^
 
 A,
 
 Drawn .^IjigtaTe d h/- 
 
 PUBLISHED BY JOEKSIONE Sc HDUTHE, iXINBUB-SH 
 
 rXnzi: l't££ist£i ''.
 
 ^EXCURSIONS 
 
 TO 
 
 ARRAN, AILSA CRAIG, 
 
 AND 
 
 THE TWO CUM BRAES, 
 
 WITH REFERENCE TO THE 
 
 NATUKAL HrSTOEY OF TEESE ISLANDS. 
 
 TO WHICH ARE ADDED, 
 
 DIRECTIONS FOB LAYING OUT SEAWEEDS, AND PEEPAEING THEM 
 FOR THE HEEBAEIUM. 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. DAVID LANDSBOROUGH, D.D., 
 
 A.L.s!, M.W.S., M.E.r.s.; 
 
 AND AUTHOR OF "A POPULAR niSTOKY OF BRITISH SEAWEEDS." 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 JOHNSTONE AND HUNTER, 15 PRINCES STREET. 
 
 EGBERT THEOBALD, 16 PATERNOSTER KOW, LONDON. 
 
 M.DCCC.H.
 
 EDINBCEGH : 
 
 PRINTED BY JOHNSTONE AND IIUNTEK, 
 
 HIGH STEEET.
 
 TO 
 
 THE LADY EMMA CAMPBELL, 
 
 OF ARGYLE, 
 
 THESE LITTLE EXCURSIONS ARE, 
 
 WITH THE GREATEST RESPECT AND ESTEEM, 
 
 DEDICATED, 
 
 BY HER HUMBLE SERVANT, 
 
 THE AUTHOR.
 
 ADYEETISEMENT. 
 
 The reader is respectfully, but very earnestly, re- 
 quested not to begin at the beginning, as would seem 
 most natural, nor to begin at the end, as if the book 
 were written in Hebrew; but to commence at Part I., 
 page 95. If he have enough of patience to perse- 
 vere, let him read on to page 367. Then, let him 
 read Part II., at the beginning of the volume ; and 
 after that. Parts III. and IV., at the end of the volume. 
 This, it must be owned, is an awkward procedure; 
 but if another edition should be called for, all shall 
 be put to rights. The cause of the irregularity is 
 this : — When originally published, about a hundred 
 pages at the beginning of the volume contained 
 " Arran, a Poem." The publisher found that the 
 union of poetry and prose was disadvantageous to 
 both ; and having disjoined them, he asked the 
 Author to furnish prose equal in amount to the dis-
 
 VI A])VERTISEMENT. 
 
 sociated poetry. The quantity furnished proving more 
 than sufficient to fill up the blank space at the be- 
 ginning, it was appended to the end of the volume, 
 forming Parts III. and IV. The reader will do justice 
 neither to himself nor to the little work, if he do not 
 attend to the suggestions respectfully made. 
 
 Saltcoats, llth August 1851.
 
 OEIGINAL PEEFACE. 
 
 When the publisher of the Christian Treasury asked 
 me to furnish some articles on Natural Science for that 
 periodical, I requested my good friend, Dr George John- 
 ston, author of the histoi-y of British Zoophytes and other 
 valuable works, to suggest some subjects. He advised me 
 to write a Natural History of the parish of Stevenston, in 
 which I have so long resided. My excellent friend, Pro- 
 fessor John Fleming, of the New College, Edinburgh, had 
 previously suggested the same thing, advising me to take 
 as models White's History of Selborne and Ure's History 
 of Rutherglen and East Kilbride. Encouraged by this, I 
 wrote some introductory papers in the Christian Treasury: 
 but as I had about that time spent a few days in the island 
 of Arran, I quitted the Ayrshire field for a little, to give 
 some account of this excursion, which I thouglit I could 
 do in a few pages. The woi*k, however, grew in my hands, 
 and when I had written several papers, I was encouraged 
 to proceed by the spontaneous offer of the publisher to 
 give me more liberal remuneration than I had at the out- 
 set asked. 
 
 The little work was written during what, with the ex- 
 ception of the two previous years, was the very busiest 
 period of my professional life. It was consequently written
 
 VUl ORIGINAL PREFACE. 
 
 in unfavourable circumstances ; but I did my best, and 
 chapter after chapter was added, till I had circumambulated 
 this interesting island. 
 
 For whatever progress I have made in Natural Science, 
 I am indebted to distinguished friends, with whom I either 
 have had the pleasure and the honour of being personally 
 acquainted, or with w^hom I have had so much epistolary 
 correspondence, that I think myself nearly as intimately 
 acquainted with them as if I had been in the habit of 
 meeting with them for years. Of Phenogamous Botany I 
 had always been fond since I was a young student at the 
 University of Edinburgh. Of every other branch of Natu- 
 ral Science I would probably have remained ignorant, 
 had it not been for the kindness of my distinguished and 
 much-valued friend, Professor John Fleming, to whom I 
 am indebted for any knowledge I have of Fossil Botany, 
 and still more of Conchology, recent and fossil, with the 
 exception of minute microscopic shells, for the knowledge 
 of which I have to thank my kind and obliging friend, 
 William Bean, Esq. of Scarborough. My instructions in 
 Zoophytology have been chiefly received from my talented, 
 kind-hearted, and highly-esteemed friend, Dr George 
 Johnston, well known to the world by his printed works, 
 and still better known to me by his truly interesting coi-- 
 respondence. For my knowledge of Marine Botany, I am 
 under many obligations to Sir William J. Hooker, London ; 
 to Dr K. Greville, Edinburgh ; to Mr Ralfs, Penzance ; 
 to Dr Dickie, King's College, Aberdeen ; to Mrs Griffiths, 
 Torquay, the queen of Algologists, and so well entitled to 
 my most grateful thanks for her ladylike kindness ; and 
 latterly to Dr W. H. Harvey, Trinity College, Dublin, so 
 well known, among other valuable works, by his magnifi- 
 cent work on British Algse, at present in course of publi- 
 cation. In the Geological department, I have been much
 
 ORIGINAL PREFACE. IX 
 
 indebted to James Smith, Esq. of Jordanhill, especially in 
 what relates to the newer pliocene and the post-tertiary 
 deposits, in which' field he is the highest authority. To 
 George Gardner, a distinguished naturalist, now in Ceylon, 
 I am indebted for my knowledge of Mosses. To William 
 Thompson, Esq. of Belfast, I am greatly indebted for much 
 information, most obligingly given, respecting Birds, and 
 Fishes, and Crustaceans, and many of the strange inhabi- 
 tants of the mighty deep. I am happy that I have lately 
 made the acquaintance of Joshua Alder, Esq. of Newcastle, 
 a very distinguished naturalist, and much esteemed by all 
 to whom he is known. Besides much general information 
 given on various subjects, he has kindly initiated me in the 
 study of Nudibranchs, those interesting marine creatures 
 of which he and Mr Hancock are furnishing for the Ray 
 Society a splendid monograph. And, lastly, I owe many 
 thanks to James Paterson, Esq., Whitehouse, Arran, for 
 the tasteful views which adorn my little volume, viz., Views 
 of Brodick, Glen Rosa, and Brodick Castle. 
 
 After such an array of distinguished names, I might well 
 feel ashamed that I know so little in the various branches 
 of Natural Science, were it not that, even though I had 
 been a more apt scholar, one essential requisite for much 
 progress was greatly lacking, viz., time, only scraps and 
 corners of which I could with any propriety dedicate to 
 these pursuits. The fragments of time thus employed, I 
 flatter myself, have not been lost. 
 
 The importance of Natural Science is much more gene- 
 rally acknowledged than it was some years ago. There are 
 not a few now, especially of our young divines, who would 
 agree in sentiment with pious Baxter, when he says : — 
 
 " Nature must be read as one of God's books, which is 
 purposely written for the revelation of himself. Think 
 not so basely of your Physics (Natural Science), and of
 
 X ORIGINAL PREFACE. 
 
 the works of God, as that they are only preparatory studies 
 for boys. It is a most high and noble part of holiness, to 
 search after, behold, admire, and love the Creator in all his 
 works. How much have the saints of God been employed 
 in this exalted exercise, the Book of Job and the Psalms 
 may show us that our Physics are not so little related to 
 Theology as some suppose." 
 
 My aim has been to trace the goodness and wisdom of 
 God in the works of creation, and his mercy and love 
 through Jesus Christ in the wonders of grace, and to stir 
 up myself and others to love Him more and to serve Him 
 better ; and if I be, even in the slightest degree, successful, 
 I shall not have written in vain. 
 
 RocKVALE, Saltcoats, 
 Ai^ril, 1847.
 
 PEEFACE TO SECOND SERIES. 
 
 It was intended that this Second Series should have 
 appeared earlier in the season, but unforeseen causes 
 prevented this being done. 
 
 In the present Series, the Author has endeavoured 
 to describe whatever has recently occurred to him 
 among these islands as deserving of notice. He 
 doubts not that much remains to be discovered in these 
 interesting localities. They present, in particular, a 
 good marine field for the dredger. The Author has 
 had no leisure this season for such recreation till the 
 beginning of the present month, when he spent two 
 days in dredging, with Dr'Greville and Mr J. Cun- 
 ningham, Queen Street, Edinburgh, gentlemen with 
 whom it is both pleasant and profitable to associate. 
 He has no intention to describe the excursion. He 
 may merely mention that Ectocarpus Landsburgii was
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 got in abundance at Largs, and Cutleria multifida, 
 Peyssonelia Duhyi^ Padinella Parvula^ and Bivularia 
 nitida, off the north end of Big Cumbrae. The marine 
 scenery reminded the Author of charming views he 
 had lately enjoyed in the south of England — Largs 
 corresponding to Exmouth, and Fairlie to Budleigh 
 Salterton. The seaward views, however, surpassed 
 anything that even the south of England can furnish^ 
 for Cumbrae, and Bute, and Arran, and occasionally 
 Ailsa lay before them, and on these two lovely days 
 they had the balmy climate of Devonshire, which, entre 
 nous, we have not always in the west of Scotland. 
 
 Saltcoats, Uth August 1851.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PART II.* 
 
 Page 
 
 Excursions to Arran . . . 9-94 
 
 PART I.* 
 
 Excursions to Arran — 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Name of Arran — Extent — Mountains— Civil History — 
 
 Religious History .... 95-110 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 First Visit to Arran—Midnight Sail — Morning Walk — 
 Corrie — Limestone Quarry — Blue Rock — Plants 111-114 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Nocturnal Walk to Shiskin — King's Cove — Tormore — 
 Ben Varen — Cyclopean Walls — Alpine Plants — Loch- 
 ranza ..... 115-125 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Visit to Lochranza from Corrie — Rugged Road — Herring 
 Fishery— Shore Road— Scridan— Fallen Rocks . 126-135 
 
 * The reader is requested to peruse the explanation for tliis arrange- 
 ment given in the "Advertisement" prefixed to tliis volume.
 
 XU CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Page 
 
 Sail from Corrie for Lochranza— Forced to turn through 
 Stress of Weather — Resolve to Walk — Wander in the 
 Fog — Recognise Tornidneon — Reach Lochranza — 
 Other Walks — Drummadoon — Loch lorsa — Plants — 
 Red Deer — Wander again . . . 136-150 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 Dredging Excursion with Mr Smith of JordanhiU — 
 Newer Pliocene Deposit — Vitrified Fort — List of 
 Molluscs, &c. . . . . 151-162 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 Another Excursion with Mr Smith — Holy Isle — St 
 Molios' Cave — Phosphorescence — Strange Vessel 163-172 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 Another Excursion to Lamlash — Land Plants — Sea- 
 weeds — Geology .... 173-183 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Lamlash — Improvements — Dredging — Algae, Molluscs, 
 Zoophytes, Fishes, &c., found . . 184-197 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Holy Isle — Geological Features— Antiquities of Arran — 
 Popery— Prelacy— Natural History . . 1 98-209 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Whiting Bay — Trap Dykes — Sea Shells— Tent- making 
 Spiders ..... 210-224 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Grandeur and Beauty of Brodick Bay — Brodick Castle 
 — Corrie — Rare Plants — Ancient Sea-clitt's . 225-234 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Green Actaeon described — Goodness of God to his 
 Creatures, small and great . . . 235-240
 
 CONTENTS. XUl 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Page 
 
 Corrie — Tunctions — Fossils — Echo . . 241-24H 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Beroe described — It Shines by Borrowed Light — So do 
 God's Children . . . . 249-257 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Sea Jellies — Young Men and Maidens — Anecdote . 258-267 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Ciliogrades described — A Rare Seaweed — Moral Re- 
 flections ..... 268-276 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Visit to a Person in Despair — Gospel Sound in Arran — 
 Corriegills— Rare Algaj, &c. . . . 277-283 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Hot Walk by the Shore— Porpoises — Solan Geese — 
 Good Example Set by Arran Fishermen — Praise of 
 Arran by Sir R. Murchison . . . 284-288 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Dredging Excursion with Mr Alder of Newcastle — Nu- 
 dibranchs, Zoophytes, Star Fishes, <Ssc., found — Walk 
 to Lag . . . . . 289-300 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Torlin — Natural Harbour at Southend — Struye Rocks 
 — Rare Rock Plants — Plada — Fresh- water Algae — 
 Evening Worship .... 301-315 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Dredging Excursion with Mr Alder and Major Martin 
 — Lima teaera — Bolina Hibernica — Botanical AValk 
 —Anecdote .... 316-326
 
 XI v 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 P«gc 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Revisit Arran with Rev. Dr Thomas Brown and Mr 
 W. Buchanan — Dredge with Major Martin— Rarities 
 found — Cliurch in the Inn . . . 327-338 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Capercaillies— Brodick Castle— Barytes Mill— Sannox- 
 Prayer-meeting at Brodick — Conclusion 
 
 339-348 
 
 Lists, &c. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 349-368 
 
 AiLSA Craig 
 
 PART III. 
 
 369-410 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 The Two Cumbraes . 
 
 411-456 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Directions for Laying out Seaweeds, and Preparing them 
 
 for the Herbarium .... 457-464 
 List of Rare Phenogvenous Plants found in Arran . 464-467 
 List of MoUusca .... 467-470
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AKEAN. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 " Go abroad 
 Upon the paths of Nature, and when all 
 Its voices whisper, and its silent things 
 Are breathing the deep beauty of the world, 
 Kneel at its simple altar, and the God 
 Who hath ' the living waters ' shall be there." 
 
 Since 1847, when this little book was first pub- 
 lished, I have often made brief visits to Arran, at 
 times only for part of a day ; in which case, I fixed 
 on one when the daily steamer from Ardrossan, not 
 only, as usual, went to Arran, but, having landed 
 those who wished to be put ashore, proceeded on a 
 pleasure sail to Ailsa, or Lochryan, or Rothesay. On 
 these occasions, five or six hours could be spent in 
 Arran, and home could be reached in the evening by 
 the returning boat. On more than one occasion, 
 however, the visit extended to two days. On the 
 first of these extended visits, I had the pleasure of 
 being in company with Dr Greville, and Dr Balfour, 
 Professor of Botany in the University of Edinburgh, 
 
 li
 
 10 EXCURSIONS TO AHUAN. 
 
 and several other friends from Edinburgh and (iias- 
 govv. One division of the party took, at the outset, to 
 the heights, and the other division kept by the sea ; but 
 all met in the afternoon near Corrie, and proceeded 
 along the shore to Brodick, vphere they remained for 
 the night. Next day, they proceeded along the shore 
 from Brodick to Lamlash, and in the evening returned 
 by the steamer to Ardrossan. 
 
 On the first day, there Avas much that Avas interest- 
 ing observed, but nothing that was very rare, except 
 Petalonema alatum, found by Dr Balfour, on moist 
 rocks at a considerable height. It has been found, 
 I believe, only in Scotland, by Captain Carmichael, 
 at Appin ; at Oban, by Mr M. J. Berkeley ; by Dr 
 Dickie, at Aberdeen ; and now in Arran, by Pro- 
 fessor Balfour. It is a highly curious plant, of a 
 brownish colour, with a colourless sheath ; and the 
 contrast betwixt the coloured and uncoloured parts, 
 and the delicate strice on the sheath, render it a very 
 beautiful object. 
 
 This excursion was a very joyous one, for several 
 of the party were young — fresh from the Professor's 
 botanical class ; and as they had never been in Arran 
 before, every thing, in a manner, Avas new to them. 
 Though in the excursions they had made around 
 Edinburgh, they had become well acquainted vdth 
 the Flora of the Lothians, they met Avith several 
 plants in the west that are never seen in the east, 
 such as Pinguicida Lusitanica, so abundant, even 
 at the roadside, betwixt Corrie and Brodick, and 
 Cotyledon umhilicus adorning the rocks and old
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 1 1 
 
 dykes as you approach Lamlash. We, on the 
 other hand, had the unexpected pleasure of falling 
 in with two living specimens of great w^orth from 
 Edinburgh. Sauntering leisurely along the road, 
 near Brodick, I was overtaken by two gentlemen in 
 a car, the one, the Rev. Dr M'Crie, the worthy son 
 of a worthy father, and who, by their works, have 
 laid, not merely Scotland, but the world, under great 
 obligations. Along Avith him, on a little pleasure 
 excursion, was his friend Mr Whytock from Edin- 
 burgh, a gentleman of great worth and benevolence, 
 to whose kindness I was lately indebted for much of 
 the happiness I experienced in a trip to the Giant's 
 Causeway, aud other interesting places in the North 
 of Ireland. As they, however, were not botanizing, 
 they moved on, and I joined our party in time to 
 admire on the rocks, near Brodick, Hymbnofhyllum 
 Wilsom^ Osmunda regalis^ and other interesting 
 ferns. 
 
 It was well for me, on reaching Brodick, that I 
 had in the morning been invited to take up my 
 quarters with my worthy friend Mrs Ramsay from 
 Glasgow, for much of the inn had been preoccupied 
 by another party, so that our party could with diffi- 
 culty get accommodated. I visited them in the even- 
 ing, and I was much amused with the strange busi- 
 ness-like appearance that Avas presented. When I 
 entered the parlour in which they Avere assembled, I 
 found them seated round a large table, each having 
 beside him his well- filled vascultim, Avith lots of 
 drying paper and boards in which the specimens
 
 12 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 were to be strapped, and thus put under pressure, 
 after they had been properly laid out. I remember 
 that Dr Greyille had just been spreading out numer- 
 ous specimens of Conferva alp'ina^ which he had got 
 * in a little rivulet on the shoulder of Goatfell. 
 
 Next day, which was a very charming one, we 
 sallied out after an early breakfast. Dr Greville 
 took me down to a tract of wettish ground, near to 
 the little quay, occasionally overflowed by the tide, 
 and there he showed me great abundance of that 
 dwarf variety of Fucus vesiculosics, to which the 
 name of Fucus BalfAcus had been given. It was 
 only two or three inches in height, growing among 
 moss, without any roots attaching it to the moist soil. 
 I remembered seeing it in the same place several 
 years before, when I was searching for mosses, and 
 being puzzled Avhat to make of it. 
 
 In passing Strabane, I keeked into the well, in 
 which, some time before, fine specimens o£ Batra- 
 chosperrtj.wm moniliforme had been found by Miss 
 Ramsay and my daughter Mrs Stark, but none of 
 it could be seen on this occasion. Having under- 
 stood that some rare mosses had been gathered in a 
 little fir plantation near this place, Dr Greville and 
 I entered in search of them, and we had the pleasure 
 of finding, on the bark of the fir trees, numerous 
 specimens of Jungermannia mimitissima, and of the 
 rarer Jungermannia calyptrifclia. I was much 
 pleased with finding, in great beauty, in this planta- 
 tion Hymenofhyllum Tunlridgense, which I had not 
 before met with in Arran. I think it is rarer in the
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 13 
 
 island than Hymenophyllum Wilsoni. At one time, 
 I found some difficulty in distinguishing the one from 
 the other ; but, by more minute inspection, that diffi- 
 culty has vanished. The difference in the fruit at 
 once determines the matter; the capsular fruit of H. 
 Wilsoni having the upper margin entire, whereas, in 
 H. Tttnlridffense, the summit of the capsules is spinu- 
 loso serrate. There are other distinctions by which the 
 one may be known from the other, independent of 
 the fruit. AVe think the //. I'nnhridgense is the 
 handsomer of the two. The other grows on moist 
 rocks, or on much-shaded boulders. On this occa- 
 sion, we found H. Tunbridgense growing profusely 
 on the underside of a shelving rock, Avhich formed 
 the sloping roof of a little cave, where, indeed, it was 
 shaded from the sun, but shaded also from rain and 
 dew. 
 
 Opposite to this plantation, on the side of the road 
 to Lamlash, there is a standing-stone^ as pillars of 
 this kind are called, which, no doubt, had been 
 erected as a stone of remembrance, but which has 
 long been mute, and can tell no tale of those who 
 raised it, or of those on whose account it was raised. 
 It may have been erected to mark the spot where the 
 mighty had fallen, or to commemorate deeds of 
 prowess, which they might think could never be for- 
 gotten ; but Time spread his dark wing over their 
 green laurels, and they faded and died ; and little 
 cause is there of wonder, that their mighty feats 
 have sunk into oblivion, when even those who sought 
 to build the tower of Babel up to heaven, that thoy
 
 14 EXCURSIONS TO ARUAN 
 
 might make to themselves a name, have left behind 
 them not even the shadow of a name which they im- 
 piously sought after. We all do fade as a leaf, and 
 the place that now knows us shall soon know us no 
 more for ever. 
 
 We now Leg"an to wind our way along the shore 
 from Springbank to Laralash. On the moist flat 
 ground betwixt the sea and the large range of cliifs, 
 there were some good phenogamus plants gathered, 
 such as Radiola millegrana, (Enanthe Lachenalii^ 
 and a white variety of Erylliraea Ccntaur'mm. In 
 the little creeks along the shore, we found drifted 
 heaps of Leathesia tuberifonnis, in shape and colour 
 not unlike hops, but rather irregular in size ; several 
 specimens of E titer omorpha were dotted with Myrio- 
 nema strangulans ; and the rocks were in some 
 places covered with rather an unsightly scurf of 
 Ralfsia deusta. But we were not a little gratified 
 on coming to a large rock-pool almost filled Avith 
 fine specimens of A sperococcus Turneri. Dr Greville 
 was the first to observe this interesting and rather 
 rare alga, and soon scores of specimens were speedily 
 transferred to our insatiable vasculums. A specimen 
 of a rarer and more beautiful plant was picked up, 
 Gloiosipho7iia capillaris ; but, though diligent search 
 was made, we had to rest contented with this single 
 small specimen. 
 
 It is wonderful how rapidly the hours pass by 
 when we are agreeably employed in good company, 
 amidst delightful scenery, getting, or even hoping to 
 get, what is new or rare. Our watches, when we ven-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARK AN. 1 5 
 
 tured to interrogate them, told us that the hour of 
 the steamer's starting was near at hand. We had 
 then to quicken our pace, and, on reaching Lam- 
 lash, we made speedy work with dinner, and got 
 aboard the steamer, by which we reached Ardrossan 
 at six o'clock, greatly delighted Avith our excursion. 
 
 Though not quite in chronological order, I may 
 here give some account of a short, but very pleasant, 
 excursion with Dr Greville, with whom it is al- 
 ways both pleasant and profitable to associate. He, 
 and Mr James Cunningham of Edinburgh, a gentle- 
 man of kindred spirit -with himself, having come to 
 me the evening before, we started next morning by 
 steamer for Arran, and had a pleasant passage 
 across, though we had some fear that the day would 
 prove too windy for dredging. ' Having reached 
 Lamlash, and engaged a boat, the boatmen made the 
 little puff of wind an excuse for a third rower, which 
 was more than was necesssary, as the day proA'"ed 
 quite calm. Neither of the gentlemen had before 
 dredged in Arran, and Dr Greville, who, on that 
 occasion, was chiefly on the outlook for Crustacea, 
 was gratified by falling in with some that are not got 
 on the east coast ; and when many specimens of 
 Lima hians were brought up in their millepore nests, 
 Mr Cunningham was so delighted as to declare that 
 it was well worth while to come all the way from 
 Edinburgh to see these beautiful Limas. Other 
 shells of great beauty were got, and some fine zoo- 
 phytes, as well as seaweeds of considerable rarity. 
 Stilophova Lijvcjhjci^ of which before I had got only
 
 16 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 some poor scraps, Avas dredged in sucli abundance, 
 that mucli of it was cast back into the sea. Had I 
 known that it was much valued by algologists in the 
 south of England, where it is not found, more of it 
 would have gone into my vasculum. I may here 
 mention, though not in the order of time, that my 
 son, when along with Dr Greville, on another occa- 
 sion, got, in Lamlash Bay, a small specimen of 
 Mesogloia coccinea, which had not before been found 
 in Scotland. A larger and better specimen was 
 about the same time gathered by my daughter, Mrs 
 R. M. Stark, on the shore at Belhaven, near Dunbar, 
 on the east coast.* 
 
 Circumstances occurred which rendered it expedi- 
 ent that I should that evening return home, so that with 
 considerable reluctance I left my excellent friends at 
 their pleasant employment in the bay, and going 
 aboard the steamer, was soon safely landed in Ayrshire. 
 
 Very seldom can I spare more than a day, or at 
 farthest two, for such excursions; but on the occa- 
 sion to which I am about to refer, I was four days 
 from home. During part of the time, however, I 
 was engaged in the discharge of professional duty. 
 Mr Davidson, minister of Shiskan, requiring to be 
 in Ayrshire, asked me to exchange with him on Sab- 
 bath. I set out for Arran on Friday morning, 
 accompanied by my son, and having reached the 
 mouth of Lamlash loch, we found a boat, that we 
 had bespoke, awaiting us. The day was remarkably 
 favourable, and the dredge was soon heaved into the 
 * It has been got also by Mrs Balfour in Arran.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 17 
 
 deep. Having rowed for some time, the iDoatmen 
 said tliat they thought she was full. Highlanders 
 make a very liberal use of feminine personal pro- 
 nouns. Her nain sel, at one time, Avas not unfre- 
 quently heard. But though this has fallen into dis- 
 use, they still say " she's a fine gun," " she's a good 
 dredge," "she's a bonnie kirk;" and what for no, 
 when we in our wisdom say of a stately ship, " she 
 is a gallant man-of-war?" 
 
 To return to our dredge. She had all the appear- 
 ance, when hauled, of being full a la gorge^ yet even- 
 tually she proved quite empty. Such was her inor- 
 dinate greed, that she had taken so great a mouthful 
 of tangle, and other large seaweeds, that she was 
 fairly choked, yet she was othenvise lank as an empty 
 purse — a spectacle with which I wish none of my 
 friends to be practically acquainted. The boatmen, 
 quite indignant at having wasted their strength in 
 tugging up what, Avilhout quoting Virgil, they were 
 as much disposed as the bard to contemn as vile algas, 
 were beginning in their wrath to toss them back 
 into the deep, when we, to their surprise, begged that 
 they would haul them all into the boat, as we wished 
 to examine them. They consisted chiefly of very large 
 specimens of Laminaria sacchari?ia, the puckerings 
 of whose frond furnish nice lurking-places for various 
 mollusca, and other marine animals. Some of them, 
 indeed, have the power of clinging so closely to the 
 elevated parts of the frond, that it is no easy matter 
 to detacli them. Patella pellucida is one of this 
 description. Those we found on this occasion were
 
 18 EXCDRStONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 young and small, and even in this state they are 
 beautiful ; but they were not to be compared with 
 the full-grown ones I ^aw in September 1850 at 
 Portrush, on the coast of Ireland, where they seem 
 to be common ; and a frond of seaweed dotted with 
 these pellucid limpets, adorned with her finest azure 
 rays, is well fitted to elicit admiration.* 
 
 We had not proceeded far with the examination 
 of our cargo, till we observed what was deserving of 
 our attention, and at that time it Avas quite new to us. 
 Portions of the frond of Laminar ia were pretty closely 
 studded with what at first sight seemed Ojj/iiurce, 
 but on observing that they were attached by a stem 
 to the seaweed, we at ones knew that they were the 
 young of the Feather- Star — Comatula rosacea. Pro- 
 fessor Edward Forbes, in his " History of British Star- 
 Fishes," says, " The history of the Comatula — the only 
 crinoid animal at present inhabiting our seas, at one 
 time so full of those beautiful and wonderful creatures 
 — must present many points of great interest, not to 
 the zoologist only, but also to the geologist. And in 
 truth, the history of the feather-star is one of the 
 little romances in which natural history abounds — 
 one of those narratives which, while believing, we 
 almost doubt, and yet, while doubting, must believe." 
 The history of the feather-star has excited much dis- 
 cussion in the scientific world. In 1823, Mr J. V. 
 Thompson discovered in the Cove of Cork, a little 
 
 * I have since seen at the Vicarage, Ecclesfield, equally good 
 specimens on Laminaria, gathered by Mrs Catty on the coast of 
 Yorkshire.
 
 EXCURSIONS To ARRAN. 19 
 
 pedunculated crinoid animal, to whicli lie gave the 
 name of Pentacrinus Europcous. It resembled a 
 minute Cornatula mounted on the stalks of a Penta- 
 crinus.'^ It was very interesting as the first encri- 
 nite animal that had been seen in the European seas, 
 and the first recent encrinite that had been rightly 
 examined in a living state, the miniature representa- 
 tive of the fossil-stone lilies. The base of its column, 
 which was flexible, bent and twisted at the animal's 
 will, was expanded into a convex calcareous plate by 
 which it attached itself to other bodies. From the 
 centre of the plate arose the column, composed of 
 about twenty-four joints. Round its uppermost joint 
 was a row of jointed filaments. The body bore five 
 bifurcating arms, eaclj? bifurcation consisting of about 
 twenty-four joints. The youngest specimens found 
 had neither column nor arms, but appeared like little 
 clubs, fixed by a spreading base, and sending out 
 from their summit a few pellucid tentacula. Mr J. 
 V. Thompson published another paper on the subject, 
 in which he maintained, that what he had called 
 Pentacrinus Europccus was only the young of Coma- 
 tula; that the feather-star began life as an encrinite, 
 and afterwards so far changed its nature as to become 
 a star-fish. He thinks it probable that the ComatuloB 
 attain their full growth in one year. The arguments 
 adduced by Mr J. V. Thompson, and subsequent 
 observations made by others, sutFiciently prove, that 
 the Pentacrinus and the Cornatula are only younger 
 
 * View the figure, if you please, from " Forbes' Star-fishes," 
 p. 11.
 
 20 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 and older states of the same animal, the beautiful 
 feather-star. Nay, Professor Forbes has seen the 
 creature drop from the stem and swim about a true 
 Comatula. 
 
 On this, and on subsequent occasions, we observed 
 them of different sizes, the little ones being straw- 
 coloured, and the larger ones, nearly an inch in 
 diameter, beginning to assume their reddish hue. 
 
 Continuing our investigation, we found, as we ex- 
 pected, full-grown Comatuloe, having their rays or 
 arms entertwined among the roots of the Laminaria. 
 The few that we had got before, were entirely of the 
 fine rosy red colour ; but when we afterwards got 
 them in abundance, we observed that they not only 
 differed from each other by being of different shades 
 of red, but that many of them Avere party-coloured, 
 having portions of the body and arms of a cream 
 colour, producing a pleasant variety of appearance. 
 When put into a basin of sea-water, they soon show 
 that they can swin about. As Mr J. V. Thompson 
 observes, their swimming is like that of Medusae, the 
 alternative stroke of their arms causing them to ad- 
 vance back foremost, even more rapidly than the 
 Medusae. Professor Forbes has observed, that they 
 effect the movement by advancing the arms alter- 
 nately, five at a time. 
 
 "What the ends are that the benignant Creator has 
 in view in rendering the Comatula a kind of fixture 
 when it is young, we may not be able to divine, but 
 we may be sure that it is for some good, and kind, 
 and wise purpose. We may conjecture, that as a
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 21 
 
 number of other minute animals attach themselves to 
 the Laminaria, and are constantly creeping along its 
 slimy surface, the young Comatulce are thus placed, 
 on good pasture ground, -where food comes to them 
 of its own accord. We admired the wisdom of a 
 pair of foxes, that we lately observed had taken up 
 their residence in a rabbit warren, where their little 
 whelps could lie in ambuscade in the mouth of the 
 hole, ready to spring on the first little cony that came 
 heedlessly in their Avay. 
 
 But we soon had reason to see that lie who made 
 all things, and made all things wisely and well, has 
 different ways of working. AVe found some young 
 Barnacles — or more learnedly, Balani — acorn-shells, 
 on this seaweed. They were firmly fixed on the 
 tangle. In the case of the young feather-star, the 
 adhesion was voluntary. Though tee have not seen 
 them moving from one part of the tangle to another, 
 we have reason to think that, like sea-anemonies, 
 and fresh- water hydra polypes, they can slowly glide 
 along the tangle, or can, at will, let go their hold, 
 and choose another point of adhesion, though, from 
 being found closely congregated in family groups, we 
 would be disposed to conclude that they are not erra- 
 tic in their youthful tendencies. At all events, the 
 period soon comes Avhen the connecting stem gives 
 way, and when, like the family group of creatures of 
 a higher grade, they are to be scattered abroad, to 
 buffet the billows, and to shift for themselves in the 
 voyage of life. Very different in some respects is 
 the history of the barnacles, the early part of which
 
 22 ExccrusioNS to arran. 
 
 is much more wonderful than that of the young 
 feather-stars. Ovid begins one portion of his poetry 
 by saying, " In nova fert animus miitatas dicer e 
 formas corpora" but these changes were as ima- 
 ginary as the gods to whose power he ascribes the 
 metamorphoses. The wonderful changes that natural 
 history records are real, and they are such as none 
 but the God of nature could accomplish. Though 
 the Balani we at this time saw were so firmly 
 cemented to the frond of the seaweed, that it was 
 impossible to detach them, it is one of the discoveries 
 of recent times that they were not always fixtures. 
 Mr J. V. Thompson, whom we have already men- 
 tioned, was the first to observe that barnacles, when 
 very young, are free, and can swim about like little 
 crustuceans, having two eyes mounted on footstalks, 
 and six pair of jointed legs, which, keeping stroke 
 like so many oars, propel the creature forwards. The 
 wonderful transformation of this little animal will ere 
 long be described, in a monograph of the ciiTipedes, 
 by the singularly interesting writer, Mr Darwin, 
 author of the account of the voyages of the Beagle. 
 When preparing his monograph, which I hope will 
 soon be published, he asked my excellent friend Mr 
 Smith of Jordanhill to say to me, that if I could get 
 him some barnacles in a very young state, especially 
 if yet unattached, it would be a great favour. In 
 vain I looked for the little wanderers, for I did not 
 then know how or where to look for them. One day, 
 when I was examining a specimen of Porphyra, I 
 observed some little dots on it, and using a magnify-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 23 
 
 iiig glass, I saAV that they were very minute Balani, 
 and having sent them to Mr Darwin, he was delighted 
 with them. As the Porphyra, however, had been 
 dried and pressed, and as the minute Balani had sus- 
 tained some injury hy the pressure, he very earnestly 
 requested that I would send him some in a fresh un- 
 pressed state, on the same thin transparent sub- 
 stance. On examining young specimens of Porphyra 
 growing on the pier at Saltcoats, I had the pleasure 
 of finding on them exceedingly young Balaiii, and of 
 seeing that the young mussel shells on the harbour 
 wall were still more abundantly dotted with them. 
 These were attached to the shells and seaweed; but 
 mixed with the minute barnacles, I observed lying 
 loose several little things of a brownish colour, and 
 somewhat shaped liked young mussels. At first I 
 could not imagine Avliat they were, but finding them 
 along with the young barnacles, I at last concluded 
 that they were their larva, and taking them home 
 and placing them in a tumbler of sea water, I had 
 the pleasure of seeing one launching forth and swim- 
 ming across the tumbler, bearing a resemblance to the 
 figure which Mr Darwin had sent me of the barnacle 
 in its free state. I sent a good store both of the 
 young attached barnacles, and of the unattached 
 larva, to Mr Darwin, who expressed himself ex- 
 ceedingly obliged to me for the cargo. At that time 
 he was in a delicate state of health — aAvay from home, 
 without his microscope — so that what was sent was 
 kept for future investigation. I trust that the mem- 
 bers of the Royal Society, of whom I am one, will
 
 24 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 soon be favoured with this monograpli of the cirri- 
 pedes, in which, from what he has ah-eady lold me, 
 we may expect most interesting matter. My curio- 
 sity is greatly excited to know something more of 
 these Uttle barnacles, and to have from his gifted 
 pen the result of his deep researches. I shall not 
 state, by anticipation, the wonderful things that he 
 has discovered, as to the way in which the young 
 barnacle cements itself to some foreign object; but 
 we know enough of its history already to fill us with 
 wonder. It is wonderful when the dead-like larva 
 shows itself instinct with life, and sallies forth in 
 frolicsome gambols. It is not left to roam in the 
 dark ; for, as we have said, it has a pair of eyes to 
 guide it in its merry careerings, and it would do well 
 to make a good use of them, and to drink in as much 
 knowledge as it can in its youthful voyaging through 
 its world of waters ; for its voyages are soon to ter- 
 minate, and its little eyes are soon to be closed. The 
 playful gambols of infancy have not long continued, 
 till, by a voluntary act, it cements itself to a sea- 
 weed, or a shell, or a rock, and then its eyes being no 
 longer necessary to guide it in its movements, it 
 either throws them ofF or covers them up in that 
 multivalve receptacle, which, from its conical appear- 
 ance, is regarded by many as a young limpet. Men- 
 tioning this to an intelligent young lady of a contem- 
 plative and poetical turn of mind, she said, " How 
 awful that moment when its doom is determined for 
 aye ! — it would be a good subject for a poem." 
 
 Yet though following, in so far, the teaching of
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 25 
 
 nature, our little barnacles do not all act with equal 
 wisdom, i^ccording to the law of nature, they must 
 fasten on something ; but this law leaves them at 
 liberty to fasten on a seaweed, or to fix their habi- 
 tation on a rock. When God says to the young of 
 the human race, " Choose ye this day whom ye will 
 serve," let them look at the barnacles, and be wise. 
 Do your hearts say to you, " Let us enjoy the present?" 
 You are like the barnacle which cements itself to the 
 tangle : learn then a lesson from its fate. In its own 
 self-conceit, it will think itself wise and happy. It is 
 riding safely at anchor, and yet it enjoys as Avide a 
 range as the rooted seaweed will permit. By the ebb 
 and flow of the tide it is kept in constant motion ; and 
 even amidst the rushing of the summer billows, it may 
 be as happy as children when enjoying the exhilarat- 
 ing amusement of the swing. But gentle zephyrs 
 blow not for ever ; summer and autumn come to a 
 close ; winter, with its rude blasts and raging storms, 
 scowls wildly upon the troubled sea ; the tossed tangle 
 is torn up from its roots, and the poor adhering bar- 
 nacles, being drifted along with it to the shore, soon 
 die in the open air. 
 
