from its neighbour and enter on its new existence as fully

F

82 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

equipped as the exaggerated specimens frequently seen
stranded on our beaches. Lurking amongst the vegetation in
the pools are numerous tiny spider-crabs, roaming about in
search of food. Only by their movements can they be located,
as each bears about with it quite a luxuriant growth of
vegetation, with which I understand all crustaceans would
become invested did they not — ludicrous as it may seem —
regularly attend to their toilet. The "spider," however,
unable to procure a living by force of arms like his bigger
brother, has recourse to the subterfuge of posing as an
innocent patch of marine vegetation, and by such concealment
is enabled to capture food which would be otherwise unattain-
able. The females at present are seen to be carrying spawn.
When changing their position in the pool it is somewhat
surprising to see a portion of the plants, which one has been
admiring, suddenly become endowed with the powers of
locomotion, detach itself from the mass, and, ambling leisurely
round the pool, come to rest on the fringe of some other patch
with which it completely harmonises.

During the whole of June, at daybreak and again in the
evening, the sea around us appeared literally alive with large-
sized poddlies. Their continual flip-flop on the surface in
pursuit of " fry " could be distinctly heard from the balcony.
Though frequently within reach of our attempts from the
doorway, they failed to appreciate our invitation to any
extent, and only with much perseverance did we occasionally
manage to breakfast at their expense. A few cod have been
taken from the pools at low water. The deepest of these
pools is about a couple of fathoms at low water, and has the
reputation of being a sort of convalescent home, as fish are
occasionally taken there which are in anything but the pink
of condition. Fishing there lately, I hooked a cod two feet
long, and was somewhat surprised to see the feeble resistance
it made. On landing it, however, it was seen to be a most
phthisical-looking specimen and in the last stages of emacia-
tion, the bones almost protruding through the skin. Need-
less to state, his life was spared, and the patient returned
to his element. I have frequently seen emaciated specimens

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 83

of the cod family, but as they were full grown, fishermen
attributed this to old age, but this was certainly not the case
with our catch, it being but half grown.

I often wonder if any one has noticed the following
peculiarity. When fish show an unusual tenacity of life,
that is, after being gutted and cleaned, exhibit strong mus-
cular action for some time after, that this phenomenon in-
variably precedes a change of some kind in the weather,
usually more wind or heavier sea. This at least is my ex-
perience from several years' observations.

The remaining patches of white whelk ova now appear
flaccid and empty. Brushing the hand over the apparently
empty capsules, a granular deposit adheres to the skin, which
on close examination is seen to be minute whelks. Even
with the aid of the lens the sulci or furrow, through which
boring operations are conducted, is not yet apparent, but
which later is common to this species. The rocks at present
are thickly sewn with these juveniles, and myriads of adults
are busy clearing the rocks of barnacles and immature mussels.
As late as 28th July a solitary paidle-cock was seen guarding
its nest ; this is unusually late, as they are generally finished
nursing by the end of June.

The middle of July brought us our first young tern, and
towards the close of the month several were in attendance.
A large school of bottle-nose whales crossed the reef on the
last Sunday of July, their puffing and blowing being quite
audible as they headed north, probably after herring.

Pleasure steamers from Dundee have been frequently
round the Rock during June and July, some of the trippers
evidently enjoying the sail, others emphatically not. One
of the passengers, as the steamer got to windward of us,
favoured us with a cornet solo, which we gratefully acknow-
ledged with a dip of our flag. On several evenings an hour's
fishing was given the passengers, but their catches could scarcely
be expected to have any appreciable influence on the market.
Broken weather, excessive rain, with occasional thunderstorms,
describes the weather we have been having, the seasonable days
of sunshine and warmth being few and far between.

AUGUST 1908.

A MONTH of variable weather, much rain and heavy seas
occasionally compelling the boats engaged in the herring
fishing to run for it. Dearly bought indeed is their silvery
freight as they thresh their way homewards followed by a stiff
sou'-easter, their oilskins glistening with repeated drenchings,
and twelve miles' ploughing and a doubtful bar yet to be
negotiated ere safety is reached. How different ! no running
for home with us ; here we remain secure and comfortable
amid the hurly-burly, and trust to the stability of the grand
old building for our safety. Right well does it merit our con-
fidence. After a century's buffetings with the elements, not a
single sign of weakening in the never ceasing conflict is
evident. Surely a creditable testimony to the honesty of the
labour employed in its erection.

That herring are occasionally in our vicinity is evidenced
by the industrious diving of the gannets, accompanied by
large flocks of gulls and terns, and also by the presence of
whales snorting and puffing close to the Rock. At low water
the reef is covered with gulls and terns resting from their
labours of the tide. Scorning such relaxment, the gannets,
wheeling and diving, maintain their ceaseless chase, establish-
ing their kinship with that bird of the Ancient Mariner, the
tireless albatross. A skua or robber-gull has billeted himself
amongst the gulls and terns, and is frequently seen harrying
them of their legitimate prey. It is surprising that the terns
at least, with their needle-pointed bills and belligerent pro-
pensities, suffer themselves to be so despoiled, and make no
attempt to combine and drive off this pirate on the fruits
of their industry. On the contrary, after a fruitless twisting
and doubling in mid-air, in which they are invariably worsted,
they seem to accept these periodic attacks of the skua as
a matter of course.

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 85

Amateur fishers have been but seldom in evidence here
this summer ; even the lobsters have enjoyed a season of com-
parative rest. Possibly the uncertain state of the weather
prevented their usual visits. Towards the close of the month
a trio of amateurs cast anchor — or rather what does duty
as such — within hail of our kitchen window, a favourite spot
of theirs. Lines were no sooner down than a brisk business
began in cod, varied by an occasional poddley which has
little or no market value, but which to us here is always
acceptable, and forms the principal part of our catches.
Several good catches of these have been taken here during
the month. What appears to be whitings two inches in
length is seen to be their food at present. The terns also
are seen to be on similar diet, and though engaged in con-
veying a mouthful to their young ones, it in no way impedes
their full flow of language, nor muffles in the slightest degree
their strident throat notes.

During the unusually low tides occurring this month an
opportunity was afforded of examining a most peculiar form
of animal life of which I have nowhere seen any account.
Attached to the rocks amongst groups of corallines this
curious object* has all the semblance of a bird's claw. Imagine
the leg of a bird amputated at the knee, firmly fastened to
the rock by the cut end, and imbued with life, and you have
a fair idea of this animal. About half an inch in length, the
"leg" is seen to be composed of segments, and terminates in
three toes, furnished with sharp, curved claws, which keep
up a constant clutching — at what is not apparent ; but the
action strongly reminds one of a similar effect produced by
juveniles who have become the proud possessor of a hen's
foot, and for a piece of slate pencil — the usual juvenile cur-
rency— demonstrate to admiring companions the utility of
the extensor muscles.

Last month we had the unique experience of being
serenaded by the Dundee trippers with a cornet solo, but
the last Saturday of this month fairly eclipsed this per-
* Whale-louse.

86 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

formance. As we were about to sit down to tea we were
somewhat startled to hear the regular beat of a drum and
the unmistakeable music of the bagpipes. A hasty survey
from the kitchen window sent us flying to the balcony, there
to witness the novel sight of a ship, manned by boys — a
training brig evidently, bound for Dundee. Bearing down
upon us from the eastward, she approached close to the Tower,
the tide being about full. Flag courtesies being exchanged,
crowds of juvenile faces were seen lining the rail, while mid-
ships pipers discoursed some lively music, including the " Cock
o' the North." The wind being light, the vessel made but
little way, and as she slowly crossed the reef the youngsters
lustily cheered us, which we returned as best we could.
Breaking into song, the whole ship's company favoured us
with " Poor Cock Robin," the youthful voices having a most
pleasing effect in the stillness of a really beautiful summer's
evening. Applauding our loudest, cheers were again ex-
changed as she slowly drifted beyond our hearing, the whole
scene strongly reminiscent of "H.M.S. Pinafore."

SEPTEMBER— OCTOBER 1903.

THE man that pours the water out has certainly been pay-
ing attention to his business, and in conjunction with the
puffy bellower of storms favoured us with weather anything
but peaceful. Unlike the farmers, we have little cause of
complaint. No sodden fields or ruined crops appal the eye,
for even after a " regular snorter " things here remain pretty
much as they were. True, the aspect changes as the season
advances. The whitewashed appearance of the rock surface
in summer, due to the presence of the acorn barnacle, has
now vanished — thanks to the voracity of the white whelk —
and the rocks appear in their natural colour, a reddish-
brown. The " sere and yellow " is well represented in the
once luxuriant crops of heavy tangles, but lately swaying on
the surface with a freshness and beauty peculiarly their own,
now storm-tossed, frayed and abraded, denuded of their palm-
like fronds, they appear but a vestige of their former selves.
The turbulent state of the weather interferes seriously with
our fishing, keeping the poddlies at a respectful distance
from our door ; indeed, any approach in our direction at
present would certainly denote suicidal mania on their part.
At a safe distance outside the breakers, they are to be seen
playing on the surface in the early morning and evening, so
that our expectations are still high should the weather but abate.
The eider ducks, which on the 20th September were
represented by a solitary individual — the first arrival — now
number over a hundred. The longtails are still awanting to
complete our list, but their advent may be looked for early
next month. On suitable nights for the past two months
we have always had some feathered visitors "becking and
booing" to us through the lantern. On 4th October an
extremely rare visitor — here at least — made its appearance,
namely, the ring-ousel, the first I have seen. In size, shape,

88 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

and general colouring, this migrant might easily be mistaken
for a hen blackbird, but for the conspicuous white crescent
across the throat, in this instance somewhat faint, but well
denned, owing possibly to the bird being in immature plumage.
On the morning of the 24th October over two dozen tiny
gold-crest wrens were circling round our lantern, jostling and
tumbling over each other in frantic efforts to keep in line
with the white flash, the red flash evidently having no attrac-
tion for them. A skylark and robin were also of the com-
pany, as well as several redwings. The robin always seems
to have a truer sense of his position than any other of our
visitors. While the others clamour futilely against the glass
he maintains an aloofness and self-possession truly remark-
able. His eyes seem to be everywhere, and only with difficulty
and the exercise of a little strategy is his capture effected.
Of course, our captures are but temporary, and merely for
the sake of a few minutes' examination.

We had rather a disappointing experience with the
Channel Fleet while cruising in these waters last month
(September). Passing north in the dark, we were quite
unaware of their presence, the Sutlej alone being seen later
steaming north at 6 p.m. on the 21st, nearer to Arbroath
than to us. On returning south a string of brilliant lights
passing three miles outside of us at two o'clock in the morn-
ing was all we saw of the procession.

On 29th October a flock of thirteen field-fares passed at
9 a.m., flying towards Arbroath. This is the first arrival
here of these birds, and earlier than usual.

On examining a lark which had been killed on the lantern
the other night, a small land shell was found adhering to the
feathers on the under part of the body. Arguing from this
instance, the assumption that they also are imbued with the
migratory instinct and adopt this mode of travelling would
probably be considered far-fetched. That there is much un-
dreamt of in our philosophy is as pregnant as when uttered,
and possibly the connection between mollusc and bird was
due to circumstances other than purely accidental.

NOVEMBER 1903.