 Not so they who have fixed on a rock. Even in 
 summer they are safe and happy, and when winter 
 comes they are safe and happy still. The winds may 
 blow, and the floods may rage, and the proudest bil- 
 lows of the sea may assail them, but they remain un- 
 skaithed— safe as the unshaken rock to which they 
 adhere. Youthful reader, there is for you a better 
 rock — the Rock of Ages, the rock of your salvation. 
 
 c
 
 26 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 To this rock cling — on this foundation build; against 
 this rock the gates of hell shall not be able to preyail, 
 so that your happiness is secured not only for time, 
 but for eternity. Like the Psalmist, you may say, 
 " God is our refuge and strength, a very present help 
 in trouble : therefore will not we fear though the 
 earth be removed, and though the mountains be 
 carried into the midst of the sea ; though the waters 
 thereof roar and be troubled ; though the mountains 
 shake with the swelling thereof." Cirripedes — the 
 name given to the tribe to which the Balani or 
 acorn -shells belong — lead us to speak of another 
 genus of this family to which the name of barnacle 
 is more generally given, viz., Lepas anaUfera. Cir- 
 ripedes means curl-footed ; and were any of our 
 young friends to take a stone on which the Balani 
 have fastened, and to place it in a tumbler of sea- 
 water, they would soon get an explanation of this 
 term. They would soon see, from the opening at 
 the top of the shell, a little filmy hand protruded, 
 which would continue incessantly to unfold, and then 
 to curl itself up in a way that would fill them with 
 wonder and delight. The workmanship is most ex- 
 quisite, and with that little filmy hand it grasps and 
 conveys to its mouth the invisible animalculae that 
 abound in the sea. But if my young friends fall in 
 with Lepas anatifera^ which is more properly the 
 barnacle, they will see at once the appropriateness of 
 the name curl-footed; for, even when it is at rest, a 
 portion of the curl or cirrhus remains uncovered, 
 much resembling an artificial curl of hair. This
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARHAN. 2? 
 
 barnacle also in its infant state is free, and could 
 swim about, guided in its movements by one eye ; but 
 Avhen it gets older, it fastens itself by a long flesby 
 pedicel to some floating substance, to which it be- 
 comes permanently adhesive. Generally it is a piece 
 of floating wood to which they adhere. On one 
 boating excursion in Arran, we found about a score 
 of them upon a piece of floating cork. On another, 
 the stranded mast of a vessel was covered with hun- 
 dreds of them ; and as the wrecked mast had been 
 long at sea, they had attained their full growth, so 
 that the fleshy tubular pedicel was nearly a foot in 
 length. The poor things retained life for a long time 
 after they were cast on the shore ; and as the shelly 
 part at the extremity of the tube had the appearance 
 of the head of an animal, some people, on seeing 
 them writhing about, thought that they w^ere some 
 kind of sea-serpent, and were afraid to approach them. 
 Not long ago, I got the tubular stem of a sea- 
 weed, beautifully adorned with these barnacles. For 
 a time I could not discover to what seaweed this 
 tubular stem, eight feet in length, belonged. On 
 reading, however, in Physkologia Brkannica, of La- 
 minaria longkruris, a native of northern seas, and 
 which should be looked for on the northern shores of 
 Scotland, I conjectured that my long hollow barnacle- 
 bearing stem must be a portion of this long-shanked 
 Laminaria. I therefore wrote to Professor Harvey, 
 and sent the fragment, eight feet in length, to him in 
 Dublin ; but he had left Dublin before it arrived, 
 and soon after he wrote to me from the Giant's
 
 28 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Causeway, that he had not yet seen my specimen; 
 but that, a few days after getting my letter, he had 
 got, near Dunluce Castle, a stem of the true Lamm- 
 arm longicruris^ and it was curious that, like mine 
 (for it was the veritable one also), it was laden with 
 barnacles, showing that they had been long at sea 
 in their passage, it may be, from Newfoundland or 
 Greenland ; and it was remarkable also that, so near 
 the same time, they should make their first appear- 
 ance in Great Britain and Ireland.* 
 
 But I must not forget to tell that these peduncu- 
 lated barnacles which Avere regarded by some of my 
 friends as of the sea-serpent tribe, Avere considered by 
 the naturalists of the good, olden time as the young 
 or the eggs of sea-birds. Hear what honest Gerarde 
 records in his "Herbal," in 1597: — "There are 
 found in the north parts of Scotland, and the islands 
 adjacent, called orchades, certain trees, whereon do 
 grow certain shells of a white colour, tending to rus- 
 set, wherein are contained little living creatures ; 
 which shells in time of maturity do open, and out of 
 them grow those little living things, Avhich, falling 
 into the w^ater, do become fowls, which we call bar- 
 nacles." This he records as information derived from 
 the writings of others, and also from the mouths of 
 people of those parts, which he says may very well 
 accord with truth ; adding, in the simplicity of his 
 heart, and with no intention to deceive, — " But what 
 our eyes have seen, and our hands have touched, 
 
 * I have learned that it had been got in Orkney in 1838, and 
 in Banffshire in 1850.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO A.RRAN. 29 
 
 we shall declare. There is a small island in Lanca- 
 shire, called the Pile of Foulders, wherein are found 
 the broken pieces of old and bruised ships, some of 
 Avhich have been cast thither by shipwreck ; and also 
 the trunks and bodies, with the branches, of old and 
 rotten trees cast up there likewise, whereon is found 
 a certain spume or froth, that in time breedeth into 
 certain shells, in shape like those of a mussel, but 
 sharper pointed and of a whitish colour, wherein is 
 contained a thing in form like a lace of a silk, finely 
 woven as it were together, of a whitish colour, one 
 end whereof is fastened into the inside of the shell, 
 even as the fish of oysters and mussels are ; the other 
 end is made fast unto the belly of a rude mass or 
 lump, which in time cometh to the shape and form 
 of a bird. When it is perfectly formed, the shell 
 gapeth open, and the first thing that appeareth is 
 the foresaid lace or string ; next come the legs of 
 the bird hanging out, and, as it groweth greater, it 
 openeth the shell by degrees, till at length it is all 
 come forth, and hangeth only by the bill. In a short 
 time it cometh to full maturity, and falleth into the 
 sea, where it gathereth feathers, and groweth to a 
 fowl bigger than a mallard and lesser than a goose." 
 Hence the name Lepas anatifera, or Duck-bearing^ 
 is given to this barnacle. 
 
 The barnacle-goose, or duck, is a fine bird, weigh- 
 ing about five pounds, and measuring more than two 
 feet in length, and nearly four and a half, when its 
 wings are expanded, in breadth. In spring, it goes 
 far to the north to breed, and to spend the summer;
 
 30 EXCURSIONS TO ARHAN. 
 
 but early in winter it may be found, among other 
 places, in Belfast Lough, and also on the Clyde, above 
 Port- Glasgow; and as it is rich, delicate eating, it 
 sells at a high price. Romish priests and monks, 
 who know what is good for food, availing themselves 
 of the fabulous origin of the barnacle, on two grounds 
 claimed it as a bonne louche in time of Lent. It was 
 the tree goose ; and surely the strictest observer of 
 Lent might eat, on meagre days, what had once 
 grown on a tree ; or giving ready assent on this point 
 to the doctrine of development, long before Lamarck 
 had propounded his theory, or the author of the 
 " Vestiges" had walked in his steps, they turned it to 
 excellent account in the way of enriching their bill of 
 fare; for, they said, as the barnacle is only a shell- 
 fish fully developed, it cannot possibly be prohibited 
 during the flesh-forbidding season of Lent. 
 
 We had not yet quite done with our budget of sea- 
 weed. Every frond had to undergo a strict scrutiny 
 before it was returned to the deep. We shall allow 
 much to pass in silence — many pretty lepralice, for 
 instance. What we are next to mention abounded 
 on several of the seaweeds ; and we mention it be- 
 cause, though very common, it is often not observed, 
 or not understood. A very intelligent lady, a sincere 
 lover of nature, sending me lately some algje and 
 adhering zoophytes to be named, said, " But what 
 are these little white comfits with which the seaweed 
 is studded?" The comfit was a little spiral shell, 
 adhering by the base to rocks, seaweeds, &c., whose 
 whirls, or volutions, are placed laterally, so that the
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 31 
 
 last whirl is on the outside, forming the margin. 
 There are various kinds, two of which are very com- 
 mon — the one in question, which is without gloss, 
 the other, called the lucid spirorbis, as it is glossy 
 and pellucid. It is smaller than the other, but more 
 beautiful : the last whirl generally projects upwards, 
 and is free, unconnected with the object to which the 
 others adhere. Along with spirorbis, which abounded, 
 there were many specimens of serpula, nearly allied 
 to spirorbis. The most common one is seiyida tri- 
 quetra, which also adheres to stones and shells, or 
 twists round the stems of seaweeds. I probably 
 would not have mentioned either spirorbis or serpula, 
 had I not wished to direct the attention of my young 
 readers to the beauty of the animals that inhabit 
 them. When you remove them from their native 
 element, you see nothing but the shelly habitation ; 
 but it is no difficult matter to induce the inhabi- 
 tants to put out their heads — and their heads 
 are worth seeing ; they are beautiful. Place the 
 stone or shell to which they adhere in a basin of sea- 
 water, and in a little while the whirled spirorbis 
 will push out from the mouth of its contorted domi- 
 cile its head, furnished with ciliated tentacula, and 
 a somewhat funnel-shaped proboscis, and, outvying 
 the spirorbis, the serpula Avill straightway exhibit 
 two feathery tentacula, and a trumpet-shaped pro- 
 boscis. The proboscis is finely striated, and its mar- 
 gin crenated, while the tentacula are beautifully 
 barred with various colours ; and what surprised me 
 was, that, on the same stone, individuals apparently
 
 32 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 of the same species differed so much in colour ; in 
 one red, in another blue, green, or yellow, being 
 predominant. Some of the other species of serpula 
 are stiU more distinguished for beauty. One of the 
 largest is serpula tuhularia ; but it is much less 
 common than the species of which we have been 
 speaking, though not unfrequently coming up in the 
 dredcfe attached to an old bivalve shell. In its 
 young state, it is generally cemented all along to the 
 surface of the valve ; but having reached the margin, 
 it continues its growth, so that at times two or three 
 inches of the tube are free from the shell, gradually 
 widening till it equals in diameter a goose quill, and 
 ending somewhat like a trumpet. The tube exter- 
 nally is white, but the trumpet-mouth is often of a 
 rosy colour. " Within this cylindrical tube," says 
 Professor Harvey, in his very interesting " Seaside 
 Book," " the animal can wholly retreat, closing the 
 aperture by means of a shelly plate affixed to a fleshy 
 horn which rises at one side of the mouth. When 
 the animal displays itself, as it opens while seek- 
 ing for prey, its head, surrounded by the richly-col- 
 oured collar of gills, composed of numerous slender 
 pieces, pectinated on their inner faces, and spreading 
 like a starry flower, is protruded for some distance 
 from the tube ; and here it waits, ready to seize on 
 any small animal whose curiosity or misfortune may 
 lead it within the reach of its jaws." 
 
 While the investigation was going on, my young 
 companion had been keeping a good look-out for 
 nudibranchs, in which he had been encouraged by
 
 EXCUUSIONS TO ARRAN. 3S 
 
 finding one that "was new, to which jMr Akier, in 
 figuring it in his heautiful work for the Kay Society, 
 had given the name of ^olis Landshurffii. They are 
 almost sure to escape the notice of the unpractised, 
 because, when removed from the water, they roll 
 themselves up in small bulk, and seem a shapeless 
 mass of gelatine on the seaweed to which they ad- 
 here. JEolis alba, Eolis coronata, and JiJolis Drum- 
 mondi, were found ; but they were not valued, be- 
 cause they were not regarded as rare. At last he 
 found one that he considered quite a prize ; for on 
 being placed in a phial of sea-water, we saw that it 
 was new to us both. A graceful form exposes nudi- 
 branchs to danger, as well as creatures of a more 
 exalted rank. The beauty of this little marine mol- 
 lusc led us to send it, all alive in its crystal cage, all 
 the way to Newcastle- on-Tyne, where it was heartily 
 welcomed by Mr Alder, who pronounced it both 
 rare and beautiful — pfcrochihis pulc/ier, to be figured 
 in the monograph to which we have already referred. 
 Lengthy as we have been in the description, the 
 examination of the seaweeds did not in reality oc- 
 cupy many minutes. No sooner did our boatmen 
 give notice that the dredge was heavy, than we heaved 
 the weeds into the sea ; and having hauled the dredge, 
 we emptied its contents on the board across the bow. 
 This time it was chiefly filled with millepore sand and 
 broken shells. There were some fragments also of 
 Sjiatangus pu7'pureiis of greater size than any we had 
 ever got alive. Several beautiful specimens of Echi- 
 nus sp/icera, Echinus miliaria, and Amphidotus roseus.
 
 34 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 made their appearance ; but as tliey were not much 
 wished, they were cast back into the sea ; and we 
 doubt not that they felt particularly obliged by being 
 thus summarily dismissed from our presence. In 
 some of the broken bivalves there were lodged masses 
 of transparent jelly, which, on being placed in a tum- 
 bler of sea-water, turned out, as we expected, to be 
 beautiful Ascidia. Among them was Ascidia vir- 
 ginea; but there were others of still greater beauty, 
 with whose names we were unacquainted. There 
 were also several nests of Lima Mans, but these had 
 ceased to be matters of wonder to us. We got one 
 specimen of Lima Luscombii, which is rather rare on 
 the west coast. A valve of the much rarer Lima 
 subauriculata was observed, but it was of small size, 
 and of no value except that it gave the hope that an 
 entire specimen might be found. 
 
 Hitherto we had kept within the bay, but as the 
 day was very calm and fine, we thought that we 
 would try the ground on the outside of the island. 
 Steering clear of the rocks by which the Holy Isle 
 on this side is girt, and which are richly fringed with 
 gigantic Alaria and tangle, Ave let down the dredge, 
 which soon brought up a mixture of sand and broken 
 shells, which on being searched yielded some little 
 things for the cabinet. Among other things, we got 
 some good specimens of a pretty Pecten tigrinus, of 
 which there are several varieties. One or two speci- 
 mens also were found of what I at first hoped might 
 be a new Pecten, seeing that on one of the valves 
 there were many little prickles. I afterwards found
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AURAN. 35 
 
 that it was Pecten striatus, which, because of these 
 prickles, when young, had been named Pecten spi- 
 nosiis by one, and Pecten aculeatus by another con- 
 chologist. The usual size of this fine shell is only 
 about half an inch in length and rather less in' 
 breadth. One of the finest specimens ever seen of 
 this Pecten I had the honour of receiving from Lady 
 Emma Campbell, dredged near Inverary. It is 
 eleven lines in length, and about as much in breadth. 
 I am constrained to say that one dredged by Major 
 Martin in Lochfine rather surpasses it, being of equal 
 size at least, and of richer colouring. A subsequent 
 haul near this place brought us up several specimens 
 of DentaUum entails^ which, though often found in 
 dredging, was prized by us, as we h^d never once 
 found it drifted out on the shore. Some specimens 
 of Trochus millegranus were found adhering to La- 
 minaria., and some among the sand. Two specimens 
 of the beautiful milk-white Eulima polita were added 
 to our store, and one or two young specimens of 
 Terhratula caput-serpeniis, which would have been 
 mightily prized some years ago, Avhen first discovered 
 as British by Professor Fleming, but which has con- 
 siderably fallen in value in consequence of being 
 dredged by several naturalists in considerable abun- 
 dance at Oban, and in Lochfine, where they are at 
 times in beautiful groups, clustered on old shells, and 
 sometimes one upon another. 
 
 But the happiest day has the fleetest wing. On 
 looking roujid, we Avere surprised to find that the sha- 
 dows of the mountains were beginning to lengthen.
 
 3G EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN, 
 
 Jloreover, as we had brought no sea-stores with us, 
 though the feast of shells we had been enjoying gave 
 great delight to the eyes, there was another organ 
 which begun to be querulous, and to demand some- 
 thing more substantial than a feast of shells. We 
 therefore gave a hint to our boatmen, which did not 
 require to be repeated, that the sooner we were at 
 Lamlash the better. Accordingly, less than half an 
 hour's steady rowing brought us to land, and w^e soon 
 found ourselves safely ensconced in honest David 
 Hodge's lodgings, which from former experience we 
 knew^ Avould be very comfortable. 
 
 We had intended to spend the forenoon of next 
 day in the same manner, but even in Arran there is 
 not an uninterrupted succession of halcyon days, and 
 though next morning did not blow a gale, the breeze 
 was too stiflF for boating, and, therefore, after break- 
 fast, we set out to walk along the shore to Invercloy. 
 This is rather rich ground for the naturalist, and yet 
 on this windy forenoon we did not fall in with much 
 that was interesting. In the rock-pools near Clach- 
 land point we got Bryopsis pliimosa, and what is even 
 more beautiful, Pol ysiphonia parasitica. Where you 
 find a rock-pool lined with Melohesia, there you may 
 hope to find this little favourite, and never is it so 
 beautiful as when fresh from the pool, for then its 
 colour is bright and lively. This is one of the alga 
 that thrive better in Scotland than in the South 
 of England, where it is very diminutive. I once 
 thought that the specimens of it found on our West 
 Coast were the finest in Scotland, but I have lately
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 37 
 
 got some gathered by IMrs R. M. Stark, at Dunbar, 
 on the East Coast, that at least equal ours. This 
 forenoon we fell in with a habitat, where we found 
 the finest specimens of Chijlodadia articulata that I 
 have ever seen in Scotland, though not at all equal 
 in size to specimens that I have seen from Ireland. 
 Very good specimens of CallUhamnion Hookcri were 
 gathered, though at some risk, for they were growing 
 on the steep face of a rock washed by the surge, so 
 that the moment for seizing them was when the dash- 
 ino' wave was retreating. Rytiplilwa thiiyoldes and 
 Rytiphlcm frutkulosa were also found, and in a little 
 stream of fresh water, purling through among the 
 rocks, we found Tetraspora gelatinosa^ and remark- 
 ably fine specimens of the common Cladophora glo- 
 merata. I had almost forgot to mention, that in 
 tearing up by the roots some of the Halidrys in the 
 tide pools, we got specimens of Asterina y'Mosa ad- 
 herinor to the stems.* 
 
 By the time Ave reached Invercloy, the day had 
 assumed a very threatening aspect. My companion, 
 who meant to return to Ardrossan that evening, made 
 the best of his way to Brodick to catch the steamer 
 when she touched there, and I learned afterwards 
 that they had a stormy passage to the Ayrshire coast. 
 As I had spent all the forenoon in scrambling among 
 the rocks, I would have been well pleased to take up 
 my abode with kind friends at Invercloy, or at Glen 
 Sherrig, where I was pressed to stay; but the morrow 
 
 * These, however, were greatly inferior in size to specimens I 
 lately got in Devonshire from Mr Templar.
 
 38 BXCnRSIOXS TO ARRAN. 
 
 >vas the Sabbath, and as I had to officiate in the 
 church at Shiskan, it was expedient that I should 
 that evening be on the field of action, which was 
 about ten miles from Invercloy. The ascending road, 
 called the String, is for a considerable way far from 
 being a very gentle acclivity, so that I had to " set 
 a stout heart to a stey hrae" and to move onwards. 
 1 had not proceeded far till a storm of wind and rain 
 ensued. Owing to the breeze, an umbrella was un- 
 manageable, so that I had to give the wind and 
 weather fair play, and to allow them to do their ut- 
 most. I found, as I had occasionally done before, 
 that having got completely soaked, a person moves 
 on quite cheerily, for he knows that he cannot be 
 wetter. When I reached the highest part of the 
 ascent, the wind and rain, proceeding from the west, 
 and having now no interposing barrier, came with 
 great fury; but I was now descending, and we have 
 poetical authority as well as constant experience for 
 saying, '■'•/acilis est descensus." When I was about 
 half-way, an open carriage passed me, containing six 
 ladies and gentleman. Though I was on foot, and 
 they had the aid of chariot wheels, I flattered myself 
 that I had the advantage of them. I was on duty; 
 they were *' on pleasure bent," and had left Brodick 
 while it was yet fair, in the bope of a pleasant excur- 
 sion to King's Cave, Drummadoon, and Blackwater 
 foot, to return again to Brodick in the evening, but car- 
 rying back, I suspect, no very pleasant reminiscences 
 of Highland scenery, or of their pleasure jaunt. 
 They soon passed me, and wishing them a delightful
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 39 
 
 excursion, I moved on towards the Inn at Sliiskan. 
 With the exception of home, there is nothing like an 
 inn to a wet and wayworn traveller, especially a 
 Highland inu like this, where there was not only a 
 hearty welcome, but a degree of kindness that money 
 could not purchase. I made my escape, however, 
 from their kindness as soon as possible; for having 
 no change of raiment with me, and knowing how 
 dangerous it would be to sit wet, I requested to be 
 shown to my bed-chamber, where I was soon snug 
 in blanket-bay, while my dripping garments were 
 suspended before a good peat fire in the kitchen.* 
 
 Next morning, though the storm had abated, it 
 was not quite over. Having walked to the church, 
 about a mile distant, I was surprised to find a good 
 congregation assembled on such a day, though many 
 of them had come several miles, and though they 
 knew that I could not address them in that ancient 
 language which is music to the ear, and sweeter than 
 music to the Highlander's heart. 
 
 On ]\Ionday morning I rose refreshed, and was 
 glad to find that nature had laid aside her frowns 
 and tears, and shone forth with a smiling aspect. I 
 set out then to visit a cave by the seaside, well 
 
 * In some places it would be necessary to explain where blan- 
 ket-bay is to be found. When I was lately in Paris, the weather 
 being cold, I told one of the waiters, who professed to speak 
 English, that he might tell the femnie-de-chamlre to give me an 
 additional blanket. " Yes, Sar," was the answer; but after won- 
 dering a little he said, " Fat (what) is a blanket.'" I had then 
 to define a blanket, saying it was un dr<xp de laitie. " Ob, oui. 
 Monsieur,'''' said he, " «» cox(,verlure.''''
 
 40 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 known to the natives of Arrau ; in wliich, during 
 the palmy days of Moderatism, when there was a 
 great scarcity of Gospel truth, they who were the 
 salt of the island were accustomed on Sabbath to 
 assemble, to sing God's praises and read his Word; 
 to hear it expounded by some of the most gifted of 
 the elders, and to raise their joint supplications to 
 the Most High, that he would send a plentiful rain 
 to refresh his heritage when it was weary. Meeting 
 a person on the shore, I asked him to show me the 
 way to the cave. He said that it was near at hand, 
 and that he would be happy to accompany me to it ; 
 adding, that he had the lease of the farm in which the 
 cave was, and that therefore he was well acquainted 
 with it — in some respects too well, as I afterwards 
 found. I had not been at it before ; but on entering 
 it, I saw that it was well fitted to be a substitute for 
 a church, when there was no more commodious place 
 of Avorship. It was not the workmanship of man, 
 but of the Lord, whom they assembled to Avorship ; 
 and this was fitted to solemnize their minds. These 
 massive pillars were not hewn and raised by creatures 
 of the dust, nor could the strength of a thousand 
 giants have cast over it that massy canopy which 
 these rugged pillars sustained. It spoke to them 
 also of those olden times when Popery prohibited the 
 pure worship of God — when, at the risk of their lives, 
 their forefathers met in mountains, and dens, and 
 caves of the earth ; and, when destitute, afflicted, tor- 
 mented, they were required to seal their testimony 
 with their blood. It pretty much resembled the
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 41 
 
 King's Cave, on the same side of the island. The 
 mouth of the cave was sheltered from the blast in 
 more directions than one, and yet the sun could cast 
 his beams so far into it as to give the worshippers a 
 good deal of light ; and it was so capacious, as easily 
 to accommodate some hundreds of persons. We 
 doubt not that it might be said of it in days that are 
 past, " This man was born there, and that man was 
 born there." 
 
 On questioning my guide, I learned that they do 
 occasionally worship in this cave still. I thought 
 that he seemed sad when I was speaking to him 
 respecting these recent meetings ; and I was much 
 affected on hearing from him that an event had taken 
 place in that cave not many months before, which 
 made an indelible impression on his mind. At the 
 beginning of that very year they had had a religious 
 meeting in the cave, to thank the Lord for the bless- 
 ings of the past year, and to implore the continuance 
 of his goodness and mercy during the year on Avhich 
 they were entering. Among those assembled, there 
 stood, near the mouth of the cave, on the very spot 
 on which we then stood, his own dear son, a stout 
 yoimg man. The cave, in harmony with the gentle 
 sea-waves without, had re-echoed the song of praise. 
 The first prayer had just been begun, when the young 
 man staggered and fell, uttered a single groan, and 
 in a few moments life was extinct. He had been 
 thoughtful and serious before, and they had hope in 
 his death. But how exceedingly striking was it to 
 all, and how peculiarly affecting to his parents and 
 
 D
 
 42 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 friends ! and how acute must have heen the father's 
 feelings when he was thus renewing his griefs hy in- 
 forming a stranger of this heart-rending event ! In 
 the midst of Hfe we are in death. In seeming health 
 and strength, there may be but a step betwixt us and 
 that decisive change. Let us up and he doing while 
 it is called to-day. God is saying to us, " Give all 
 diligence." " Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do 
 it with thy might ; for there is neither work nor wis- 
 dom, nor knowledge nor device, in the grave whither 
 thou goest." " Now is the accepted time, now is the 
 day of salvation." 
 
 From this place, where the King of Terrors had 
 lately been showing his irresistible power, I went to 
 visit the srave of one whose mortal remains had now 
 been sleeping in the dust of the earth for more than 
 a thousand years. This was a holy man of God, 
 Saint Molios, and more deserving of being called a 
 saint than many that have borne that name. He had 
 been the -disciple and friend of the still more celebrated 
 St Columba ; and after enjoying the society and the 
 instructions of his distinguished master in lona, he 
 had been sent forth to carry the light of the gospel 
 to others who were in darkness ; and, as we have 
 elsewhere said, took up his residence in the little 
 mountain-island which lies in the mouth of Lamlash 
 Bay, and renders it, thus protected, peculiarly safe 
 anchorage-ground. His great business, however, was 
 to hold forth the light of life to those who were in- 
 volved in darkness, and to induce those who were 
 perishing in ignorance and sin to cast their anchor
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 43 
 
 within the veiL In ail lilielihoocl, it was the desire 
 of heing more extensively useful that made him re- 
 move from the Holy Isle, and take up his residence 
 at Shedog, on the west side of Arran, where he died 
 and was buried ; and where, in the burying-ground 
 of the little chapel, his grave is to be seen to this day. 
 We assuredly are not saint-worshippers ^ and had 
 Molios been canonized by the Pope, we would not 
 have given ourselves the trouble of visiting his grave : 
 but the Pope and his cardinals, had he been in their 
 power, instead of canonizing him, would have com- 
 mitted him to the flames. He was one of the Cul- 
 dees ; and if the word Culdees, which is of obscure 
 origin, be a corruption for Cultores Dei (worshippers 
 of God), as some suppose, then it may have been 
 assumed honourably to distinguish the worshippers 
 of the Creator from the worshippers of the creature : 
 the pious worshippers of the one living and true God 
 — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost — from the idolatrous 
 worshippers of angels, and saints, and graven images ; 
 — the worshippers of Him who is the true bread of life 
 that came down from heaven, from the worshippers 
 of a wafer-god, \\hich the hand of man and the mum- 
 mery of a Popish priest had formed. Believing him 
 who lay buried in this little Highland churchyard to 
 have been a saint, not of man's making, but of God's 
 making — to have been sainted, not by the canon of the 
 Pope, but to have been made holy through sanctifica- 
 tion of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, and sprinkling 
 of the blood of Jesus Christ — we approached the spot 
 ■with reverence, and with a warmth of devout regard,
 
 44 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 which the numerous symptoms of neglect could not 
 efFectually chill. The graveyard is now enclosed 
 with a wall, and when the gate is not open you can 
 enter by steps built into the wall ; but I was sorry to 
 find that one of the steps was formed of a portion of 
 a lettered gravestone, now become partly illegible by 
 the rubbing of feet, but by the antique form of the 
 letters leading me to suppose that they had formed a 
 portion of the inscription on the saint's tomb. When 
 first erected, it must have had a highly respectable 
 appearance for the time. A considerable space seems 
 to have been enclosed with a low parapet, which has 
 nearly disappeared. The gravestone, we doubt not, 
 rested on pillars, but they are gone ; and as it had 
 been allowed to lie on an uneven surface, it has been ^ 
 broken in two by those who have stood on it. Luxu- 
 riant nettles also furnished additional symptoms of 
 neglect; but the figure on the stone, in pretty bold relief, 
 bore unmistakeable marks of antiquity ; and the long 
 solemn coimtenance of the portrayed saint made me 
 lose sight of the symptoms of neglect, and carried me 
 back to the remote age when this faithful servant of 
 God, after a pilgrimage of 120 years, laid down his 
 earthly house of this tabernacle, to have a building of 
 God, a house not made Avith hands, eternal in the 
 heavens. We have pleasure in transcribing Avhat 
 follows, from the new statistical account of the parish 
 of Kilmorie, drawn up by the Rev. M. A. Macbride, 
 a native of the parish, and now Free Church minister 
 of North Bute : — " In the middle of the burying- 
 ground at Clachan is the grave of St Molios, ' the
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 45 
 
 Lai-e-headed servant of Jesus.' His first residence 
 was in the Isle of Lamlash, or the Isle of Molios ; 
 but he afterwards removed to Shiskan, and fixed hk 
 residence where now repose his remains. He died 
 here at the advanced age of 120. On the tomb 
 which covers his grave, and which is said to have 
 been brought from lona, the figure of the saint, 
 arrayed in the robes of a mitred abbot, with chahce 
 and crozier in his hands, is not inelegantly sculp- 
 tured. Till within the last fifty years, it was customary 
 for females, after their confinement, to repair to the 
 grave of the saint, and there deposit upon the stone 
 a silver piece, as a thank-offering for their recovery.'' 
 We doubt not that this superstitious and sinful cus- 
 tom was one of the many wicked inventions of Popish 
 priests to corrupt and defiraud their victims. It would 
 never have been allowed so long as the pure Scrip- 
 tural doctrine of the Culdees prevailed. It is Avell 
 known that the Pope and his emissaries hated the 
 Culdees because of the purity of their faith and wor- 
 ship, and continued their cruel persecutions till they 
 succeeded in rooting them out. A regard, however, 
 for the memory of the most distinguished of the Cul- 
 dees continued to linger among the people; and as 
 when they were dead, and for many years buried, 
 they could do the priests no harm, they would pro- 
 fess to be their admirers; would laud their sanctity; 
 assert, we doubt not, that their relics were invaluable, 
 and that blessings well worth paying for could be got 
 at their graves. Instead, then, of destroying the 
 monument of Molios, they might add to its garniture,
 
 46 EXCURSIONS TO ARE AX. 
 
 that they might the more successfully practise their 
 delusions, and persuade the people to look away from 
 God, and to remunerate the saint — or, in other words, 
 his treasurer, the priest — for preserving the life of 
 mother and child. Even to the present day the 
 Papists claim Molios as one of their saints ; and a 
 little before I visited the place, the son of a Papist 
 residing at Shiskan having died, the father, in the 
 hope of benefiting the soul of his child, caused his 
 body to be buried close by the grave of the saint, 
 though the Pope of the day would have branded 
 Molios the Culdee as one of the worst of heretics, 
 and would have excommunicated and cursed him 
 with bell, book, and candle. 
 
 The nest excursion I had was in August 1849. 
 With this I was not only greatly delighted, but 
 highly honoured. But I must curb my vanity, and 
 refrain from giving names. A young lady of one of 
 the noblest families in Scotland, who was then in 
 summer quarters near Lamlash, had invited me to 
 visit her, and a day's dredging was proposed. The 
 party consisted of the noble lady, another intelligent 
 lady who was living with her, and a gentleman and 
 his daughter from Edinburgh, who were then in one 
 of the adjoining villas. The day was every thing 
 that could be wished for a marine excursion in a 
 
 Highland loch. Lady had been out before in 
 
 a yacht where dredging was going on, but this was 
 the first time she had taken an active hand in it ; 
 and most active and zealous did she show herself. 
 She had a fine collection of shells, that had been
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 4< 
 
 dredged in Loclifine, near Inverary ; but she got 
 some in Laralash Bay that are not found in Loch- 
 fine, though Lochfine probably furnishes the richest 
 dredging ground in Scotland. The other ladies en- 
 tered most heartily into the work, and enjoyed it 
 greatly. From the first they could handle the beau- 
 tiful shells that were turned out of the dredge; but 
 it was a while ere they could summon courage to lay 
 a finger on a crab, or a sea-urchin, or a starfish. 
 Even the beautiful rays of the rosy feather-star they 
 thought were too like serpents' tails to be safely med- 
 dled with. On emptying the second dredgeful on the 
 board, Ehalia Pennantii walked out from among a 
 number of broken shells. Laying hold on it, I said 
 to one of the boatmen, " Take care of that." '■'■Pottr- 
 
 quoi ?" said Lady . " Because it is rare," said 
 
 I, "and I wish to examine it." I hope it took care 
 of itself, and got back into the sea ; for, on looking 
 for it afterwards, it could nowhere be found. 
 
 We landed on the Holy Isle, where we had some 
 refreshment — the large boulders with which the shore 
 ■was covered beino; good substitutes for chairs and 
 tables. Among the boulders that were within high- 
 water-mark, we found great store, cast out by the 
 tide, of an alga, rather rare in Scotland, and prized. 
 in the south of England, because not at all got there. 
 It ranked for a time as a distinct species, under the 
 name oi Rhodi/menia soholifcra, but it is now regarded 
 as a northern variety o{ Bhodi/menia pahnata. It is 
 a large plant, six or seven inches in length, much 
 divided, and the colour generally a pale brownish
 
 48 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN, 
 
 purple. It is very different from another variety of 
 Rhodyracn'ia palmata^ Avhich I found growing on 
 submerged rocks at low-water, in the Island of Lis- 
 more, Appin. This is a pretty small variety, not two 
 inches in length, much cleft, and of a dark purple 
 colour. 
 
 After we returned to the boat, another pleasure 
 party in a boat came near to us, and one of them 
 addressed me by name. Even after I had conversed 
 with them for a good while, I could not imagine who 
 they were ; and I was not a little surprised when I 
 discoA'^ered that they were two of my intimate friends 
 who had been speaking to me, and who, after a busy 
 season of clerical duty, in which they do not spare 
 themselves, were spending some days in healthful 
 recreation in Arran; and having taken to the sea, had 
 assumed a dress suited to their piscatory employment. 
 The party consisted of Mr and Mrs Grant, from Ayr; 
 and Mr and Mrs Borrowman, from Glencairn. 
 
 Though much that was highly interesting was got 
 this day, there was little, I think, that has not been 
 described before. After a delightful excursion, we 
 returned to Lamlash. They who spend a day in 
 dredging must lay their account with a very busy 
 evening, if they Avish to preserve in good state what 
 has been brought from the deep. The ladies accord- 
 ingly, who had been so active during the day, were 
 not less so during the evening, and fully two 
 hours were occupied in preparing for safely storing 
 up what they had obtained during the day. Part of 
 the next day was spent in dredging, outside of the
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 49 
 
 locli to the north of Clachland point. The only 
 things got on this ground, different from those 
 dredged inside of the bay, were Crenella marmorata, 
 and Eunice tubicola. Crenella marmorata has been 
 repeatedly dredged nearer to Corrigils, by Major Mar- 
 tin, and always buried in clusters in the coriaceous 
 coat of Ascidia mentula, or Ascidia rustica. We used 
 to regard this as Melius or Crenella discors; but 
 Professor Forbes, in his excellent history of British 
 Mollusca, now in the course of publication, points 
 out the difference betwixt the two. Crenella discors, 
 instead of burrowing in the coats of Ascidia, may be 
 found among the roots of Laminaria and Corallines. 
 In the Irish sea, off Anglesea, it is found in strong 
 currents, enveloped in nests formed of fragments of 
 Flustra foliacea and masses of sand agglutinated to- 
 gether, and combined by byssal threads. Eimice 
 tubicola is, as the specific name implies, one of the 
 annelids that dwell in tubes. The tube of this one 
 is like a small quill. You may have an idea of the 
 animal that inhabits the tube by examining the very 
 common, but very curious lug- worm (Arenicola pis- 
 catorum) inhabiting the sand, and dug up as bait by 
 fishermen. One of this tribe of tubicolar anne- 
 lids (^Sahella alveolata), though common, I believe, 
 in many places, I have never seen in the West. We 
 gathered it in abundance in Ross-shire, on the shore 
 near Fortrose, opposite to Fort- George. I under- 
 stand that it is very often attached to recks 
 and stones, but all the specimens I saw of it in 
 Ross- shire were attached to the roots of the great
 
 50 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 tangle. The tubes were formed of sand, but they 
 •were very inferior in workmanship to a sand- formed 
 tube, some specimens of which we dredged, but which 
 are more frequently found buried in the sand in 
 shallow water. In this case, however, the tubes are 
 not cemented together, like those we have now men- 
 tioned, but each cell is separate. Many must have 
 seen Pectinaria Belgica^ as it is called by some, 
 or the golden-headed amphitrite, as it is called by 
 others. The empty tubes are often found in con- 
 siderable abundance on the shore after a storm, two 
 or three inches in length, and at the upper end about 
 the thickness of a goose quill, but tapering gradually 
 towards the other end, which is not half the thickness. 
 It is formed, you Avould say, of a kind of sand-paper, 
 for it is smooth as paper, and so thin as to be, in 
 some degree, transparent ; and in reality this elegant 
 little tube is wholly made of particles of fine sand 
 closely cemented together. We have heard of a cer- 
 tain clever personage attempting, but unsuccessfully, 
 to form ropes of sand; but here we have a handsome 
 house of sand, which at times you may find on -the 
 shore inhabited ; and if placed in seawater you will 
 soon see protruded in part from its mouth the golden- 
 coloured head, and the forefeet of the inmate of this 
 tastefully constructed tube. There is another one 
 which is still more frequently found on the shore, 
 Terehella conchilega. The tube in this case is formed 
 of sand and a sprinkling of broken shells, with a 
 greater admixture of gelatine than the other, for it 
 can be bent without breaking.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 51 
 
 How fleet the foot of Time, aged though he be ! 
 Nay, contrary to the common course of nature, the 
 older he is, the fleeter he becomes. "When we are 
 young, he dallies with us, and seems to delight in us; 
 and that we may enjoy more of him and he more of 
 us, he seems to exercise a kind of elasticity, extend- 
 ing himself to more than double length, so that a 
 week appears a month, a month a year, and a year 
 more than an age in prospect, and even in retrospect 
 a period of considerable duration ; and we, ingrates 
 that we are, even though we are happy in his com- 
 pany, — except, it may be, during very, very long hours 
 at school, — often wish that he would quicken his pace, 
 and hasten the happy time when we, who are only little 
 urchins, shall be big boys and girls; and then, when 
 we are big boys and girls, do we not wish that Time, 
 instead of moving with a sedate step, would take a 
 long leap, and carry us along with him, that, no 
 longer in a lingering transition state, as raw boys, 
 and awkward girls, we might at once cease to be 
 unnoticed nonentities, and shine forth in the envi- 
 able rank of dashing young gentlemen and blooming 
 yoimg ladies ? When that rank is at last reached, 
 by what we think the slow process of nature, we 
 begin to find that our old friend Time is no longer 
 a laggard ; we know ere long by experience that the 
 day of youth fleets fast aw^ay ; fain would we then 
 put a drag on the wheel, but it hurls on with acce- 
 lerated speed. We might expect that he would begin 
 to hirple when old age approaches, but then, like the 
 ostrich in the desert, in striving to escape from us he
 
 52 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 plies both feet and wings; and if we have not prizec 
 and kindly entreated him when he courted ou; 
 smile, the moment of revenge has come ; he looks at 
 us with a ghastly, sardonic grin, flaps his sable wings, 
 and vanishes from our sight for ever ! 
 
 We were led to exclaim, " How fleet is the foot of 
 Time !" on observing by our notes that the next ex- 
 cursion had brought us to the summer of 1850. 
 Early in the season, the Ayrshire Naturalist's Club 
 was formed for the promotion of natural science. 
 According to their regulations, they were to meet 
 three or four times for a day's excursion during the 
 summer half-year, and once or twice during the win- 
 ter half-year to read essays prepared by the members 
 on topics connected with the various branches of 
 natural history. Their first meeting was at Ayr, 
 and it proved a very agreeable one, the day being 
 favourable for their excursion, except that winter was 
 still lingering in the lap of May. Their next meeting 
 was at Troon, when one party went out to dredge, 
 and another party went to botanize in the fields and 
 woods about Auchens, and to geologize in the quar- 
 ries near Dundonald. These excursions, howeve? 
 fall not within our present range, so that we pass 
 them summarily over. The third excursion, on the 
 17th July, was to the Island of Arran, and therefore 
 demands our attention. The members of the club 
 came by railway to Ardrossan, and sailed in the daily 
 steamer to Arran at 10 o'clock. A meeting was held 
 in the cabin of the steamer, w^hen three gentlemen 
 were elected as new members of the club, — one of
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARUAN. 53 
 
 them, who resides in Edinhurgh, as a corresponding 
 member. AfterAvards, one of the members, accord- 
 ing to previous appointment, furnished, for the in- 
 spection of the meeting, dried specimens of the rarer 
 plants in the parish of Dundonald, which had been 
 the botanizing ground at the meeting in June. The 
 rarest plant in the parish, Hippocrepis comosa, had 
 not been fallen in with ; indeed, we have heard of its 
 being found there only by two persons. The habitat 
 is on the Castle Hill; and we Avould recommend any 
 botanist who happens to be in that quarter to make 
 the search, for though he should not find the plant, 
 he will not miss the castle, an old royal residence, 
 and the scenery around, as well as the distant views, 
 are exceedingly delightful. But it is not with Dun- 
 donald that we have now to do, but with Arran, which, 
 by the time we had finished this portion of the business, 
 we were nearing, and on returning to the deck, Bro- 
 dick Bay, and Brodick Castle, and Goatfell, and Glen- 
 rosa lay before as in all their grandeur and loveliness, 
 basking in the beams of a delightful summer day. 
 
 One division of the club landed at Invercloy, to 
 explore the shore from Spring Bank to Lamlash; 
 but as this ground has been so lately traversed by us, 
 we shall pass over it at present in silence. Another 
 party proceeded in the steamer till they met, at the 
 mouth of Lamlash, with two dredging boats that 
 had been previously bespoke. The day was most 
 favourable, and was spent right pleasantly by both 
 parties : and as some of the members remained two 
 days, and as Major Mai'tin, our most zealous and sue-
 
 54 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 cessful dredger, continued three days at the work, the 
 excursion was more productive than usual. 
 