SUNDAY, 1st. — A flat calm. A pleasant change, indeed, after
our recent experience, and one which has fortunately continued
for the greater part of the month. Fish, which had main-
tained a safe distance during the turmoil of last month,
now ventured within catching distance, and several good takes
were had. After the middle of the month heavy seas again
drove them out of reach into deep water. Those that were
caught were seen to be gorged with soil half an inch in length,
resembling a piece of white thread with a black dot on either
side at one end representing the eyes. Amongst the first that
were taken the small jellyfish — cydippe pileus — seemed to
have been their principal diet, but latterly the soil appeared
to be preferred to the medusae. Outside the breakers they
are still occasionally seen playing on the surface in the even-
ings. "Playing" is scarcely correct, as their play is, in
reality, strict attention to business, and their appearance on
the surface merely denotes their having overleaped themselves
in pursuit of their legitimate prey. Our flock of eider ducks,
much larger than it has been for several years back, now
numbers 120. Amongst the smothering breakers they seem
to be in their glory, and are busily engaged in clearing off" the
immature mussels that have escaped the voracity of the white
whelks. On the 2nd, the first two longtails were seen, exactly
a week earlier than last year, but their numbers are being but
tardily reinforced, as they only totalled six at the end of the
month. Though the main body of the solan geese or gannets*
left their breeding haunts on the Bass Rock on the 5th of the
month for the fishing grounds — in the Mediterranean it is
said — occasional stragglers are still seen in our vicinity.

On the night of the 8th we had a few migrants on the

90 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

lantern, ten blackbirds — three only of which were males — and
three fieldfares. Several of them appeared much fatigued, and
after a few preliminary hops round the lantern, settled down
on the lee side to have a nap. A fresh breeze blowing at the
time, those still on the move were frequently hustled by
the wind against the sleepers, who, thus rudely awakened,
vigorously resented what they no doubt considered a deliberate
attempt to assault, with the result that all hands were at
times engaged in a battle royal; the hen "blackies" only
engaging with those of their own sex, while the cocks and
fieldfares tackled all comers indiscriminately. It was rather
amusing to witness the finish between a pair thus engaged.
Edging round the narrow pathway in their struggle, they
gradually came under the influence of the wind sweeping
round the lantern, when suddenly one of them would be
wheeled off its feet away into the darkness, its opponent peer-
ing after it in evident astonishment, and probably con-
gratulating itself on its prowess. The haze, responsible for
their appearance here, clearing after midnight, before 3 a.m.
they had all resumed their journey shoreward. On the 20th,
a pair of grey crows passed, going east, and on the 22nd a
heron was seen travelling in the same direction. Again, on
the night of the 27th, three hen blackbirds and a starling had
the lantern all to themselves.

The white whelks have now gone into winter quarters,
and only a few are to be seen lingering among patches of
immature mussels. The black edible whelk, or periwinkle,
whose vegetarian habits demand a more inshore life, is here
conspicuous by its absence. Occasionally, during the summer
months, a very close search reveals a few solitary specimens.
Two different varieties of slugs have been much in evidence
among the rocks here of late. One of them (Doris coccinea),
resembling in shape and colour a section of an orange, I have
already described ; the other somewhat resembles the common
snail. Furnished with anterior horns and fleshy spines,
ranged along the back, it curls itself up when out of water
like a hedgehog. Earlier in the season they were mostly of a

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 91

beautiful bluish colour, now they appear quite red. Without
any visible means of defence, one can fancy these shell-less
molluscs furnishing a delectable tit-bit for a hungry cod.

Turning over some loose stones in the shallow pools
numbers of young paidle-fish are seen adhering to the under
sides by means of their breast suckers, and when taken in the
hand readily adhere to the fingers. I lately saw an illustra-
tion in which the paidle "hen" was depicted as leading a
brood of about two dozen juveniles after the manner of the
domestic fowl. This is stretching the simile with a vengeance,
and not in accordance with facts. The "hen," on depositing
the ova, takes no further interest in it, and the " cock " alone
guards the nest till the young are hatched out, when he also
disappears, neither of them being seen till the following
season. Considering that each nest probably contains millions
of embryos, one can imagine the maternal anxiety in " airing "
such a brood.

Cooped indoors so long, one is glad to take advantage of
the quiet weather and the absence of the tide to enjoy a spin
along the gratings, even though at night and in darkness.
At first the darkness seems to preclude all possibility of hold-
ing a straight course along the narrow path, but as the eyes
get accustomed to it the twenty steps and a round turn can
be accomplished with wonderful precision. Should the round
turn be omitted, however, you will probably be reminded of
it by coming a cropper on the Bell Rock, which, though
historical, is not at all sympathetic. A similar omission at
the other end meets with more sympathy, if such sentiment
can be said to enter Neptune's embrace. The flash from the
lantern overhead sheds no light below, though some fugitive
rays escaping between the flashes illuminate the outlying
perches or boat-guides. Any attention to these wandering
rays occasions a halting tendency in one's steps and a dis-
position to lurch laterally, demanding our undivided attention.
The night is clear and dark and the various lights along the
coast, which on moonlight nights are partially eclipsed, now
show to the best advantage. Fifteen miles to the sou'-west

92 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

the powerful electric light of the Isle of May flings its
quadruple flash with startling brilliancy, a faint bar of light
travelling athwart the base of our tower with each flash
similar to what would be produced by a lighted carriage
passing at a few yards distance. This light is said to be of
three million candle-power and is of the arc type, using carbons
one and a-half inch in diameter. To a stranger entering the
light-room while the light is in action a somewhat disagree-
able sound is heard. This is occasioned by the tremendous
current bridging the arc between the carbons, and for all the
world resembles the sound made by a circular saw passing
through exceedingly knotty timber. The Bass Bock emerges
from the right shoulder of the " May," and prevents us seeing
the light lately erected on its south side. A little to the right
of the " May," the eye encounters the fixed white light of the
North Carr Lightship, three miles off Fife Ness, and distant
from us nine miles. This light consists of six small argand
lamps, set in silvered reflectors and enclosed in a lantern en-
circling the mast half-way up. Colza oil was the illuminant
used until recently in the North Carr Lightship, as it was
formerly in all the Northern lighthouses, where it had ousted
the more expensive sperm, but which in turn has been super-
seded by paraffin. The lamps are hung on gimbals to obviate
as much as possible the pitching and rolling of the vessel.
With due allowance for the exaggeration that a penny piece
placed on the deck shows "heads" or "tails" at the vessel's
own sweet will, one can understand that the motion in bad
weather must be considerable. Table guards, though retain-
ing the dishes on the table, do not in the slightest restrain
the liberty of their contents, which find lodgment as they list.
On such occasions the men resort to the expedient of squatting
on the deck of their quarters with their backs against the
bulkhead and their outstretched feet firmly opposed to those
of their opposite neighbour, and only thus, plate in hand, are
they enabled to discuss their soup with any degree of certainty.
Further to the right, in line with the town of Crail — land-
locked from us — a dull red glare in the sky marks the position

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 93

of Edinburgh, distant forty miles as the crow flies. Follow-
ing the loom of the Fife coast, the twinkling lights of St
Andrews next meet the eye, while further up the Firth the
two fixed lights of Tayport greet their doubles of Buddonness
on the opposite side. Midway between the lights of Tayport
and Buddon a single flash every half minute marks the
position of the Abertay Lightship. Unlike the other lights
here mentioned, the three last named are under the control
of the Dundee Corporation. Journeying northwards till
almost at right angles to our starting point, the next visible
are the lights of Arbroath, twelve miles distant. Viewed
through the telescope how dreary and desolate they appear,
without the usual accompanying signs of life, a feeble cluster
in the vicinity of the harbour dwindling away to the Victoria
Park in a solitary line. Further north the occulting light
of Montrose Ness catches the eye with its thirty seconds of
light followed by thirty seconds' darkness. Northwards still,
twenty-five miles from us, the light of Tod Head, near Bervie,
limits our view in that direction. Only in exceptionally clear
weather is it visible from here, and then only from the eleva-
tion of our balcony. The characteristics of this light are six
white flashes in quick succession during fifteen seconds, fol-
lowed by fifteen seconds' darkness. Returning to our start-
ing point, the Isle of May, and journeying till thirty miles
due south from here, our view is again limited by St Abb's
Head, showing a white flash every ten seconds. About mid-
way between the latter light and the " May " the light of
Barns Ness, near Dunbar, is, like St Abb's and Tod Head,
only occasionally seen, its characteristic being a triple white
flash every thirty seconds. The presence of these lights makes
our coasts as safely navigable by night as by day, and the
demand is still for more — a fact which drew from a facetious
old "salt" the remark that "sailors nowadays want a hand-
rail along the coast."

DECEMBER 1903.

A MONTH of dull, dark, unsettled weather, with scarcely
any sunshine to speak of, and admitting of but little helio-
graphic communication with the " shore," a condition of things,
by the way, preventing the "shore station" proclaiming to
anxious eyes the interesting advent of another addition to the
census. Quite a depressing effect is experienced at such pro-
longed absence of the land, and the reappearance of the
Grampians, though swathed in winter vestments, would be a
welcome sight. Our fish supply ceased early in the month,
and its renewal need not be expected before the month of
May. Gulls are numerous at present, and evidently on short
rations considering their vigilant attention to the kitchen
slops. Our only feathered visitor for the month was a belated
bullfinch, who reached us only to die. The eiders and long-
tails continue in evidence, and have now the company of four
cormorants.

Star-fish are always plentiful here, though of course more
numerous in summer. All are of the five-rayed variety, in-
cluding the " brittle " star-fish, which, unlike its fellows, dis-
cards its rays on the slightest irritation, and possesses a body
no larger than a shirt button, in ludicrous contrast with the
squirming rays two inches in length. In startling contrast
with the latter was a specimen found in a shallow pool early
in the month, and which was quite new to us here. Six
inches in diameter, the stranger appeared all body, with very
short rays, of which there were twelve. Unlike the usual
five-pointed star shape, it might be better described as a
deeply serrated disc, the upper surface being richly coloured
with concentric rings of crimson. Another object of note at
present is seen scattered about the rocks, resembling small
coils of ribbon, apparently the egg-cases of some fish. These

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 95

are white in colour, and somewhat resemble the outline of the
human ear. The enveloping membrane, of rubber-like con-
sistency, is quite transparent, and is seen to contain a frothy
fluid. The inner edge of each coil is furnished with an
adhesive margin, by means of which it is firmly fixed to the
rock surface.

It is interesting to note the different modes adopted by
fioh to ensure the propagation of their species. Some, ap-
parently careless of results, consign the spawn to the mercy
of the waves, while others conceal it from predatory neighbours
in the soft, sandy bottom. The skate family, adopting a
different procedure with their egg cases — those purse-like
receptacles often seen cast up on our beaches — moor them
securely to the vegetation on the sea bottom by the long
elastic tendrils — prolongations of the four corners of the case.
Parental interest is, perhaps, better evinced in the case of the
"paidle-fish" standing guard over his nest with unwearied
vigilance, exhibiting all the care of a brooding hen for his
future offspring, Again, in the case of the dog-fish — the
plague of fishermen — how different. Here the young are
brought forth, after the fashion of mammals, fully developed.
A common sight in fishing boats where these pests are brought
on board, is to see the finger-long juveniles swimming briskly
about in the bilge- water with the yolk-sac still attached. In
some parts it is customary to split and dry these fish for
winter consumption, though the flavour of roasted " dogs "
would scarcely recommend itself to anyone unaccustomed to
its use, nor its relationship to fish even be suspected. The
liver at one time supplied the natives of the Hebrides with
lamp oil, and was also considered a panacea for all bovine
ailments, the method of administering the dose being to
keep the head of the cow elevated while the mouth was forced
open, and the entire liver, as removed from the fish, slipped
gently down the throat ; no " sugar-coated pills " about that !