 It would lead to much repetition were we to men- 
 tion all that was got. We would not mention the 
 Limas, as these beautiful creatures, and their coral 
 nests, are elsewhere described, were it not that, on 
 this occasion, we observed, as we did also afterwards, 
 that they do not always keep by one order of archi- 
 tecture. In some places of the lake we noticed that 
 their habitations were not formed of the millepore- 
 coral, but of fragments of shells. Whether this was 
 owing to a scarcity of coral as building material in 
 their neighbourhood, or whether it was owing to di- 
 versity of taste, Ave cannot say, but certainly one Avould 
 not have supposed, on looking at their workmanship, 
 that the coral-masons and the shell-masons were 
 children of the same family, which, nevertheless, they 
 seem to be. We never saw birds of the same species 
 differing so much in the fabric and structure of their 
 nests. The coral nests and the shell nests differed as 
 much in fabric and form, as the nests of the mavis 
 and magpie. The coral nest was comparatively 
 smooth without, and, like the nest of the mavis, plas- 
 tered Avithin. The shell nest Avas unplastered AA-ithin, 
 and outside it Avas almost as rugged, and as Avell pro- 
 tected by sharp processes, as the nest of the magpie, 
 with its impregnable fortification of thorns. The 
 shell nest, about the size of a man's hand, was a 
 rugged mass of sharp-pointed fragments of broken 
 shells, bound tightly together by almost unseen cord- 
 age of byssus. The inexperienced dredger Avould cast
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 55 
 
 it from him into the sea, little suspecting that an un- 
 seemly mass of broken shells, to all appearance fast- 
 ened together by chance, was the well-constructed 
 lurking-place of so beautiful an animal. He would 
 not suppose that there could be a habitable cave 
 within; and would a creature, he might say, build a 
 house without isk and entry'? 
 
 On closer examination, however, it is foimd that 
 this pagoda- looking building is really the habitation 
 of the beautiful Lima — that the shells, though piled 
 up, one might think, regardless of rule, are so arranged 
 as to leave a snug receptacle in the centre for the in- 
 genious architect, to which, by a concealed door, he 
 can enter; and by which, if so inclined, he can issue 
 out. Very wonderful are the works of God, and 
 kindly does he teach even the feeblest of his creatures 
 to consult for their own safety and welfare! 
 
 As about fifty species of moUuscawere dredged on 
 this occasion, we must name only the rarer ones. A 
 few years ago, Trochus millegranus was a very rare 
 shell, but during this excursion about eighty speci- 
 mens of it were brought up. Terehratida Caput- Ser- 
 pentis VA'as also accounted very rare not long ago. 
 In proof of its rarity, I may mention, that when my 
 children were little things, amusing themselves by 
 gathering shells on the shore, to encourage them in 
 forming habits of observation, I used to bribe them, 
 Avithout, I trust, being guilty of corruption, by pro- 
 mising a penny for every species of shell that had not 
 been brought me before. This made very minute 
 objects quite visible, and great was my eldest daugh-
 
 56 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 ter's joy, when, on bringing a very little shell one day, 
 to her surprise I said, This is a very rare shell, and I 
 think you are well entitled to sixpence for finding it. 
 What a prize in the lottery ! It was a very young 
 Terehratula Caput-Serpentis, but it was the first that 
 had been gathered on our Ayrshire shore. It has 
 ceased to be rare, and therefore there was very little 
 joy expressed by the dredgers, though several were 
 on this occasion obtained. This Terehratula, as also 
 Terehratula Cranium, were added to the British 
 Fauna by my distinguished friend, Professor John 
 Fleming, to whom natural science is so much in- 
 debted. The latter, Terehratula, is still very rare. 
 I have a specimen of it, but not British. It had been 
 dredged in Norway, attached to Ocul'ma Prolifera, 
 at that time not knoAvn as a British coral, but which 
 has since been found by Dr Fleming in the north of 
 Scotland; and I am glad to add, that, through the 
 kindness of Mr Macmillan, of Ardtur, Appin, I have 
 another fine specimen of it, dredged by fishermen off 
 the island of Barra. 
 
 Had I the tongue of the learned, I might show 
 much of the wisdom of God in the structure of the 
 shell of the Terehratula, and also of the animal that 
 inhabits it. It would lead us too far away were I to 
 attempt even to abridge what has been written on the 
 subject, so that I shall content myself with a word or 
 two respecting the external appearance of the shell. 
 It is a bivalve of a whitish colour, of a rounded, 
 pentagonal, and somewhat egg-shaped figure. The 
 upper and larger valve has its beak perforated, and it
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 57 
 
 adheres by this beak to other objects. A cluster of 
 Terebratula is very interesting. The parrot-beaked 
 Terebratula (now called Hypothyris) is very rare as a 
 native, and has not yet been found in Scotland. But 
 it is high time that we were returning to the enume- 
 ration of our dredged shells. There were got Fusus 
 gracilis, a feAV of Fusus Boothii and of Fusus /Sep- 
 tangular is; one Tellina incarnata ; severaH of Tellhm 
 Donacina, one Tellina Crassa, and one or more of 
 the following : — Crania Norvegica, Pilidium Ruhrum, 
 Cardium fasciatum, Veneruprs Virginica, Cyprina 
 minima, Kellia sulorbicularis, Psammohia Jlo- 
 rida, Naiica Montagui, Dentalium entalis, Punc- 
 turella Noachina, Emarginula reticulata, Hiatella 
 Arciica, Saxicava rugosa, Amphidesma piibescens, 
 Cochlodesma prastenuis, Pecten tigrinus, and Pecten 
 striatus. It was on this occasion that Major Martin 
 dredged the very beautiful specimen of the last-named 
 shell, which we have already mentioned as measuring 
 ll-12ths of an inch in length, and about as much in 
 breadth. Many other shells were got of less rarity. 
 Among the rarer, however, I should have mentioned 
 one specimen of Mactra elliptica. 
 
 Lamlash Bay is not very rich in Crabs, yet some of 
 them are worth mentioning ; such as Ehalia Pen- 
 nantii, Ehalia Cranchii, got l)y JMajor Martin at this 
 time, and Ehalia Bryerii, got on another occasion 
 by Dr Greville. The beautiful Velvet Crab is not rare 
 in Lamlash Bay, nor Porcellana Platycheles. Hyas 
 coarctatus was also dredged; and Tlyas araneus, 
 though common, is intercsdug,' on account of the 
 
 E
 
 58 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 appendages it generally carries along with it. I have 
 seen it adorned with white feathery plumes of Plu- 
 Tnularia setacea. Seaweeds, however, are a more 
 common ornament, such as Delesseria alata^ or D. 
 sinuosa. Still more frequently have I seen it almost 
 covered with a coating of sponge. Dr Johnston, in 
 his interesting work on British Sponges, in ginng 
 the figure of Halichondria oculata, represents it as 
 growing on the back of this crab. " The remarkable 
 specimen," says he, " represented in our plate, was 
 found in the Firth of Forth, by Dr P. AV. Maclagan. 
 It grows from the back of a small crab (^Hyas aranea) 
 — a burden apparently as disproportionate as Avas 
 that of Atlas — and yet the creature has been seemingly 
 little inconvenienced with its arhoreous excrescence, 
 for it was big with spawn, and in a state nearly ready 
 for laying ! Indeed, the protection and safety which 
 the crab would derive from the sponge might more 
 than compensate the hindrance thus opposed to its 
 freedom and activity. When at rest, its prey might 
 seek without suspicion the shelter afforded amid the 
 thick branches of the sponge, and become easy cap- 
 tives; while, when in motion, scarce an enemy could 
 recognise it under such a guise, and the boldest might 
 be startled at the sight of such a monster. 
 
 ' Methought 
 The wood began to move.'" 
 
 ' Pinnotheres plsum also was dredged by Major 
 Martin, and, though a very small crab, about the size 
 of a pea, as the specific name implies, it has a kind 
 of classical interest connected with a very large
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 5d 
 
 shell — even Pimm iytgens of Montmju^ now again 
 known by its older name, Pinna jyecti^iata of Lin- 
 naeus, This Pinna is the largest bivalve inhabiting 
 the British seas, being often a foot in length, and 
 about seven inches in breadth. Pinnae live in sand or 
 mud, with their backs plunged deep in the ground, to 
 which they are fixed so firmly " by a very large strong 
 byssus, two or three inches in length, composed of 
 numerous fine silky fibres, of a dark purplish brown, 
 as to require the exercise of considerable force for 
 their removal." Pinnae are more common in Sicily, 
 where their strong silky byssus is made into gloves 
 and stockings, and, as matters of curiosity, are dis- 
 posed of at a higher price than if made of real silk. 
 Both the Pinna and the Pea Crab were known to 
 the ancients, and, as the little crab took up its abode 
 in some spare nook, as it does still, of the Pinna, or 
 of some other large bivalve, the story ran that the 
 little crab repaid the protection and hospitality of its 
 great friend and neighbour by unceasing vigilance, 
 that it might give prompt notice to the less observant 
 Pinna when prey was at hand ; its watchfulness 
 being, no doubt, quickened by the knowledge that it 
 would be well rewarded by a share of the booty. 
 Oppian, a Greek poet, who flourished about the end 
 of the second century, and who, among other things, 
 ■\ATOte in five books, what he calls his Halieutics, 
 tells the story prettily, and it was done into verse in 
 1772, as follows: — 
 
 " In clouded deeps below the Pinna hides, 
 And through the silent paths obscurely glides;
 
 60 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 A stnpid wretch, and void of thoughtful care. 
 He forms no bait, nor lays the tempting snare 
 But the dull sluggard boasts a crab his friend, 
 Whose busy eyes the coming prey attend; 
 One room contains them, and the partners dwell 
 Beneath the conTex of one sloping shell; 
 Deep in the watery vast, the comrades rove. 
 And mutual interest binds their constant love; 
 That wiser friend the lucky juncture tells, 
 When in the gaping circuit of the shells 
 Fish, wandering, enter ; then the bearded guide 
 Warns the dull mate, and pricks his tender side; 
 He knows the hint, nor at the treatment grieves. 
 But hugs the advantage, and the pain forgives; 
 His closing shells the Pinna sudden joins. 
 And 'twixt the pressing sides the prey confines. 
 Thus fed by mutual aid, the friendly pair 
 Divide their gains, and all the plunder share." 
 
 The Pinna ingens has only once, that I know of, 
 been got near Arran. It is not at all uncommon in 
 the Hebridean seas. It has more than once come 
 to me from a friend in the island of Coll. What I 
 prized it chiefly for was the rare zoophytes with 
 which it was richly incrusted.* There is much yet 
 to be discovered in these Western seas in various 
 branches of natural science. 
 
 Among other things that this story teaches us, 
 
 * I lately saw at Exmouth, in the possession of a shell-dealer, 
 to whom I was introduced by my kind, intelligent friend Mrs Gul- 
 son, a good specimen oi Pinna ingens, dredged in that neigh- 
 bourhood. Though scrubbed and oiled for the market, the byssus 
 fortunately had not been touched. Mrs Gulson told me that 
 some young ladies having brought her a Pinna found on the 
 shore, and on her saying, " Had it not the byssus ? " they an- 
 swered, " Was that the tail ? We tore off the ugly tail, and 
 threw it away."
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. CI 
 
 we may learn from it that wisdom is better than 
 strength. Even the mouse may be of service to the 
 lion. How happy, then, they who commit them- 
 selves to Him who is both wisdom and strength, who 
 can protect us in danger, who can give us counsel 
 and might, who can supply all our wants out of his 
 abundant riches, who can establish the work of our 
 hands, and cause all things to work together for 
 our good ! 
 
 This little crab is so common on the Irish coast, 
 that Mr W. Thompson obtained fourteen of them by 
 opening eighteen of the large Modiola or horse-mussel ; 
 and at Youghal Mr Ball found them so abundantly 
 in the common cockle, that about nine out of every 
 ten cockles contained a crab. But crabs used for 
 food are, of course, much more sought after. Cancer 
 2)agurus is the one which, in our country, by way of 
 eminence, is spoken of as the crab. In the west of 
 Scotland it is known among boys by the name of the 
 Cruhen^ a word of Gaelic extraction. It is generally 
 taken by wicker-baskets like mouse-traps, and baited 
 with portions of fish, &c. In the London market, 
 crabs often weigh nine lbs. and upwards, which I 
 think is greatly above the Scottish average. 
 
 Of the starfishes got at this time, the rarest were 
 Goniaster Templetoni and Uraster glacialis. The 
 vivid scarlet colour of the Goniaster causes it to 
 attract attention the moment that it is turned out 
 from the dredge. The Urastcrs were very large, 
 fully twelve inches in diameter. They would, if pro- 
 perly prepared, have made first-rate specimens for a
 
 &2 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 museum ; but happily for them, having a lurid, un- 
 tempting look, they were turned back into the sea. 
 
 Fewer zoophytes than usual were obtained— only 
 Antennularia .ramosa, Plumular'ia pinnata, Hale- 
 cium kaleeinum, Lepralia annulata, and others of 
 more common occurrence. 
 
 The haul, of seaweeds was richer; the rarest of 
 which were, Aspei^ococcus Turueri, Delesserla rus- 
 cifolia, CalUthamnion phnmda, Stilophora Lynghyei^ 
 Phyllophora Brodiwi, and the beautiful Sporochnus 
 pedunculatus, now got for the first time in the West 
 by Major Martin, and soon after in great beauty by 
 Mrs Balfour. Major Martin likeAvise got, for the first 
 time in Scotland, Cutleria multijida, dearer to us be- 
 cause it bears the much respected name of our excel- 
 lent friend, Miss Cutler. 
 
 After mentioning the starfishes that came in our 
 way, it would have been more in order had we placed 
 in juxtaposition with them Amphidotus roseus, Ech- 
 inocyamus pasUlus, and Echinus sphwra, common, 
 indeed, but very large, and very beautiful, and, when 
 carefully examined, very, very wonderful. Though 
 we were happy in speedily restoring to the sea those 
 pretty creatures that had been so suddenly and un- 
 ceremoniously summoned into our presence, and 
 which were very far, I am convinced, from courting 
 further acquaintance with us, I must beg leave, now 
 that their backs are turned upon us, to make our 
 young friends better acquainted with Echinus sphwra. 
 Had they still retained the name of Echinus escu- 
 lentus, which, till lately, they bore, and could I have
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 63 
 
 recommended them as tid-bits for the table, I am 
 convinced that they would not have thanked me 
 for this certificate of character. We cannot deny 
 that Echinus esculentus, which greatly resembles our 
 Echinus f/phcera, was not only regarded as eatable, as 
 the name implies, but was accounted very 4elicious 
 in ancient times, being dressed with vinegar, honied 
 wine, parsley, and mint, and composed, as is recorded, 
 the principal dish at the famous supper of Lentulus 
 when he was made High Priest of Mars. Neither 
 can it be denied that Pennant says that it is eaten by 
 the poor in many parts of England ; but we think 
 we may safely deny that it is eaten even by the poor 
 in any part of Scotland, and, had it been very good, 
 surely some gasteronome would have made the dis- 
 covery. It has not been made in vain, however, if 
 it show forth to us the wisdom of the Lord. All 
 his works praise him, and every spine even of this 
 prickly sea-urchin is fitted to lead us to say of Him 
 who made it. How wonderful is he in working ! 
 Every spine is a piece of beautiful workmanship, 
 especially if a section of it is examined by the aid 
 of the microscope ; and the pattern is so distinct in 
 every species, that the species can be determined by 
 a single spine. And then the spine is not like the 
 thorn of a shrub, an immovable process, for then it 
 would not only have been much more apt to be 
 broken, but would have been comparatively of little 
 use ; but it rests on a tubercle, on which it moves in 
 the manner of a ball-and-socket joint, and it is kept 
 in its position by a fine membrane, which invests
 
 64 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 not only every spine, but the whole shell or integu- 
 ment of the animal. By the joint action of the 
 spines and of retractile suckers, it can move from 
 place to place in any direction, or moor itself to the 
 surface of submarine rocks. It may be seen before 
 the spines are removed, but still better when they 
 are removed, that it is divided into ten compartments 
 by five double rows of minute holes. From each pair 
 of pores protudes a sucker, which is long, cylindric, 
 and provided with a circular disk at its extremity, 
 by which it can attach itself to any object, and can 
 also climb perpendicular rocks. " The number of 
 these suckers," says Professor Forbes, " is very great. 
 In a moderate- sized urchin, I reckoned sixty-two rows 
 of pores in each of the ten avenues. Now, as there 
 are three pairs of pores in each row, their number 
 multiplied by six and again by ten would give the 
 great number of 3720 pores; but as each sucker 
 occupies a pair of pores, the number of suckers would 
 be half that amount, or ISGO. The structure of the 
 sea-urchin is not less complicated in other parts. 
 There are above 300 plates of one kind, and nearly 
 as many of another, all dovetailing together with 
 the greatest nicety and regularity, bearing on their 
 surfaces above 4000 spines, each spine perfect in it- 
 self, and of a complicated structure, and having a 
 free movement in its socket. Truly the skill of the 
 great Architect of nature is not less displayed in the 
 construction of a sea-urchin than in the building up 
 of a world!" Moreover, "the calcareous coveriiifr 
 of the sea-m-chin," says our intelligent friend, Mr
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 65 
 
 Paterson of Belfast, exhibits a singular and beautiful 
 contrivance for the progressive growth of the animal. 
 It is not one piece, as the word " shell," so commonly 
 applied to it, would lead us to suppose. It is formed 
 of a multitude of pentagonal pieces accurately fitted 
 together, some rows of them bearing the tubercles to 
 which the spines are attached, and others pierced 
 with hundreds of minute orifices, through which the 
 tubular suckers are protruded. A living membrane, 
 analogous to that found in some of the Polyps, covers 
 the entire surface, and dips down between the several 
 plates. It has the power of depositing a calcareous 
 secretion, which, being added to the edges of the plates, 
 augments all in an equal ratio ; and thus, whatever 
 may be the size of the sea-urchin, the relative propor- 
 tion of the several parts is uniformly maintained. It 
 is impossible to contemplate the admirable mechanism 
 of the spines, and suckers, and the elaborate structure 
 of the shell, without at once feeling the conviction 
 that in them we behold a portion of " the works of 
 the Lord, and his wonders in the deep." 
 
 To say nothing of the multitude of the beautifully 
 formed pincers, called pedicellaria, which are in 
 constant motion on the surface of the coat, there re- 
 mains much to be told, if space and time were 
 granted, of the wonders of this prickly orb. We 
 shall only briefly mention the admirable structure of 
 the mouth, referring for a full description as given by 
 Professor Jones in his "General Outline of the Animal 
 Kingdom." The fine polished, pointed teeth that pro- 
 ject from the mouth form part of an apparatus for
 
 66 . EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 the prehension and mastication of food admirably 
 fitted for these important purposes, and known by 
 the fanciful name of Aristotle's lantern. In this lan- 
 tern, besides the projecting teeth, there are strong 
 grinding jaws, roughened like a millstone for the 
 purpose, with muscular bands of great strength for 
 regulating the motions of the jaws and teeth. The 
 bony jaws and teeth form a conical body, about an 
 inch and a half long, placed with its pointed end to- 
 wards the great aperture at the base of the shell, and 
 extending backwards into the body of the animal. 
 " It is," says Professor Harvey, in his most interesting 
 Seaside Book, " attached by strong muscles to five 
 bony arches that surround the mouth of the shell, 
 and several other sets of muscles serve to propel it 
 forward, to cause it to retreat, to move the mass from 
 side to side, or to cause the jaws to act one on ano- 
 ther like pairs of millstones. The cone consists of 
 five triangular pincers, or jaws hollovved out, with an 
 opening down the centre in front, arched behind, 
 and with the two sides flattened and finely grooved. 
 In the hollow of the jaws is placed a large moveable 
 tooth which plays up and down. When the cone is 
 put together, the flat dressed surfaces of the five jaws, 
 which stand round in a circle, are brought into con- 
 tact. All the food that is received at the mouth 
 must pass between these surfaces ; and as there are 
 systems of muscles which enable them to play up and 
 down and across, a more perfect mill for grinding 
 down the food cannot well be conceived." Any set 
 of teeth fixed in sockets as ours are, would soon be
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 67 
 
 worn clown by the sharp and constant practice to 
 which the teeth of the sea-urchins are called in 
 grinding down the shell-fish, and the bones of ma- 
 rine animals, on which the Echini feed. It is there- 
 fore wisely so ordered that there is, as in the case of 
 the gnawing animals, a continual growth at the roots, 
 where they are soft with a silky lustre, whereas at the 
 points they have all the hardness of enamel. "Their 
 jaws," Professor Rymer Jones says, " from their 
 great complexity, and unique structure, form perhaps 
 the most admirable masticating apparatus met with in 
 the whole animal kingdom." The shelly integument of 
 the sea-urchin is very commonly seen as a chimney- 
 piece ornament even in the inland parts of the country, 
 being brought as a curiosity from the fchore by those 
 who return from seabathing quarters. It is a pretty 
 and curious object ; but how few know that, when 
 minutely examined, it is found to be constructed 
 with such consummate ingenuity and skill, that man 
 with all his boasted progress in the arts and sciences 
 would not have the folly even to attempt to imitate 
 this exquisite workmanship ! 
 
 Sea-urchins of numerous species seem to have 
 abounded in the ancient seas, as their fossil remains 
 in our cabinets testify. Echmocorys tcutatus is a 
 species very often found in limestone rocks in the 
 north of Ireland. AVe have a pretty little specimen 
 of it, which we value more in consequence of the 
 curious way in which it was obtained. We may say 
 that it was dredged, but who was the dredger ? It 
 was a codfish. I got the fossil from my friend, Jlr
 
 C8 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Underwood, at Moneymore, who assured, me that his 
 cook got it in the stomach of a large cod purchased 
 at Coleraine. Many shells, and crabs, and star- 
 fishes are found in the stomachs of cods and had- 
 docks, but this was the only instance we have known 
 of their dealing in the fossil line. 
 
 It is a by- rule of our club, that any friend, of a 
 kindred spirit, who may be disposed to join us in any 
 of our excursions, is made a member of the club for 
 the day. On this occasion, we had the pleasure of 
 having two such friends with us. One of them was 
 Mr Gray of Greenock, who had been spending a day 
 or two in Arran, and who, after enjoying our dredg- 
 ing for some hours, by way of variety was landed on 
 the Holy Isle, and before returning to us had climbed 
 the hill, which is fully 1000 feet in height, and 
 had enjoyed the charming view from the summit. 
 The other was the Rev. A. Somerville of Glasgow, 
 the worthy successor of Rev. Dr Love, Rev. Dr D. 
 Macfarlane, and the Rev. Charles Brown. lie has 
 great pleasure in the book of nature, which pro- 
 claims its divine Author, but far greater pleasure in 
 that nobler book which tells us of the wonders of 
 God's love in the work of redemption through Jesus 
 Christ his Son. To preach Christ Jesus and him 
 crucified, is at once his duty and his delight ; and not 
 satisfied with labouring most zealously among the 
 members of his own congregation, when he saw 
 the multitudes mIio in the city of Glasgow are 
 living without God, his spirit was stirred within 
 him, leading him to be instant in season and out of
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 69 
 
 season, in the narrow lanes and in the open fields, 
 striving to turn sinners from the error of their way. 
 How great the wonders of the human voice ! so ex- 
 pressive of every feeling of the heart — now of pity — 
 now of grief — now of affection — now of wrath — noAv 
 of exalted devotion — now of seraphic fervour — as if 
 feeling the kindlings of that holy flame which burns 
 in the hearts of the worshippers around the throne. 
 What an organ is the throat, that can he so power- 
 fully played ! But Mr Somerville learned by experi- 
 ence that it can be overwrought : like some others, 
 he found that his zeal made him forget that, however 
 willing the spirit may be, there are bounds which the 
 bodily organs cannot safely overpass. Beyond these 
 he had often gone, and the consequence was an affec- 
 tion of the throat, Avhich has occasionally deprived 
 the church for a season of his valuable services. To 
 give a little temporary ease to this overwrought organ, 
 he was now residing in Arran ; and being otherwise 
 in great good health, he could enjoy the present ex- 
 cursion. And there were others to enjoy it, though 
 not members of the club. In another boat that kept 
 pretty close by us, we had the pleasure of seeing Mrs 
 Somerville and some of their fine boys, and her 
 sister, Miss Ewing. The spirited boys, free for a little 
 from the grammar school and full of glee, mightily 
 enjoyed the sail in the loch, and joining us when the 
 dredge was hauled, expressed with youthful ardour 
 their wonder and delight at seeing the rich and curi- 
 ous mixture it contained. 
 
 When one of our party was put ashore to ascend,
 
 70 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 as we liave said, to the summit of the Holy Isle, we 
 all availed ourselves of the opportunity afforded to 
 land for a little. The only thing I shall mention as 
 the result of our brief littoral researches is Halichon- 
 dria panicea, growing on the under side of a shelving 
 rock washed by the waves except at very low water. 
 This species of sponge is not rare on our western 
 shores. It is described as follows by my kind friend 
 Dr Johnston, in his excellent " History of British 
 Sponges": — "//. panicea, incrusting, amorphous, 
 compact, cellular like crumb-of-bread interiorly, the 
 surface minutely porous, even, or papillary ; focal 
 orifices large and scattered; spicula fusiform, slightly 
 curved." He extends the description by saj-ing that 
 it forms an irregular, and often extensive crust, some- 
 times thin and at other times nearly an inch in thick- 
 ness, of an orange-yellow colour, at times with a 
 considerable mixture of green. It is rather firm, com- 
 pressible, but not elastic, porous and cellular, and 
 perforated Avith canals which open on the surface, 
 either level with it, or elevated into large papillary 
 processes, that are either separate or confluent, and 
 each of which is terminated by a wide focal orifice. 
 When broken longitudinally, the fibres of the sponge 
 are observed to have an upright direction, connected 
 by numerous cross threads formed by fasciculi of the 
 spicula, which are very numerous, short, curved, fusi- 
 form, and pointed at both ends. I may mention, that 
 the spicula which are here spoken of are little silicious 
 needles, which abound in this and in many sponges, 
 and by the shape of which the genera and species
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 71 
 
 are In some degree determined. You -would not 
 suppose, in looking at this soft sponge, that it con- 
 tained so many sharp and flinty ingredients. Mis- 
 chievous boys, however, on the seashore are not igno- 
 rant of this, and drying the sponge and reducing it to a 
 powder, they ask their unwary friends to rub their 
 hands with this fine white powder, and are greatly 
 amused with the intolerable itching produced by the 
 stinging of the little invisible needles. If you wish to 
 see them for scientific purposes, you have only to burn 
 a small portion of the sponge, and to examine by the 
 aid of the microscope a little of the ashes, and you 
 will find that the spicula abound. The foreign 
 sponges which are in so general use among us are free 
 from these needles. The Turkey sponges, which are 
 the finest, are from the Mediterranean ; the West 
 Indian are chiefly from the Bahama Islands. We are 
 told by Pomet that in the isle called Jearus young 
 men are not allowed to marry till they are expert in 
 gathering sponges from the bottom of the sea; and 
 if any bonnie lass has many icoolng at her^ as we 
 would say in Scotland, the competitors must strip and 
 jump into the sea, and he who dives best and can 
 stay longest in the water marries the maiden. Ac- 
 cording to Ilasselquist, in another island the capa- 
 bilities of the young maidens are put to the same 
 test. " Himia is a little and almost unknown island, 
 directly opposite Rhodes : we saw it in the morning 
 on our right hand. It is worth notice on acount of 
 the singular methods the Greeks, inhabitants of the 
 island, have to get their living. In the bottom of the
 
 72 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 sea, the common sponge (^Sjyongia officinalis) is found 
 in abundance, and more than in any other place in 
 the Mediterranean. The inhabitants make it a trade 
 to fish up this sponge, by which they get a living far 
 from contemptible, as their goods are always wanted 
 by the Turks, who use an incredible number of 
 sponges at their bathings and washings. A girl in 
 this island is not permitted by her relations to marry, 
 before she has brought up a certain quantity of 
 sponges, and before she can give a proof of her 
 agility, by taking them up from a certain depth." 
 There, the young woman must give proof that she 
 can be a helpmate for her husband. At Fisherrow, 
 near Musselburgh, where the fishermen's wives re- 
 quire both strength and agility to go to Edinburgh 
 every day with a good creelful of " caller baddies," 
 &c., on their back, in their own opinion something 
 more than parity is requisite. " Her marry ! " ex- 
 claims Janet, scornfully, " Her marry, silly taupie ! 
 she's no fit to keep a man." 
 
 In the days of Homer, sponges were employed in 
 promoting cleanliness as now, and we doubt not long 
 before Priam reigned or Homer sang ; but, so far as 
 we know, Aristotle, the preceptor of Alexander the 
 Great, himself as renowned as his ambitious and 
 warlike sovereign, was the first to treat of them 
 scientifically ; and it is curious to see that their rank 
 in the scale of nature was an unsettled point then as 
 it still continues to the present day. Aristotle in 
 one place speaks of them as animals, but in another 
 part of his works he speaks of them as plants, or
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARHAN. 73 
 
 rather as holding a place intermediate betwixt ani- 
 mals and plants. " The sponge," says Aristotle, 
 " is a stationary or rooted animal, and seems to have 
 some sensation, for they report that it is torn away 
 with difl&culty, unless the attempt be made without 
 warning ;" or, as he words it in another place, " if the 
 sponge perceives a person about to pull it oflF, it con- 
 tracts itself, and is difficult to be taken away, and it 
 does the same when there is much wind and sea, in 
 order that it may not be uprooted ; but there are 
 some persons who doubt of this, as the inhabitants 
 of Torone." In another part, however, of his works, 
 he asserts that sponges are without sensation, and 
 have altogether the character of a plant ; or rather, 
 on the whole, he may be considered as regarding them 
 as intermediate betwixt animals and plants.* Ray 
 rejects what is said by the ancients of the life of 
 sponges, and regards them as marine vegetables. 
 Linnasus ranked them among the cryptogamous algae. 
 Ellis was at first inclined to think that, like other 
 zoophytes, sponges would be found to be polypiferous, 
 and the polypi, or " animals of a particular class," 
 Avere to be sought for in the orifices Avhich open on 
 the surface, or in the tubular fibre, which, by its in- 
 osculations, forms the complicated reticulation of the 
 whole mass. But his mature opinion was, that the 
 sponge is an animal sid generis^ very torpid, growing 
 in a variety of forms, composed either of reticulated 
 fibres, or masses of spines interwoven together, which 
 are clothed with a living gelatinous flesh full of 
 
 * Dr Johnston's British Sponges. 
 F
 
 74 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 small mouths or holes on the surface, by which it 
 sucks in and throws out the water. Montagu, in his 
 Essay ou Sponges, says, that the true character of a 
 sponge is that of a living inactive gelatinous flesh, 
 supported by innumerable cartilaginous or corneous 
 fibres or spicula, with external pores that convey the 
 water to every part of the body, and that the oxygen 
 in the water is the principal part of their nourish- 
 ment, so that the sponge is entitled to the name of 
 sea- lungs. 
 
 Dr R. E. Grant threw great light on the nature of 
 sponges. He was led to regard them as animal — • 
 " inferior to the polypus in the system, but superior 
 to the polygastric or infusory animals." His experi- 
 ments are so interesting, that we must quote some of 
 them. " Having put a small branch of the Spongla 
 coaliia with some seawater into a watch-glass, under 
 the microscope," says Dr Grant, " on moving the 
 watch-glass so as to bring one of the apertures on 
 the side of the sponge fully into view, I beheld for 
 the first time the splendid spectacle of this living 
 fountain vomiting forth from a circular cavity an im- 
 petuous torrent of liquid matter, and hurling along, 
 in rapid succession, opaque masses, which it strewed 
 every where around. The beauty and novelty of such 
 a scene in the animal kingdom long arrested my 
 attention ; but, after twenty-five minutes of constant 
 observation, I was obliged to withdraw my eye from 
 fatigue, without having seen the torrent for one 
 instant change its deviation, or diminish, in the 
 slightest degree, the rapidity of its course.' As not
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 75 
 
 every one has a microscope at hand, it is well that 
 Dr Grant tells us hoAv these currents may he seen by 
 the naked eye, and his experiment was made with a 
 sponge that can be got on all places of the sea- coast, 
 imd the very one that led us to speak of sponges. 
 "The Spongia or Halichondria panicea presents the 
 strongest current which I have yet seen, and has the 
 greatest thickness of body of any spreading sponge 
 which I have met with on the rocks of this part of 
 the Frith of Forth. Two entire round portions of 
 this sponge were placed together in a glass ol sea- 
 water with their orifices opposite to each other at the 
 distance of two inches ; they appeared to the naked 
 eye like two living batteries, and soon covered each 
 other with feculent matter. I placed one of them in 
 a shallow vessel, and just covered its surface and 
 highest orifice with water. On strewing some pow- 
 dered chalk on the surface of the water, the currents 
 were visible at a great distance ; and on placing some 
 small pieces of cork, or of dry paper, over the aper- 
 tures, I could perceive them moving by the force of 
 the currents at the distance of ten feet from the table 
 on which the specimen rested." 
 
 Did it not carry us too far, we would like to give 
 at some length the conclusions come to by Dr John- 
 ston, of whose interesting works we have already made 
 much use. On examining the freshwater green Spon- 
 gilla, few, he says, would hesitate to pronounce it a 
 vegetable; and even in passing to the examination 
 of the calcareous and siliceous, however genuine, the 
 impression is not so much weakened but that he can
 
 76 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Still say, with Professor Owen, " that if a line could 
 he drawn between the animal and vegetable kingdoms, 
 the sponges would be placed on the vegetable side of 
 the line." But Dr Johnston adds, " We shall possi- 
 bly, however, arrive at an opposite conclusion, if, pro- 
 ceeding in our inquiry, we follow the siliceous species, 
 insensibly gliding, on the one hand, into the fibro- 
 corneous sponge, filled with its mucilaginous fishy 
 slime; and, on the other, into the fleshy Tethya, in 
 whose oscula the first signs of an obscure irritability 
 show themselves. Sponges, therefore, appear to be 
 true zoophytes ; aiid it imparts additional interest to 
 their study to consider them, as they probably are, 
 the first matrix and cradle of organic life, and ex- 
 hibiting before us the lowest organization compatible 
 with its existence." Since I wrote this, cilia, I have 
 been told, have been discovered in active motion in 
 sponges by Mr Bowerbank. 
 
 The only other sponge I shall mention as being 
 also dredged by us, is Halichondria suherea. To a 
 young naturalist this a very puzzling article. It com- 
 pletely covers univalve shells, forming a kind of half- 
 cloth half-corky investment. When I first found it, 
 on the coast of Ayrshire many years ago, I was quite 
 at a loss to conjecture what it was. It had so cover- 
 ed Hasa reticulata, that not a speck of the shell was 
 visible, and it had contracted also the size of the 
 mouth. It was a shell in shape but not at all in sub- 
 stance. I sent it to several naturalists of note, but na- 
 tural history, in its various departments, was much less 
 generally studied then, and it come back to me with
 
 KXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. t I 
 
 many conjectures attached, but all of them very wide 
 of the mark. I then sent it to my good friend Dr 
 John Fleming, who was greatly amused with the 
 learned conjectures. He was quite familiar Avith it, 
 and he sent it back correctly named. It is cuiious 
 that the shell thus clothed is very generally chosen as 
 the cell of the hermit crab, which must be more 
 social than hermits are in general, for if not found 
 in partnership with the sponge, it is almost sure to 
 be a fellow-lodger with the pretty-spotted Actinea, 
 though it acts like the Irishman who, in dividing the 
 house with his wife, generously gave her all the out- 
 side, keeping only the inside to liimself. 
 
 Among the shells dredged, there was a JSfatica 
 glaucma^ which, as its mouth was shut up with an 
 artificial plaster-work, I placed, on reaching home, 
 in a tumbler of scawater, to see whether any thing 
 would be forthcoming. I had not watched it long 
 till I saw protruded from a little hole in the plaster 
 operculum, something like a white worm, which, hav- 
 ing made a speedy voyage of discovery, withdrew into 
 its hiding-place. I found that it Avas a Sipunculus 
 nearly allied to the one figured and named by Pro- 
 fessor Edward Forbes as Sipuncuhcs Bernhardus, 
 '•• This curious animal," he says, " adopts the shells of 
 dead univalve testacea for a house and home, after 
 the manner of the hermit crab. It would appear, 
 however, to be of a less changeable disposition of mind 
 and body than its crustacean analogue, and when once 
 securely housed in a shell, makes that its permanent 
 habitation. The Sijmnculus is not, however, content
 
 78 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 ■svith the habitation built for it by its molluscan pre- 
 decessor; it exercises its own architectural ingenuity, 
 and secures the entrance of its shell by a plaster- work 
 of sand, leaving a round hole in the centre, suificient- 
 Iv laree to adrait of the protrusion of its trunk, which 
 it sends out to a great length, and moves about in all 
 directions with great facility. The trunk is long and 
 cylindrical, and slightly enlarged at its extremity, 
 where it is surrounded by about twenty tcntacula, 
 which are very seldom protruded. The trunk can be 
 entirely retracted within the body," which, we may add, 
 lies concealed in the shell inside of the plaster- work. 
 I was much interested in watching the movements of 
 this marine eremite. It evidently sent out its trunk 
 to forage, making a raid at regular intervals, so as to 
 accomplish about five every minute. In protruding 
 its trunk, it seemed to plough like a little pig among 
 the mud deposited at the bottom of the tumbler, the 
 head at that time being no thicker than the linear 
 body of the trunk, but having gone the whole length 
 of its tether, about 1^ inches^ it elevated the trunk 
 in the way that the proboscis of the elephant is some- 
 times figured, and when thus uplifted, the head became 
 swelled to double the thickness, the mouth seemed 
 opened and the tentacula spread out, as if it had been 
 swallowing all that it had got or could get. This 
 being over, the head was reduced to the same thick- 
 ness as the trunk, and the whole was retracted with- 
 in the shell. In a very little, the trunk was again 
 protruded, and it continued to repeat the same process, 
 for a long time, seeming to enjoy the work. I had
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRA.V. 7i) 
 
 intended to cast it back into the sea, but finding that 
 it Avas dop'l next morning, I broke the sliell, and found 
 that the body of the animal was more than double the 
 tbickness of the trunk, which had no.w disappeared, 
 beinsf withdrawn like the horns of a snail. 
 
 We suspect that many of our readers will now be 
 ready to say, " enough is as good as a feast," and will 
 be well pleased to hear, that as Lamlash was now near 
 at hand, we made the best of our Avay to Seafield, 
 where dinner had been provided for the assembled 
 club by Mr and Mrs Barbour, in whose hospitable 
 house having spent the night, I next day returned to 
 Ayrshire. 
 