Spring tides occurring at the "full" and "change" of the
moon, and our gratings consequently being then uncovered
for a much longer period each tide, the "reliefs" are so

96 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

arranged as to fall on or about these dates. Consequently,
during the winter months, when the reliefs are made after
dark, there is always the chance of every alternate relief being
favoured with full moonlight. On the night of the 18th our
final relief for the year was effected in comparatively quiet
weather. At relief times, providing the weather is quiet, the
landing gratings begin to uncover when the ebb has run four
hours. Whenever a footing is possible the keepers descend
with the signal-lamps, and by their colour — red, green, or
white — indicate to the relieving steamer the landing they
consider it safest to attempt. Two boats are immediately
dispatched from the steamer in charge of the first and second
officers, and, guided by the steamer's searchlight, cautiously
approach the landing signalled. Given quiet weather, the
narrow passages leading to the different landings are easily
negotiated, though to a stranger, even in quiet weather, the
attempt would be extremely hazardous. Should there be any
surf on the Rock, the boats take up a position as near the
entrance as is prudent with safety, and there wait the oppor-
tunity of a lull. This generally occurring at the termination
of three bigger waves than usual, the officer gives the word,
and the first boat shoots forward into the boiling track. Talk
about "shooting the rapids," why, it isn't a circumstance to it.
Swinging through " Johnny Gray " track on a dirty night in
mid-winter is quite " rapid " enough to satisfy the most morbid
desire for excitement. At times disaster lies beneath the very
oars, but the necessary impetus has already been given to the
boat, and she clears it with a rush, to be met the next moment
with a drenching sea on the port bow, which threatens to slew
her upon the opposite ledge, despite the strenuous resistance of
the starboard oars, the tips of which grate on the shelving ledge
as they urge her through the narrow channel into safety, the
entire effort affording a splendid demonstration of the necessity
for doing the right thing at the right moment. The seamen
understand exactly what is expected of them, and respond with
alacrity to the officers' orders. Despite the danger attending
such work, that no serious accident has ever been recorded

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 97

reflects much credit on all concerned, from the captain, who,
as a boy, began his career on board the vessel which he now
commands, downwards. Particularly is the second officer —
a veteran of forty years' experience in this work — to be
congratulated on the possession of a " clean sheet " after
such protracted service in what is frequently an extremely
hazardous calling.

JANUARY 1904.

THE weather continues dull and dark, but comparatively
quiet — a matter of much importance to us at relief times.
We have no aversion to a rousing gale between reliefs ; then
one can afford to appreciate the grandeur of the warring
elements ; but as the appointed time draws near, and no sign
of abatement is evident, all hands become a trifle uneasy,
especially the man whose turn it is for shore duty. It is
rather tantalising to see the relief steamer cruising doubtfully
round the Rock, then finally take her departure, unable to
effect a landing, all on account of " that nasty swell," which
possibly a week ago we were eulogising as " sublime ! " It is
a matter of remark here how quickly the boisterous nor'-east
seas are subdued by the westerly wind. At times the morn-
ing presents a scene anything but peaceful, the whole reef
enveloped by shouting, tumbling seas, which bang our domi-
cile till the crockery rattles, and blind by their spray our
kitchen windows, seventy feet from the Rock — yet, let the
wind but freshen from the westward and the conflict im-
mediately becomes visible. The seas, now driving in the
teeth of the wind, have their curling crests whipped cleanly
off and carried leeward like clouds of steam. Perceptibly
their force diminishes as they "lift and 'scend" in the
struggle for supremacy, till by evening tide a comparatively
easy relief may be effected. Home news and the doings of
the outer world are then at our disposal, as well as a welcome
consignment of fresh provisions. Considering his almost
seven weeks' confinement on the Rock, the shore-going keeper
may be pardoned a feeling of relief and elation as he steps on
board the relieving steamer — a feeling, by the way, not at all
to be confounded with that of the return journey. As an

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 99

instance how dissimilar the same object may appear from
different view-points, our lonely habitation never seems to
assume such a pleasing aspect as when seen vanishing astern.
Verily, it is we who appreciate the truth of the Irishman's
illogical remark that " the best thing about going away from
home is getting back again."

A round of the different fishing pools ,was made this
month at low water, resulting in the capture of a most
unhealthy-looking specimen of a poddley in the "Hospital"
(Neill's Pool). Long, lank, and leau, a post-mortem revealed
the liver attenuated to a mere thread. It is most remarkable
why these sickly fish should favour this pool alone. About
twenty feet in diameter and twelve feet deep, with the
bottom thickly strewn with rounded boulders, there is always
a shallow wash into it at the lowest state of the tide. Possibly
its greater depth offers a safer refuge for these convalescents
than the other pools. Whatever the reason, the fact remains
that in this pool alone these specimens are found; not only
poddlies, but lythe and cod as well. With the flying fish of
the tropics we are more or less familiar, and of tree-climbing
fish and overland travellers we have the testimony of travellers
that such perverse specimens do exist. The ceratodus of
Queensland, for instance, which, with its peculiar respiratory
arrangement and ambulatory fins is enabled to transport itself
over swampy ground in migrating from pool to pool, a feat
suggestive of the Yankee's shallow-draught steamer, to which
an ordinary meadow was easily navigable, providing there
had been a heavy dewfall. The cause of these reflections was
the discovery of a small fish, some four inches in length, on
the cleaning path encircling our lantern, over a hundred feet
from its usual habitat. Of the "cobbler" variety, the ex-
panded pectoral fins might, with a little imagination, be
imbued with the powers of flight, but more than likely our
visitor owed its exalted position to some predatory gull,
which, unable to bolt its victim or escape from covetous neigh-
bours, had dropped it where found.

A solitary lapwing was our only feathered visitor for the

100 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

month. Apropos of these days of " retaliation," there is an
old Scottish Act of Parliament of the time of Edward the
First relating to this bird, in which all its eggs are ordered to-
be broken when found, "in order that Peesweeps may not go
south, and become a. delicious repast to our unnatural enemies
the English ! "

A quiet night on the 3 1 st seemed to augur favourably for
our relief, which was due the following evening ; by that time,
however, the prospect was completely changed by a strong
sou'-east wind, and consequently heavy sea, which rendered
landing extremely doubtful. The following morning the
Pharos made her appearance, and attempted a landing at
daybreak. The two boats despatched from the steamer for
this purpose, on approaching the Rock, found the passage
unsafe to attempt, and returned to the steamer. Weighing
anchor, the Pharos proceeded to the relief of the North Carr
Lightship, where, owing to the tempestuous state of the
weather, she broke the hawser by which she moors to the
lightship three times during the operation. Landing the
relief men from the lightship and Bass Rock — which had
been relieved the previous day — at North Berwick, and
sheltering overnight at the Isle of May, she returned to us on
Wednesday morning and succeeded in effecting the relief.