 We have now come to the last excursion to Arran 
 in which I bore any part. My good friends, Mr 
 Tveddie and Mr Connel from Glasgow, having ar- 
 langed to meet for a day's dredging with Professor 
 Balfour from Edinburgh, Avho had been residing dur- 
 incr some of the summer months at Seafield, near 
 Lamlash, avc all met by raihvay on the quay at Ar- 
 drossan, along with ]\Iajor Martin, who was to be of 
 the party; but before we start in the steamer, the time 
 \\ill not be lost if we turn our attention for a little to 
 some interesting workers in wood, residing in the 
 harbour, and who are most indefatigable in their la- 
 bours, though they are far from getting thanks from 
 any of the proprietors. I refer to Xi/lophagists of 
 lour descriptions, two of them molluscous, and two 
 of them crustaceous, who, by boring into the wood- 
 A\ orks, in process of time destroy whatever they assail. 
 In particular, it was lately found that they had so
 
 80 EXCURSIONS TO ARRANi 
 
 thorouglily damaged the dock -gates of the harbour, 
 that it was necessary to remove them, and put new 
 ones in their place. These diligent workers in wood 
 are Teredo Noifvegica^ Xylophaga dor sails ^ and two 
 little voracious crustaceans, Limnoria Terbrans, and 
 Chelura Terbrans. Major Martin, who resides at 
 Ardrossan, was not blind to these depredations; and 
 though he could not stop the proceedings of the 
 borers, he did Avhat was next best, he took a note of 
 their work, and procured for himself and his friends 
 some of the finest specimens I ever saw of the damaged 
 wood, Avith the depredators in situ arrested in the 
 very act. I had specimens of all the four, but mine 
 were all in drift wood, and not nearly so fine as those 
 got by the Major in the dock-gates. Mr W. Thomp- 
 son, of Belfast, Avhose eye, and mind, and pen, are 
 ever actively employed, had written a memoir re- 
 specting the depredations of some of these creatures at 
 Portpatrick and Donaghadee, on receiving a specimea 
 from Major Martin, which led to a correspondence, 
 wrote another memoir on the subject, and as he kindly 
 sent me a copy of it, I shall freely avail myself of it, 
 " Early in the month of May last, jMajor Martin, of 
 Ardrossan, in Ayrshire, a gentleman well known as 
 a lover of natural history, and as a successful collec- 
 tor of objects of zoological and botanical interest, sent 
 me a piece of wood bored by the Xylophaga dorsalis, 
 and labelled as from the dock-gates, Ardrossan. Not 
 having before heard of this animal attacking the 
 fixed timber of our harbours — it has been ibimd in 
 drift wood, or portions of vessels cast ashore — I made
 
 EXCURSKtNS TO ARRAX. 81 
 
 immediate inquiry respecting it, suggesting, at tlie 
 same time, tliat the Teredo should be looked for, and 
 also that the outside of the timber should be examined 
 for very minute borings ; if such were observed, I 
 requested to be informed whether they Avere of more 
 than one size. Specimens of wood excavated by the 
 Limnorla and Chelura were forwarded by post for 
 my friend's guidance. I shall here give his replies to 
 queries on the suliject generally. The piece of wood 
 sent was a portion of the dock -gates. The Xylo- 
 phaga has been known to be consuming them since 
 the docks were opened in 1844. It has been known 
 for a very considerable time along this coast, where 
 there is no fresh water. It attacks timber of all 
 kinds ; for instance, the wooden pier (the supporters 
 of which are nearly destroyed) and other timbers that 
 were under water about the quays, and have been 
 placed there without any preserving coating. It ap- 
 pears to prefer black birch to any other timber. The 
 red pine is the favourite timber of the crustaceans. 
 On inspecting the pier, Major Martin could not ob- 
 serve that the Xylophaga had committed any destruc- 
 tion, but saw that the Teredo had been at work in 
 some places. He cut off a piece of the wood from 
 the outside, and sent it to me. It contained, in ad- 
 dition to the furrows of the Teredo^ living specimens 
 of both Limnoria and Chelura. This pier has been 
 about eight years existing. I was also sent a portion 
 of one of the dock-gates, consisting of a piece of pine, 
 of two inches in thickness, and within the space of a 
 few square inches containing the excavations of the
 
 S2 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 -whole four species. It may give some idea of the 
 frequency of the Xylophaga's perforating in the dif- 
 ferent pieces of wood to mention, that on an average 
 at least one-half is occupied by its burrows," 
 
 When Professor ror})es was about to publish that 
 part of his " British Mollusca" in Avhich the Xylo- 
 phaga is figured and described, he wrote to me, wish- 
 ing that I could send him a living specimen. It so 
 happened that, very soon after, I picked up a floating 
 fragment of the branch of a tree full of living Xylo- 
 phagas. Some of them I put into seawater, and had 
 the pleasure of seeing their form and habits, and 
 others of them I sent to the Professor. In his excel- 
 lent work he afterw^ards said, — " The animal of our 
 British species, according to a note kindly communi- 
 cated by the Rev. D. Landsborough, is, with the ex- 
 ception of the siphons, entirely included within the 
 shell. The foot is large, and pillar-shaped ; its extre- 
 mity tinged with buff. It occupies the greater part 
 of the anterior opening, and may be protruded to 
 some length. The margin of the mantle around it 
 appears to be plicated. The rest of the animal is 
 white. The siphons are very extensible ; sometimes 
 assuming a length of three quarters of an inch, more 
 usually resting at about the third of those dimensions." 
 The shell in which this animal lodges is a beautiful 
 structure. It is white, globular, composed of two 
 equal much-caiTed valves, their outer surface in part 
 smooth, in part striated and ornamented ; the inner 
 is strengthened by a strong rib running from the back 
 to the central margin. It has no tube, but two ac-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 83 
 
 cossorv plates of pretty workmanship. The texture 
 (if the shell is very fragile. A full-sized one is about 
 as large as one of the largest of our garden peas. It 
 is a curious spectacle, when a portion of the fresh 
 plank is split up, to see how completely it is occupied 
 by these creatures in their finely-rounded cells, and 
 we wonder how in their fragile shells they could so 
 nicelv carve out their abodes in the firm wood. The 
 chambers run across the wood sometimes 1^ inches 
 betbre they terminate in a rounded form. Mr Thomp- 
 son says, "• The shells of my largest specimens are 5^ 
 lines in length ; the two valves joined at the hinge 
 occupy a space of 5^ lines in diameter." 
 
 In the same plank, hoAvever, of the dock-gates 
 at Ardrossan, we have, along with the Xylophaga^ 
 Teredo Navalis of Turton, which is now found to 
 be the Teredo Norvegica of Spengler. They work 
 harmoniously together, the Xylophaga boring across 
 the grain, and the Teredo longitudinally in the direc- 
 tion of the grain, and taking good care not to in- 
 terfere with each other. Were we to show only 
 the head or shell of the Teredo to an unpractised 
 observer, it Avould appear the same as the shell of the 
 Xylophaga. The scientific eye, however, can see 
 much difference. But, though we were to overlook 
 the difference in the shape and striating of the shells, 
 and also the want of accessory valves in the Teredo, 
 compensated by its having, at the part where the 
 siphons divide, little calcareous bodies caHed pallets., 
 we cannot fail to observe this striking difference in 
 the Teredo, that the body of the animal is lodged in
 
 84 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 a strons: calcareous longitudinal tube. These tubes 
 are not often seen more than a foot in length, but 
 Mr W. Thompson mentions that at Portpatrick they 
 have in some cases attained the extraordinary length 
 of nearly 2^ feet. The greatest diameter at the 
 larger end, is 7-8ths of an inch; at the smaller, from 
 1^ to 2 lines. In these cases, the valves of the 
 shells were large in proportion, being three-quarters 
 of an inch in diameter. The largest tubes I ever 
 met with were found by me in a quarry at Content, 
 near Ayr. They were in beams of timber like masts 
 of vessels, which, though still pretty firm, must have 
 been buried there above twenty feet underneath the 
 present surface, during some great convulsion, which 
 must have taken place before a house of the town 
 of Ayr was built, and at a period to which the his- 
 tory of Ayrshire does not extend. 
 
 The Teredo is a most formidable creature. So 
 great is its power of destruction, that Mr Thompson 
 mentions that a piece of pine wood, nine inches in 
 diameter, after having been employed as a pile for 
 five years and a-half, was so reduced by the perfora- 
 tions as to contain not more than an inch of solid 
 timber in any part, and in several parts was com- 
 pletely bored through. Montagu mentions that 
 sound piles will be found completely perforated by 
 Teredines after four or five years' submergence. Well 
 may it be styled by Linnasus " calamitas navium." 
 It is this that renders the copper-sheathing of ships 
 so necessary. 
 
 I shall give but a very short notice of the two
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRA?;. 85 
 
 crustacean borers found diligently at work at Ardros- 
 san. They both work I'rora the surface imvards. In 
 process of time, the surface is so perforated by them 
 that it crumbles down, leaving a new surface for them 
 to operate upon, which in due time yields to the per- 
 severing little borers. Dr Coldstream, in his excel- 
 lent paper in the " Edinburgh Philosophical Journal," 
 informs us that " Lhnnoria often effects a lodgment in 
 piles very near highwater-mark, where it is left dry 
 by the receding tide, during the greater part of twenty- 
 four hours," so that ft can carry on its work in wood 
 left dry by every ebbing tide. And so can the Che- 
 lura, for we have seen it snuggly lodged in timber 
 on the pier at Ardrossan far above lowwater-mark. 
 Both these creatures are but small, though they can 
 do much mischief. They can easily be distinguished 
 from each other, not only by the dift'erence of form, 
 but also of colour, the Chelura being red, and the 
 Limnorla grey. 
 
 Were these tribes of borers created merely to hum- 
 ble the pride of man, and to show him that while worms 
 are to feed on his body in the grave, there are other 
 kinds of worms which, unseen by him, can destroy 
 his proudest works ? Truly we may learn lessons 
 from the very worms, and, if they teach us humility, 
 it is a good lesson ; but, when we become better ac- 
 quainted with their operations, they may teach us to 
 bless God that they were created. Their boring pro- 
 pensities, when directed against man's works, are 
 hurtful to him ; but God has given them these ten- 
 dencies, not against man on the whole, but greatly in
 
 t) 
 
 86 EXCURSIONS TO AURAN. 
 
 his favour. We see little of their works; did we 
 know them all we would say, "What immense service 
 they are doing to man ! They hasten greatly the pro- 
 gress of decay of those substances, which, were they 
 to continue to float in the sea, would prove great in- 
 cumbrances, and would work much damage to man. 
 Were it not for the incessant operations of their 
 gnawing teeth, all the drift-wood, the wrecks of ves- 
 sels, the timber and trees swept and torn from the 
 banks of rivers, would remain entire for many years, 
 and if floating, would be injurious to navigation, or, 
 if sunk at the mouths of rivers, would soon choke 
 them up, and form an insurmountable bar to the 
 entrance of vessels, and would probably spread the 
 obstructed waters overmuch of the adjoining country, 
 convertine: into unwholesome marshes what would 
 otherwise have been fertile and productive lands ; so 
 that they were evidently made, not to be the enemies 
 but the friends of man, though friends that require 
 watching, and to be kept as much as possible from 
 entering our harbours, and visiting our ships. When 
 restricted in their operations so as to be kept within 
 their own province, their services are invaluable. 
 
 I fear that I have kept my readers too long on the 
 pier at Ardrossan. We shall now request them to 
 go aboard the steamer, and whilst they are crossing 
 to Lamlash, we shall beg leave to hold converse with 
 them for a little respecting another kind of borers 
 found in the shale there at low- water. When I lately 
 visited Mr Brown of Lanfine, at his delightful resi- 
 dence, near Loudoun, where he has the richest pri-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARIJAN'. 8? 
 
 vate cabinet I have seen, especially in the mineralo- 
 gical department, he showed me, as his most recent 
 acquisition, a large portion of shale from Lamlash, 
 in which about half-a-dozen of P/iolas crispata had 
 effected a permanent lodgment, and the rock, instead 
 of being cut transverse!}' so as to show only the 
 mouths of the bores, had the perforations uncovered 
 so as to give a longitudinal section of them, and to 
 show the pholades lying in situ. It was a specimen 
 Avell worth lookinof at, even amidst the rich stores of 
 his noble museum. We had before seen specimens 
 of the same from Lamlash, but not at all equal to 
 this. P. crispata is more common in Scotland than 
 in England. It is the stoutest of the tribe. We 
 would call it a bivalve were it not for the little acces- 
 sory plate. It is of an oval shape, much inflated, 
 gapi)ig greatly at both ends. The surface is nearly 
 equally divided by an oblique groove-like channel. 
 The colour of the shell, as also of the animal, is whit- 
 ish. A full-grown specimen is about three inches in 
 length, by about three-quarters in breadth. 
 
 How do these boring mollusca excavate their 
 dwelling-places in wood and stone and other mate- 
 rials ? This is a question that has long been dis- 
 cussed, but naturalists are not yet quite agreed as to 
 the answer that should be given. Many interesting 
 papers have been Avritten on the subject, but it would 
 carry us too far away to state all the opinions that 
 have been formed. A few of them may be men- 
 tioned. Reaumur gives it as his opinion that the 
 Fholas candidus, for instance, bores in clay, making
 
 8S EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN, 
 
 use of its foot to bury itself; and that when it is 
 found in stone, this stone is the clay \vhich has har- 
 dened round the animal after the perforation was 
 made. Mr John Edward Gray holds that many of 
 this tribe bore into calcareous rocks by dissolving 
 them. Dr Fleming's opinion seems to be, that the 
 perforation is performed by the animt^l rasping by a 
 rotatory motion the substance into which it bores. 
 Mr Garner states it as his opinion that the pholades 
 bore by rasping. Mr W. Thompson expresses his 
 belief that a solvent supplied by the proboscis acts as 
 pioneer in beginning the perforation, which is after- 
 wards increased by boring. M.M. Deshayes and 
 Caillaud think that the Teredo secretes an acrid sol- 
 vent, which causes the Avood easily to crumble away. 
 M. Necker says it is remarkable that some of the 
 boring shells radiate calc-spar ; but now we know that 
 the shells are composed of arragonite, so that they 
 can act on the hardest limestone. The remarks of Sir 
 H. de la Beche somewhat confirms this. Mr Albany 
 Hancock states that the excavating instrument of 
 Pholas and Teredo is formed of the anterior portion 
 of the animal, in the surface of which are embedded 
 siliceous particles. The particles penetrating the skin, 
 o-ives it much the character of rasping paper. All 
 these theories will be found at greater length in For- 
 bes' British MoUusca, with his own remarks upon 
 them. 
 
 AVe had now at last reached Brodick Bay, and 
 skirting along southwards, we reached the mouth 
 of Lamlash loch. As we had a considerable breeze
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. SO 
 
 in crossing, we were afraid that it might be too windy 
 for dredging. We were glad, however, to see two 
 boats awaiting us, and to receive tlie cordial hail of 
 Professor Balfour. Mr Connel, Mr Keddie, and I, 
 went into his boat, and the other was taken possession 
 of by Major Martin who had previously bespoken it. 
 We had a very pleasant day of it, notwithstanding 
 some things that were rather unfavourable to success. 
 Owing to some disappointment, we had not boatmen 
 accustomed to the work. They were very willing, 
 but it was the first time they had been out with ama- 
 teur-dredgers. The younger one was a remarkably 
 clever boy, and we all predicted that he would turn 
 out a first-rate seaman. Their boat was rather small 
 for the party, which, including the boatmen, consisted 
 ot seven, and though the more the merrier, we had 
 rather little elbow-room for dredging work. More- 
 over the dredge which the men had was a common 
 oyster-dredge, so that while it kept in every thing as 
 large as a hen's egg, it allowed to escape through the 
 meshes whatever was of minuter size. The day be- 
 sides was too breezy, and the motion of the boat made 
 some of the party at times assume a very rueful look. 
 The Professor himself, however, Avas so joyous as to 
 keep all the rest of us alive. The dredge also, in 
 spite of its defects, brought up from time to time 
 things that were new to the greater part of us. Lui- 
 dia fnv/Ulissima was the first prize, and many a na- 
 turalist would have thought the day a successful one 
 though nothing more had been got, especially as it 
 came to us with not more than one broken leg. A 
 
 G
 
 90 EXCUKSIOXS TO ARRAX, 
 
 fine Asterias aurantiaca, and several large specimens 
 of Uraster (flacialis, were inclosed in the dredge. As 
 we happened to come on their lobster-grounds, the 
 fishermen embraced the opportunity of hauling up 
 some of their lobstei'-creels. Only one lobster was 
 found entrapped (Homariis vulgaris)^ and though of 
 tolerable size, it was a perfect shrimp compared with 
 a specimen of the thorny-lobster (^Palinurus vulga- 
 ris^ in Major Martin's cabinet, got near Campbel- 
 town, measuring (including the horns) no less than 
 two feet three inches. 
 
 The common lobster is so well known, that it is 
 unnecessary to describe it. Even children in the 
 inland part of the country, ere they have seen the 
 sea, have generally possessed a lobster claw as one of 
 their playthings. The children, however, do not 
 know that the pretty scarlet claw was of a p\irplish- 
 black colour till it was put into boiling water. It is 
 well that they are very prolific, for the number sent 
 to market, especially London, annually from Scotland, 
 from Yorkshire, and from Norway, is prodigious — so 
 great, indeed, that we Avould suppose that the sea 
 would soon be thinned of them, were it not that Dr 
 Baxter says he counted 12,444 eggs under the tail of 
 one female, besides those that remained in the body 
 unprotruded. Lobsters change their crust every year, 
 and are quite sick for some days before they cast their 
 old coat, and quite defenceless for a short time after 
 it is cast off, during which period they hide them- 
 selves in holes, other\vise they would be eaten up by 
 enemies even of their own kind. In the water they
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AKRAN. 91 
 
 can run nimbly, and can spring tail foremost thirty 
 feet at a bound, as fast as a bird can fly. 
 
 Wliile the fishermen looked for lobsters in the pots, 
 we kept as good a look out for what they would have 
 accounted trash, and we were rewarded by getting 
 from the wicker work of their creels some sood sea- 
 weeds. Some rare ones also were brought up by the 
 dredge. A large specimen of D'lctyota dxcjioloma we 
 observed studded as with fruit, but on after examina- 
 tion it proved to be Elachistea stellulata, a very rare 
 though a diminutive parasite, which had never been 
 observed any where before except by Mrs Griffiths 
 on Dicti/ota at Torbay. It is far irom being rare in 
 Lamlash Bay. We got many specimens, and could 
 have secm-ed many more, had we been aware at the 
 time that it was a rarity. Major Martin in the other 
 boat was no less successful in obtaining it, though 
 looking as little for it as we were. Halymema ligu- 
 lata was also got, which is a rare plant in Scotland, 
 though less rare than was lately imagined. 
 
 We should have had the pleasure of having Mrs 
 Balfour along with us, but I suppose she thought that 
 the boat had its full complement, and we could only 
 hail her as she passed along the shore with some of 
 her household towards Clachland point, near which 
 she had the felicity of adding a fine plant to the Flora 
 of Scotland, even Ginannia furcellata. She got it 
 growing on the rocks a little beyond lowwater-mark. 
 She dredged it also in deep water. She moreover 
 dredged Polysiphonia subuUfera, new likewise to 
 Scotland; and the beautiful Dudresnaia coccinea,
 
 92 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 which (with the exception of two Uttocks already 
 mentioned) had never been got in Scotland; and 
 Sporochnus pedunculatus, one of the loveliest of our 
 algae, especially when adorned, as some of her fine 
 specimens were, with their sweet green tufts. She 
 succeeded also in making fine preparations of the 
 Rosy Feather-star, and it requires considerable skill 
 and dexterity to preserve it entire and in good colour. 
 We are truly glad that our Scottish ladies are coming 
 into the marine field, to compete with their fair sisters 
 in England and Ireland, who in this interesting de- 
 partment of natural science have won for themselves 
 an imperishable name. 
 
 But where was Major Martin all this while? 
 Crossing and recrossing us before the breeze, as intent 
 on the work as it was possible to be. He had the 
 best boat and the best dredge, and he continued three 
 days at the work, so that he came home enriched 
 with booty; and as I am allowed to share in the spoil, 
 I allege that his cabinet is the best dredging ground 
 I meet with. He got some rare shells, and some rare 
 seaweeds. Sporochnus pedunculatua he had got on a 
 former occasion, when it was new in the West, and 
 now he dredged a number of fine specimens ; and he 
 Avas greatly pleased in again dredging Cutleria mul- 
 tijida.) dedicated, as we have said, by Mr Dawson Tur- 
 ner, to our respected friend Miss Cutler of Budleigh, 
 Saltertou." 
 
 My limited hours, however, had come to a close. 
 
 * He got also, as I did likewise, Gi/mania furcellata, but we 
 did not detect it among our stores till some months afterwards.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 93 
 
 My two friends, Mr Connel and Mr Keddie, had to 
 return by the steamer, which had now reached us. 
 On going aboard, I had the pleasure of being intro- 
 duced to Mr Babbington, the distinguished English 
 botanist; but the passage was too stormy to allow 
 me to profit much by the privilege. My two excel- 
 lent friends remained with me till next day, and we 
 spent a happy night together in the manse, after 
 bringing the excursions of the year to a close, thank- 
 ful for all the happiness that we had been permitted 
 to enjoy. 
 
 July 13, 1850.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 PART I. 
 
 CHAPTER 1. 
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Arran Tisited by few till steamers began to ply — Where situated 
 — Origin of name — Extent — Height of mountains — Its ancient 
 history obscure— Traditions respecting Fingal — First inhabited, 
 it may be, by Caledonii, then by Picts, then by Scots— Fell under 
 the power of the Norwegians, and remained long under their 
 power — Alexander III. of Scotland claims the Hebrides— Haco, 
 King of Norway, withstanding him, is discomfited at Largs — His 
 successor cedes the islands to Alexander, who was to pay a 
 yearly sum— Much under the power of the Lord of the Isles — 
 Finally ceded, free from annual payment, by Christiern, when 
 his daughter was married to James III. of Scotland — During 
 the reign of Edward I. of England, Arran fell under the power 
 of the English— Wrested from them by Bruce— Became a 
 favourite hunting residence of the Kings of Scotland — Created 
 into an earldom, and given as a portion of the sister of James 
 III., when given in marriage to Sir T. Boyd— As she was after- 
 wards married to Lord Hamilton, the greater part of the island 
 became the property of that noble family, and continues in the 
 family of the Duke of Hamilton till the present day. 
 
 Religious history— At first, it is probable, the religion Druidical 
 —Then it may be the Scandinavian mythology would be intro- 
 duced—Visited with Gospel light from lona— Overclouded by
 
 96 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Popish superstition — Partook, it is probable, of the benefits of 
 the Reformation— Sunk into deadness — A revival took place 
 early in the present century. 
 
 Though the island of Arran must ever have been 
 a conspicuous object from the mainland, it is not till 
 lately that it was much visited. A few families from 
 Ayrshire were in the habit of spending part of the 
 summer in it some forty or fifty years ago, and they 
 always spoke of it with much delight, A jaunt to 
 Arran then was considered as an adventure, and those 
 who accomplished it, spoke of the trip as we would 
 now do of one to France. The vessel they sailed in 
 was generally an open boat, and not uii frequently an 
 old blanket played the part of a sail. When the 
 weather was calm, a night and a day on the deep was 
 no unfrequent period of passage ; and when the 
 weather proved stormy, and frequent tackings were 
 necessary, it has been known to extend to more than 
 twice that time. Arran is about thirteen miles from 
 Ardrossan, eight from Bute, and six from Kintyre. 
 It is situated in the mouth of the Firth of Clyde, and 
 ranks as one of the Western^ Hebrides. It is diificult 
 in general to trace the origin of names, and it is amus- 
 ing to see how Gaelic words can be twisted, so as to 
 suit any theory which the writer thinks fit to adopt. 
 It has been thought that Arran takes its name from 
 two Gaelic words — Ar, high, and /w«, island ; and it 
 is the more likely that this is the true derivation, as 
 in the ancient British, which is a cognate language, 
 Arran signifies a land of mountains. It is of con- 
 siderable extent, containing about 100,000 acres, form-
 
 EXCrRSIONS TO ARRAX. 97 
 
 ing part of the county of Bute. It is generally said 
 to be twenty-four miles in length, by ten or twelve in 
 breadth ; but it is probable that a bittock may be add- 
 ed to both these numbers. Its southern extremity is 
 in latitude 55° 29' 30", and in longitude 4° 17'. It 
 may be considered as divided into two parts of differ- 
 ent characters. All south of the road called the Strim/, 
 betwixt Brodick and Shiskan, consists either of hills 
 averaging about 800 feet in height, or of good arable 
 land, which is chiefly on the west side. AH north of 
 this road is a mass of magnificent mountains, 'in the 
 centre of which is Goaf/ell (the kill of the winds)^ 
 almost 3,000 feet in height. 
 
 We naturally wish to know the ancient history of 
 any country or district in which we are interested. 
 The ancient history of AiTan is wrapped in great ob- 
 scurity. It rests on tradition, and goes no further 
 back than the days of Fingal; that is, Phlun the Gael, 
 the son of Macoul. If we trust tradition, Fingal had 
 been much in Arran, and among other traces, has left 
 his name stamped on one of its bold eiiiiTiences — 
 Dunphmn ; that is, the fort or hill of F'mn or Fingal. 
 From the cairns, columns, «tone coffins, clay urns, and 
 Druidical circles, there is reason to think tliat Arran 
 was inhabited by the ancient Britons, who have left 
 similar traces behind them in other parts of the land. 
 Afterwards it would appear that the Highlands and 
 islands in general were inhabited first by the Caledonii, 
 and sul)sequently by the Picts. According to some, cer- 
 tain wandering tribes called Scots, came from Ireland 
 during the sixth century, and effecting a settlement, 
 
 G
 
 98 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 and extending their dominion over the mainland and 
 the islands, gave to our beloved country the name of 
 Scotland, which it still retains. In the ninth century, 
 Harold Harford, king of Norway, having subdued 
 Shetland and Orkney, added to his dominions all the 
 islands, even so far south as the Isle of Man ; so that 
 Arran then, if not sooner, came under Scandinavian 
 sway. In the beginning of the tenth century Harold 
 conferred the government of all his conquests on 
 Sigurd the elder, whom he created Earl of Orkney. 
 In process of time the Earls of Orkney ruled over not 
 only Orkney and Shetland, but all the islands as far 
 as the Isle of Man, as well as extensive territories in 
 Inverness-shire, Argyle-shire, and even in Ireland; 
 and being possessed of great courage and much nauti- 
 cal skill, they became formidable to the greatest 
 princes. Through family feuds, however, their power 
 was gradually weakened ; and taking advantage of this, 
 Alexander III., in the thirteenth centm-y, claimed 
 all the Hebrides as an appendage of the Scottish 
 crown, which had been unjustly WTCsted from his 
 predecessors. This gave rise to a war betwixt him 
 and Haco, king of NorAvay. Haco assembled his 
 forces in the Island of Anan in 1256, and sailing to 
 Ayrshire, laid the country waste by iire and sword. 
 His fleet sailing up the Clyde, lay at Largs. Alex- 
 ander met his forces encumbered Avith spoil near Kil- 
 bimie, and a battle ensuing, the Norwegians were dis- 
 comfited, and pursued with great slaughter to Largs. 
 Their progress can still be traced by the names of the 
 places where anything remarkable took place in their
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 99 
 
 disastrous retreat to their ships. Great slaughter 
 seems to have taken place at Broomfiekls, where so 
 many elegant viUas are now built; and even to this 
 day portions of ancient armour are occasionally dug 
 up in the peaceful garden grounds. The conflict 
 seems to have been bloody; the Norwegians, naturally 
 brave, being rendered more fierce by desperation. 
 Torfoeus, Avho was present, claims the victory for the 
 Norwegians; but the event shows that they were de- 
 feated. To add to Haco's calamities, the elements 
 declared against him; his fleet was dispersed in a 
 storm, and returning to Kirkwall in Orkney, with 
 the shattered remains of his forces, he there died of a 
 broken heart. His successor being persuaded of his 
 inability to defend the Hebrides against the enter- 
 prises of Alexander, ceded them to him in 1266, on 
 condition of his paying the annual sum of a himdred 
 marks. This is Avhat our historians call the " Annual 
 of Norway," which, though often claimed, seems to 
 have been paid very irregularly, if paid at all. By 
 this treaty Arran and the other isles were conjoined 
 to the kingdom of Scotland, after being in a state of 
 disjunction under foreign sway for nearly 400 years. 
 But Alexander's sway \vas rather nominal than real; 
 for the Macdonnels, the Lords of the Isles, were long 
 the real rulers. They often made war on the kings 
 of Scotland, and treaties of alliance with their enemies. 
 When Edward I. advanced his claim to the crown 
 of Scotland, he regarded it as good policy to attach 
 the Lord of the Isles to his interest, by giving him 
 his sister in marriage. Though the power of the
 
 100 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Lords of the Isles was gradually lessened, tlie islands 
 were not reduced to complete subjection to the Scot- 
 tish cro^Ani till the reign of James Y. Even after 
 this the Norwegians retained a claim on them; but 
 Christiem, king of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, 
 gave up all claim, and gave also the islands of Ork- 
 ney and Shetland as a portion with his daughter 
 Margaret, when married to James III. of Scotland in 
 1469; thus amicably and finally annexing the whole 
 of these islands to the Scottish dominions. . 
 
 During the wars which were occasioned by the at- 
 tempts of Edward I. to annex Scotland to his English 
 dominions, the Island of Arran fell into the hands of 
 the English, who, in 1306, held the Castle of Bro- 
 dick under Sir J. Hastings. Bruce seems to have 
 been successful in ^^Testing it from the English in 
 1306. xVfter passing a solitary winter in Rachrin, 
 in the north of Ireland, he sallied forth in spring from 
 his hiding-place to make another great effort for his 
 crown and kingdom. His followers were few, but 
 faithful; and the royal fleet which wafted them from 
 Ireland to Arran, consisted, it is said, of thirty-three 
 row-boats. He is supposed to have landed on the 
 west of Arran, and to have resided for some time in 
 a natural cave on the rocky shore, in remembrance of 
 this, still called King's Cove, and to have subsisted by 
 fishing and hunting, ^vith such supplies as those of 
 the natives who were friendly could furnish. For 
 services rendered then, and afterAvards, several of the 
 natives received from him, in reward, grants of land. 
 Mr. FuUerton of Kilmichael is the lineal descendant
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 101 
 
 of one of those thus rewarded, and he still possesses 
 the charter for his lands given to his ancestor, signed 
 by Robert II, and dated Arnele, in the second year of 
 his reign. How long Bruce remained in Arran is not 
 AN-ith certainty known. The accurate Lord Hailes says 
 that Bruce sent a confidential messenger to sound the 
 dispositions of his vassals in Carrick around his here- 
 ditary castle of Turnberry, with instructions to kindle 
 a fire as a signal, if matters were found in a favom-able 
 state. Bruce's watchful eye caught the wished-for 
 blaze, and, full of expectation, he sailed with his 
 followers from Kinrf s-cross-point. The fire had not 
 been kindled by his messenger, and he found every- 
 thing in tlie most hopeless state; but it was now too 
 late to retreat, and obeying the dictates of courage, 
 he and his faithful friends went forward with their 
 undertaking, and, from this desperate crisis, every- 
 thing prospered with him; the tide of victory con- 
 tinuing to flow. 
 
 As the greater part of Arran was in the possession 
 of the High Steward, when, on the failure of male 
 heirs to Bruce, the High Steward, under the title of 
 Robert II., ascended the Scottish throne, the Island 
 of Arran by this event became, to a great extent, the 
 patrimony of the crown; and its inhabitants having 
 on this occasion taken up arms in behalf of their 
 master, they were not only freed from a tribute of 
 corn which they had formerly paid, but had, ])esides, 
 privileges granted them. In conjunction with the 
 men of Bute, they constituted the celebrated corps 
 called Brandani, who afterwards acted as the king's
 
 102 EXCURSIOXS TO ARRAN. 
 
 body-guard. As the Island of Arran was at this 
 time mostly covered witli wood, and richly stocked with 
 game of all kinds, it became a favourite resort of 
 the kings of Scotland in their hunting excursions. 
 The Castle of Lochranza, which still remains, was 
 built by one of the Stuart kings, as a hunting-seat. 
 During the minority of James III., when Lord Boyd 
 was the ruling favourite at court, through his influence 
 the king's sister was given in marriage to Sir Thomas 
 Boyd, his son, with the Island of Arran, erected into 
 an earldom, for her marriage portion. On the dis- 
 grace of the Boyds, Sir Thomas Boyd being divorced 
 from the Princess Margaret, she was given by the 
 king, her brother, to Lord Hamilton, and the title and 
 estates of Arran were thus transferred to this noble 
 family, and the greater part of this interesting island 
 continues the property of the Duke of Hamilton to 
 this day. 
 
 It may not be improper to conclude these notices 
 of Arran in olden times with the account given of it 
 by Donald Monro, dean of the Isles, in the year 
 1594. 
 
 " Be north or northiest fra Elsay [^Ailsa^ twent}^- 
 four miles of the sea, lies Arran, ane grate ile, full 
 of grate mountains and forrests, good for hunting, with 
 pairt of Avoods, extending in lenthe from the Kyle of 
 Arran to Castle Dounan, southwast to twenty-four 
 myles, and from the Kyle of Drumdouin to the Ness 
 of Kilbride, sixteen myles of breadthe — inhabit only 
 at the sea-coasts. Herein are thre castils — ane callit 
 Braizay, pertaining to the Earle of Arran ; ane utlier
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARHAN. 103 
 
 auld hoose callit tlie castil of the lieid of Lochrenasay, 
 pert3rning likewise to the said earle; and the third 
 caUit Castle Dounain, pertaining to ane of the Stuarts 
 of Bute's blood, callit Mr. James ; he and his bluid 
 are the best men in that coimtrey. In Arran is a 
 loche called Lochrenasay, with three or four small 
 waters; two paroch kirks, the ane callit Kilbride, 
 the other callit Kylmure. Forenent this ile layes the 
 coste of Kyle, in the east and southeist, be ten or 
 twelve niyles of sea in the north, Bute be eight myles 
 of sea, in the west Skibness, pertening to the Earle 
 of Argyle. 
 
 " On the shore of this iyle lyes Plada, ane little iyle 
 ftdl of cunings; with ane uther little iyle callit the 
 yle of Molass, quherin there was foundit by Johne, 
 Lord of the lies, ane monastry of friars, which is 
 decayit." 
 
 It would be interesting, after this short sketch of the 
 civil history of the island, if we could give even as 
 short a sketch of its religious history. It is probable 
 that we would have first to speak of Druidical wor- 
 ship, carried on amidst the gloom of forests with 
 which Arran in ancient times was nearly covered; 
 and of the human A^ctims offered up in their sacred 
 groves. The circles of stones found in various places, 
 especially at Tormore, seem to be the remains of 
 Druidical places of worship, though some deny that 
 the Druids ever had a footing in any place of Scot- 
 land. 
 
 When the Norwegians over-ran the island, and 
 kept possession of it for so many years, we doubt not
 
 104 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 that tliey would be so far successful in introducing 
 the Scandinavian mythology. History, however, has 
 left no record of these days of darkness. It is melan- 
 choly to reflect that, whether under Druidical or Scan- 
 dinavian influence, the people were dwelling in the 
 habitations of darkness and cruelty, and perishing for 
 lack of knowledge. The time arrived, however, 
 when, on the region of the shadow of death the Sun 
 of Righteousness arose, with healing in his beams ; 
 when they who sat in darkness saw a great light, and 
 could joyfully say, " Our light has come, and the 
 glory of the Lord has arisen on us." The Gospel 
 light that gladdened lona was not confined to that 
 highly favoured island, but shed its blessed influence 
 on other lands and isles of the sea, and among these 
 on Arran. The memory of the just is blessed. 
 The numerous Heathen priests, who made great pre- 
 tensions to sacred lore, lived and died in that island, 
 and left not behind them the vestige of a name. 
 3Iolios, the first Christian missionary to Arran, spent 
 his life in the service of his Master, seeking to be 
 instnimental in causing light to arise in darkness, and 
 in making the moral Avilderness to blossom; and the 
 savoury remembrance of his name has been preserved 
 throughout many generations; and the temporary 
 place of his abode in the Holy Isle in Arran, and the 
 grave in which he rests, are still reverently visited by 
 both natives and sti-angers.'"" 
 
 * It would require more leisure, and more boobs than I have 
 at command, to trace the rise of Christianity in Scotland; and 
 even ^nth sufficient leisure, and ivith all the books on the subject
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARKAN. ] 05 
 
 It would be ■well if ^ye could say that this light 
 from lona continued to shine, and that the pure doc- 
 trines taught by St. Columba and his disciples con- 
 
 which the world novj contains, we could not free the matter from 
 uncertainty. Still more would this be the case were we to limit 
 the inquiry to the introduction of Christianity into Arran. 
 Though St. Molios may have found the inhabitants of Arran in 
 a state of darkness, it does not follow that no Gospel light had 
 ever visited the island before. St. Columba seems to have found 
 much Heathenism both in Scotland and England, and yet the 
 Gospel had been preached in these countries long before his 
 time. TertulUan, who wrote about the end of the second cen- 
 tury, tells us that Christianity had penetrated into the remotest 
 parts of Britain before his time. Eusebius, writing in the fourth 
 century, tells us that the Gospel had been preached in Britain 
 by some of the apostles. The tradition is, that St. Paul preached 
 the Gospel in England, and St. John in Scotland. Even the in- 
 vasions of the ambitious Romans may have been instrumental in 
 promoting the spread of the Gospel of peace, for in the Roman army 
 we doubt not there would be many " devout soldiers," who would 
 silently sow the good seed of the word. Buchanan tells us that 
 David I., king of the Scots, was converted to Christianity about 
 the beginning of the third century. And this is not mentioned 
 as the introduction of Christianity, but as the embracing by the 
 king of a religion already professed by many of his people. Dur- 
 ing his reign, however, everything was thrown into confusion by 
 the invasion of the Romans under the Emperor Severus, so that 
 we hear little of Christianity till about a century afterwards. 
 Then the persecution of the Christians under the Emperor 
 Dioclesian extended to the south of Britain, in consequence of 
 which many of the followers of Christ, to escape imprisonment 
 or death, fled for refuge into Scotland. At the time of Stephen's 
 martyrdom, there was a great persecution against the Church at 
 Jerusalem; but it promoted the spread of the Gospel, for all the 
 preachers, except the apostles, were scattered abroad throughout 
 the regions of Judea and Samaria. In like manner, when, in 
 consequence of the persecution under Dioclesian, many believers 
 fled to Scotland, they carried their religious principles along
 
 106 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 tinued to shed their benignant influence ; but a dark 
 cloud, proceeding from Rome, gradually orershadowed 
 the land, extending its baneful influence to the peace- 
 ful isles of the sea. Even from Popery, however, 
 lessons may be learned. Let those who are of purer 
 faith imitate the zeal both of the priests and people, 
 and let them show a similar readiness to have places 
 of worship at such distances as will suit the conveni- 
 ence of the worshippers. In Popish times, churches 
 seem to have been more numerous than they have at 
 any time been under the influence of Presbyterian- 
 ism. There was, as we have seen, a monastery in the 
 Holy Island, said by some to have been built by one 
 of the sons of Somerled, and endowed by him with 
 the lands around the Bay of Lamlash. There was a 
 church at Kilmichael in Glencloy, the foundations of 
 which remained till lately. There was a church at 
 
 with them, and their love to Jesus for vrhom they suffered; and 
 the consequence was, a great revival in the country to which they 
 had fled. During this revival many holy men arose in Scotland, 
 and among others St. Patrick, who was born near Dumbarton. 
 When he was about thirteen years of age, he was taken prisoner 
 by the Irish, and sold as a slave to one of their kings. When he 
 had been four years in a state of slavery he was ransomed by his 
 parents, and after receiving religious education at home and 
 abroad, in the providence of God, he came as a Christian mis- 
 sionary to Ireland, to raise to the liberty of the Gospel those by 
 whom he had been enslaved. A season of great darkness having 
 come upon Scotland, owing, it may be, to the incursions of the 
 heathenish Scandinavian tribes, Ireland repaid her debt to Scot- 
 land for St. Patrick, by sending to lona the celebrated St. Colum- 
 ba. In the subsequent religious history of Scotland and Ireland, 
 we find repeated instances of their being thus mutually beneficial 
 to each other, in giving and receiving.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AKRAN. 107 
 
 Soutli Sannox, dedicated to St. Micliael ; and a rude 
 image of the patron saint lias been preserved by be- 
 ing built into the wall surrounding the church-yard. 
 At Glen Ashdale, near Whiting Bcf)^ there seems to 
 have been another church. The church-yard, with 
 its rude monumental stones, may still be seen ; and 
 ancient silver coins were lately got in some of the 
 graves. 
 