FEBRUARY

CORMORANTS have been more in eHdef'caheretiy^ilQntlS th'an
usual. At present a flock of thirteen is to be seen diving in
the deep water surrounding the reef. Scorning the crusta-
ceans, molluscs, and other ground game of the eiders and long-
tails, these birds subsist entirely upon fish, in pursuit of which
they are extremely dexterous. The long sharp-pointed bill is
excellently adapted for securing their prey, the extremity of
the upper mandible curving over the lower in a sharp hook,
the efficiency of which I once saw forcibly demonstrated.
One of these birds, while flying high overhead, was winged by
a gunshot, and on striking the ground disgorged a recently
swallowed poddley, some ten inches long. A boy of the
party, having the temerity to thrust his foot towards the
bird, had the upper leather of his boot pierced and the foot
slightly wounded by the sharp hook -like process of the upper
mandible. During an exceedingly rigorous winter in Orkney
— in '94, if I remember aright — hundreds of these birds
perished from hunger. In a roofless hut, a few yards from
high-water mark, I counted fourteen dying and dead. Rats
were busy devouring the dead, while the living stumbled
weakly over the half -eaten bodies of their comrades. In the
most unlikely places they were to be met with, coming right
up to our doors as if begging for shelter. One of them
surprised me by waddling into the workshop, passing over my
boots as if unconscious of my presence, and settling under-
neath the bench to die. Any food we could offer them was
always rejected. One evening uiy attention was drawn to
our poultry, which, instead of being on their roost, stood
huddled about the entrance. Thinking the entrance had
been accidentally blocked from within, I entered by the door-

102 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

way to investigate. Judge my astonishment at finding
"Mister Phalacrocorax Carlo" — such is the cormorant's
scientific title — standing Horatius-like holding the diminutive
passage against all comers. Wisps of feathers, with shreds
of skin .adhering to them, lay strewn in front of him, while
his effective " fi,9b£ •' gleamed gory from the carnage. Need-
less to $tate, hisr ejectment was summarily effected. When in
pursuit : .of pr£y * thsiOmefchod of diving is conspicuously
different from other birds of the diving fraternity, and they
may be identified at a long distance by this peculiarity alone.
Bracing themselves together, they spring forward as if sur-
mounting some imaginary obstacle on the surface, the entire
body assuming the form of an arc, reminding one of a fractious
pony in the act of "bucking." The ducks, on the other hand,
with wings half open, merely topple over and under, turning
on their own axis, so to speak. Having secured a fish, it
is brought to the surface, where, after some preliminary
adjustments to facilitate transit, it disappears head first, the
long neck denoting its course by " swelling wisibly." This is
the bird which the Chinese train to fish for them. A ring
is placed on the bird's neck, which prevents it appropriating
its earnings for its own use. Whenever a swollen neck
appears the owner is hauled on board the " sampan," and the
" swelling " reduced by a rough and ready form of massage.
Occasionally the constricting ring is removed, and the bird
permitted to enjoy its catch as a stimulant to further
exertions. History records the use of this bird for similar
purposes in our own country in the olden times, a leather
strap being used instead of the ring. Last year, fishermen in
the south of England petitioned for power to destroy these
birds at all seasons on the plea of the destruction caused
by them amongst fish in the estuaries. The cormorant
measures three feet in length, and belongs to the pelican
family, of which we have but two other British representatives
— the shag, a smaller edition of the cormorant by eight inches,
and the gannet or solan goose.

On several occasions during the month a seal was observed

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 103

sporting amongst the breakers. The other evening he was
seen within a few yards of the tower, busy devouring a huge
cod. Mastication was entirely dispensed with ; tilting his
snout in the air, each ragged mouthful disappeared at a single
gulp. The fish was allowed to sink after every mouthful ; and
two or three minutes would be spent under water before
bringing it to the surface for another attack. In a remarkably
short time the head and backbone alone were left.

Our feathered visitors for the month were represented by
a couple of skylarks, three song thrushes, a pair of carrion
crows, and a solitary starling. Eiders and longtails still
continue in attendance, and gannets are now plentiful. The
latter arrived at their breeding haunt on the Bass Rock from
their southern sojourn on the 9th of last month.

The month has been wet, cold, and stormy, exceptionally
heavy seas prevailing in the earlier half. The closing day of
the month was beautifully clear and sunny, but cold and
frosty, our heliograph intimating on that date a similar state
of weather on shore.

MARCH 1904.

OF the mighty steeds of illustrious riders, from the Bucephalus
of Alexander down to the famous chargers of our present-day
Generals, much has been written and even sung. Favourites
of fortune, their lives were mostly cast in pleasant places;
and after a brilliant career, more or less useful, permitted to
end their days in secluded luxury — a privilege, by the way,
not always extended to their riders. The subject of these
remarks is in no way connected with the glorious achievement
of arms, nor is it recorded that he ever scented the battle even
from afar; yet, though compelled to wear, so to speak, the
hodden grey of equine society, his claim to distinction may
none the less be justified.

In July 1810, a somewhat queer procession might have
been seen wending its way through Edinburgh towards the
Port of Leith. Upon a cart, drawn by a powerful horse,
decorated with bows and streamers of various colours, and
driven by James Craw, the famous Bell Rock carter, similarly
bedecked, lay the last principal stone of the Bell Rock Light-
house. From the centre of the stone rose a flagstaff, carrying
the national flag, while seamen and stonecutters — a strange
combination — gaily bedecked with variegated ribbons — the
latter donning brand new aprons for the occasion — marched
in joyful procession. When abreast of the Trinity House of
Leith, they were joined by the Officer of that Corporation,
resplendent in full uniform, and bearing his staff of office ;
and on arriving at the harbour, where the Smeaton — engaged
in transporting material to the Bell Rock — lay, the entire
shipping hoisted their colours in salute, thus indicating the
amount of public interest evinced in the progress of the
Lighthouse.

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK. 105

An item of interest, at this time, was a visit by Mrs
Dickson, a daughter of Smeaton of Eddystone fame — whose
principles were largely taken advantage of in the construction
of the Bell Rock Lighthouse — to inspect the vessel, named in
honour of her distinguished father. " In stepping on board,"
writes Mr Stevenson in his 'Bell Rock Lighthouse,' "Mrs
Dickson seemed quite overcome by so many concurrent circum-
stances tending in a peculiar manner to revive and enliven
the memory of her departed father; and, on leaving the
vessel, she would not be restrained from presenting the crew
with a piece of money."

Though the site of the workyard in connection with the
building was situated in Arbroath, from its contiguity to the
Rock, it was found necessary, owing to the liability of the
stones procured from Mylnefield Quarry, near Dundee, to
injury from frost — from which cause many valuable stones
had already been lost — to procure stones for the cornice of
the building and parapet wall of the lightroom which would
admit of being wrought with safety during the winter months.
The desired qualities of durability and immunity from injury
by frost were ultimately found in the famous Liver-rock of
the Craigleith Quarry. At Greenside, Edinburgh, a vacant
piece of ground was procured ; and here the cornice and
parapet wall were hewn and built in position for the fitting
of the huge cast-iron lantern.

The horse in question had, with his driver, been employed
in the workyard at Arbroath, and was computed to have
drawn the materials of the lighthouse, "extending to upwards
of two thousand tons in its finished state, three or four times
— in removing the blocks of stone from the ship to the work-
yard, again to the platform upon which each course was
temporarily built, from the workyard to where they were
shipped for the Rock, besides occasional movements to and
from the hands of the stonecutters. Deciding that " Bassey "
and his driver should have the honour of participating in the
closing scene of the undertaking, they were accordingly trans-
ported by sea to Leith.

106 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

In the course of their passage in the Smeaton, the vessel
narrowly escaped shipwreck. Under orders to call at the
Rock for lumber, they had apparently lost their bearings
through fog; for, suddenly startled by the sound of the
smith's hammer and anvil, they had just time to put the
ship about and escape running full tilt on the north-west
portion of the Rock, which, from this incident, still bears
the name of "James Craw's Horse."

On the completion of operations at the Rock, the horse
" Bassey," failing somewhat from age, was pensioned off by
the Commissioners, and allowed to roam at liberty on the
island of Inchkeith till his death in 1813. "The fame of
this animal's labours," writes Mr Stevenson, "together with
his strength and excellent proportions as a draught-horse,
having attracted the attention of Dr John Barclay, that
eminent anatomist procured the bones and set them up in
his museum. This valuable collection, it is understood, is
to be bequeathed to the College of Surgeons of Edinburgh;
so that the bones of the Bell Rock horse " (to use the doctor's
own language) " will be seen and admired as a useful skeleton
and a source of instruction when those of his employers lie
mingled with the dust."

With the exception of a few days, the weather this month
has been extremely favourable ; indeed, for the greater part,
summer-like — a pleasant change from what we have experi-
enced of late. The peculiar white rubber-like folds of ribbon
which have been adhering to the Rock surface for the past two
months, and which we erroneously supposed to be the ova of
some fish, turn out to be the spawn of the slugs I have already
described, and with which the Rock has been freely invested
of late — proof of which several have been seen in the act of
extrusion. These shell -less molluscs have been much in
evidence this season; and representatives of three distinct
families are to be met with, namely, the Onchidoridae, Tri-
toniidse, and Eolididae. Cannibals, they attack their own
species without compunction, and devour each other's spawn.

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. 107

Darwin computed that some " ribbons " contained as many as
six hundred thousand eggs. The acorn barnacles which have
escaped the voracity of the white whelks have in some places
attained a height of two inches. On examination, each shelly
casement is seen charged with spawn, which, later on, will be
liberated as free swimmers, totally unlike the parent form, to
enjoy a brief period of unrestricted freedom before settling
down on the Rock surface, or, for that matter, any immersed
object that comes handy, and ultimately assuming the adult
form. The young swimmer, feeling itself gradually becoming
invested with a shelly covering, casts about for a suitable site
to pass the remainder of its existence. Selecting the Rock
surface, it attaches itself by its head, the antennae become
cemented to the surface, the eyes remain in a rudimentary
form, the shelly plates which latterly form the door of its
domicile appear, a few more pairs of legs are developed, and
by a series of frequent moultings (like other crustaceans)
arrives at the perfect state. The bunches of " fingers " which
we see this animal protrude and withdraw when under water
are in reality its feet, of which there are twelve pairs, the
rhythmic expansion and contraction of which induce a current
in the water attracting to its mouth the minute objects upon
which it feeds, thus giving rise to the saying that this animal
stands on its head and literally kicks its food into its mouth.
In all other Crustacea the sexes are distinct, the barnacles
alone having the peculiarity of being bi-sexual, or having
both sexes united in the same individual. The general
tendency throughout nature — the evolution from a lower to
a higher order, from the simple to the complex — appears in
the case of the barnacle to be reversed. Gifted in the initial
stage of its existence with all the functions of a free-swimming
animal, and possessing organs which ultimately become rudi-
mentary, the final phase in which all power of volition is lost,
certainly does not appear one of progression.

Hermit crabs are at present abundant, and also demon-
strate their wonderful fecundity. Starfishes — principally the
five-rayed variety — are now numerous, and garnish each

108 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

shallow pool. Sea-urchins, though never plentiful here, are
occasionally met with, some having been found recently no
larger than a pea. On the 20th the advent of the paidle-fish
was announced by a small patch of ova underneath a project-
ing ledge of rock, and, on the same date, by a reconnoitring
"cock." The young of last summer are met with adhering
to stones in the shallow pools ; and, contrary to our expecta-
tions, though only two inches long, were found to contain
spawn. The spring migratory movement has sent but few
birds our way this year. A few thrushes, blackbirds, larks,
starlings, and a couple of pied wagtails composed our list.
By the middle of the month, the longtailed ducks had gone
north to nest, and but four pairs of eiders now remain.