 How long Arran continued under Popish influence 
 after the Reforaiation I know not. Though nominally 
 Protestant, it partook of the general deadness dur- 
 ing the last century. Early, however, in the present 
 century, a better day began to dawn. In 1804 and 
 1805 there was some awakening in the northern parts 
 of the island. This was the commencement of the 
 revival that followed. Several began to relish Gospel 
 truths, to attend diligently on the means of grace, to 
 worship God in their families, and to have religious 
 meetings in many parts; and in a few years a change 
 for the better was evident throughout the island, es- 
 pecially in the parish of Kilmorie, where the pious 
 and laborious Mr. M'Bride was at the time minister. 
 In preaching, he did not often dwell on alarming 
 topics, but he Avas very serious and searching, dwell- 
 ing much on the love of God — the riches of divine 
 grace — the consolations of the Gospel, with much 
 unction and many close appeals to the conscience, 
 which the Spirit of God brought home to the heai-t. 
 But though some were savingly impressed, many, 
 many waxed bolder in sin, and became more stout- 
 hearted. This greatly grieved the Avorthy pastor and
 
 108 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 the pious portion of the people, and rendered them 
 more frequent and fervent in their prayers, that when 
 the enemy was coming in like a flood, the Spirit of the 
 Lord Avould raise up a standard against the enemy. 
 The vision tarried, but they waited for it. They 
 continued about a year in these devotional exercises, 
 often enjoying great freedom and nearness to God, 
 seeming to be animated by the Spirit of him who said : 
 " For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for 
 Jenisalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteous- 
 ness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation 
 thereof as a lamp that bunieth." Soon after this, in 
 the spring of 1812, what has been called the Arran 
 revival began. Some of the outward manifestations 
 were unexpected, and excited surprise. Those who 
 were deeply affected, were led to cry out, and they 
 Avho first felt themselves constrained to do so were the 
 most truly pious. But though this began with them, 
 it extended to others; first to those who had convic- 
 tions, and then to the gay, and thoughtless, and even 
 the openly wicked. When it became general it was 
 attended with panting, trembling, and convulsive ap- 
 pearances. Those who were first affected said that 
 they had no idea of crying out, but that they felt 
 themselves so constrained that they could not have 
 helped it, though they had been threatened with 
 instant death. They said that the cryings and bodily 
 agitations proceeded from the deep impressions 
 which they had of the importance of divine truth. 
 This, however, was the case with those who had been 
 brought under the influence of the truth before these
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN, 109 
 
 outward manifestations showed tliemselves. Others 
 there were who coukl give no very satisfactory ac- 
 count of the matter ; for though their affections were 
 moved at the time by a kind of sympathy with others, 
 the favourable impressions made soon passed away. 
 In many, however, the fruit was unto holiness. There 
 was an increased thirst for the water of life — a great 
 crowding to hear the word of God at private meet- 
 ings during the week, and at public ordinances on 
 Sabbath. They longed for the return of the Sab- 
 bath. They rejoiced when it was said to them, 
 " Let us go into the house of the Lord." Many 
 thought it no hardship to travel twelve or fifteen 
 miles to public ordinances. They could say, like 
 the Psalmist, " As the hart panteth after the water- 
 brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 
 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when 
 shall I come and appear before God." Their 
 desire was so great as not to be easily satisfied; 
 and they eagerly sought after renewed opportunities 
 of receiving spiritual instruction. This state of mat- 
 ters continued for nearly a year. As the awakening 
 declined, some of those who appeared at one time 
 much affected, and much engaged in religious pur- 
 suits, began to grow cold and remiss, and to slide 
 back into conformity to the world. They showed 
 themselves to be like those spoken of in the Gospel, 
 who heard the word with joy, but when temptation 
 came, fell away. But it is stated, on good authority, 
 that a considerable number of the subjects of the 
 work continued in after years to bring forth fruit
 
 110 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 meet for repentance, and to lead lives of faith and of 
 godliness.''' 
 
 "Were I to bring down this sketch of the history of 
 religion in Arran to the present day, I would be led 
 to speak of the Disruption, and of the effects of that 
 event; but as there has been nothing peculiar in the 
 case of Arran, it may be passed over as more properly 
 belonging to the religious history of the country in 
 general. There is in Arran a great reverence for 
 rehgion ; and there are not a few of the good old seed 
 remaining, who are still walking with God; but their 
 fear is that the spirit of deadness and of formality is 
 gaining ground; and their prayer is, that the Lord 
 would revive his work in the midst of the years, and 
 grant a copious outpouring of his Spirit, that there 
 may be a time of refreshing from the presence of the 
 Lord- — a plentiful rain to confirm his inheritance 
 when it is weaiy. 
 
 * What I have stated on this subject is a kind of abstract of 
 the interesting statement published as a tract, entitled " Revival 
 in Arran," by the late pious and worthy Mr. M'Millan, long 
 minister of the parish of Kilmorie, in which the revival chiefly 
 took place.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 REMINISCENCES OF VARIOUS EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Fii'st visit io Arran — Set sail at mid-day in a wherry, and reach 
 the island at midnight — ^Valk to Corrio next morning — Sweet 
 Sabbath morning — Preached on the Green at Cromla — Next 
 day visited the limestone quarry and the Blue Rock — Plants 
 found. 
 
 It is now many years since I for the first time visited 
 the Island of Arran. It was on a fine Saturday of 
 July that I sailed at noon from Saltcoats harbour in 
 a little half-decked wherry — the only kind of craft as 
 ptissage-boats at that period on the station ; for steamers 
 were then in their infancy, and thought utterly unfit 
 for navigating so open a sea. I was not altogether an 
 inexperienced landsman, for I had sailed from Leith 
 to Pettycur, in the kingdom of Fife, no less a distance, 
 I believe, than eight miles, and encountering a storm 
 in returning, and being driven back Avith torn sails, 
 I had walked to Queensferry, and notwithstanding 
 the gale, had crossed in an open boat, having, as the 
 only felloAV-passenger, a fine old minister, who I found 
 was the Rev. Ebenezer Brown of In verkei thing, the
 
 1 1 2 EXCURSIONS TO ARKAN. 
 
 ■worthy son of a still worthier and better known father — 
 the Rev. John Bro^^Tl of Haddington. But this was 
 the greatest sea voyage I had ever set my face to : it 
 was fully fourteen miles across " a braid reever" as 
 an honest woman who had to cross it, in her fears 
 called it, and it was to an island where the inha- 
 bitants spoke in an unknown tongue ; it might be in 
 the language of Ashdod. Yet I had the boldness to 
 venture, especially as there Avas scarcely a breath of 
 wind. After rowing out of the harbour of Saltcoats, 
 a slight breeze sprung up which carried us gently on. 
 It soon lulled, however, and became a perfect calm. 
 I wondered at the patience of the boatmen, though it 
 had for its foundation, I believe, a pretty thick sul)- 
 stratum of laziness, which made them very unwilling 
 to ply their oars. At last, however, they had recourse 
 to their oars, but soon becoming weary of the work, 
 they contented themselves with whistling for the wind; 
 but the wind lent a deaf ear to their whistle. Im- 
 perceptibly, howevei*, we made some progress, so that 
 by sun-set we were near the entrance to Brodick Bay. 
 Though it is a deep bay, OAving to the calm, I could 
 hear the happy catol of the Highland boys while they 
 were driving home their sheep and cows. We might 
 have sung a lullaby in response, for we lay motionless 
 on the face of the deep. Not anticipating this state 
 of matters, I had laid in no sea-stores, so that I was 
 glad to get a share of the only biscuit that the boat 
 could furnish. Again, however, they had recourse to 
 their oars, and by dint of rowing, we reached shore 
 at midnight,, and I was thankful to get lodgings for
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 113 
 
 the night in honest William Ilendi-y's, long well 
 known in Brodick. 
 
 The only person I knew in the island was an excel- 
 lent old lady, Mrs. Susan BalUie, a parishioner of 
 mine, whom I was going to visit at her summer resi- 
 dence at Cromla, near Corrie. Next morning I 
 walked up to Cromla, where I was very kindly re- 
 ceived. It was a lovely Sahbath, seeming even love- 
 lier than usual in this isle of the sea, where, in my 
 sweet walk along the shore, little was to be seen but 
 the works of God, and little to be heard but the 
 melody of birds, the soft whisperings of the tide as it 
 beat with feeble pulse amongst the pebbles on the strand, 
 or the livelier prattlings of a mountain runlet, as it 
 rushed with merry speed along its rocky channel, or, 
 taking a bold leap from some of the projecting shelves, 
 dashed at once with delight into the cool shaded pool 
 below. I reached Cromla before breakfast, and was 
 kindly received. As the nearest parish church was 
 at Lamlash, about ten miles distant, at Mrs. Baillie's 
 request, I preached on the green. This gratified the 
 Lowland household ; but as I had no Gaelic, I fear 
 that the Highlanders who were present were very little 
 edified. As I remained over IVIonday, I visited the 
 limestone quarry, and the Blue Rock, where there is a 
 good echo, and looked into Sannox Glen. As phe- 
 nogamous botany was the only department of natural 
 history for which I then had any relish, I spent part 
 of the day in botanizing; and I still remember some 
 of the plants which came under my notice, and 
 which I had rarely met with before, such as Hy- 
 
 H
 
 114 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 jyericum Androscemum ; Anagallis tenella; Eupato- 
 rium cavnabhium; Lycopus Europceiis; Circcea Lu- 
 tetiana, and C. alpina; Scropkularia aquatica; Scu- 
 tellaria galericulata, &c. On Tuesday I returned by 
 the swift-sailing wherry, and on this occasion accom- 
 plished the passage in about eight hours, and reached 
 in safety the manse of Stevenston, highly gratified 
 with my Highland trip ; for a visit to Arran was what, 
 in those days, not every one could boast of.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Some years afterwards sailed in a steamer from Ardrossan to 
 Lamlash — Nocturnal walk to Shiskin — Steepness of the path 
 — Next day visit King's Cove — The Residence, according to 
 tradition, of Fingal— In later times of Bruce— The Cave — The 
 plants that adorn the Cave — Tormore — Loch lorsa — Wild 
 plants— Loch Tanna— Corrie an Lachan— Ascent of Ben 
 Varen— Cyclopean Walls— Alpine plants— Descent— On Thun- 
 derguy instead of Lochranza — Reach Lochranza— View from 
 Ben Varen and Goatfell compared. 
 
 Years passed on, and steamers becoming yenturons, 
 sailed from Ardrossan to Arran twice a-week. On 
 a balmy afternoon about the end of June, I embarked 
 for Arran, and after a pleasant sail arrived at Lam- 
 lash about sunset. As I had only one full day to spare, 
 I wished to make the most of it by ranging over a 
 considerable portion of the island. As I had never 
 seen the King's Cove, I meant to steer my course in 
 the first place in that direction. I was glad, therefore, 
 though it was after sunset when we landed, to offer 
 to accompany a young man, a native of the island, 
 who meant to go by a foot-path over the hills to Shis- 
 kin, which was in the neighbourhood of King's Cove. 
 So long as our path was tolerably level, I was a match
 
 IIG EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 in walking for my companion; but when we began 
 to ascend the steep mountain-side, I found that the 
 young montagnard had fairly the advantage of me, so 
 that it was with the utmost difficulty that I could 
 keep pace with him. I did my best, however; for 
 though almost breathless at times, as I considered 
 myself rather a good pedestrian, I felt reluctance to 
 cry Halt. I once or twice succeeded in bringing him 
 to a parley respecting his knowledge of the road; for 
 I found that there was so little of a path that he had 
 to be guided by certain little cairns placed for that pur- 
 pose at intervals; and as it was now night, a fine mid- 
 summer night, my guide had to stoop down from time 
 to time to catch a view of the guiding cairns betwixt him 
 and the sky. We reached Shiskin about midnight; 
 and with his aid, having aroused the landlady of the 
 little inn, and having got what refreshment in the cir- 
 cumstances could be most speedily furnished, I went 
 to bed, giving myself unreluctantly up to " Nature's 
 sweet restorer, balmy sleep." Next morning I was 
 astir betimes, and after an early breakfast set out for 
 the King's Cove. I was not alone. I had a frohc 
 some companion, a fine, faithful, kind-hearted fellow, 
 who would have gone through fire and water for my 
 sake, without taking the slightest credit to himself for 
 doing so. He enjoyed the excursion in his own way 
 an much as I did. He had no turn for botany, but 
 lie was a zoologist, and quite in his element when en- 
 gaged in ornithological pursuits. My companion was 
 — a fine sagacious shepherd-dog ! I had a great re- 
 gard for him, both for his own good qualities, ajid
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 117 
 
 because I liad got liim from one dear to my heart. 
 Could I have traced his pedigree, I doubt not that he 
 would have been found to be of high descent — from 
 some sage canine family on the mountains of Gallo- 
 way; but before he was fairly out of his pup-hood, 
 stolen or strayed, he had come down to the valleys, and 
 after he had been seen wandering about for days, 
 starved, unowned, forlorn, and almost pelted to death 
 by some cruel boys, more savage than the dogs that 
 they egged on to Avorry him, he was in pity taken 
 into my father's house by a kind-hearted servant girl. 
 Under good treatment, he soon became very hand- 
 some, and a great favourite with all. The kindness of 
 the servant girl to him in the time of adversity Avas 
 never forgotten; and when at one time she lay ill of 
 fever, he continued to lie affectionately at her bed- 
 side, seeming laden with grief and returning groan for 
 groan. He Avas now full-grown, finely marked, A^dth 
 a glossy swirl on his shaggy coat — an honest gaAvkie- 
 looking dog, Avith a mild, intelligent, sport-loving eye. 
 It Avould have done your heart good to hear his joy- 
 ous bark, or to see his bound of merry glee as Ave set out 
 through the heather. There A\as something very pecuhar 
 in his mode of jumping for joy. He seemed to have 
 learned it from the Iambs in their meiry gambols. It 
 was an elastic perpendicular start from the ground to 
 a considerable height, keeping the four feet and the 
 body parallel Avith the ground, so as to descend on the 
 same spot from Avhich he sprung. It Avas most evi- 
 dently the bound of health and joy. Everything was 
 game that came in his way, whether hare or rabbit.
 
 118 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 or grouse or crow. He would even leap after the 
 lark as she sprung up towards the sky. The stone- 
 chats were keenly pursued as they flitted from cairn 
 to cairn; hut even with them he was unsuccessful. 
 Want of success, however, did not lessen his ardour, 
 and there was no lack of objects of pursuit. 
 
 The King's Cove was not only the refuge and resi- 
 dence of King Robert Bruce, when a price was set 
 on his head by the ambitious King of England, but 
 tradition tells, with what truth I wot not, that it was 
 often the residence of Fingal, with his heroic follow- 
 ers, when they resorted to the Island of Arran, their 
 favourite hunting-ground. The cave is scooped out 
 of fine-grained white sandstone. It is 114 feet 
 long, 44 broad, and nearly 50 in height. The 
 strata, dipping doAvn on each side, give the roof the 
 appearance of a Gothic arch. They who are very 
 clear-sighted tell us of broadswords and hunting-scenes 
 engraven on the walls, by the arrow or spear-point, it 
 may be, of some Fingalian or Brucian lithographer ; 
 but as it required more imagination than I possessed 
 to decipher these antique engravings, I shall not at- 
 tempt to describe them. Trap dykes pierce the sand- 
 stone cliffs aroimd the cave, and they are also inter- 
 mingled with masses of claystone porphyiy, and of 
 green-coloured pitch-stone. Besides this one, there 
 are several adjoining caves, about as large, but of less 
 interest, as they are only the king's kitchen, the king's 
 cellar, and the king's stable. Everything is interest- 
 ing in the history of a patriot king, whether in pros- 
 perity or in adversity; and it was not without some
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 119 
 
 emotion that I entered tlie cave that had often been 
 trodden by Robert the Bruce. His faithful friend, 
 Sir James Douglas, had arrived in the island before 
 him, and not knowing that the king had come to it, it 
 would afford him no small joy when he was made 
 acquainted with this in the manner so well described 
 by the good old historical poet Barbour: — 
 
 " The king then blew his horn in by, 
 And gart his men that were him by 
 Hold them still in privitie : 
 And syn again his horn blew he. 
 James of Douglas heard him blow, 
 And well the blast soon can he know; 
 And said, SureUe yon is the king, 
 I ken him well by his blowing. 
 The third time therewith also he blew. 
 And then Sir Robert Boyde him knew. 
 And said. Yon is the king, but dreed. 
 Go we will forth to him, good speed." 
 
 On the cliffs of the cave may be found, as a very 
 appropriate adornment of a royal residence, Osmunda 
 regalis, the royal fern; and in some places in Arran 
 it may well be called a royal plant, for it has been 
 found by Mr. Stewart Murray, eleven and a-half 
 feet in height. Within the cave there are magnifi- 
 cent specimens of Asj^lenium marinum. There are 
 also some good mosses, such as Gymnostomum ru- 
 joestre, Hedicigia cestiva, &c. 
 
 Leainng the cave, I proceeded along the shore to 
 Mauchrie. I passed, without knowing it, Tormore, 
 a very interesting place, which I afterwards, however, 
 visited along with Dr. Curdie. Here there are seve- 
 ral antique circles of stones, generally regarded iis
 
 120 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Druldical. Near one of tlie circles there are tliree 
 upright columns, ahout fifteen feet above ground, and 
 not less than the half of that, it is probable, under the 
 surface. There had been a fourth, but it had been 
 broken down, and it lies half formed into a mill-stone. 
 These gigantic obelisks are of old red sandstone, and 
 must have been brought from some distance. All around 
 is now a barren, desolate-looking moss; but once, we 
 doubt not, it was the busy haunt of men; and judging 
 from the large oak trunks often found imbedded in 
 the peat moss, the monarch of the forest must have 
 once flourished where there is now nothing but the 
 humble heather and the sterile ling. 
 
 Passing Tormore, then, unwittingly on this occasion, 
 after having proceeded a mile or two, I struck up 
 from the shore, and came ere long to what I learned 
 was dignified mth the name of Loch lorsa, though, 
 from its scanty breadth, I never would have supposed 
 that it was the loch from which abundance of trout, 
 and still greater abundance of salmon, are often 
 brought by the cunning angler's deceptive fly, or more 
 ingloriously by the sweeping net. On I wandered, 
 cheered by falling in mth several interesting pheno- 
 gamous plants, which I had not seen in Ayrshire, 
 such as Gymnadenia conopsea,, with its fine rose- 
 pui-ple spike, filling the air around with the fi-agrance 
 of its sweet perfume; and Habenaria albida, and I 
 think, II. viridis; as well as Drosera Anglica and 
 Drosera longifolia. I came at last to a mountain 
 lake, nearly two miles in length, and a quarter of a 
 mile in breadth. As I had no map of the island, I
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 121 
 
 knew not what it was, I was much struck with the 
 utter loneliness and stei-ility of everything around. 
 The plain in which it is situated is nearly covered 
 with blocks of granite, and the soil, which consists 
 chiefly of decomposed granite, can nourish only some 
 patches of dwarfish heather. I found afterwards that 
 this was Loch Tanna; that though nature seems so 
 dead and sterile around, its waters s^varm Avith life, 
 being a fine trouting loch; and that a little stream, 
 that flows from it into the lorsa (pronounced Erza) 
 is called the Shirrel Burn, Had " The Geology of 
 Arran," by my much-valued friend, Andrew Crombie 
 Ramsay, Esq., been then in my pocket, as in later 
 years it has often to my great advantage been, I would 
 not have restetl satisfied without seeing a mvich more 
 interesting loch at no gi-eat distance from this. But 
 though the work was not published for many years 
 afterwards, since he kindly presented me with a copy 
 of it, I am sure he will make me quite welcome to 
 borrow from it in any time of need. His excellent 
 pencil-sketch of what, through ignorance, I missed, 
 I cannot so easily borrow; but I am glad to insert his 
 graphic description, 
 
 " Let the geologist turn aside to see a solitary 
 mountain tarn in the silent recesses of Beinn JMhor- 
 roinn. This little sheet of water is by far ^the most 
 picturesque of all the lochs of Arran, and is situated 
 deep in a hollow called Corrie an Lachan. The place 
 is perfectly lonely — not a tree is near; and except the 
 brown heath on its margin, and a few stunted rushes 
 by the brook, the surrounding hills are almost bare of
 
 122 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 vegetation. The water is dark and deep, and the 
 stormy blasts of the mountain never reach its still and 
 unruffled surface. From it edge on all sides but that 
 towards the sea, rise the naked hills, whose sides are 
 formed of massive granite blocks, which, though 
 surely yielding to decay, yet offer a stronger resist- 
 ance to the destroying influences of time than the 
 softer portions of the mountain, where the decom- 
 posing rock may almost be seen slowly crumbling 
 away." 
 
 Here stood I, in this barren waste which encom- 
 passes Loch Tanna. I was bound for Lochranza, 
 but as I was in search of alpine plants, I resolved to 
 make my way over the highest mountain in view, 
 which, though then vmknoAvn to me by name, I after- 
 wards learned was Beinn Mhorroinn (pronounced 
 Ben Varen), almost as high as Goatfell. Half-way 
 up its steep side I was glad to recline by a little limpid 
 fountain, and to share a sandwich with my quadru- 
 pedal companion. It was a charming day, though 
 rather too hot for so steep a path; but the geologist 
 will not grudge the labour when he has gained the 
 summit. He will find on the top two ranges of 
 huge granite blocks, like two regular walls meeting at 
 right angles. On the east and west sides the mountain 
 is like a long barn with a rounded roof; but on the 
 north side the space between the rectangular walls is 
 scooped out, leaving tremendous precipices overhang- 
 ing the Conie, or hollow in the bosom of the moun- 
 tain. Li the clefts of the granitic walls I found one 
 plant that was new to me, Salix herhacea, the least of
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 123 
 
 our British willows. I got also, in the clefts of the 
 rocks, Vaccinium vitis Icl(sa, Alchemilla alpina, Saxi- 
 fragu stellaris, and a few more plants, rather of an 
 alpine character. 
 
 As the burning sun, though he had still a good way 
 to run, seemed hastening on to plunge himself into 
 that tempting sea which was now shining under his 
 beams, and in which several islands which I saw from 
 my elevated position, Avere swimming with much appa- 
 rent delight, I thought that it was time that I should 
 descend also. I had never been at Lochranza, but as 
 I knew that it was at the north end of the island, I 
 resolved to bend my course to the most northerly 
 houses I saw on the shore. The descent was accom- 
 plished in a fifth part of the time I had taken to 
 ascend; for, in early life, when the body is light, and the 
 limbs elastic and strong, descending a mountain is but 
 an easy race. I was at one time brought to a halt by 
 seeing some beautiful moss aromid a mountain spring, 
 but having gathered some fine specimens of Bartramia 
 fontanel^ I halted not again till I reached the houses 
 I had seen from the mountain-top ; but, alas, alas ! it 
 was not Lochranza but Thunderguy, so that six good 
 miles lay before me ere my journey was accomplished. 
 The walk was a pleasant one, however. The evening 
 was perfect loveliness. After passing Catacol, the cliffs 
 were richly adorned with natm'al copsewood, in Avhich 
 the mavis and merle, and many other birds, were rais- 
 ing in happy chorus their evening song of joy. My 
 faithful four-footed companion showed that he had had 
 just enough of it for a time. All his gamjols were
 
 124 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 over. He had >yorn liimself out in his zoological and 
 ornithological pursuits; and with drooping ears and 
 tail, he was walking soberly at my heels. Soon after 
 sunset Lochranza was reached; there I spent the 
 night comfortably in the inn. Next morning I had 
 a walk of twelve miles to Brodick, but I accom- 
 plished it in time to get aboard the steamer for 
 Ardrossan, and I reached home in safety, well-pleased 
 ■ndth my Highland ramble. Nothing very rare, it is 
 true, had been found; for the rarest things in all like- 
 lihood were passed unnoticed, as at that time, even as 
 a botanist, I felt interested only in phenogamous 
 plants. The distant view from the top of Ben Varen, 
 in favourable circumstances, is splendid, but I desi- 
 derated the terrific grandeur of the cliffs, and pinnacles, 
 and ya^^^ling chasms, which I had before seen from the 
 summit of Goatfell. One of my college friends, on 
 his return from visiting Arran, told me that when on 
 the top of Goatfell, he had been filled with astonish- 
 ment, not rmmingled with fear. The cliffs were so 
 precipitous, that it almost made him giddy to look 
 down into the chasms, some of which were between 
 two and three thousand feet deep; and that when he 
 looked on the sharp peaks and naked pinnacles, 
 bristling up in this scene of horror and devastation, 
 he could scarcely help thinking that they were the 
 claws of the old dragon ready to clutch him. Some 
 young friends of mine thought they had greater cause 
 of alarm. They had reached the top of Goatfell on 
 a lovely day, and were contemplating the scene around 
 them, when all at once, though they felt no vvdnd,
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 125 
 
 they saw the sand and small stones driven about at 
 their feet, and heard moanings, or low bellowings pro- 
 ceeding from the clefts of the rocks close beside them. 
 They felt solemnized, and the more so when they 
 observed that a dog which had accompanied them was 
 filled with fear, and came crouching to their feet. The 
 sounds gradually subsided. They could not accoimt 
 for them, nor can I, unless by supposing that they 
 were produced by some irregular currents of wind 
 sweeping along the ground, and plajang among the 
 crevices. There are certain sounds, I understand, heard 
 at times among the cliffs of gi'anite mountains; and it 
 may be that to some of these sounds, Avhatever they 
 are, they listened. Dr. M'Culloch, in his interesting 
 account of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, says : 
 " The ascent to the top of Goatfell is gentle and easy, 
 and will well repay the visitor." Having remarked that 
 the distant view is too distant to be very interesting, 
 he adds, " But the mountain itself recompenses the 
 spectator for the tameness of the distant view; being 
 unlike any other in Scotland, from its bold spires of 
 natural grey rock ; from the depths of the valleys that 
 meet at its summit, branching aAvay into shadowy 
 obscurity; and from the huge and naked precipices 
 around, impending over an abyss whose silence is 
 only disturbed by the sound of the breeze, or of the 
 distant water- fall, and which even the light of noon- 
 day never reaches."
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Visit Lochranza from Corrie — Caves and boulders near Sannox — 
 A large boulder the refuge of the last soldier of Cromweirs 
 garrison at Brodick — Glen Sannox — Ruggedness of the path 
 after leaving Sannox — Nearly unridable — Lochranza — The 
 Castle — Herring-fishery — The rich supply of food sent by God 
 — Lochranza seen to advantage from the sea — Return by the 
 shore road — Exceedingly pleasant — Geological phenomenon — 
 Scridan— The Fallen Rocks. 
 
 As I passed very rapidly along from Lochranza to 
 Brodick, I shall be the more readily excused for 
 recording a brief reminiscence of a trip to Lochranza 
 in a subsequent year. I set out for Corrie to accom- 
 pany a lady, Miss M h, who had never been at 
 
 Lochranza. She was mounted on a Highland pony; 
 but I knew the ground, and prefeiTcd going as a 
 humble pedestrian. I had no cause to regret this. 
 Our path, for a time, was good and pleasant. We 
 passed the angular caves near Sannox, of which Mr. 
 Ramsay has since given a good drawing as well as 
 description, sho>\ing that they must have been formed 
 by the influence of the waves previous to their eleva- 
 tion to their present height ; and that as deposits of
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 1 2? 
 
 subfossil sbells, similar to those which are now found 
 in the sea and on the shore, are found at the very 
 entrance to these water-worn caves, the elevation of 
 the granite after their formation must have occurred 
 at a comparatively recent geological period. "We 
 passed also a very large boulder, which, from its great 
 size, cannot fail to attract attention, but which derives 
 additional interest from tradition. When Oliver 
 Cromwell took possession of Arran, he placed a gar- 
 rison in Brodick Castle, and strengthened it by rais- 
 ing a bartisan on the north side. The soldiers, con- 
 ducting themselves with the usual license of conquerors, 
 provoked the Highlanders to such a degree, that, full 
 of indignation, they watched for an opportunity of 
 revenge ; and, taking the Englishmen by surprise when 
 they were out on a foraging excursion, they fell upon 
 them, and put them all to the sword. The last of the 
 party that was slain was dragged from his place of 
 concealment under this great stone, which still remains 
 by the road-side on the way to Sannox.* Proceeding 
 on our journey, we passed the mouth of one of the 
 grandest glens that Scotland can boast of — Glen San- 
 nox. It is worth travelling many miles to have even 
 a passing glance of Glen Sannox; but if it is to be 
 only a passing glance, it should be from the sea, and 
 from an elevated position, such as the paddle-box of a 
 steamer. The coup d'ml that is thus obtained is not 
 surpassed in grandeur by any Highland scenery I 
 have ever seen. Though at that time I had only 
 a passing view, I shall never forget the solitary walk 
 * Vide New Stat. Account of Scotland, article Kilbride.
 
 128 EXCURSIONS TO ARllAN. 
 
 I on another occasion had, not only to the head ot 
 the glen, but to the summit of the pinnacle which 
 separates Glen Sannox from Glen Rosa, and thence 
 down Glen Rosa, through more than knee-deep 
 heather, winding my way to Brodick. Had Dr. 
 M'CuUoch taken this route, he would have spoken in 
 more laudatory terms of Glen Rosa. He says : — 
 " Near the entrance of Glen Rossie many wild and 
 romantic scenes occur; as well as on the acclivities of 
 the hills in various quarters, and indeed from almost 
 every point about or in this bay. But beyond the 
 entrance of Glen Rossie all beauty ceases, being re- 
 placed by wildness without magnificence." Had he 
 gone farther, he would have changed his tone. Had 
 he gone up the glen to the place where a mountain 
 stream forms a junction with Glen Rosa Burn, he 
 would have seen Avhat would have delighted his heart 
 as a geologist, and his eye as a tasteful admirer of mag- 
 nificent scenery. He might have seen, in the channel 
 of the stream, a fine junction of the granite and schist, 
 pointed out to me by my friend, the Rev. Dr. Pater- 
 son, who I think discovered it; and lifting up his 
 eyes, and looking arovmd, he would have seen that he 
 was encompassed by scenery so exceedingly grand 
 that it Avould bear to be compared even with Glen 
 Sannox. Glen Sannox he ungrudgingly praises : — 
 " The acute and rocky pyramid of Kid Yoe offers a 
 peculiarly striking object, giving rise to many remark- 
 able alpine scenes, and somewhat resembling parts of 
 the famed scenery of Glencoe. With the exception, 
 indeed, of Coruisk in Skye, of this last named valley.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 129 
 
 and of some of the scarcely accessible glens that lie 
 about the sources of the Dee, Scotland contains no 
 scenery that can be compared, in this style, with that 
 which occurs in these mountain valleys of Arran." 
 
 " Glen Sannox, as it is the most striking, is 
 
 also the most accessible of these ; but it must be fol- 
 lowed to the very extremity, even till it rises up to- 
 wards the summit of Goatfell, as its chief interest lies 
 in that part. But this is landscape beyond the reach 
 of art. It is the sublime of magnitude, and sim- 
 plicity, and obscurity, and silence." " Perpetual 
 
 twilight appears to reign here, even at mid-day; a 
 gloomy and grey atmosphere uniting, into one visible 
 sort of obscui'ity, the only lights which the objects 
 ever receive, reflected from rock to rock, and fi-om 
 the clouds which so often involve the lofty boundaries 
 of this valley." 
 
 But I have been wandering widely from our path, 
 which lay neither up Glen Sannox, nor down Glen 
 Rosa, but straight onward to Lochranza. After pass- 
 ing South Sannox and North Sannox, where there 
 were at that time some of the poorest cottages I had 
 ever seen inhabited by human beings, the roofs of 
 which, nevertheless, were adorned with abundance of 
 Corydalis claviculata, we passed for miles along a 
 rugged path through a bleak, iminteresting tract of 
 country, till the road, at a place known by the name of 
 " the Stairs," became the very perfection of ruggedness. 
 At considerable peril, however, I succeeded in lead- 
 ing the trembling pony up and do^^^l these steep and 
 rugged " stairs," though I feared at every step that 
 
 I
 
 130 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 horse and rider would be precipitated on the guide.* 
 At last, however, we came in sight of Lochranza. 
 la approaching Lochranza from the south, the only 
 interesting feature in the landscape is the old castle. 
 The castle is of very considerable antiquity, for For- 
 dun, who vvTote about 1380, speaks of it then as one 
 of the royal castles. It must have been well built, 
 for it still remains pretty entire, though kings and 
 nobles, who in their day and generation made it a 
 scene of joy and feasting, have long been slumbering 
 in the dust. But though there is no longer to be seen 
 issuing from its walls a gay aiTay of Scottish nobles, 
 with hounds and horn to hunt the red deer, and to 
 awake the echoes in many a Highland glen, there 
 may be seen here annually, for some time dui'ing sum- 
 mer, a scene of activity well fitted to delight the heart. 
 This is a place of rendezvous for the Highland boats 
 during the herring-fishing season, and it is a lovely 
 spectacle to see them launching forth in a summer 
 evening almost in countless numbers, covering the 
 Sound of Kilbrandon, and many of them bearing away 
 towards Lochfyne, which is at no great distance. And 
 a scene of still greater bustle and activity may be be- 
 held when the boats return laden A\ith silvery treasure ; 
 part to be spread on the shore to be immediately cured, 
 
 * I understand that there is now an excellent road all the way 
 to Lochranza. Were I to travel it, I would be disposed to adopt, 
 ■with a little change, the lines in praise of General Wade, who 
 effected a similar change at Glencro: — 
 
 Had you seen this road before it was made one, 
 
 You would have held up your hands and blessed Mr. Paterson.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARUAN. 131 
 
 and part to be sent in quick-sailing boats, to fui-nish 
 a morning feast to the poor as well as to the rich, 
 through a wide extent of country. He must be 
 thoughtless, indeed, who does not see the great good- 
 ness of God in furnishing annually so abundant a 
 supply of wholesome, delicious food for even the 
 poorest of the land. This most valuable fish is said 
 to derive its name from the German word heet\ sig- 
 nifying an army, as expressive of the numbers in which 
 they annually appear on om- coasts. They are, indeed, 
 an army — an exceeding great army — not of barba- 
 rians, carrying death and destruction before them — 
 not of locusts, leaving desolation and famine behind ; 
 but an army that is not only harmless in their life, 
 but a blessing by their death, furnishing a rich supply 
 of nutritive daily food to many myriads of the human 
 race. And, poor things, since they must die before 
 they can be a benefit to us, we are glad that they scarcely 
 taste of the bitterness of death, as they die the very 
 moment they are brought out of the water. Earlv in 
 the summer they issue in numbers numberless from 
 the deep recesses of the northern seas. Gulls and 
 gannets, whales and porpoises, manifest their joy by 
 their wild screams from above, or by their unwieldy 
 tumblings in the waters around. The living stream 
 is in motion over an extent of hmidreds of miles. As 
 it rushes along, the rippling of the water is both heard 
 and seen. Near Shetland the mighty mass separates 
 into different columns, and one great division proceeds 
 to the eastern, and another to the Avestern shores. The 
 largest and richest-flavoured fish are found in the west,
 
 132 EXCURSIONS TO ARBxVN. 
 
 especially in the deep waters of Lochfyne. Notwith- 
 standing the millions that are yearly caught, it is not 
 wonderful that the mighty army next year should be 
 found undiminished, as in the roe of a single fish of 
 average size about 37,000 eggs have been counted. 
 The sea is thus made to teem with life for the support of 
 life. O that while the Lord thus abimdantly blesses 
 us, like Joseph, with the blessings of the deep that 
 lieth under, he would also render us truly desirous of 
 being blessed by the Almighty with blessings of 
 heaven above! 
 
 To behold Lochranza to advantage, it must be 
 seen from the sea, or from the very entrance to the 
 loch. Then the picture is a noble one. In the fore- 
 ground you have the old castle, and around it, in the 
 fishing season, the green strewed with fish and nets, 
 and casks and carts, mingled with curers and coopers, 
 on one hand, and women and children on the other 
 hand, around smoking fires, over which pots are 
 suspended, that from the boiling refuse they may ex- 
 tract the oil. Immediately over the castle you see 
 the heights of Tomidneon; and over them, at a greater 
 distance, jou behold in savage grandeur that serrated 
 range of mountain cliffs and pinnacles which lie on 
 the north side of wild Glen Sannox. But have not 
 thy charms, Lochranza, obtained for thee a bard, who 
 plucked a pinion from the eagle's wing, and with it 
 in unfading colours sketched thine ancient castle, and 
 thine inland bay — the smoke ascending from thy 
 hamlet lone, and the peaked summits of thy circling 
 hills, smiling, as greeted by the setting sun ?
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 133 
 
 " On fair Lochranza streamed the early day; 
 
 There wreaths of cottage-sinoke are upward curl'd 
 From the lone hamlet, which her inland bay 
 And circling mountains sever from the world; 
 And there the fishermen his sail unfurPd, 
 The goat-herd drove his kids to steep Ben-ghoil; 
 Before the hut the dame her spindle twirl'd, 
 Courting the sun-beam, as she phed her toil — 
 For wake where'er he may, man wakes to care and toil," 
 
 Lord of the Isles. 
 
 We have more than once in a summer evening con- 
 templated with great delight from Newton Point, — 
 Lochranza lying in solitary beauty, overtopped by 
 the gleaming peaks of Caistael Abhael and Ceum na 
 Cailleach, while mountain peaks and ancient tower 
 were sweetly reflected from the placid loch. 
 
 " The lake returned in chastened gleam 
 The purple cloud, the golden beam, 
 Reflected in the crystal pool. 
 Headland and bank lay fair and cool ; 
 The weather-tinted rock and tower. 
 Each drooping tree, each fairy flower; 
 So true, so soft the mirror gave, 
 As if there lay beneath the wave. 
 Secure from trouble, toil, and care, 
 A world than earthly world more fair." 
 
 The reader may almost have forgotten that after 
 having accomplished our precarious pilgrimage over 
 the mountain stair-steps, we are at the inn at Lochranza. 
 There we were to tarry only for an hour; but how 
 were we to return ? Must the same rugged road again 
 be tried, risking a new horse, and rider, and guide ? 
 Was there no other way? was our earnest inquiry. 
 Happy were we to learn that there was another way,
 
 1.34 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 and without hesitation we took it, though we were 
 told that it was about two miles longer. How great 
 was the contrast ! The former way was all ruggedness 
 beneath, and all sterility around; here, on the con- 
 trary, after reaching Laggan farm by a tolerable bridle 
 road, we had a charming view of Ayrshire, Bute, and 
 Cumbraes, while the placid intervening sea, studded 
 with vessels of various shape and size, gave life and 
 oheerfidness to the scene. When we reached the 
 shore, though the landward view was limited by the 
 nature of the rising ground, it was very delightful. 
 It was Nature in her native charms, and in her own 
 dress, exhibiting at times much mid fantastic loveli- 
 ness. Though from Laggan our road at best was 
 only a footpath, and in many places only the green 
 untrodden turf, it was quite rideable except at one 
 place, and that place, notAvithstanding its formidable 
 aspect, was nothing to the rugged stairs by which we 
 approached Lochranza in the forenoon. The place 
 of which I speak is the well-knoAvn Fallen Rocks, 
 where the mountain-side has given way, and coming 
 down as an avalanche, has left the declivity from the 
 very top to the sea-side, like a troubled stream of large 
 stones. There is a spectacle somewhat similar, but 
 on a still grander scale, at Scridan, a little to the 
 north of the place where we at this time approached 
 the shore. There the disrupted fragments are of 
 such magnitude that, instead of being like a stream of 
 stones, one might mistake them for so many High- 
 land cottages that had been SAvept on towards the sea 
 by a mountain torrent. This part of the coast I have
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AHBAN. 135 
 
 repeatedly visited; but it does not at present lie in 
 our way, and therefore for a far better account of it 
 than I could at all give, and of the geological features 
 of this interesting part of the coast fi-om the Castle of 
 Arran to the anticlinal axis near North Sannox, I 
 have pleasure in referring to the valuable little work 
 which I have already mentioned by my warm-hearted 
 scientific friend, Andrew Crombie Ramsay, Esq. 
 
 Having passed the Fallen Bocks and the Blue Rock\ 
 where there w;is much that was sufficiently interesting 
 to detain us had we not often been there before, we 
 soon reached Corrie, much pleased \nth our little ex- 
 pedition, and not unwilling to be refreshed with that 
 favourite beverage which 
 
 " Cheers, and not inebriates."
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Sail from Corrie for Lochranza — Wind becoming unfavourable, 
 obliged to land— Resolve to walk — It becomes misty— The 
 whole party, young and old, wander — Pitiful plight, contend- 
 ing in the mist with wind and rain — After four hours' walking, 
 recognise Tornidneon with delight, and reach Lochranza in 
 safety — Interchange of visits with Rev. Dr. Paterson — Descrip- 
 
 ! tion of his lodgings — Walk with the Doctor along the shore — 
 Plants found — Cliffs of Drummadoon — Another Avalk to Loch- 
 ranza — The great beauty of the shore — Very interesting to 
 geologists — Catacol — The walk to Lochranza beautiful — Plants 
 and shells found — Walk through the mountains to Duchray — 
 Another walk from Lochranza to Brodick by Loch lorsa, ac- 
 companied by Major Martin and Dr. Curdie— Plants found at 
 the loch, and on the moor, and at Loch Davie — Description of 
 Utricularia — Glen lorsa — Start a red deer — Heavy rain, and 
 close mist — Lose our way, and wander among the hills —Reach 
 Loch Noosh — It clears a little, and we find the road to Brodick. 
 
 In this chapter I shall briefly give my reminiscences 
 of two excursions, which will show that Arran, though 
 in fine weather a delightful residence, is not a scene 
 of perpetual sunshine. 
 