APRIL 1904.

A PERUSAL of Stevenson's "Bell Rock Lighthouse" reveals
many interesting episodes of that period in connection with
the undertaking. The following facts are from this source,
and may be of sufficient general interest to warrant repeating.
The facts mentioned have reference to another providential
escape from serious disaster recorded during the earlier stages
of the operations. The workmen at this period had their
quarters on board the lightship, anchored a mile from the
Rock, as the beacon-house, on which they were latterly
housed on the Rock, had not yet been erected. As was
customary, whenever the tide admitted of a footing on the
Rock, all hands were landed, and the boats retained in one of
the creeks till the rising tide suspended operations. On this
particular occasion, besides the usual two boats from the
lightship, they were reinforced by an additional boat from the
Smeaton, which had arrived from Arbroath with a fresh
consignment of workmen. The wind freshening in the course
of the work, the seamen of the Smeaton, fearing for their
vessel's moorings, left the Rock in their own boat with the
intention of taking some extra precautions, and returning.
Scarcely had they boarded her, however, when, to Mr Steven-
son's consternation, she was seen to break adrift and drive
helplessly away before the wind. The danger of the situation
at once flashed through his mind. Thirty-two men — three
boat-loads — on a rock which would shortly be fathoms under
water, with only two boats at their disposal ! What was to
be done? The workmen, engrossed in their labours, had
failed to notice the departure of the boat, and were as yet
ignorant of their dangerous position. The Smeaton, now far
to leeward, was seen to have made sail, and making every

110 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BELL ROCK.

effort to beat up to the Rock, but with the wind still freshen-
ing and the flood tide dead against her, it was utterly hopeless
to expect any assistance in that direction. Save the deserted
lightship no other sail was in sight. Taking the landing-
master cautiously aside, to avoid alarming the men, he
explained their dangerous situation. After consultation, it
was decided that everything of weight should be abandoned,
the men to strip their upper clothing, the two boats to be
manned to their utmost capacity, and the remainder of the
men to support themselves in the water by clinging to the
gunwales. By this means they hoped to drift down on the
Smeaton, a perilous journey under such circumstances, even in
quiet weather, but in the now disturbed state of the sea, a
forlorn hope. The workings being now awash with the
flowing tide — the usual signal for ceasing work — the workmen
were in the act of retiring to the boats to don their shoes and
stockings when they noticed* the absence of the boat, and
realised their danger. On attempting to address them with
his proposal, Mr Stevenson found his mouth so parched that
he was totally unable to articulate a single word. Stooping
to moisten his lips with sea water, he was suddenly startled
by the gladsome shout of "A boat! A boat! "and looking
around, there, sure enough, a large boat was seen through the
haze making straight for the Rock. This opportune arrival
proved to be James Spink, the Bell Rock pilot, employed in
carrying letters between Arbroath and the Rock. For his
services on this occasion it is gratifying to learn that in after
years Spink was in receipt of a pension from the Board, and
permitted to wear the uniform and badge of the Lighthouse
Service.

Paidle-fish are now fairly numerous, their nests, with
attendant cocks, being met with 011 every hand. While
observing one of these nests the other day, at low water,
I had an interesting experience of the necessity for the
surveillance exercised by the cock. Stretched along the
rock, my face close to the surface of the pool, I had an
excellent view of the nest and its guardian, two feet below.

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK. Ill

Speculating as to the reason for so close attendance on the
o^a — his nose being thrust into an orifice in the mass, his
mouth opening and shutting energetically, evidently forcing
a stream of water through the opening — I carelessly dropped
a few whelks on his back. This mild form of bombardment
did not in the slightest disconcert him ; for, though they
struck and rolled off on either side, he appeared to take
no notice of them. Suddenly, a white whelk (not one of
those I had dropped) made its appearance on the outer
margin of the ova, and settled down with the apparent
intention of dining. This impertinence, however, was not
to be tolerated ; for, with a swirling rush that plainly
betokened anger, the red-coated sentry seized the offender
in his teeth — and here follows the surprising part of it.
Instead of dropping the whelk to the bottom there and then,
as I expected, he mounted rapidly through the intervening
two feet of water, and when near the surface, to my astonish-
ment, spat the whelk almost into my face ! That his intention
was retaliatory I do not presume to say, but the action
certainly appeared an intelligent attempt to "return fire."
Since then, I have repeatedly seen them remove predatory
starfishes and whelks in a somewhat similar manner.

The wheat-like ova of the white whelks is also largely
in evidence this month, though somewhat later than last
year. Exposed at every fall of the tide, it appears to require
no attention, each capsule, pendant or upright, firmly adhering
to the Rock surface by means of its flattened foot-stalk. The
whelks themselves appear in every conceivable corner where
food is to be found.

A shallow pit cut into the Rock, measuring two feet by
one, and one foot deep — originally the socket of the central
support of the beacon-house in which the workmen were
lodged during the construction of the lighthouse — serves as a
receptacle for anything of interest we may pick up during
our rambles round the rocks. Fitted with a grated iron
cover, it was at one time used for the purpose of soaking
salt junk ; but, as every marine organism appeared to con-

112 NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BELL ROCK.

sider this a special provision for their needs, it was ultimately
abandoned. At present a repulsive - looking "poach" or
"cobbler," some ten inches long, shares this prison with a
couple of large star-fishes, an unusually large hermit crab,
and a derelict mass of "paidle" spawn. The spawn daily
decreases in inverse ratio to the " poach's " liveliness. Apart
from this, however, the spawn shows signs of deterioration,
a proof that the attention of the cock is necessary for its
well-being.

On the 17th, the remaining four pairs of eiders took their
departure, and only a few gulls now remain.

Owing to my transference to another station, it now
becomes necessary for me to conclude these random jottings.
To the patient reader who has cared to follow me through
these notes I bid farewell. Written without any pretensions
to literary skill or scientific accuracy, they have nevertheless,
in my case, served to enliven many a weary hour in an isolated
calling, and have — may I hope*? — proved not altogether void
of interest to the reader.

THE END.

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