 In 1840 I had made arrangements to spend a 
 short time at Lochranza with my family. I had 
 given orders that some wheeled carriage should be in 
 readiness for us when we landed from the steamer at
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 137 
 
 Brodick, to convey us to Lochranza, as I understood 
 that the new road Avas completed. When we reached 
 Brodick, I was informed that the new road had not 
 heen completed, and that to take a wheeled carriage 
 to Lochranza was impossible. What, then, was to be 
 done ? There were no balloons ; but it was suggested 
 that we might drive to Corrie, and there hire a boat 
 to convey us. This seemed very practicable, and, 
 acting upon it, we sent the feebler portion of the 
 party on before us, and two stout boys and I followed 
 on foot. On reaching Corrie, we hired a boat, which 
 soon set sail, leaving the boys and myself to walk 
 along the delightful shore, which we greatly preferred. 
 By the time we reached the Blue Rock, a very unfa- 
 vourable change of weather had taken place. A stiff 
 breeze had sprung up from the north, and the day 
 had become wet and misty. After we had passed the 
 Blue Rock, to our surprise, we came up to the boat, 
 and found that the boatmen had landed their passen- 
 gers. On inquiry, we found that the wind was quite 
 ahead, and that neither by sailing nor rowing could 
 they make way against it. Being thus brought to a 
 stand, a council of war was held. " Shall vn e return 
 to Corrie, or shall we proceed on foot?" All were for 
 proceeding. "• But arc you able for the rough walk?" 
 said I to the females and to the yoimg travellers. 
 " We are willing, and we think we are able," was the 
 reply. I was for going along the shore by the Fallen 
 Rocks and Laggan, but the boatmen, who were to 
 follow next day, if more favourable, with the luggage, 
 said that the shore road was some miles longer, and
 
 138 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 that we had much better take the inland road. " Set- 
 ting a stout heart to a stey brae," we struck upwards 
 in the direction of the inland road, and coming to a 
 house which we knew was the last house we would 
 see till we reached Lochranza, we applied to the 
 inmates for instructions. They pointed out to us the 
 road, or rather the direction, in which we were to 
 proceed, for the fog had now become so thick that 
 we could not see many yards before us. We had 
 not advanced far till the faintly marked footpath 
 seemed to become two — one diverging to the right and 
 another to the left. We turned to the left. When 
 darkness hangs over the future, like the mist on our 
 doubtful footpath, of Avhat consequence is it to have 
 good guidance ! We turned to the left, as it seemed 
 rather the more beaten track. Alas ! alas! for that 
 very reason we should have turned to the right. At 
 all events, in the journey of life, this is the case; 
 for the broad beaten path leadeth to destruction. On 
 we went, however, and ere long the track disappeared, 
 and we were evidently in the pathless wild, and they 
 all began to see the precariousness of their position, 
 and to ask with great earnestness whether I knew 
 where we were. I felt myself in a most unpleasant 
 predicament, as a blind leader of the blind. After 
 walking for two hours, we were still out at sea 
 without rudder and without chart. Though it blew 
 a gale mingled with heavy rain, the fog was so thick 
 that we were often deceived. We often thought we 
 saw a house, but it was but a great rock surmounted 
 by heather; and what we had hoped were human beings
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AllHAN. 139 
 
 meeting us, proved only some of the black cattle of the 
 wild moor. We had already been three hours on the 
 march, and had made Httle progress, for wind and rain 
 were full in our face, and we occasionally tumbled into 
 deep holes which were concealed by the long heather. 
 For {mother hour we struggled forward, and evening 
 was dra-\\4ng on apace. There were seven of us in all. 
 The maid-servant, who had never been across seas 
 amidst Highland hills before, was the first to despond, 
 thinking, I suppose, that all was over -with us, and 
 that she would never see Stevenston Manse again. 
 Little Janet also, not six years of age, began almost 
 tearfully to ask me whether I thought we would get 
 to Lochranza that night. That was a question more 
 easily asked than answered, for if, in the fog, we had 
 taken a westerly instead of a northerly direction, we 
 had yet a dozen good miles of moss and moor, of hill 
 and glen, before we could reach a human habitation. 
 I was afraid that the strength of my daughters would 
 fail. It was well that the two boys were stout, espe- 
 cially William, the elder of the two, who has since 
 had more dangerous wanderings in the wilds of 
 Australia. He, aided by David, carried their little 
 sister, and kept up her drooping spirits. After we 
 had been about four hours in this plight, we came to 
 a stream running in a deep rocky channel through a 
 narrow ravine, and the rain having ceased, and the 
 fog clearing away, I could see a steep hill on the other 
 side of the stream Avhich seemed familiar to nie, and 
 I cried out with delight, " I now know where Ave are !" 
 "Where?" they simultaneously exclaimed. " In Glf u
 
 140 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Elsnabearadh," was the ready response; " and that 
 (pointing to the conical hill on the other side of the 
 swollen stream) is my old friend Tornidneon, not a 
 mile from Lochranza." Every countenance beamed 
 with joy. There was no longer any weariness; the 
 youngest became merry as a lark, and frisked about 
 like a mountain kid of the goats. The two boys 
 skipped down the glen at full speed, to have all in 
 readiness for us on our arrival. Our lodgings were 
 to be in the inn, and our hostess, Mrs. Maclarty, not- 
 withstanding the inauspicious name, was kind and 
 cleanly, and did everything in her power to render us 
 comfortable. We had, of course, a banquet of tea, 
 and in the reclining style of the ancients (though they 
 knew not the luxury of tea), for as we were all com- 
 pletely drenched, and our whole change of raiment in 
 the boatman's house at Corrie, we had to go to bed till 
 oiir clothes were dried. We slept soundly through 
 the night, and were refreshed, and had reason to bless 
 God that none of us had in the least suffered by the 
 pilgrimage of the preceding day; and we continued 
 greatly to enjoy our temporary sojourn at Lochranza. 
 It added not a little to our enjoyment of it, that 
 my worthy friend, the Rev. Dr. N. Paterson of St. 
 Andrew's Church, Glasgow, was rusticating at the 
 same time with three of his boys at Duchray, and we 
 had the pleasure of interchanging visits with them. 
 My two boys and I visited them first. We found 
 them in the best lodgings in the town of Duchray, 
 for so a little cluster of farm-houses is called. The 
 approach to their state-room, their only apartment,
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 141 
 
 was through the kitchen, from which it was separated 
 by a door which, even when shut, afforded free in- 
 gress and egress to company that occasionally visited 
 them. The dogs, of which there is always a goodly 
 number about a Highland farm-house, and also the 
 cats, found ready ish and entrance under the door ; 
 and the hens, without let or hindrance, could fly over 
 above the door. A man's life consisteth not in the 
 abundance of his possessions, nor in the elegance of 
 his apartments, for with this wayfaring lodge my happy- 
 minded friend was quite delighted; and a happier 
 group than it then contained is seldom, I suspect, to 
 be found in the splendid mansions of the great. But 
 we were still happier when roaming abroad, for it 
 was not to shut ourselves up in houses that we had 
 come to the island. The younkers spent the day in 
 angling, while the Doctor and I were engaged in 
 geological pursuits. As our nocturnal lodgings had 
 been in another house in the town^ I had a solitary 
 walk in the morning, and found very stately speci- 
 mens of Cotyledon utnbilicus, and some other interest- 
 ing plants among the rocks ; and at that hour of 
 prime I saw some beautiful Helices enjoying their 
 momiugpromenade — Helix fusca, H. hortensis, and H. 
 arhustorum ; and I saw at work a magnificent spider, 
 with which my arachnephilological friend, Mr. Adam 
 White, would have been perfectly delighted. It was 
 an Epe'ira^ like one that I shall afterwards mention aa 
 an iiduibitant of Kings-cross-point, but it was more 
 splendid — being beautifully marked like a leopard; 
 and whereas the other Epe'ira had its house suspended
 
 142 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 on grass or on heather twigs, this one had chosen as 
 its abode a sheltered crevice of the stable rock. 
 
 After breakfast we set out along the shore, and 
 went as far as Blackwater-foot, Avhere the botanist 
 may find, in considerable abundance, several plants 
 of not very frequent occurrence. There Convolvulus 
 soldanella shows in July and August its fine large 
 rose-coloured flowers. There also may be seen 
 Cramhe maritima, sea-kale, which many would rather 
 see smoking on the dinner-table than gro'VAang on the 
 sea-shore. JLithospermum maritimum trails beauti- 
 fully along the strand, the flavour of which, it has 
 been observed, greatly resembles that of oystei-s. 
 There, too, is found Lithospermum officinale, a plant 
 rarely met A\ath in Scotland ; and there also, if I re- 
 member aright, I found Raphanus niaritimus, sea 
 radish. . ' 
 
 Our chief object, however, in this forenoon ramble 
 was Drummadoon; that is, the bold majestic promon- 
 tory that goes by that name. The face of this pic- 
 turesque cliff presents a striking range of columns of 
 porphjTritic basalt. The pillars are generally penta- 
 gonal, rising perpendicularly about 80 or one 100 
 feet, and resting on a basis chiefly of sandstone, 
 so that the cliffs where highest may be nearly 300 
 feet above the plain. It would appear that in Pen- 
 nant's time a round fort siu-mounted this bold pro- 
 montory, and that from this circumstance the place 
 got the name of Drummadoon, which signifies the 
 ridge of the fort. No part of the fort now remains, 
 but there is a mass of stones which may at one time
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 143 
 
 have formed a cairn or fort, and tliis great accumula- 
 tion of" stones is surrounded by a loose stone dyke, in 
 the middle of which there seems to have been a gate- 
 way. 
 
 There is no great pleasure in looking even at the 
 bold cliffs of Drummadoon in the midst of wind and 
 rain ; but if this day was unpropitious, next day made 
 ample compensation. It was lovely, and quite suited 
 for a pleasure walk along the shore to Lochranza 
 with our friends, who were going to return our visit. 
 The distance is about twelve miles. The beauty of 
 this part of the coast is not sufficiently known. It is 
 not without its charms, even when the highway is 
 kept ; and the geologist, in particular, cannot fail to be 
 delighted with the fantastic forms which the schistose 
 rocks assxime — now t^Wsted like the roots of the gnarled 
 oak, and at other times appearing like the scattered frag 
 mcnts of some ancient castle. At North Thunderguy 
 there are two remarkable masses of rock, which may 
 be seen by the way-side, the figure of which forms a 
 very striking vignette at the close of one of Mr. 
 Ramsay's chapters. They, however, who would en- 
 joy this walk, must, like us on the present occasion, 
 have leisure and light hearts, and the love of nature, 
 and a summer's sun smiling on the beauties of 
 nature. They must, like us, leave the highway, and 
 weud along the unbeaten beach Avhich lies betwixt 
 the sea and the range of elevated cliffs by which the 
 coast is all the way lined. The cliffs in many places 
 present scenes of nigged and fantastic grandeur, 
 where some species of disruption in olden times has
 
 144 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 taken place, and where the rocks, instead of settling 
 down, still lie heaped on each other in admirable 
 confusion. Occasionally the ruggeduess is softened 
 by a sweet intermixture of brushwood, and ferns, and 
 wild flowers, among which, if I remember aright, 
 Geranimn sanguinewm and Hypericum androscsmum^ 
 and the stately Fox-glove,^' were not the least con- 
 spicuous. Though the strip of level ground betwixt 
 the cliflFs and the sea was narrow, now and then we 
 came upon a spot of surpassing beauty, where, — the 
 cliff's receding a little, — a lovely nook seemed to 
 be scooped out, surrounded with a munition of 
 rocks. It seemed formed for a happy habitation — a 
 tasteful marine villa, with enough of ground betwixt 
 it and the bounding cliffs to form a garden, open to 
 the sun and sheltered from wintry blasts. Do any 
 say: 
 
 " Oh ! that for me some home like this would smile" ? 
 
 Many, we doubt not, would say so. How wonder- 
 ful is it, then, that we should so seldom pant after 
 that better, that everlasting home in the heavens, 
 which Christ has prepared for all who love him! 
 where the sun never goes down; where the flowers 
 never fade ; where the inhabitants are never sick, and 
 never grov/ old, and never die ; but where their hap- 
 
 * Fox-gloves, that is, folks' gloves, the fairy folks' gloves, in 
 which there is some meaning; though, according to the notions 
 usually entertained of these little poetical folks, one of these 
 beautiful flowers would better suit as a riding-cloak than as the 
 finger of a glove.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 145 
 
 piness is more exquisite than their highest wishes, 
 and permanent as the source from which it flows ! 
 
 After passing Catacol, the cliffs became richly 
 clothed with shrubs and trees of nature's planting; 
 and the music of the feathered tribes was intemiingled 
 with the sound of the waves on the shore, and of the 
 little cascades that here and there descend from the 
 projecting rocks. Though, by the time we reached 
 this, we found that the day was so for spent that it 
 was not expedient to linger long, yet I remember 
 finding, on the damp rocks near the little waterfalls, 
 some minute botanical beauties, such as Hi/meno- 
 jjhyllum Wilsoni, Hookeria lucens, and Fanaria 
 Muhlenhergiu I got also on the shore some of the 
 finest specimens ever I had seen of the beautiful 
 Pecten ohsoletus. 
 
 After spending a day with us at Lochranza in 
 visiting the castle and the loch, and in climbing the 
 steep side of Tornidneon to examine the junction of 
 granite and schist, it would not have suited the 
 Doctor's original and inquisitive cast of mind to re- 
 trace his steps along the shore. He must strike out 
 a ncAv path ; and the one fixed on was as the crow 
 flies, not indeed up in the air, but over hill and dale 
 in a straight line from Lochranza to Duchray. In 
 the ten or twelve miles that they thus ti-avelled there 
 was not even a Highland shieling, and not one 
 " human face divine" did they behold by the way; 
 but the jom-ney was safely accomplished, Avith the 
 additional pleasure of angling for an hour or two in 
 a mountain tarn by the way.
 
 146 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 I am led by this to give a brief account of a some- 
 what similar excursion through the mountains about 
 a year afterwards. On a fine though rather gloomy 
 morning, Major Martin, Dr, Curdie, and I, left the 
 inn at Lochranza, to ramble as botanists among the 
 hills and glens, hoping to reach Brodick in the even- 
 ing as our resting-place for the night. We spent 
 some time at the little fresh- water loch, which is about 
 a quarter of a mile from the inn, where we found 
 abxmdance of a pretty blue water beauty. Lobelia Dort- 
 wmnna. Near the loch, we found Hypericum elodes, 
 rather a rare plant. After entering the wild moor, by 
 Glen Eisnabearadh, we found abundance of a plant 
 of greater rarity than beauty — Ulva montana. Sir 
 William Hooker mentions it as lying on the ground, 
 but not attached to it, in stony, moist places, on Goat- 
 fell, Arran. According to Lightfoot, this is the 
 " mountam dulse" of the Scotch; and the Highlanders 
 wash it and rub it between their hands in water, so 
 as to make a paste which they use as a medicine for 
 their calves. We had not proceeded far till it began 
 to drizzle; and as we moimted the heights, not only 
 did the rain descend, but the wind blew. In process 
 of time we reached Loch Davie. Does the reader 
 think that this is a fine sheet of water, several miles 
 in circumference? I have seen many a quarry-hole 
 more magnificent. Nevertheless, this lochin sent its 
 waters to the north and to the south. It was at the 
 very summit-level, and from one end a stream flowed 
 towards Lochranza ; and from the other end a stream 
 flowed down Glen lorsa. It reminded me of seeing,
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARIIAN. 147 
 
 in my younger days, the Tweed and the Clyde start- 
 ing as Httle rills within a few feet of each other. 
 There was to me something very interesting in seeing 
 these magnificent rivers in their infant state. It was 
 hke looking at interesting little children, with the 
 reflection, that artless, and unaspiring, and feehle 
 though they be at present, they may ere long be the 
 great ones of the earth, the benefactors of their race 
 thi'ough time, and may shine as the stars of the firma- 
 ment for ever hereafter. Though the day was unfa- 
 vourable for botanizing, we had got some good mosses ; 
 and in Loch Da^'ie we got a phenogamous plant, 
 which, though not very rare, was at that time new to 
 all of us — Utricidarla vulgaris^ the greater bladder- 
 wort. This is an interesting plant, as it shows much 
 '.visdom of design in Him who made it to bloom for 
 his own glory in this wild mountain j)ond. After 
 having seen it, I read with greater interest the follow- 
 ing note in " Hooker's British Flora:" "The Bri- 
 tish specimens of the genus Utricularia are all aqua- 
 tics; and their roots, stems, and even leaves, are 
 furnished with numerous membraneous, reticulated 
 vesicles, which, according to Hayne, are filled with 
 water, till it is necessary the plant should rise to the 
 Burface and expand its blossoms above that fluid. The 
 vesicles are then found to contain only air, by aid of 
 which the plant floats ; this air again in autumn gives 
 place to water, and the plant descends to ripen its seed 
 at the bottom. Mr. Wilson observes on the bladders 
 of Utricularia^ that they have an orijice closed by an 
 elastic valve opening inwards, and of much thinner
 
 1 -IS EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 texture than the bladder to which it is attached 
 where the crest is placed. Aquatic insects often 
 enter these bladders, and are, of course, confined 
 there." 
 
 We were now descending into Glen lorsa, when, 
 lo ! on the accUyity on the left we beheld an animal 
 which was interesting to all of us, but especially to 
 the Major, a keen sportsman, who, though he had 
 often seen herds of wild elephants in Ceylon, had 
 never before seen in its vdld state Cerviis elaphiis, 
 the stag or red deer. Knowing that it was without 
 the reach of rifle-shot, it stood a little to gaze at us, 
 and then, trotting lightly away, disappeared in the 
 mist. It was a noble animal, with its branching 
 antlers. The usual height is about three and a half 
 feet, and some have been shot in Blair- Atholl, weigh- 
 ing upwards of eighteen stones. These stately crea- 
 tures are now rare in the island; but Martin, who 
 wTote a description of Arran about the year 1700, 
 says : " The highest hills of this island serve instead 
 of a forest to maintain the deer, Avhich are about four 
 hundred in number, and they are carefidly kept by a 
 forester, to give sport to the Duke of Hamilton, or 
 any of his family that go a-hunting there. For if 
 any of the natives happen to kill a deer without 
 license, which is not often granted, he is liable to a 
 fine of twenty pounds Scots for each deer." 
 
 By this time the rain was incessant, and descending 
 in torrents. A dense fog also had settled on the 
 hills, so that we could see nothing but the base of 
 BenYaren on our right. By following the little stream
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 14.9 
 
 vre came to Loch lorsa, which, owing to the heavy 
 rain, was in [fine state for the angler. We re- 
 solved to make the hest of our way with all conve- 
 nient speed to Brodick, and accordingly we began 
 to ascend the hills in that direction; but owing to 
 the dense mist, we soon lost our reckoning, and even 
 Dr. Curdie, who was a native of the island, and had 
 traversed the whole of it, could not tell where we 
 were. Onward, however, we went, without dread 
 or fear. We were stout and healthy, and in good 
 walking trim, and we knew if the worst came to 
 the worst, a few hours light ^^'alking would bring 
 us to the sea at the southern extremity of the island. 
 The elements had done their utmost, at least the clouds 
 had been so liberal of their watery treasiu-es that we 
 could not be wetter. The little mountain streams 
 we had to cross had become torrents, and we splashed 
 through them with as much pleasm-e as if we had 
 been ducks. At last we came to a mountain tarn. 
 None of us knew it, but we conjectured, and I be- 
 lieve aright, that it was Loch Noosh. Soon after this, 
 however, the mist cleared so much up that we knew 
 where we were. We could see a road crossing the 
 island which we knew would lead us to Brodick; 
 and Dr. Curdie could show us from the height his 
 father's fiu-m at Sliddery, telling us Avith glee how, 
 when a boy, he and his brothers caught abundance 
 of blackcocks. These stately birds are very fond of 
 cqfn, and they failed not to pay their respects to the 
 stooks on this Highland farm when harvest came. 
 The boys, who were placed as guardians of the stuff.
 
 150 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 might have driven them away, but that was not their 
 game. They crept into the heart of the stocks, and 
 when the blackcocks alighted, and were busily devour- 
 ing the oats, the boys cautiously slipped up their hands 
 through the sheaves, and catching them by the feet, 
 made the poor blackcocks an easy prey. From the 
 heights we bent our coui-se to the road which we had 
 seen, called the String, and as the rain had continued 
 so heavily to descend that botanizing had long been 
 out of the question, we made straight for Brodick, 
 where, amidst the comfort of dry clothes, and hot meat 
 and drink, and cheerful converse, we could laugh at 
 our plight as we descended the hill, when the rain 
 that had been caught in our coat pockets flowed from 
 our skirts in continued streams.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Dredging excursion with Mr. Smith of Jordanhill— Rothesay— 
 Kyles of Bute — Shells found in a newer Pliocene Deposit — 
 Vitrified fort— Molluscs, Crustaceans, and Zoophytes dredged 
 — Sail for Arran — Land at Sannox — Sail for Lamlash — The Bay 
 a rich dredging field— Shells, &c., found— List of Shells found 
 in shelly sand, dredged in the Bay. 
 
 These last excursions, in which I might be ranked 
 among the chiklren of the mist, bring us down as far 
 as 1841. I shall pass over some eventful years, in 
 which there was little leisure for rambling among 
 hills and glens, and passing on to the summer of 
 1844, I shall insert a short record, in part connected 
 with Arran. 
 
 A cruise is rather an anomalous event in the life 
 of a sober country minister, and a dredging excur- 
 sion is what seldom falls to the lot of even zealous 
 naturalists. Few have at their command the vessel, 
 the sailors, and the dredging apparatus; and most of 
 us are thankful if we can find time for an occasional 
 ramble for a few hours in a wild glen, or on the 
 mountain-side, or on the teeming shore of the bounti- 
 ful sea. Great, then, was my delight at being invited
 
 152 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 to spend a few days in dredging, along with Mr. 
 Smith of Jordanhill, in his nice httle yacht the 
 Raven; a pleasure I had not enjoyed since I had 
 been with him in his still nicer yacht the Amethyst. 
 
 Though the excursion proved a very delightful one, 
 the weather and the scenery being charming, we had 
 less dredging than we expected, for at first it was too 
 calm for dredging, unless we had taken to the row boat, 
 and latterly it became rather too rough for the purpose. 
 But dredging was not our only object. Mr. Smith is 
 well known in the scientific world from what he has 
 done for geology, especially in that branch of it which 
 bears " on the last changes in the relative levels of 
 the land and sea in the British islands." In carrjang 
 on his researches, he saw that it was of importance 
 to make a catalogue of the recent shells found at pre- 
 sent in our seas, as well as a catalogue of those that 
 are found in our latest deposits, that they may be 
 compared with each other. At the outset he thought 
 that all these comparatively recent deposits were of 
 the same age; but he has been led to conclude that 
 there are recent, and more recent deposits. The older 
 of these he calls by the usual name — the newer plio- 
 cene, as it contains a few shells not found at present 
 in our seas. The other he calls post-tertiary' — for 
 though it contains no shell that is not at present found 
 in our adjoining seas, it has evidently been deposited 
 when the sea was on a higher level. His lists of 
 recent, newer pliocene, and post-tertiary shells, are 
 now long, and I have had the pleasure of adding to 
 all the three lists.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 153 
 
 But let us begin with the sea off Bute, on our way 
 to Arran. On the 13th of August we shot owx dredge 
 in the Bay of Rothesay, and were in high expectation 
 of a rich liaul, when, lo ! all that was brought up 
 was a heather besom. As it had evidently been a 
 denizen of the deep for a considerable time, I care- 
 fully scrutinized it branch by branch, but all that I 
 could discover adhering to it were some young scal- 
 lops {Pecten opercularis) and some small crustaceans 
 — the fry, I believe, of Galathea squamifera. 
 
 From Rothesay we sailed up the Kyles of Bute, 
 and had beautiful scenery been our object, we could 
 not have been disappointed. It was not new to us, 
 but to me it appeared more charming than ever, as I 
 had never seen it in such fine weather before, except 
 from the deck of a crowded steamer. TVe had one 
 haul of the dredge before we came to anchor near 
 Ruebodach. It was not very productive. There were 
 hundreds of pretty Ophiurce, such as 0. texturata^ 0. 
 albida, 0. rosula^ 0. granulata., 0. hellis; but as there 
 seemed to be nothing rare among them they were re- 
 turned to tlie deep. To many, however, these curious 
 animals would have been a rich prize, as, Avith the 
 exception of 0. texturata, and sometimes 0. albida, 
 they are not often to bo got on the shore. The 
 smaller ones, indeed, are not uncommon in shallow 
 water at the roots of sea-weeds and under stones. It 
 may be necessary to mention to some of our readers 
 that Ophiurce are agenteeler tribe of star-fishes, with 
 round bodies from an inch to an eighth of an inch in 
 diameter, from which arms or rays proceed, in some
 
 154 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 cases three or four inches in length, very hke the tails 
 of lizards or little serpents; which resemblance is im- 
 plied in the name OpMurce — serpent-tails. We got 
 some very large specimens of Emargimda Jissura; 
 and two examples of a rare and beautiful Trochus^ 
 found for the first time in Britain about fifteen years 
 ago, by Major Martin on the shore near Stevenston 
 Bumfoot. As it was thought to be a new species, it 
 was called by Mr. Smith, Trochus Martini, but it has 
 since been ascertained that it is Trochus Millegramis 
 of Philippi ; and it has been found in several places 
 on the west coast, and lately, I observe, on the east 
 coast. 
 
 We afterwards rowed to shore in the boat, and 
 landed near Balnacoolie, where Mr. Smith and Mr. 
 Sowerby from London, some years ago, had dis- 
 covered a rich newer pliocene deposit. We had not 
 been long ashore till we discovered two or three 
 specimens of Panopoea Bivonce, a rare sub-fossil shell, 
 which we were in search of, as it had been found for 
 the first time in Scotland by Mr. Smith and Mr. 
 Sowerby in this same locality. The shells are depo- 
 sited in thick clay. We got some from which the 
 clay had been washed away, and others by digging. 
 The prevailing shells in the deposit are, Mya truncata, 
 Venerupis virginea; Cyprina Islandica; Panopoea 
 Bivonee; Nucula 7-ostrata; Pecten Islandicus; and 
 Tellina proxima. This pretty little shell is the most 
 abundant, and marks the deposit as newer pliocene. 
 
 Next morning we set out in the boat for Rue- 
 bodach, where Mr. Smith and Mr. Sowerby first got
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 155 
 
 the Panopcea; and there also we got some more of all 
 the species we had got at Balnacoolie. We after- 
 wards visited a vitrified fort, discovered some years 
 ago by Mr. Smith, on one of the little islands in the 
 Kyles of Bute. When, and how, and why, were 
 these forts fonned ? We cannot give any very satis- 
 factory answer. History does not tell. A Roman 
 lamp in my possession, found in the vitrified fort at 
 Dundonald, near the Roman camp, leads us to con- 
 jecture that they existed when the Romans had pos- 
 session of much of our country. The one in the 
 Kyles seems to have been a place of defence, in which 
 the occupants were secured not only by the firm vitri- 
 fied walls, but by a surrounding ditch, the remains of 
 which are still evident. 
 
 On returning to the yacht, we dredged for some 
 time; and on hauling the dredge we found it almost 
 filled with fine black mud. Among the mud we 
 found some more Oph'mrce^ together with a specimen 
 of the pretty zoophyte Antennularia ramosa, and 
 Laoniede/i dichotoma; and caught in the meshes of 
 the dredge, we got a fine large specimen of Brissus 
 l^rifer, the fiddle-heart urchin, first discovered by Pro- 
 fessor Edward Forbes, when dredging Avith Mr. Smith 
 a few years ago in the Kyles of Bute. It was two and 
 one-third inches in length, by two inches in breadth. 
 I kept it alive in a jar of sea- water several days after 
 I returned home. When it died, I placed it near the 
 fire, to dry it for preservation as a specimen, but for 
 a considerable time it became more moist and glisten- 
 ing, as some oily matter seemed to exude.
 
 156 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN, 
 
 After this we sailed for Arran. We landed at 
 Sannox, and examined the caves mentioned by Mr. 
 Ramsay. We reached Lamlash Bay in the evening, 
 during a stiff breeze, -which continued throughout 
 the night. In the forenoon of next day it " took off" 
 a little, according to the phraseology of our sailors, 
 so as to allovr us to dredge. To a keen naturalist it 
 is exceedingly exciting to see a well-filled dredge 
 spreading its treasures on the deck. The first haul 
 was full of variety. The mouth of the dredge was 
 filled with Laminaria saccharina^ on which, among 
 other zoophytes, I was glad to see some good speci- 
 mens of Lepralia anmdata^ which I had discovered 
 some years before on the Ayrshire coast, when it was 
 new to Britain. Mixed Avith the sea-weeds there 
 were some very large examples of Uraster glaciaUs, 
 a star-fish which is beautiful when only about six 
 inches in diameter, but which loses much of its 
 beauty when full-grown. There were also three ex- 
 amples of Goniaster Templetoni, a very pretty scarlet 
 star-fish, generally considered rare, but which I after- 
 wards found was by no means rare in this bay. 
 There were, besides, many examples of Echinus 
 miliaris, and some live specimens of JEckinoci/amus 
 pusillus, the smallest of the sea-urchins, which, when 
 alive, is a beautiful green colour. There was, more- 
 over, the most beautiful Solaster papposa I had ever 
 seen — so bright in the colours, and so beautifully 
 shaded, as to be well deserving of the name of sun- 
 star. It had one defect. By some enemy, or by 
 some of the hard rubs of life from which the inhabi-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 157 
 
 taiits of the deep are not exempted, it had lost one of 
 its fingers or arms, or rays ; but the vis medicatrix 
 naturae was hastening to make up the mutilation. 
 The kindness of nature's God is very manifest even 
 to these inferior animals. They lose their limbs, but 
 it would appear that they do not suffer much thereby ; 
 for in emergencies they often throw them off of their 
 own accord, it may be with a foreknowledge of their 
 second growth, though this is rather problematical. 
 When the soldier loses a limb on the field of battle, 
 he must limp on to the end of his days ; but if he is 
 a hard soldier of Jesus Christ, fighting the good fight 
 of faith, he has this to cheer him, that he shall be 
 raised up at the last day not only unmaimed, but 
 fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body, to live 
 and reign with the Redeemer in mimingled blessed- 
 ness for evermore. 
 
 As the time was now at hand when the steamer 
 in which I was to be homeward bound was to start 
 from Lamlash, we »hot our dredge for the last time. 
 Up came abmidance of sea-weeds and sand. En- 
 tangled amongst the roots of the sea-weeds I observed 
 something that seemed new to me. Though, when 
 looking among the roots, it seemed scarcely deserving 
 of notice, on its being retximed to its native element 
 in a tumbler of sea-water, I Avas delighted with its 
 beautiful ajipcarance, and soon found that it was 
 Comotida rosacea^ the feather-star. Let any person 
 who has not seen it look at the graceful figm'e of it 
 in the first page of " Forbes's Star- Fishes," and he 
 will have some idea of its svirpassing beauty when it
 
 158 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 is seen alive with its numerous scarlet plumes grace- 
 fully waving in the water. As I had not at that 
 time heard of its being found in the west of Scotland, 
 I thought it very rare; but I now know that it is 
 not uncommon in this bay. 
 
 But the puffing steamer was now sending up its 
 volxmies of smoke, reminding me that I must quit the 
 Raven, and, what was worse, must leave Mr. Smith, 
 whose urbanity of manners, scientific knowledge, and 
 great kindness, had contributed so much to my enjoy- 
 ment of the excursion. There was not time to exa- 
 mine the load of sand which the dredge contained ; 
 but fortunately, before it was all swept back into the 
 deep, I remembered that Mr. Bean of Scarborough 
 had asked me to send him some shelly sand, and I 
 accordingly made up a small packet of it for him. 
 By applying a lens, I soon saw that it was valuable; 
 and I sent half a dozen handfuls of it to him, and 
 kept one for myself. He wrote to me that it was 
 the richest shelly sand he had ever got, except from 
 Guernsey. Many of the shells it contained were 
 very minute; and as the study of microscopic shells 
 was in some degree new to me, I requested him to 
 give me a list of those he foimd in his larger portion 
 of sand, adding those contained in my handful. 
 I shall subjoin the list, inserting one or two shells 
 found by me in the same delightful bay some years 
 before.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 159 
 
 LIST OP SHELLS. 
 
 1. Dentalium trachea, Mont. 
 
 2. glabrum, Mont. 
 
 3. Dentalium imperforatum, Mont. 
 
 4. Vermiculum subrotundatum, Fleni 
 
 5. bicorne, Flem. 
 
 6. intortum, Flem. 
 
 7. conceriLiicum 
 
 8, ■ oblongum 
 
 9. Renoidea oblonga, Brown 
 
 10. Nautilus crispus, Mont. 
 
 11. auricula 
 
 12. Rotalia Beccarla 
 
 13. Beccaria, Var. 
 
 14. Lobatula vulgaris, Flem. 
 
 15. vulgaris, Var. 
 
 16. Lagenula marginata. 
 
 17. striata 
 
 18. globosa 
 
 19. Nodosaria linearis 
 
 20. Arethusa lactea 
 
 21. Vermilia triquetra. Lam. 
 
 22. Serpula vermicularis 
 
 23. Pectinaria Belgica 
 
 24. Spirorbis lucidus, Flem. 
 
 25. corrugatus 
 
 26. neterostrophus, Flem. 
 
 27. Lottia Virginia 
 
 28. testudinalis, very abundant under stones in sluiliow 
 
 water 
 
 29. Chiton species, only single small valves, probably younsr. 
 
 30. Bulla truncata, Mont. 
 
 31. pellucida, Bean. 
 
 32. hyalina, Tuston 
 
 83. mammillata 
 
 34. Bullimena, species. 
 
 35. Eulimra polita 
 
 36. Turritella uuica
 
 IGO EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 37. Turritella ambigua 
 
 38. Rissoa rufilabrum, Alder 
 
 39. costata 
 
 40. striata 
 
 41. Rissoa Beanni, Hanley. This pretty little shell is abun- 
 
 dant. It was long confounded with R. Calathisca 
 
 42. Rissoa Striatula 
 
 43. decussata 
 
 44. reticulata 
 
 45. costulata 
 
 46. labiosa 
 
 47. Harveyi, Thompson 
 
 48. semistriata 
 
 49. vittata 
 
 50. • parva 
 
 51. vitrea 
 
 52. interrupta 
 
 53. ■ fulgida 
 
 54. Balliae, Thompson 
 
 55. minutissima, Bean 
 
 56. Odostomia interstincta 
 
 57. unidentata 
 
 58. cylindrica, Alder 
 
 59. Skenea depressa 
 
 60. divisa, Flem. 
 
 61. Natica Alderi 
 
 62. Trochus umbilicatus 
 
 63. cinerarius 
 
 64. millegranus, Philippi, T. Martini, Smith 
 
 65. subcarinatus 
 
 66. magus 
 
 67. Nassa macula 
 
 68. Cerithium reticulatum 
 
 69. adversum 
 
 70. Parthenia turrita 
 
 71. Fusus attenualus 
 
 72. purpureus 
 
 73. septangularis 
 
 74. retroversus, Fleming, Peracle Flemingii, Forbes 
 
 7£, Cemoria Flemingii
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 161 
 
 76. Terebratula aurita 
 
 77. Pccten opercularis. Of late, the fishermen at Lamlash are 
 
 much in the habit of dredging tiiis pecten for bait. 
 
 78. Lima fragilia 
 
 79. Lima tenera 
 
 80. Anomia squamula, Mont. 
 
 81. Area lactea 
 
 82. Nucula margaritacea 
 
 83. non-descript, very large 
 
 84. nitida, Sowerby 
 
 85. minuta 
 
 86. Cardium exiguum 
 
 87. fasciatum 
 
 88. nodosam 
 
 ^^- medium, a single yalve, found among shelly sand 
 
 some years age, but as it has not been found since, it 
 may have been a stray foreigner, 
 
 90. Mactra trimcata 
 
 91. solida 
 
 92. elliptica 
 
 93. Kellia suborbicularis 
 
 94. Amphidesma, species 
 
 95. Tellina donacina, Mont. 
 
 96. Lucina radula 
 97. flexuosa 
 
 98. . spinifera 
 
 99. Cyprina minima 
 
 100. Cytherea sinuata 
 
 101. Hiatella minuta, Turton 
 
 102. Montacuta bidentata, Turton 
 
 103. Lacuna vincta 
 
 104. canalis, Turton 
 
 105. Unknown, 
 lOG, Do, 
 
 107. Do. 
 
 When we look at this long list of living creatures, 
 of which, as there were often many of the same kind, 
 there were some thousands in a few handfuls of sand, 
 
 L
 
 162 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 we are filled with wonder at the amount of life which 
 the deep contains, and at the amount of enjoyment 
 that a kind Creator grants to even the minutest of his 
 creatures. What wisdom is manifested in their struc- 
 ture, and what exquisite workmanship displayed in 
 the formation of their little habitations! Many of 
 them are smaller than a small grain of sand, and yet 
 when they are placed under the microscope, they ex- 
 hibit the greatest elegance and diversity of form, ad- 
 mirably suited to the creatures by which they were 
 inhabited. He who made and lodged these minute 
 creatures, forgets not one of them; and if his eye 
 watches over creatures, some of which are too small 
 for our unaided eyes to behold, let us not fear that he 
 will fail in his promises to us, if we lay hold on the 
 covenant of promise, and seek to live by the faith of 
 the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for 
 us. He will be a sun and shield ; he will protect and 
 cheer us; he will guide us by his counsel while we 
 live; and when heart and flesh faint and fail, the 
 Lord will be the strength of our heart, and our portion 
 for ever.
 
 CHAPTER YII. 
 
 Revisit Lamlash Bay along with Mr. Smith and two other gentle- 
 men—Sail from the Kyles to Lamlash— Land on the Holy Isle 
 —Two ascend the hill— Two geologize at its base— Visit St. 
 Molios' Care -Cast anchor for the night in the Bay— An expen- 
 sive pier converted into a quarry— Sweet music heard in the 
 Bay— Phosphorescence of the waves— Light cast by Mr. Smith 
 on the scriptural account of St. Paul's shipwreck at Malta— A 
 new kind of vessel launched — Dredging, 
 
 Though it is not in the order of time, I may here 
 mention, that I had again tlie pleasure of visiting 
 Lamlash Bay along with Mr. Smith, in August 1846. 
 We were three days afloat in the Raven, which had 
 newly undergone repairs, and was very much improv- 
 ed, and rendered a most commodious little yacht. 
 The party tliis season consisted of four, as there was 
 not only Mr. Smith, but his son, a barrister from 
 London, to delight us with his hterary intelligence 
 from the great metropolis; and there was also the 
 Rev. Mr, Story, the kind-hearted parish minister of 
 Roseneath, almost the oldest of my friends. Our 
 route was nearly the same as on the former excursion, 
 so that I shall pass over all that is unconnected witli
 
 ]64 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Arran. The sail from the Kyles of Bute was a most 
 delightful one. The halcyon might have cradled her 
 young with perfect safety on the AA'ave. A pair of 
 fine seals sported for a time around vis, and ha\ing 
 showed us, by their fi-oHcsome evolutions, how ex- 
 pertly they could swim, they showed us also how 
 well they could dive. When we cleared the Kyles, 
 the gentle breeze Avas stiU propitious for carrj'ing us 
 doyni to Lamlash Bay. We never saw Arran to so 
 much advantage, especially a very interesting part of 
 it — from Sannox to Clachland-point. I had passed 
 Sannox before in a steamer, and enjoyed exceedingly 
 the magnificent comji? d^oeil; but the steamer moves on 
 with such rapidity, that a person gets but a hasty 
 glance; 
 
 " A moment seen, then lost for ever." 
 
 In a yacht, however, vnih a light breeze, the eye can 
 leisurely enjoy the feast. Stately Kiecli-na-hean first 
 presents itself: — moving on, you have next a full vicAv 
 of pyramidal Kier-Vore filUng up the gorge of the 
 glen ; while, over its shoulder to the left you see the 
 summits of some of the pinnacles on the west side of 
 Glen Rosa ; and gliding on a little farther you ob- 
 tain a view of the whole sweep of Glen Sannox, in- 
 cluding Ceuin-na-ca'dlich and Sue-Ergus^ and all the 
 range of peaks on the north side. You have not long 
 passed Glen Sannox till you come into Brodick Bay, 
 when Glen Rosa and the surrounding scenes open on 
 you Mith equal grandeur, conjoined vAih. the loveliest 
 features of beauty. This scene, Avhether beheld from 
 the Bay, or as the vessel progresses towards Clach-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 165 
 
 land-point, is seen and admired by so many thou- 
 sands every season, that I shall not attempt to de- 
 scribe it. 
 
 Having reached Lamlash Bay, we landed on the 
 Holy Isle. Mr. Smith, junior, and Mr. Story, ascend- 
 ed the hill, Avhich is about 1,000 feet in height. As 
 I had been repeatedly on the top of it, Mr. Smith, 
 senior, and I, went to examine a post-tertiary deposit, 
 corresponding with one on the opposite shore, to the 
 south of the village of Lamlash, where a bed of shells 
 is found about thirty feet above the present sea-level. 
 Being afterwards joined by oui- friends from the top 
 of the hill, we proceeded to St. Molios Cave, which I 
 had not seen for twenty years ; so that I had forgotten 
 its appearance. Though about twenty-five feet above 
 the level of the sea, it is evidently a water- worn recess 
 under the sandstone rock, which has all the appear- 
 ance of having been formed by the beating of the 
 waves, when the sea was at a higher level. We 
 looked for the Runic inscription, which I had heard 
 was engraven on the rock, and as I had been rather 
 incredulous on that point, I was a good deal gratified 
 by finding an inscription which had a very antique 
 appearance, and which not one of us could decipher, 
 not even our learned ban-ister, though he had had the 
 high honour of beinfj first Wrangler at Cambridge — an 
 honour which had not before fallen to the lot of any 
 Scotchman. But though we could not read the 
 writing, we could drink of the crystal well, and judge 
 of its excellence ; and we are safe in concluding, from 
 what we saw and tasted, that the streams of living
 
 166 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 water which the fountaia sends forth are as sweet and 
 exuberant as when they yielded daily refreshment to 
 the venerable saint, and the crowds who came to 
 listen to his instructions. This island took its name 
 at an early period from this holy man. We are told 
 in the Norwegian account of Haco's expedition, that 
 after the battle of Largs, " the king sailed past Cxim- 
 bra to Melansey, where he lay some nights." In the 
 original it is Melanzeyiar, or in the Flateyan MS. 
 " Melansey," — evidently the Island of Melos or Molos, 
 ey or e7/iar in the Islandic meaning " island." Pen- 
 nant tells us that " Buchanan gives this island the 
 Latin name Molas and Molossa, fi-om its having been 
 the retreat of St. Maol-jos." " St, Maol-jos's caA-e, 
 the residence of that holy man; — his well of most salu- 
 brious water; a place for bathing; his chair; and the 
 ruins of his chapel, are shown to strangers; but the 
 walk is far from agreeable, as the island is greatly in- 
 fested with vipers." To us the walk was very de- 
 hghtful. The .evening was one of the finest of the 
 season; the vipers, though not quite extirpated, had 
 gone to rest; some birds among the rocks and brakes 
 were raising their evening song; and it was scarcely 
 possible not to look back to the time when the de- 
 parted saint had, from his rocky cave, raised his song 
 of praise as incense, and when the lifting up of his 
 hands, and heart, and voice, in prayer, had been as the 
 evening sacrifice. Though a place becomes not sacred 
 by being the abode of holy men, it says little for our 
 piety if we can visit such a place Avithout reverential 
 feelings, and Avithout raising the wish that we may be
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARBAN. 167 
 
 followers of those who through faith and patience are 
 now inheriting the promises. 
 
 We were much pleased also Avith the geological 
 features of the island. The columnar cliffs, though 
 far inferior in grandeur to those of Staft'a, are neverthe- 
 less strikingly picturesque. If they have not the re- 
 gularity of more celebrated geological colonnades, they 
 are at least free from stifihess, as they consist of vari- 
 ous stages or terraces of columns, intermingled with 
 amorphous masses of other rocks, and a sprinkling 
 here and there of herbaceous plants, stinted shrubs, 
 and dwai-fish trees, springing fi-om the interstices of 
 the cliffs. 
 
 It was getting dark by the time we returned to 
 the yacht; and as there is no harbour, and as the 
 pier is accessible only in certain states of the tide, 
 we came to anchor in the Bay. The want of a har- 
 bour here is more regretted when we know that there 
 once was one. The good Duchess Ann of Hamilton, 
 who seems to have been a lady of superior talent, of 
 public spirit, and active benevolence, caused a har- 
 bour to be built of large quadrangular blocks of 
 sandstone, the remains of which may still be seen in 
 the large scattered stones where passengers are now 
 landed from steamers in boats at low tides. We 
 may form some idea of the magnitude and soKdity 
 of this work, when we are informed that it cost 
 ii2,913 : 10 : 5id.,* at a time when a mason's wages 
 
 ' 12 ' '-' 
 
 were eightcenpence, and a labourer's only fourpence, 
 
 a-day. This harbour, we are told, was taken down 
 
 * Headrick'a History of Arran,
 
 168 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 by a factor of the Duke's to build the present village. 
 This appears such an act of folly, that we feel dis- 
 posed to write hard things against the perpetrator of 
 it; but, as he has been long sleeping in his grave, we 
 shall not condemn him unheard, though we think it 
 would require some eloquence to justify this pro- 
 ceeding. 
 
 After the shades of evening had fallen around, 
 our attention was attracted by sweet harmonious 
 sounds that came floating to us in full volume over 
 the sleeping waves from another part of the Bay. 
 As it was sacred music, raised by many voices, we 
 at first thought some pious ship's crew were engaged 
 in the worship of God. The hvely character of some 
 of the airs that were subsequently sung undeceived 
 us; but, though the charm in part was destroyed, 
 still it was sweet. The performers sung in parts, 
 and with considerable skill; and the notes, aided 
 by a slight echo from the surrounding hills, were 
 exceedingly mellow when they reached us over the 
 deep. 
 
 But though it was dark, ovir eyes were to be 
 feasted as well as our ears. During the day I had 
 let down into the deep a little gauze net, in the hope 
 that it might capture some stray Beroes or Medusae. 
 When I began to haul it up in the dark, long before 
 it reached the surface, it seemed a little marine bal- 
 loon filled mth Greek fire. Its wake also was lumi- 
 nous, so that it was truly a splendid object. "We had 
 observed this phosphorescence the preceding evening, 
 when we had been xmder sail, with a slight breeze.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 169 
 
 Every wave seemed crested with fire. In the midst, 
 however, of the fiery wave, little stars of considerably 
 greater brilliance might be seen sparkling for a few 
 seconds, and then vanishing. In addition to this, 
 we saw occasionally, at a considerable depth under 
 the surface, luminous appearances, which we were 
 told by the sailors proceeded from shoals of henings 
 that were passing us. The succeeding evening, when 
 lying at anchor in the Bay, we amused ourselves by 
 splashing in the water mth an oar or a rope's end, 
 so as to produce the phosphorescence. So great was 
 the brightness, that Ave thought it possible to read by 
 the light of these myriads of marine lamps; but 
 though the page was illumined, we could only guess 
 at the contents. 
 
 The two ministers were indebted to their Commo- 
 dore, Mr. Smith, for additional light he was able to 
 throw on an interesting passage of Scripture in the 
 Acts of the Apostles. There was a fine painting in 
 our cabin of St. Paul's Aveather-beaten ship at anchor 
 off Malta. This had been executed according: to Mr. 
 Smith's directions. As he spent a Avinter lately Avith 
 his family in Malta, his active mind AA'as led most 
 minutely to investigate everything connected AAath 
 this shipAVTCck ; and, by a critical examination of the 
 original record by Luke — by studying the structure 
 of ancient vessels — by soundings taken at the A'ery 
 place — and by a variety of things Avhich I shall not 
 enumerate, he has been able to make the passage 
 much more intelligible, and to prove that Melita was 
 the Malta of the present day. As he means to pub-
 
 170 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 lish his treatise, I shall mention only one instance of 
 the advantage derived, for the elucidation of the sub- 
 ject, from studying the structure of ancient vessels. 
 They " loosed their rudder-bands." (Acts xxvii. 40.) 
 I confess I had not been able before to attach any 
 distinct meaning to this. In the painting, however, 
 to which I have referred, you see clearly what it 
 means. They had " cast four anchors out of the 
 stern." Before they had done this, they had bound 
 up the rudders^ to be out of the water, otherwise they 
 would have been shattered by the waves. In ancient 
 vessels there was not a hinged rudder, as in modem 
 ships, but one on each side of the stem, in the form 
 of a large oar; and when they had taken up the 
 anchors, or rather, as in the marginal translation, 
 had cut away the anchors, and were going to set sail, 
 you see in the painting the crew loosing, not the 
 " rudder-bands," according to the common transla- 
 tion, but " the bands of the rudders," according to 
 the original, that they might be let do^vn into the sea 
 again, to regulate the vessel in " making toward 
 shore." 
 
 Saturday came, and recalled Mr. Story and myself 
 to our duty. The boat which carried Mr. Story from 
 the yacht to the morning steamer was accompanied 
 by a boat of rather a singular construction. I had 
 observed on the deck of the yacht a very comfortable- 
 looking hussar- cloak of fine blue cloth; and I con- 
 cluded that it had been brought for protection from 
 sea-spray, if the weather proved stormy. I found, 
 however, that it could be used not only in storms.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 171 
 
 hut in fair weather, and that it was somewhat like 
 Goldsmith's cottage piece of furniture — 
 
 " A bed by night, a chest of drawers by day." 
 
 It was lined with Macintosh, so as to exclude water 
 and to imprison air injected by means of bellows, form- 
 ed Hke an accordion. Mr. Smith, junior, to whom this 
 cloak appertained, caused a portion of it all round to be 
 thus filled with air ; and then the cloak became a boat, 
 which he launched, and entered, and in which he 
 could either recline, resting his head on an air-filied 
 pillow; or in which he could sit, plying a paddle in 
 each hand. When, by the action of his paddles, 
 he shot off towards the steamer iu the Bay, the pas- 
 sengers were filled with wonder; and one of them, 
 after uttering an ejaculation, cried, " There's a man 
 sooming to us in his bed." It was really a strange- 
 looking craft; and could he have played the harp at 
 the same time that he plied the paddles, the classical 
 part of the steamer's crew might have thought that 
 it was Arion riding on a dolphin. When he returned 
 to the yacht, he said to me, " It is not very easy to 
 capsize this boat ;" and, saying so, he placed himself 
 on one of the inflated guuAvales, when over went the 
 boat, with the steersman under it. Though I knew 
 that he was an excellent s^^immer, I was rather 
 alarmed when he disappeared. But he soon popped 
 up his head, and righted the boat, and got into her 
 again, tclhng me that he had overbahmced her inten- 
 tionally, Avhich I soon saw was the case, for he re 
 peated the feat; and, being very lightly dressed, he
 
 172 EXCURSIONS TO AURAN. 
 
 could swim about with great ease, and board again, 
 when be chose, his aeriferous vessel. 
 
 We were actively employed in dredging on the 
 afternoon of Friday and the forenoon of Satiirday; 
 and though we got nothing new, except a fine speci- 
 men of a Linens that I had never seen before, we 
 got several rare specimens, which, through Mr. 
 Smith's kindness, found their way into my cabinet. 
 I may mention Fusus purpureus, Fusus septangular is ^ 
 Fusus costatus, Trochus tumidus, Trochus Montacuti, 
 Trochus Martini of Smith ( T. Millegranus of Phi- 
 lippi), Pecten ohsoletus^ Pecten Landshurgii of Smith 
 ( Pecten Striatus of Miiller), Chiton Icevis, Tellina 
 donacina, Venus Prideuxiana, Emarginula Jisstira, 
 &c., &c.
 
 CHAPTER VIII.* 
 
 Reached Lamlash on an unpleasant day — Next day fine — Much 
 enjoyed by us, though the joy was not unmingled — Walk to 
 Clachland-point, &c. — Land-plants found — Sea-weeds, beauti- 
 ful, and not unprofitable— Yield golden-ointment— Food for the 
 mind — Arran a fine field for the geologist — The study of geo- 
 logy fitted to elevate the mind— Sir Isaac Newton and Mr. 
 Halley— Geological features of this part of Arran— Reflections. 
 
 It is well that, in promising to funiisli some sketches 
 from nature, I tlid not promise to confine myself 
 within the bounds of one parish; for I feel disposed 
 at present to give some proof of my erratic tenden- 
 cies. The Island of Arran lies most temptingly 
 before us; the steamer from Ardrossan ofters to con- 
 vey us to it any summer's day in little more than an 
 hour; it is endeared to me by many associations; 
 and yet so much have I been professionally engaged, 
 that for three years I have not been in it, except on 
 
 * This chapter and several that follow, were Avritten for the 
 " Christian Treasury," and published in that Periodical before 
 the preceding chapters were written. This may account for som e 
 repetitions, &c.
 
 174 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 one occasion for a day, and at another time for an hour. 
 On the 9th of June 1845, however, being free from 
 any special engagements for nearly a week, off we 
 set, enfamille, for this favourite island. Though the 
 day was both wet and windy, we found ourselves, in 
 the afternoon, comfortably located in the pleasant 
 village of Lamlash. Next morning was the com- 
 mencement of delightful weather, and at an early 
 hour we set out to enter on the enjoyment of it. 
 Every parent knows how much the pleasure of any 
 little exciirsion is enhanced when his family share in 
 it along with him. And yet in the happiest circum^ 
 stances there is often a tinge of melancholy. How 
 often, in these little excursions, in looking back on 
 the past, are we reminded of the valley of tears we 
 have passed through, and of the pangs of separation 
 we have experienced ! Mournful must be the gather- 
 ing of the heath fowl at the close of an autumnal 
 day, when the destroyer has been among the hills, 
 when the brood has been widely scattered, and when 
 the sheltering \'\'ings under which they had been ac- 
 customed to collect and cower, are in the possession 
 of the sportsman, cold, and bloody, and lifeless. We 
 mustered pretty strong — a son and three daughters 
 were along with me. But one was not — the beloved 
 mother of the children — and three dear lads who had 
 at times spent delightful days among these hills and 
 glens, were on the opposite side of the globe, tending 
 their flocks and herds in the distant wilds of Austra- 
 lia. May we all be diligent in preparing for that 
 happy land where no dear fellow-traveller drops by
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 175 
 
 our side, and where no intervening seas separate the 
 memhers of God's ransomed family ! 
 
 The early days of June had been cold and stormy, 
 which made us more highly prize the lovely day that 
 now shone forth on us. Our first walk was to Clach- 
 hmd-point, and thence along the rocky shore towards 
 Corriegills. As we all had a turn for natural history, 
 we found much to interest us. At the outset Ave 
 kept close by the shore, and gathered a few good 
 shells, especially one which is not found with us, but 
 is very common here, Cardimn Iceviyatum, the smooth 
 cockle, of which we collected some large specimens. 
 By the clothed appearance of the ancient sea-cliffs, 
 we were induced to diverge from the shore. The 
 space betAAdxt the sea and the cliffs must once have 
 been under the dominion of the sea; for in some 
 places the soil is quite marly — made up of the com- 
 mon coral {Millepora polt/7notyha), and small marine 
 shells, and sand. The other side of the Bay is evi- 
 dently a raised beach, as there is a deposit of 
 marine shells about thirty feet above the present 
 level of the sea. A pretty numerous list might 
 be made of tlie plants which we found in this part 
 of our walk. There arc some fine mosses on the 
 moist cliffs; the rarest of which are Entosthodon 
 Templetoni and Javgermannia Hutchinsice. The 
 latter was new to Scotland when I found it about 
 seven years ago in a dripping cave at this place. We 
 found on the rocks several specimens of the royal 
 fern, Osmunda rer/alis^ a magnificent plant, the fronds 
 of which, in Arran, are sometimes almost a dozen
 
 176 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 feet in length. I shall certainly not speak of the 
 wild hyacinth, wood anemone, and primrose, as rare; 
 for much of their beauty consists in their great pro- 
 fusion. The last, in such a situation as this, is ex- 
 ceedingly lovely — a sweet emblem of modesty, purity, 
 lowliness of mind, and cheerful, smihng happiness. 
 The primrose season was about over. Though Ave 
 are not sure about " modest pride " the following son- 
 net must have been Aratten by a primrose-lover; — 
 
 " How sweet thy modest unaffected pride 
 
 Glows on the sunny bank and wood's warm side! 
 And where thy fairy flowers in groups are found, 
 The school-boy roams enchantedly along, 
 Plucking the fairest with a rude delight: 
 While the meek shepherd stops his simple song. 
 To gaze a moment on the pleasing sight ; 
 O'erjoyed to see the flowers that truly bring 
 The welcome news of sweet returning spring." 
 
 The moist gi-ound at the base of the rocks was 
 adorned mth marsh plants of great beauty — Surtdew, 
 Anagallis tenella, Samolus valerandi, and M^osotis 
 palustris — so exceedingly fine, that instead of saying, 
 beseechingly, " Forget me not," it said, as plainly as 
 its lovely blue eyes could say it, " Can you forget 
 me?" The hawthorn and the honeysuckle Avere 
 sending forth their fragrance from the copsewood; 
 the mavis and the sooty merle were contending in 
 song; the latter striving to make up, in mellovmess, 
 for the e\ddent superiority of the former in variety 
 and liveliness. The cuckoo, though she had but two 
 notes, seemed well a^vare that they Avere welcome 
 ones; for she accompanied us in our walk, as if
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARHAN. 177 
 
 unwilling that a A'oice which is always heard with 
 pleasure, and which was soon to be silent, should be 
 wasted in solitude, where there was no ear by which 
 its music could be appreciated. The cows, after 
 browsing on the green sward, were indulging in sweet 
 and peaceful rumination; and the little boy that 
 tended them, taking advantage of their repose, was 
 enjoying still higher happiness in wantoning amongst 
 the briny waves. What a happy world would this 
 be were there no sin in it ! When creation groans, 
 it is because of sin. When the believer, in the strug- 
 gle with sin, cries out : " O wretched man that I am ! 
 who will deliver me from the body of this death ? " 
 God in his mercy teaches him to say : " I thank God 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord," How much greater 
 happiness might we enjoy even in this world, were 
 Ave more gi'ateful to this spiritual Deliverer ; were we 
 to walk more closely with God; were we to see more 
 of his hand in the lovely garnitiu-e of the earth, and 
 more of his goodness in the happiness enjoyed by the 
 inferior animals, and in causing the beauty of exter- 
 nal nature, and the enjoyments of so many living 
 creatures, to contribute, when the heart is renewed, 
 to the higher happiness of man ! 
 
 As soon as we reached the Clachland-point, which 
 is the north-east extremity of Lamlash Bay, we 
 turned doA^Ti to the sea, being chiefly in search of 
 marine pi'oductions. One of the living varieties to 
 be found among these rocks is Asterina gibhosa, the 
 gibbous starlet, a pretty little star-fish, which I have 
 not seen mentioned as found anywhere else in Scot- 
 
 M
 
 178 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 land, except by Professor Edward Forbes, among the 
 gneiss rocks of Ross-shire. We were, hoAvever, 
 chiefly in search of the finer algse, which are either 
 got among the coarser sea- weeds, cast out by the tide 
 after a breeze, or in settled weather must be sought 
 at low water mark, where they grow on rocks, or as 
 parasites on the larger algae. Rare kinds are often 
 got by dredging, as they adhere to shells and other 
 substances brought up from the deep. Rich are the 
 groves which in many places clothe the bottom of 
 the sea. Few, perhaps, have been out in a boat in 
 calm weather without admiring the beauty of these 
 submarine forests. It is delightful to observe the 
 elegance of the alg« in their native element, and to 
 see fishes, and various other inhabitants of the deep, 
 playing amongst the fi-onds, as birds among the 
 branches. These sea-plants not only afibrd food and 
 shelter to innumerable living creatures, but they are 
 of immense benefit to man, when they are torn up 
 by the storms, and cast out by the tide. The agricul- 
 turists at Lanilash are fully aware of their value, and 
 the shore is divided into lots, according to the num- 
 ber of tenants of ground in the neighbourhood ; and 
 that they may not complain that their neighbours' 
 lots are richer in sea-wi-ack than theirs, the lots, 
 instead of being assigned to them in perpetuity, are 
 given to them in rotation, the exchanges being made 
 once a-year. We see how easily the Lord can make 
 the war of elements to serve the piu-poses of his 
 benignant providence, and cause the spoils of the 
 ocean to increase the fertility of the dry la.nd.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 170 
 
 But it was the small and delicate alg£e, or sea- 
 M^eeds, tliat we were in search of; and we were not 
 altogether unsuccessful. As the study of marine 
 botany is becoming much more general than it once 
 was, it is j)robabIe that some of our readers would be 
 disappointed were we vaguely to say that we got 
 some beautiful plants. We shall, therefore, name a 
 few of them. AVe found, in pools among the sand- 
 stone rocks, what is rather rare, and, at all events, 
 very beautiful — Brt/opsis plumosa; well named spe- 
 cifically /)/Mmos<?, for the fi-ond is the exact resemblance 
 of a fine glossy green feather. Some of the others I 
 shall merely name: Conferva mela^oniuin, growing 
 along with the Bri/opsls; Ceramiiim ciliatum, on the 
 rocks, and Ceramium diap/ummn, on the stronger 
 algce ; Polysiphonia JBrodicei, Polf/s'ijihoniaJihriUosa; 
 Calithamnion Hookeri, Calithamnlon polysj^ermum- — 
 all on the rocks. In a little boat creek, near the 
 point, we found, among the weeds that were drifted 
 in, two that were rare. The one was Bhochmenia 
 soholifera — parasitical on the stem of Fiicus serratus. 
 It is someAvhat like Bhodomenia palmata (dulse), but 
 too xmlike, both in texture and form, t^Jbe only a 
 variety of it. The other was still rar^ — Laurencia 
 tenuissima; which I do not think had beeit-gQt in Scot- 
 land before, and I got only one drifted specimen. I may 
 mention that all the sea- weeds are cryptogamic plants, 
 destitute of flowers, but ha\Tng, instead of flowers, 
 capsules and granules, which are called their fruit or 
 fructification ; and it is often by these minute parts 
 alone that they can with certainty be distinguished.
 
 180 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Some may wonder that there should be eagerness 
 displayed, and pleasure enjoyed, in making diligent 
 search for diminutive sea-weeds. Were they to see 
 them floating in their native element, they would not 
 he surprised that they are sought after for their 
 beauty; and were they to consider how, by their 
 structure, they are so Avell suited, with all their deli- 
 cacy, to live and thrive amidst the restless billows, 
 they would acknowledge that they furnish a proof of 
 the wisdom of God, But it will perhaps go farther 
 to reconcile them to what they consider trifling, if we 
 tell them that the most flimsy of them can be con- 
 verted mto good hard cash; and that the weed- 
 gatherers of this household have raised from them 
 upwards of £70, to aid in paying off the debt on our 
 Free churches ; and though the debt on our two 
 churches at Saltcoats and Stevenston is paid off', 
 there are other churches, and manses, and schools, 
 to which they wish to contribute. They have be- 
 come very dexterous in preparing them; and, when 
 spread on paper, they are so delicate and beautiful, 
 that few Avill believe, when they first see them, that 
 they are not elegant paintings.* They have become 
 much more clear-sighted in their walks on the shore, 
 since they discovered that weeds could be converted 
 into gold and silver. It was amusing to hear even 
 the youngest, a year ago, Avhen nine years of age, 
 saying : " O I have got a beautiful Calithainnion in 
 ^i\Q fortification" ('■'■ fructification, Janet.") It is no 
 
 * Specimens of these beautifully-prepared sea- weeds may be 
 seen at the shop of the Publisher.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAX. 181 
 
 small gi'atification to make the spoils of the deep, 
 while they show forth, by their beauty, the praises of 
 Him who made them, instrumental, in these times 
 of great emergency, in furthering the erection of 
 churches, in which not only the works of creation 
 and providence may be spoken of, but in which the 
 wonders of redeeming love may be loudly proclaimed. 
 Arran has been said to be the epitome of the geolo- 
 gical world ; and I believe that it is not possible to find 
 any place where, in so narrow limits, there is such 
 noble scope for the study of geology. This study 
 may be abused, and has by some been made to serve 
 the purposes of the sceptic; but this is not the fault 
 of geology, but of the evil heart of xmbelief The 
 Avasp, it has been alleged, can extract poison from 
 the very flower from which the happy bee extracts 
 delicious, nutritive honey. When the eye is single, 
 there is nothing in natm-e, with the exception of 
 astronomy, so avcII fitted as geological researches to 
 fill the mind with adoring wonder, and to give us 
 exalted ideas of the wisdom, and power, and goodness 
 of God. Though " the heavens declare the glory of 
 God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork," 
 there have been tliose who, Avith Ancked ingenuity, 
 have attempted to sliow that the discoveries of astro- 
 nomy are at variance with what is taught in the 
 Bible ; but they spoke in ignorance. When Halley, 
 in the presence of Sir Isaac Newton, ventured to 
 sport some of his sceptical opinions, that great and 
 good man, inteiTupting him, said : " JMr. Halley, when 
 you speak respecting astronomy, I listen Anth plea-
 
 182 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 sure, for it is a subject that you understand; but 
 when you speak of religion, you speak of what you 
 do not understand, and have never studied ; hut I 
 have." How many sceptical theories have fallen into 
 merited neglect and contempt, and have only shown 
 how ignorant the theorists were both of true philo- 
 sophy and of tiTie religion ! 
 
 That part of the Island of Arran where we were 
 then rambling, is not the best for the geological 
 student ; but still it is far from being devoid of 
 interest. A sight of the great pitchstone vein, which 
 manifests itself so boldly on the face of the hill after 
 passing Clachland- point, would, of itself, reward the 
 geologist for a walk of several miles. Pitchstone is 
 found in several localities in Arran ; but I saw it in 
 our walk where, I think, it had not been observed 
 before — cropping out above the cliffs on the south- 
 west side of the point, and not far from Clachland 
 farm-house. After turning the point, there is a long 
 range of new red sandstone rocks, belting the shore 
 in rugged grandeur. These are penetrated by several 
 trap dykes, principally green-stone, indurating the 
 sandstone which they intersect. Farther on, the 
 rocks are conglomerate, and intersected by a few 
 poi-phyiitic dykes. The heights above the sandstone 
 and pitchstone, are surmounted by a dark range of 
 rock, assuming a columnar aspect, and which I 
 thought might be basalt; but it turns out to be sye- 
 nite, which seems to have been sent up from the 
 bowels of the earth in a state of fusion, so as to over- 
 flow the other strata through which it had pierced.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 183 
 
 The Lord has many arrows in his quiver. The cove- 
 nant-boAV in the clouds tells us that Avater is not 
 again to be employed in the work of general destruc- 
 tion; but has he not said that " the heavens and 
 the eartli which are now, are reserved unto fire, 
 against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly 
 men, .... in the which the heavens shall pass away 
 with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with 
 fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are 
 therein shall be burned up " ? When the thunder- 
 clouds are struck, sending forth a blaze of lightning 
 to fill the world, and when the fountains of the great 
 deep are broken up, to pour out a flood of fire on the 
 guilty inhabitants of the earth, must all perish ? Is 
 there no refuge ? He who so often hid his people, 
 in the day of danger, in the hollow of his hand, will 
 no longer hide them, but ^vill bring them forth be- 
 fore assembled worlds as those whom he delights to 
 honour. Then shall it be said of them : " Are these 
 they who once lay among the pots, who are now as 
 the wings of a dove, covered with silver, and her 
 feathers with yellow gold" ? Then will their King say: 
 " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the king- 
 dom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." 
 Then, with a burst of rapture shall they exclaim: 
 " This is our God; we have waited for him, and he 
 aatIII save us : this is our God ; we have waited for him, 
 and now we are glad and rejoice in his salvation."
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Description of Lamlash Bay — Wliitehouse — Much improved, and 
 tastefully adorned — Moral improvement still more delightful — 
 Responsibility of ministers of the Gospel^ Walk to the southern 
 extremity of the Bay — Pleasures of dredging — Activity and 
 happiness of some Shell-fish — Scallops dredged— Zoophytes and 
 Algje found on them — Star-fishes — Sea-urchins — Fishes — Bi- 
 maculated sucker — The lesson it teaches. 
 
 Though Lamlash has not all the beauty and gran- 
 deur of Brodick, it is very far from being devoid of 
 interest. Nature has done much for it. The noble 
 Bay, forming a semicircle, is about three miles in 
 length from north to south. In the mouth of the Bay 
 stands the Holy Isle — a magnificent cone, about a 
 thousand feet in height. On each side of the isle 
 there is a convenient entrance into the bay, which it 
 protects and adorns; and within there is excellent 
 anchorage-ground, of sufficient depth for the largest 
 vessels, and capable of containing a whole navy. 
 What a magnificent breakwater does the Holy Isle 
 form! We read with wonder, as an astonishing 
 achievement of science, of a breakwater being formed 
 by innumerable beams, seventy or eighty feet in
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 185 
 
 length, being driven through earth and rock by the 
 tremendous power of the steam-hammer; but what 
 is this but as the work of insects, compared with the 
 stupendous might which must have been exercised 
 when this gigantic mole was pushed up through rock, 
 and earth, and water; and the elevated sandstone 
 overflowed by a stream of melted poi-phyry ! Behold 
 the power and the goodness of God! How many, 
 after weatheiing the storm, and casting anchor under 
 the shelter of this mighty breakAvater, have said: 
 " Thanks be to God, we are in Lamlash Bay!" Had 
 Virgil ever been in Britain, we would have thought 
 that he had Lamlash in his eye when he Avrote the 
 foUoAving description : — 
 
 " Est in secessu longo locus ; insula portum 
 EfiScit objectu laterum," &c. 
 
 " Within a long recess there lies a bay : 
 An island shades it from the rolling sea, 
 And forms a port secure for ships to ride." 
 
 Dryden. 
 
 While it reminds the classical scholar of the stately 
 hexameters of the Mantuan bard, it reminds the pious 
 Christian, though learned only in his Bible, of Him 
 who is " as a hiding-place from the wind, and a 
 covert from the tempest;" and of the strong consola- 
 tion experienced by those Avho have fled for refuge to 
 lay hold on the hope set before them; which hope 
 they have " as an anchor of the soul, both sure and 
 stedfast, and which eutereth into that within tlie 
 veil."
 
 186 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Near to tlie south end of the neat and cheerful 
 Tillage, stands Whitehouso^ the residence of Mr. Pater- 
 son, the Duke of Hamilton's factor. How much, 
 within my remembrance, has this place been improved 
 and beautified! The rising grounds on each side 
 yielded, some twenty years ago, a scanty crop of grass 
 and heather; an extensive plain behind the house, if I 
 remember aright, was full of peat holes; the ground 
 before the house Avas a quagmire, on which the himgry 
 cattle at times ventured, at the risk of being swal- 
 lowed up. The quagmire has been converted into a 
 beautiful verdant lawn; the undulating heights and 
 the peat-producing plain are now Avaving with the 
 richest crops; the house is embowered in flowering 
 shrubs; and the garden is stocked, not only Avith 
 culinary esculents and common fiuits, but it yields 
 also peaches, and nectarines, and figs. The lover of 
 floAvers Avill find here everything rare and beautiftJ; 
 and, even at Christmas, he may see Camelia Japo- 
 nica in flower in the open air. On one side of the 
 lawn, the bare Avails of an old kiln have been made 
 to assume the appearance of the picturesque ruins of 
 an old chapel; on entering AA'hich a person might 
 think that he had made a rapid transit to Madeira, as 
 he sees so many tender exotics in the most healthy 
 and flourishing condition, Avith no other protection 
 than the ruined walls. One plant of Fuschia discolor 
 is so remarkable, that a friend and I had the curiosity 
 to measure it, and found that it AA'as eighteen feet in 
 height by tAventy-two feet in breadth. It sows itself 
 so freely, that a numerous offspring may be seen
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AURAN. 187 
 
 Springing from the border, and even from the chinks 
 and cre^dces of the Avails. 
 
 It is pleasant to see, under the influence of taste, 
 and skill, and active industry, the face of nature as- 
 suming a more smiling aspect, and the grateful earth 
 rendering more bountiful returns; but how much 
 more pleasant to see any portion of the moral wilder- 
 ness beginning to blossom, and, instead of the natural 
 crop of thistles and thorns, rearing trees of righteous- 
 ness, soon to flom-ish in a happier land ! As we are 
 all bound to have a share in this spiritual husbandry, 
 should we not individually say to ourselves, What have 
 we been doing? IMinisters of the Gospel have a great 
 responsibility ; for to each of them a large portion of 
 the field to be reclaimed is assigned. It is not all un- 
 productive. Here and there, there are blossoms of 
 hope, and sAveet olive plants that need to be AA^atered; 
 and here and there, there are trees, over Avhich the 
 storms of many Avinters have passed, and which need 
 to be sustained. Should not the spiritual labourer go 
 often to see Avhether the vine flourish — Avhether the 
 tender grape appear, and the pomegranate bud forth — 
 Avhether the fig tree put forth her green figs, and the 
 vine Avith the tender grape give a good smell? But, 
 alas ! Avhcn he looks for vines, and fig trees, and pome- 
 jrranates, how often does he find only crab-trees and 
 Avild olives, yielding, instead of melloAv fruit, nothing 
 but what is sour, imsavoury, and unAvholesome ! Up, 
 then, and be doing, thou servant of the Lord ! T/iou 
 canst not change their nature, but thou canst bud, 
 and ingraft, and dig, and Avater, under the directions
 
 188 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 of the great spiritual Husbandman, wlio is ready, in 
 answer to thy prayers, to prosper the work of thy hand, 
 and to render it successful. And should not every 
 parent likewise be up and active? The field assigned 
 to him may be small, but is it not precious? and 
 should he not most earnestly desire that it may be as 
 a field which the Lord has blessed — watered, as the 
 garden of the Loi"d, mth wells of li^ang water, and 
 streams from Lebanon — every olive plant grafted and 
 fruitful, and every vine branch from the right stock, 
 and already laden with purple clusters? 
 
 We took a walk in the forenoon towards the 
 southern extremity of the Bay; but it yielded nothing 
 except the pleasure of the walk. The time has been, 
 when the gi-ound over Avhich we passed must have 
 been five fathoms under water; for, in the wooded 
 bank at this place, about thirty feet above the pre- 
 sent sea- level, there is a deposit of post-tertiary marine 
 shells; and I have been told that there is opposite to 
 it, on the Holy Isle, a corresponding deposit. A 
 great treat awaited us in the afternoon. We learned, 
 that the fisherman of late has been in the habit of 
 dredging in the Bay for scallop ( Pecten ojjercularis)* 
 to be used as bait; and we had hired his boat and 
 dredging apparatus. There is nothing so delightful 
 to naturaUsts at all acquainted with the wonders of 
 the deep, as a dredging expedition; for it brings 
 within their reach much that they could not other- 
 wise expect to see. We were disappointed on finding 
 
 * They are better known in Scotland under the name of 
 clams.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 189 
 
 that the larger boat was under repair; and as the 
 small boat would have been unsafe with seven aboard, 
 we set the females ashore on the Holy Isle, with 
 instructions to visit St. Molios' Cave, while we were 
 carrying on the dredging operations. While rowing 
 to the dredging ground, we looked with delight around 
 us. Seaward, our view was bounded by the Holy 
 Isle; landward, we had not only the hills and glens 
 around Lamlash, but, towering above these humbler 
 heights, we saw Goatfell and the adjoining cliffs, 
 forming a noble background of rugged grandeur. 
 The Bay itself, smooth as glass, reflectmg, as in a 
 mirror, the sun'ounding scene, gave us not only 
 mountains rising to the sky, but similar peaks de- 
 scending into the deep recesses of the sea. But we 
 were about to explore these recesses for something 
 else than mountain shadows. ■ Accordingly, the dredg- 
 ing began, and the first ha\il brought up some dozens 
 of scallops. Tlie scallops (or Pectens) are a beauti- 
 ful tribe, and both the shell and its inhabitant shoAv 
 forth the praises of the Lord. Are any disposed to 
 think the scallop must lead a joyless life, lying inert 
 in the dungeons of the deep? The Pecten, let me 
 tell them, is a happy, active creatiu-e. It can raise 
 itself to the surface, and though unaided by fins, can 
 skim cleverly through the waA^es. I have seen a little 
 fleet of them skipping about most merrily, as if 
 engaged in some frolicsome dance. On watching 
 their zig-zag evolutions, I found that their valves 
 were to them in the water what wings are to a bird 
 in the air. Every time they opened and shut their
 
 190 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN, 
 
 valves, they were rapidly propelled several yards, and 
 they had only to repeat the operation and their spor- 
 tive movement vv^as continued. Others may say: 
 " What a pity, poor things, that they are blind!" 
 Your pity is again misplaced. You are happy in 
 having two eyes, and will you pity the scallop which 
 has three dozen? Look at it when it opens its shell. 
 See you a circle of beads around the margin of its 
 body, both in the upper and under valves? These 
 pretty beads are sparkling eyes; so that He who 
 made it, and made it to be happy, left it not to grope 
 its way in darkness, either in the mazes of the dance 
 or when engaged in searching for food at the bottom 
 of the sea. But we were in search of something 
 rarer than scallops, and now for the result. 
 
 Though at one haul we had got abundance of scal- 
 lops or clams, it was not for the clams that we much 
 cared, but for their parasitical accompaniments. 
 Accordingly, we scraped off, Avith great care, what 
 few would have thought deserving of the smallest 
 notice; for though, in the huddled state in which 
 they adhered to the shell on being removed from the 
 water, we could not precisely say what they were, 
 we were sure that they were well worth attending to. 
 We were not disappointed. On floating them in 
 fresh water, on our return to the shore, we found 
 that we had got several species of rare and beautiful 
 algaa. There were some small, but very fine speci- 
 mens of Laurencia dasypliylla. There were four 
 most beautiful species of CaUthmnnion — G. plumula^ 
 C. bi/ssuicks, C. gracillhnum, and C. pedicellatum.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 19t 
 
 There were also specimens of Bonnemaisonia aspa- 
 ragoides^ deriving its specific name from its resem 
 blance to a branch of asparagus, though, instead of 
 being green, it is pink. There were, besides, some 
 specimens of Gr'iffithsia corallina- — a beautiful plant, 
 which we had not before met with in the west of 
 Scotland. It has been named Gr'tffithsia as a tribute 
 of respect to a worthy English lady, highly deserving 
 of the honour, whom we sometimes denominate the 
 Queen of Algologists.* 
 
 These beautiful algss were not the only parasites 
 on the scallop shells. There was something more 
 conspicuous, as it was about four inches in length, 
 but certainljr it did not seem more attractive. It 
 was like a drooled white feather. But place it again in 
 the water, and what does it become? It has recover- 
 ed from its state of collapse, and, though still like a 
 feather, it is one of great beauty and elegance. It is 
 Pbirmclaria pin?tata — a zoophyte; for we have risen 
 in the scale of being, and have now got among living 
 creatures. You would not think that that beautiful 
 white feather had life; but it is only the habitations 
 that you see. The alarmed inhabitants have fled 
 into their houses. But place the polj'pidom, as it is 
 called, in a tumbler of sea- water, and when the alarm 
 is over, the inhabitants will again appear. The 
 polypes are hydra-form, and spread forth many ten- 
 tacula in search of food, which they greedily grasp. 
 The feather is formed of calcareous matter, mixed 
 wth gelatine, to give it flexibility, so that it may the 
 * Mrs. Griffiths, Torquay.
 
 192 EXCURSIONS TO ARE AN. 
 
 better stand the buffeting of tbe waves. Observe 
 tbe stem or quill of the feather, and you will see that 
 it is full of red matter. That is the medullary pulp. 
 Every plumule of the feather is a street. Even with 
 the naked eye you may observe on each plumule 
 about a dozen notches or denticles. Each of these 
 is the house or cell, as it is called, of a polype; so that, 
 in a good specimen, we see a kind of maiine village, 
 which, under the teaching of God, has been beauti- 
 fully constructed by the thousand inhabitants which 
 it contains. 
 
 Along with this, we got some specimens of a kin- 
 dred zoophyte, of great beauty — Plumularia Catka- 
 rina; specifically so named in honour of a highly 
 accomplished lady,* to whom natiiral history is xmder 
 great obligations. Neither of these had been got by 
 us in the west before. There were several other 
 pretty zoophytes, which some Avill thank me for pass- 
 ing over imnamed. I may, however, mention that 
 on the frond of Laminaria I got several good speci- 
 mens of Lejjralia annulata — a zoophyte which was 
 new to Britain when I found it on the Ayi-shire coast 
 some years ago. 
 
 Every haul of the dredge brought us up something 
 to increase the. variety. There Avere several kinds of 
 star-fishes — such as Uraster glacialis (spiny cross- 
 fish); Goniaster Templetoni (Templeton's cushion- 
 star — rare) ; and many others which I shall pass over, 
 
 * Mrs. Cathariue Johnston, Berwick-upon-Tweed, to whom her 
 husband. Dr. George Johnston, is indebted for all the drawings, 
 and many of the engravings, in his valuable works.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 193 
 
 that I may attempt to describe one of surpassing 
 beauty, not got on the west coast of Scotland, I be- 
 lieve, since the days of our distinguished zoologist, 
 Pennant. This is Comatula rosacea., or the feather- 
 star. It is one which, even in dredging, a person 
 who does not know it is apt to pass over. It has no 
 beauty when entangled among the roots of Lami- 
 naria. Fortunately, however, I took the trouble of 
 disentangling it, and great was my delight when, 
 ha^nng cast it into a tumbler of sea-water, I saAv it 
 spreading itself out in all its beauty. Could I place 
 before you Professor Forbes' fine figure of it, you 
 could not help admiring it. If you saw a fine little 
 scarlet ostrich feather in the water, waving with life, 
 you would say: " What a beautiful object!" How 
 much stronger would be joui expressions of admira- 
 tion if, firom the disc, or body in the centre, you saw 
 proceeding some twenty or thirty of these scfirlet 
 plumes, instinct AA'ith life, and exhibiting the most 
 graceful evolutions ! What gives greater interest to 
 it is, that in its young state this scarlet feather-star 
 is mounted on a stem, and then it is the representa- 
 tive of a tribe of marine animals now rare, but which, 
 in an early period of the world's history, must have 
 been very common, viz., encrinites, or stone-lilies; for 
 their stems are abundant in almost every limestone 
 quarry, and their detached joints are well known 
 inider the name of St. Cuthbert's beads. These an- 
 cient encrinites must have been giants compared 
 with those of the present day ; but great, and nume- 
 rous, and lively as they once were, they now lie en- 
 
 N
 
 194 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 tombed in the calcareous mud, hardened into lime- 
 stone, and elevated by some great convulsion from 
 the bottom of the sea. And numerous and mighty 
 as the human inhabitants at present on the face of 
 the earth may appear in their own eyes, the time is 
 fast approaching when the all-devouring grave shall 
 have closed upon them, and the place that now knows 
 them shall know them no more. 
 fi But leaving the star-fishes, we came to a kindred 
 tribe — the sea-urchins. Besides the common one 
 (JEchimis sphcera), and a less common one (^Echinus 
 miliaris), we got one which is certainly very rare in 
 the west of Scotland, for I had never got it before, 
 viz., Spatangus purpureus. Every person knoAvs the 
 common one fomid so abundantly on the shore, 
 stripped of its spines, and called the sea-egg. The 
 spines of the common one are a yellowish-white 
 colour. Those on the back and sides are hair-like, 
 and pointed. Those on the under part of the body 
 are spoon-shaped, and are employed as shovels. The 
 wisdom and goodness of God are very evident in the 
 formation of these spines, so well fitted for bun-ow- 
 ing. I remember placing one, which had been dug 
 up, on wet sand. It seemed to be motionless; but I 
 soon found that the spoon-shaped spines were busily 
 at work beneath, shovelling the sand from imder it, 
 so that it was sinking in the sand, while the long 
 shai"p upper ones were soon as busily employed in 
 spreading the loose sand over it. The purple- heart- 
 urchin which we now found, is larger and handsomer 
 than the common one. It is of a deep puii^le colour,
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 195 
 
 with pale spines. Some of the spines on the back 
 are very long, corresponding well with the figure of 
 it given in Professor Forbes' History of British Star- 
 Fishes, &c. It was gratifying to find on it a fe^v 
 specimens of Montaciita suhstriata, which is well 
 knoAvn to be parasitical on the purple-heart-urchin. 
 This beautiful little bivalve Avas an addition to my 
 cabinet of shells, as I had never seen it before. Why 
 it chooses to nestle among the spines of the purple- 
 heart-urchin I cannot tell; but imdoubtedly there is 
 some good reason. 
 
 It would exhaust the patience of my readers were I 
 to enumerate the rare and beautiful shells we found. 
 They are, however, objects of great interest; and both 
 the shells and their inhabitants, whether great or 
 small, are well fitted to show forth the wonderful 
 wisdom and goodness of the Lord. As above a hun- 
 dred species were found now and on a former occa- 
 sion, and as many of them were rare, I shall not 
 venture even to make a selection. A complete list 
 of them, hoAvever, shall be subjoined in the appendix. 
 
 But some of our readers, who like to hear of what 
 can be turned to good account, may perhaps say, 
 " Got you no fish when you were dredging ? " Yes ; 
 I am happy to say we did get one fish — and that one 
 was new to Scotland.^ " What was it, pray?" It 
 was Lepicbgaster bimaculatus! But long though the 
 
 * Since I wrote the above, I have received a letter from William 
 Thompson, Esq., Belfast, to whom I had sent the little fish, that 
 there might be no mistake in my statement as to the species. He 
 says : " Lepidogaster bimaculatus — certain. I had it before, if 
 memory fails not, from the Scottish coast; but 'tis a species only
 
 l96 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 name be, I must own that the fish itself is not quite 
 so long and large as a whale; so that our Scottish 
 fishermen need not expect any additional hogsheads 
 of blubber. Nay, it is not eren so long as a haddock; 
 so that the table will not groan under it when served 
 up. " How long was it, then ? " It was (for it Avas full- 
 groAAii) — ^it was .... nearly .... an inch and a- 
 half in length ! But though it may not fvimish much 
 nourishment for the body, it is our own fault if it 
 yield not some food for the mind. It has an organ 
 to be found in few of our British fishes; that is, a 
 sucker, by which it can firmly adhere to other bodies. 
 In general, this adhesive apparatus is on the imder 
 surface of the body. In one, however, it is on the 
 croAvn of the head, and by this it has been found ad- 
 hering to the haddock. God gives no organ in vain. 
 It is i^robable, however, that this adhesive apparatus 
 is for more puq)oses than we yet know of. But we 
 see that it may be useful for support and for protec- 
 tion. The Re')nora, which has the sucker on the 
 upper part of the head, has been found adhering to 
 another fish ; and it is thus wafted through the waves 
 without any expenditure of its own strength. Others 
 of them cling by it to rocks and stones ; and this may 
 afford protection, and may save them from being 
 dashed to pieces in the storm. There is one kind, 
 
 to be had by dredging, and consequently known to very few. The 
 L. Cormihiensis is littoral, at least on the coast of Clare, where I 
 took it between tide marks." I may add, that it is littoral also at 
 the Mull of Galloway, where it was taken by the Rev. Mr. Lamb, 
 the worthy Free Church minister at Maid^^kirk.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN, 197 
 
 called the Lump sucker y which, from its size and clum- 
 siness, might be very apt to suffer in stormy seas, were 
 not its power of adhesion very great. Pennant men- 
 tions, " that on placing a fish of this kind in a pail of 
 water, it fixed itself so firmly to the bottom, that on 
 taking it by the tail, the whole pail by that means 
 was lifted up, though it contained some gallons, and 
 that without removing the fish from its hold." Small, 
 then, th.ou^t\\e Bimaculated sucker is, which we found 
 on this occasion, is it not well fitted to teach us a 
 lesson of wisdom ? Often is the believer placed, as it 
 were, in troubled seas; but there is a rock Avhich no 
 storm can move. That rock is Christ. The little 
 fish may be driven from its hold, and may perish in 
 the storm; but let the believer, in the exercise of 
 faith, cHng to Christ, and he is perfectly safe in the 
 greatest tempest; for not only has he a hold of Christ, 
 but Christ keeps fast hold of him, and no power in 
 heaven, or earth, or hell, can pluck the believer out 
 of the Redeemer's hand.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Holy Isle— Its height— Its vegetable productions— Geological 
 features— The subtle serpent — St. Molios' Cave— History of reli- 
 gion in Arran learned from its antiquities — Arrival of St. Molios 
 in Arran — His success — Popery gains the ascendency — Pre- 
 lacy-More dredging — Shells found — Hermit crab — Its history 
 — Treaty of union with spotted sea-anemone — Union is hap- 
 piness and strength. 
 
 As in my last communication I stated that, from the 
 smalbiess of our craft, we had been constrained to 
 set part of our boating company ashore, and as I took 
 no farther notice of them, some may suspect that we 
 left them to shift for themselves in a barren, and at 
 that time, I beliere, an \minhabited island.* In jus- 
 tice to ourselves we must render an account. On 
 landing them at the pier, I told them that they might 
 either climb the hill or walk southward along the 
 shore, and visit, if they chose, St. Molios' Cave. 
 They chose the walk by the shore. Neither of the 
 walks would have been new to me. I have both 
 circumnavigated and circumambulated the isle, and 
 
 * The only house on the isle is the occasional residence of 
 James Oswald, Esq., M.P. He has erected a nice wooden pier 
 near his house.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 199 
 
 I have been more than once at its summit; but the 
 years that have since fled have carried away \vitli 
 them the remembrance of much that I saw and felt. 
 As the conical isle is about one thousand feet in 
 height, the view from the top, of the mainland on 
 one side, and of Arran on the other, is very magni- 
 ficent. The only plants that I remember are Pyrola 
 minor, found among the heath in txscending from the 
 north; and abundance oi' Arbutus ttva-ursi, covering 
 with its trailing branches a great extent of the south- 
 ern descent. It has a fine appearance, the scarlet 
 berries contrasting so well with its dark ever-green 
 leaves. The berries are tempting to the eye; but 
 they are of an austere taste. So think not the moor- 
 fowl, whose favourite food they seem to be, and many 
 a fine repast they must furnish. God has other crea- 
 tures besides man to provide for; and where provi- 
 sion has been made for them, there they take up 
 their abode. The grouse and black-game which 
 abomid in Arran, know well where juniper-berries, 
 craw -berries, blae-berries, and the bear-berries of the 
 Arbutus uva-ursi, are to l^e found. When Arran was 
 richly wooded, as it continued to be in the end of the 
 sixteenth century, we are told that it was one of the 
 favourite resorts of the capercailzie, or cock of the 
 Avoods. The forests perished, and the capercailzie 
 disappeared. His Grace the Duke of Hamilton is 
 trying to re-establish them in their ancient place of 
 resort; but the attempt is premature. Arran must 
 again be, partially at least, covered with woods, ere 
 the capercailzie mil be tempted to abide in it. By
 
 200 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 putting the eggs of this bird, large as a turkey, into 
 the nests of the grouse, on the mountain-side, many 
 of them have been hatched; but when reared, they 
 either die or make their escape. A few weeks ago, 
 I heard of one of the game-keepers returning with a 
 stray one which he had captured in the Lowlands, 
 where it had probably been in search of fir-woods, in 
 which they find suitable nourishment. 
 
 In " An Original Survey of the Geology of the 
 Island of Arran, by Andrew C. Eamsay, Esq.," which 
 led to his being placed at the head, in Scotland, of the 
 great national geological survey which is now going 
 on, we are informed that the coast of Lamlash Bay is 
 composed of red sandstone, intersected by numerous 
 dykes. Three of these are of claystone, and eleven 
 of greenstone. " The dependency of Holy Isle does 
 not differ in structure from the southern district of 
 An-an ; presenting the common red sandstone occa- 
 sionally visible on the shore, overflowed by a gi-eat 
 mass of claystone, and claystone porphjTy, to the 
 height of about one thousand feet. In the south- 
 eastern district, veins of trap may be seen penetrat- 
 ing the sandstone horizontally." Much of the por- 
 phyry is the variety called clinkstone porphyry, Avhich 
 here ranges itself in rude columns, placed over each 
 other, and resting on the red sandstone. 
 
 As our young wanderers, instead of climbing among 
 clinkstone rocks, went along the shore in the direc- 
 tion of St. Molios' Cave, we shall follow them. They 
 had not proceeded far till Isabella, having got the 
 start of the other two, had nearly stepped on a grisly
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 201 
 
 native of the island, in the form of a large venomous 
 adder. 
 
 " Obstupuit, retroque pedem cum voce repressit : 
 Anguem, .... trepidaque repente refugit,* 
 Attollentem iras, et coerula colla tumentem." 
 
 Without waiting to spout Latin — -wiser on this oc- 
 casion than our first mother Eve — she took to flight, 
 and brought up her sisters as a reinforcement; hut 
 the subtle serpent, not choosing to abide the ren- 
 counter, had glided aAvay to some safe lurking-place 
 among the heather. 
 
 The Cave of St. Molios (pronounced Molees) is on 
 the upper side of the path which winds along the 
 shore on the western side of the isle. I have repeat- 
 edly \'isited, and with considerable interest examined, 
 this cave ; but as several years have since intervened, 
 instead of trusting to my memory, I shall quote from 
 the New Statistical Account of Scotland. It is there- 
 in stated that St. Molios, or, as the name means in 
 Gaelic, the shaved or bare-headed servant of Jesus, 
 being a disciple of St. Coluraba, came from lona, and 
 took up his residence " in this lonely isle, whence he 
 diffused the light of Christianity among the formerly 
 Pagan inhabitants of Arran. The cave which formed 
 his residence, is merely an excavation in the red sand- 
 stone, holloAved out by the sea when its level was 
 higher than at present, with its mouth defended by a 
 wall of loose stones. On the roof of the cave there 
 is a Runic inscription, stating the name and office of 
 the saint; imd a little raised above its floor, a shelf of 
 
 * I beg Virgira pardon for spoiling one of bis noble Cues.
 
 202 EXCURSIONS TO AURAN. 
 
 rock, said to have been his bed. In the neighbour- 
 hood of the cave there is a large flat stone, called his 
 dining-table, and a spring of pure water (his bath), 
 much resorted to in the ages of superstition, and cele- 
 brated for the healing virtues alleged to have been 
 communicated to it by the prayers and blessings of 
 the saint." 
 
 The Lord has been good and kind to Scotland. 
 With the eJcception of Judea, there is no other land 
 on the face of the earth the religious history of which 
 is so deeply interesting. Even Avithin the boundar- 
 ies of Arran there are vestiges by which we can trace 
 some of the great religious changes which have taken 
 place in our land. Time has spread his dark -wing 
 over the state of the inhabitants of this island before 
 the introduction of Christianity. Pagans they were, 
 undoubtedly; but whether they Avere Druids, or wor- 
 shippers of the imaginary gods of Scandinavia, is 
 matter of uncertainty. Some think that the circles of 
 stone found in several places of Arran are the remains 
 of Druidical temples. At Tormore, for instance, the 
 large trunks of oak trees still imbedded in the sur- 
 rounding moss, are evidently the remains of a forest, 
 and as the Druids worshipped in oak forests, it is 
 thought by many that the remarkable circles at Tor- 
 more are the remains of one of their great temples. A 
 well-worn perforation in the side of one of the stones was 
 pointed out to me as the hole through which the cord 
 went that bound the victim when brought to the altai- ; 
 though some of the Highlanders say that it was here 
 that Fingal fastened his stag-hound, Bran. It must
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 203 
 
 have been for some important purpose that these cu-- 
 cles were formed. Near these circles there are three 
 upright columns of stone, about fifteen feet in height, 
 and eleven or twelve feet in circumference. From 
 the top of one of them I, -with some difficulty, brought 
 down a fine large specimen of the lichen, called Ra~ 
 malina scopiilorum^ which I still have in toy posses^ 
 sion. The stones are old red sandstone; and mak- 
 ing allowance for what is under ground, they cannot 
 be less than twenty feet in length. It would be no 
 easy task, even in the present d^y, with all the pro- 
 gress we think we have made in the arts and sciences, 
 to bring stones of such magnitude to this place, and 
 to erect them so as that they would stand for many 
 ages. The great imcertainty as to the purpose for 
 which these were erected, and our utter ignorance of 
 the name even of one of those who must have exult- 
 ed in their erection, as an achievement well fitted to 
 hand do>ATi their names to posterity, is humbling to 
 the vanity of man. " Let us build us a city, and a 
 tower whose top may reach unto heaven ; and let us 
 make us a' name, lest we be scattered abroad upon 
 the face of the whole earth," said the impious build- 
 ers of Babel. " But the Lord scattered them abroad 
 from thence upon the face of all the earth ;" their un- 
 finished tower has crumbled — they soon returned to 
 the dust; and though they are held up to posterity, 
 it is as vain shadows, unworthy even of " a name." 
 
 But whatever uncertainty there may be in some 
 things, there is the melancholy certainty that when 
 St. Molios arrived in Arran, the natives were be-
 
 204 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 niglited Heathens. He was the disciple of a man of 
 God of apostolic character, St. Colxiinba, who, in 
 the year 563, landed in lona, which he had received 
 in a gift from the King of Argyle, and which he 
 made his chief place of residence. By making excur- 
 sions himself, and by sendmg forth his disciples to 
 preach the Gospel — God blessing their labours — a 
 great and rapid change took place ; for it is said that 
 before his death the whole of Scotland was converted to 
 Christianity. St. Molios being sent to Arran, engaged, 
 it would appear, with ardour and success in the work 
 of his mission. The Holy Isle, it is probable, was 
 only a place of occasional retirement for meditation 
 and prayer. All who have been very successful in 
 converting souls have not only been zealous and ar- 
 dent in preaching the Word, but frequent, and fervent, 
 and instant in prayer. After devout converse with 
 God, when they returned to the work, their faces 
 shone, their hearts glowed, their words burned, and 
 their tongues delighted to speak of Jesus, and to pro- 
 claim the wonders of divine love. St. Columba, it 
 would appear, came to encourage his devoted disciple; 
 for a moss-covered cairn in the west of the Island of 
 AiTan is pointed out as the spot where St. Columba 
 sat down Avith St. Molios to refresh himself when tra- 
 velling from place to place evangelizing its heathen 
 inhabitants. St. Molios afterwards made Shiskin his 
 chief residence, and there he died, at the advanced 
 age of one hundred and twenty years.* 
 
 Blessed Avas the change that took place when the 
 * New Statistical Account.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 05 
 
 darkness of Heathenism fled before the light of the 
 Gospel; but the remains of a monastery lately to be 
 seen near the landing-place in the Holy Isle, remind 
 us that in process of time that light was greatly ob- 
 scured. Scotland withstood the progress of Popery 
 much longer than England did. The doctrines of 
 the Gospel preached in their purity by St. Columba 
 and his disciples, and beautifully reduced to practice 
 in the lives of these holy men, told on the vuider- 
 standing and the hearts of those among whom they 
 labovu"ed ; and the successors of these pious teachers 
 being men of kindred spirit, our blessed religion, in 
 an outward form nearly allied to Presbyterianism, 
 took deep root and flourished for several centuries 
 in Scotland. It was not till the twelfth centviry that 
 the usurpations of Rome were in any degree success- 
 ful. Popery then began to be countenanced at court, 
 and, under several successive monarchs, it continued 
 stealthily to creep in, till, having risen to power, it 
 tore off the mask, and brought all under seeming sub- 
 jection. Even then, however, the Lord had his hid- 
 den ones in om- land; and soon after this we hear of 
 the Lollards of Kyle — the forerunners of the Refor- 
 mation. It would lead us much too far from our 
 present purpose to speak of the downifal of Popery at 
 the blessed Reformation; — of its partial rise after- 
 wards, in the form of black, persecuting Prelacy, 
 when the whole land was made a scene of desolation, 
 and the heath on the wild mountain-side was often 
 changed into a deeper purple, by the blood of the 
 saints, shed for the Word of God, and for the testi-
 
 206 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 mony of Jesus Christ. Neither ''must we speak of 
 the blessings of the Revolution period, and of the 
 spread of the Gospel, till a race arose regardless of 
 Gospel blessings, living carelessly and at ease in Zion. 
 As little may we wait to mourn over the long reign 
 of spiritual deadness. Let us, however, express our 
 joy that better days have at last come. A chapter 
 has been added to the wonderful history of the 
 Church of our fathers, which posterity will not blush 
 to read. But let us remember that the signs of the 
 times, and the more sure light of prophecy, speak of 
 the approach of still more wonderful times, and still 
 more wonderful events. God has already done gi'eat 
 things for us, whereof we are glad; but if our glad- 
 ness be holy joy, it will lead us to show our gratitude 
 by being up and active in God's service; grudging no 
 labour — sparing no arrows — girding on the whole 
 armour of God, that in the evil day we may quit our- 
 selves like men, being strong in the Lord and in the 
 power of his might ; so that when the shout is raised, 
 " Babylon is fallen — is fallen — is fallen !" we may 
 lift up our heads and rejoice mth exceeding great 
 
 joy- 
 After our ejected party returned to the boat, as the 
 
 evening was very fine we ventm-ed on one haul of the 
 
 dredge, that they might not be altogether deprived of 
 
 the pleasure we had enjoyed. We got some more 
 
 Pectens with interesting parasites ; Fusus corneus; 
 
 and what is much rarer, Fusus purpureus; Trachiis 
 
 tumidus^ and T. cinereus; Hiatella proecisa; Anomia 
 
 undulata^ and an A^iomia that does not tally Avitli any
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 207 
 
 one described by my scientific friend, Professor 
 Fleming, in his " British Animals." It comes nearest 
 to his description of A. c^lindrica, only that it is not 
 in the least cylindrical. It has, however, the rough 
 transverse marks like ribs. I may mention, for the 
 sake of some, that Anomia is like a small oyster, "vvith 
 a perforation in the under valve. 
 
 We brought up several crabs, one or two of which 
 were new to me; but it is often more generally inte- 
 resting to dwell on what is common than on what is 
 rare. The hermit crab (Pagurus Bernhardiis) is 
 common ; it may be seen, by every person who makes 
 use of his eyes, on the shore, as it is very often drift- 
 ed when there is a breeze, and left by the tide on 
 the sand. It is called hermit crab, because it takes 
 possession of an old univalve shell, dwelling in the 
 cavity as in a cell. In its young state, it is often to 
 be found in a little Troc/ms or Silver Willie, as the 
 children call it; and when it is full size it ensconces 
 itself in the large roaring huckie (Buccinum unda- 
 tum).* The goodness and wisdom of God are seen in 
 the instincts of animals. The hermit crab is like a 
 little scai'let lobster, whose body and claws are de- 
 fended by a strong crust, but whose hinder parts have 
 but a thin covering. Knowing this, it thrusts its de- 
 fenceless parts into the cavity of a shell; and it takes 
 care that the shell be sufficiently large as a place of 
 refuge for the whole hermit in the time of danger. 
 There is a foreign species in which the spirit of the 
 
 * There are several species of Paguru.i, so that the small ones 
 may not always be the young of the large.
 
 208 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 soldier is combined A^ath the seclusiveness of the her- 
 mit. It shows ambition, and courage, and pride. 
 It may be seen contending with other free-booters on 
 the shore for the largest shell ; and, haviiig obtained 
 the mastery, it proudly parades, with its palace on its 
 back, in the presence of its unsuccessful competitors. 
 Many naturalists hare observed that there seems 
 to be a treaty of union betwixt the hermit crab and 
 the spotted sea-anemone {^Actinia maculata). I lately 
 kept one of these pretty sea-anemones for some days 
 in sea-Avater. It had fastened itself to a little frag- 
 ment of a screw shell {Turritella), but its co-tenant 
 in the inside was not a hermit crab, but a pretty red 
 annelide. Be this as it may, certain it is that, on 
 this occasion, we foimd that the spotted anemone had 
 fastened itself to the outer lip of many of the large 
 roaring buckles brought up, and wherever there was 
 an anemone without, there we foimd a hermit within. 
 In all likelihood they in various ways aid each other. 
 The hermit has strong claws, and while he is feasting 
 on the prey he has caught, many spare crumbs may 
 fall to the share of his gentle-looking companion. 
 But soft and gentle-looking though the anemone be, 
 she has a himdred hands, and woe to the wandering 
 wight who comes within the reach of one of them, 
 for all the other hands are instantly brought to its aid, 
 and the hermit may soon find that he is more than 
 compensated for the crumbs that fall from his own 
 booty. Union is happiness and strength. " Behold 
 how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell 
 together in unity! It is like the precious ointment
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN 20!* 
 
 upon the head, that ran down upon the Ijcard, even 
 Aai-on's beard : that went down to the skirts of his 
 garments; as the dew of Ilemion, and as the dew that 
 descended on the mountains of Zion : for there the 
 Lord commanded the blessing, even life for ever- 
 more."
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Whiting Bay not grand, but sweet — Cows fish-eaters — Trap dykes 
 on the shore — Botanical and zoological walks with Mr. Adam 
 White and Mr. George Gardner — Sea-shells — Bulla lignaria — 
 Walk back to Lamlash — Free Church tent — Splendid view — 
 Colony of tent-making spiders — The spider teaches wisdom — 
 Taught Robert the Bruce. 
 
 There is no romance in the name of Whiting Bay; 
 nor has the place itself any of the grandeur of Bro- 
 dick, Sannox, or Lochranza; yet, as a pleasant resi- 
 dence, it is not inferior to any place in the island. 
 Man has done little for it. It is not divided by trim 
 hedges into regular parallelograms of waving crops. 
 Near to the shore there is not much ground sviscep- 
 tible of cultivation. Even the channel, how^ever, 
 where not reached by the tide, yields a fragrant 
 crop of the little Scotch rose {Bosa sphiosisshna); 
 while the embankment of little rocky hills, close to 
 which the road winds, is adorned Avith shrubbery of 
 Nature's planting — oak, and birch, and hazel, inter- 
 spersed with hawthorns, honeysuckles, and trailing 
 brambles; yielding in summer a rich perfume, and 
 in autumn a tempting banquet of hazel nuts and jet- 
 black bramble-berries. In spring, also, there is great
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 211 
 
 sweetnesis and beauty; for the banks of every little 
 rivulet that leaps among the rocks is bestudded Avith 
 primroses, while every little glade of the copse pre- 
 sents a rich blow of wild hyacinth and of wood-ane- 
 mone. Here there is still that sweet seclusiveness 
 which some may now desiderate amidst the gaiety 
 of Brodick; while the outward or homeward bound 
 vessels, which are constantly passing near to the 
 shore, remmd you that you are not far from a busy, 
 bustling world. Or if you wish to forget the bustle 
 of the world — amid the deep recesses of the adjoining 
 glen you may wander for hours with few tokens of 
 living companionship, except the merry chirrup of 
 the grasshopper, the sweet song of the feathered 
 tribes, and the pla}'ful frisking of the lambs in their 
 sportive gambols on the grassy slopes of the glen side. 
 Happy he who, in such situations, is " never less 
 alone than when alone." Happy they who, in Nature's 
 solitudes, can trace the footsteps, and mark the handi- 
 work of a benignant God — Avho, apart from the world, 
 can hold converse with the Eternal, and rejoice in his 
 promise of a purchased inheritance, where the Lamb 
 shall lead them to fountains of living waters, and God 
 shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 
 
 The day on which we visited Whiting Bay was a 
 delightful one; but as it was too hot for a long walk, 
 we engaged a conveyance, which not arriving at the 
 appointed time, part of the forenoon was lost ; and 
 after we reached Whiting Bay, some more of our 
 time was occupied in visiting our old friends. A 
 family from Port-Glasgow were the temporary occu-
 
 212 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 pants of one of the houses where we called. The 
 greater part of them were at the time in a boat in 
 the hay, wishing to bring ashore with them a fresh 
 supply of fish. The fine Avhitings they had caught 
 the day before had been nicely split up and placed on 
 a board in the sun ; but, when they were just about 
 ready to be sent as a present to their friends, the 
 cows coming round, devoured them all in a twinkling. 
 We knew, however, before this, to our cost, that 
 Highland cows are decided fish-eaters. This need 
 not surprise us, when we know that the Arabs often 
 feed their favourite horses with dried fish. 
 
 The geologist will not regard Avithout interest the 
 numerous trap dykes of various width that traverse 
 the coast at AVhiting Bay, some of Avhich intersect 
 each other. The neAV red sandstone in contact ynth. 
 these dykes is often greatly indurated. Towards 
 King's- cross- point, the rocks assume somcAvhat of a 
 columnar aspect. This is the case also at the mag- 
 nificent cascade at the head of Glen Ashdale, Avhere 
 the greenstone cliifs which overlie the sandstone arc 
 imperfect columns. 
 
 As the hours spent at Whiting Bay on this oc- 
 casion did not yield much recordable matter, I shall 
 fall back on the reminiscences of former years. In 
 August 1842, I spent several days there; and had 
 more leisure for research. I Avas then visited by two 
 distinguished naturalists — Mr. Adam White of the 
 British Museum, and Mr. George Gardner, Avho had 
 ncAvly returned from Brazil, and Avho is now explor- 
 ing the rich recesses of Ceylon. I had been initiated
 
 EXCUHSrONS TO ARRAN. ^ 213 
 
 by him in the study of muscology before he went out 
 to South America; and he now entered on botanical 
 researcli in a Highland glen with as much zeal as if he 
 had never explored the untrodden heights and depths 
 of a foreign country. We searched in vain the hazel 
 copses of Knockingelly for Epipactis ensi/olia — a rare 
 and beautiful plant. I had often seen it in that loca- 
 lity; but the flowering season was over, and it had 
 died do'vvn. Neither could I find Thalictrum Jiavum 
 (meadow rue), which, years before, I had seen at 
 Largiemore. Nor could we discover any remains of 
 Typlm latifolia (great cat's tail), which once grew 
 abundantly in the mill-dam. This is an interesting 
 plant, rendered very conspicuous by its long black 
 catkins. In Canada, where it is much more common, 
 the fine black doAMi on its long cylindrical head is 
 plucked oif and used in beds instead of feathers ; and 
 I doubt not that it would make a A^ery comfortable 
 couch. 
 
 The most delightful part of our ramble was up 
 Glen Ashdale, being sweetly secluded, especially in 
 the neighbourhood of the water-fall, which is the 
 finest in Arran. There we got some good mosses — 
 the rarest of which were Hookeria lucens^ and Funa- 
 ria MuhlenhergU.) both of which I had before got on 
 the cliffs betwixt Catacol and Lochranza. I Avas not 
 a little pleased to observe, on the steep bank Avhich 
 overhangs the water-fall, a striking instance of the 
 instinctive search of plants after food and support. 
 A young alder tree had grown on a little projection 
 of the declivity, where the earth underneath had on
 
 214 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAX. 
 
 one side crumbled away. It liad struck its roots into 
 the bank above; but on the side of the projection 
 fronting the water-fall, there was an empty space of 
 about five feet ; so that on this side, for want of roots, 
 there was a lack both of nourishment and support. 
 Even though it had grown in spite of the scanty 
 supply, it must have brought doAvn the projecting 
 bank by its increasing weight. The tree had evidently 
 felt how critical the circumstances were in which it 
 was placed; and it was doing its utmost to procm-e 
 food and to avert the threatened ruin. It had pushed 
 roots straight downwards like leafless, fibreless rods: 
 they were already within half a foot of the bank 
 below; and each rod was beginning to divide and 
 spread in the form of roots, that, striking into the 
 earth, they might not only derive nourishment from 
 the soil, but might form supporting pillars to the tree, 
 on which it w^ould be borne up, even though the earthy 
 ledge on which it had growTi should altogether crum- 
 ble away. Hoare, in his Treatise on the Vine, men- 
 tions that a bone being placed in the strong clay of a 
 vine-border, the vine sent out a leading or tap-root 
 through the stiff clay, till it reached the bone. In its 
 passage through the clay, this main root threw out no 
 fibres ; but when it reached the bone, it went no 
 farther, but gradually covered the bone with delicate 
 fibres like lace, each fibre entering a pore, and sucking 
 out the luscious nom"ishment. He who formed the 
 alder and the vine taught the one instinctively to cast 
 forth its roots for distant food, and the other to strike 
 its tap-roots downwards through empty space, to
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAX. 215 
 
 form pillars of support, and also to draw up addi- 
 tional nourishment. He offers to us angels' food for 
 spiritual nourishment; and while he tells us of ap- 
 proaching danger, in which every earthly prop shall 
 fail, he points out to us a Rock on which we may 
 with safety lean, amidst the war of elements and the 
 wreck of worlds ! 
 
 Mr. White took with him to London a well-filled 
 vasculum of Arran plants; but he was more intent 
 on insects, and on the living productions of the 
 sea. Arran is a very rich field for the entomo- 
 logist.* He carried with him to London, for the 
 British Museum, some good zoophytes, found on 
 stones, and shells, and sea- weeds; also a variety 
 of Echinus lividus, found in pools among the trap 
 dykes. I found, while at Whiting Bay, some good 
 specimens of the branched variety of Antennularia, 
 and what I prized much more, Plumularia myrxo- 
 phyllum, or the pheasant's tail coralline. What 
 rendered the specimen peculiarly valuable was, that 
 it was enriched with vesicles, and the only instance 
 in which the vesicles of this zoophyte have been 
 observed. It attracted the attention of the fisherman, 
 who brought it home to his wife; and she being a 
 person of taste, admired it still more than her hus- 
 
 * A specimen of Hipparchia Ligea, the Arran brown butterfly, 
 a real native of the island, would bring five guineas in the London 
 market. I have a fine specimen of this rare butterfly ; but it was 
 taken, not in Arran, but by my lamented friend the late Dr. James 
 Connel of Glasgow, in crossing the Alps, to the no small astonish- 
 ment of his fellow-passengers in the diligence, when they saw 
 a grave-looking gentleman chasing a butterfly I
 
 216 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 band did. With all due care she planted it in an old 
 tea-pot, filled with earth; and watering it with fresh- 
 water every morning, she had the satisfaction of 
 thinking that it grew a little larger under her judi- 
 cious management! 
 
 Some time after this, an intelligent fisherman 
 brought me something that was quite new to me. 
 He had got it on his long lines in the deep sea 
 l^etwixt Arran and the Ayrshire coast. I imme- 
 diately plunged it into a jar of sea- water. After 
 some time it began imperceptibly to expand. At 
 length rows of polypes pushed out their heads 
 and unfolded their beautifully-ciliated tentacula. I 
 then knew that it was a zoophyte, and suspecting 
 that it Avas Pennatula phosphorea, I turned up the 
 figure and read the description of it in my friend Dr. 
 Johnston's excellent work on British Zoophytes ; and 
 I was glad to find that it completely corresponded 
 with both. Fishermen call it Cock's-comb, and it is 
 not unlike the scarlet head-gear of that warlike bird. 
 Its more common name among naturalists is Sea-pjen^ 
 Avhich is still more expressive of its form. It was 
 about three inches in length, of a purplish -red 
 colour, except at the top of the stalk, which is 
 of a pale colour, and a little bent upwards. In the 
 evening I took it into a dark room with me, to see 
 whether it merited its specific name. Linnseus speaks 
 of Sea-pens covering the bottom of the sea, and cast- 
 ing such a light, that you may count the shells. I 
 touched it in the water, and tossed it from side to side 
 in the jar, but all remained dark. I then took it
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 217 
 
 out of the water and gave it a good shake, and it im- 
 mediately resented the insult by a phosphorescent 
 flash of indignation. I learn, from Professor Flem- 
 ing's British Animals, that it is not uncommon on the 
 east coast of Scotland. Is it found either in England 
 or Ireland ? The only localities mentioned in Dr. 
 Johnston's British Zooj)hytes, are Scottish. ]\Ir. AY. 
 Thompson, in his valuable " Report on the Fauna of 
 Ireland," says, " A specimen once brought to me 
 from Belfast market, was stated to have been found 
 among haddocks sent from Glasgow, and most pro- 
 bably captured on the west coast of Scotland." 
 
 Who can be on the shore without admiring the 
 sea-shells? God teaches their inhabitants to form, 
 and fashion, and paint them in a way which man, 
 with all his boasted taste and skill, would in vain 
 attempt to imitate. Let us touch a little on one of 
 them, Bulla Uynaria, found at Whiting Bay by dig- 
 ging in the sand at ebb-tide. It is not easy to give 
 a description of this elegant miivalve. It is oval, 
 convex, and slightly spiral, like a thin plate, pretty 
 closely rolled up at one end, and only half rolled up 
 at the other. Inside it is china-looking, and outside 
 it is like wainscot. It is nearly two inches in length, 
 and at the broadest about an inch and quarter across. 
 Never did lady recline on a more tasteful couch. 
 The internal structure of this well-lodged mollusc is 
 deserving of our regard. As the inhabitant of the 
 Bulla is as soft as a slug, one would think that it 
 Avould feed on something as soft as jelly. Instead of 
 that, it swallows entire the fry of another creature,
 
 218 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 with a shell as hard as its ovm. This shell-fish is 
 Mactra suhtruncata ; called in the Lowlands Aikms, 
 and in the Highlands Murech haan ; laan denoting the 
 colour, which is white; and Murech^ it is probahle, 
 being the Celtic origin of the Latin Murex, the shell- 
 fish which yielded the Tyrian dye, or imperial pui-ple. 
 But how can the soft Bulla feed on this hard food? 
 Though it has no teeth, it has an equivalent — a giz- 
 zard formed of shell as hard as bone, and composed 
 of two valves, or rather millstones. These millstones 
 are bound together with a very strong ligament, 
 leaving only an opening to receive the food. As soon 
 as the young shells are swallowed, they come under 
 the power of the two millstones, which crush, and 
 grind, and reduce them and their living contents to 
 paste — in which state they enter the stomach. This 
 stomach is capacious, in the fonn of a sack of meal 
 bound at the mouth; and in this deep sack the paste 
 remains, till it yields its substance for the nourishment 
 of the voracious Bulla. Various are the methods by 
 which the Lord enables his creatures to supply their 
 wants. He has given sharp teeth to fishes and 
 quadrupeds, and hard biUs to birds ; but though the 
 Bulla has neither tusks nor beak, He has furnished 
 it with a gizzard which still better answers its pur- 
 pose. 
 
 After spending an hour or'two pleasantly at Whit- 
 ing Bay on the present occasion, we set out to walk 
 to Lamlash, about five miles distant. The day AA-as 
 lovely, and when we came to the bridge over the 
 rivulet which separates "Whiting Bay from King's-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 219 
 
 cross district, we could not but seat ourselves on the 
 parapet wall, to listen to the murmuring of the stream 
 amongst the stones, and the sweet warbling of the 
 feathered songsters in the richly tangled copsewood 
 with which the rocky banks of the bum were adorn- 
 ed. It was not the eye nor the ear alone that was 
 feasted. I never saw the hawthorn in greater beauty ; 
 and the fragrance sent forth by it and its sweet kindred 
 on this natural rockery, was not inferior to Sabean 
 odours Avafted by the breeze from Araby the Blest. 
 And yet more heavenly music is at times heard, and 
 a sweeter savovir at times pervades the glen ; for near 
 to this the Free Church tent is placed, reminding one 
 of the days when it was not safe even to pitch a tent, 
 and when under the open canopy of heaven the per- 
 secuted remnant worshipped. 
 
 " Fast by such brooks 
 A little glen is sometimes scooped— a plat 
 Amid the heathery wild that all around 
 Fatigues the eye : in solitudes like these 
 Thy persecuted children, Scotia, foiled 
 A tyrant's and a bigot's bloody laws. 
 There, leaning on his spear, .... 
 The lyart veteran heard the Word of God 
 By Cameron thundered, or by Renwick poured 
 In gentle stream : then rose the song, the loud 
 Acclaim of praise ; the wheeling plover ceased 
 Her plaint, the solitary place was glad. 
 And on the distant cairns, the watcher's ear 
 Caught doubtfully at times the breeze-borne note." 
 
 After leaving the bridge, the walk for about a mile 
 is without cither interest or beauty; but this only 
 prepares a person the better for one of the most mag-
 
 220 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 nificent views to be seen, even in Arran. "When you 
 have got within a mile and a-half of Lamlasli, there 
 is a sudden burst of mingled grandeur and beauty. 
 From this height you have the noble Bay of Lamlash, 
 as it Avere at your feet ; with the Holy Isle, like a 
 great floating cone, guarding its entrance. Beyond 
 the bay you have, in the foreground, Dunphiun and 
 other hills of moderate height ; and in the background 
 you have Goatfell and the more northern movmtains 
 of Arran, as well as the Cumbraes, and Bute, and the 
 Argyleshire mountains terminating the magnificent 
 prospect. Scotia's children may well say, " The lines 
 have fallen to us in pleasant places;" and if they love 
 Him who has granted them many precious privileges, 
 truly they " have a goodly heritage." 
 
 When I said there was nothing interesting in the 
 first part of the walk through the King's-cross dis- 
 trict, I should have added — except to naturalists; for 
 to them every place furnishes a banquet, and the 
 most xmpromising places, to appearance, are often to 
 them the most productive. In passing through this 
 dreary moor at this time, I Avas on the outlook for an 
 old friend that I had pointed out to Mr. White three 
 years before, as one whose ingenuity I much admired. 
 The Free Chui-ch people, in pitching their tent in the 
 neighbourhood, might have done worse than take a 
 lesson fi-om him in tent-making. He had pitched his 
 tent by the Avay-side. The material of Avhich it was 
 formed AA^as finer than silk, and yet sufficiently strong 
 to stand the pelting of many a storm. The tent con- 
 sisted of tAvo apartments — a loAver and upper storey.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAX. 221 
 
 Do you wisli to know the name of this ingenious 
 artist? Mr. White would speak of him under his 
 learned or traveUing title — Epe'ira; but he is better 
 known to me under a familiar but ill-favoured name, 
 and therefore I must reluctantly announce him as a 
 large — spider! " The spider is in kings' palaces;" 
 and kings and queens too may learn a lesson from it, 
 and so, surely, may we. Spiders have not got justice 
 done to them : they are a much more interesting race 
 than many suppose. They improve on acquaintance : 
 the better they are known, the more they are admired. 
 Mr. White has studied their history, and has corres- 
 ponded with the most distinguished arachnologists ; 
 and as this Arran tent-maker was a variety of the 
 tribe that he had not met mth, I had pleasure in in- 
 troducing him to his acquaintance.* At that time a 
 whole colony of them were encamped by the road- 
 side, within the compass of half a mile. As he was 
 rather a gigantic spider, his tent, instead of being on 
 the ground, was elevated, like the house of a giant 
 of whom in early life we have all read. It was built 
 on the tops of the common grass, Hokus lanatuSy 
 more than a foot above the ground. Had he built 
 his house on the top of one stalk of grass, the house and 
 its inhabitant might have borne down a single slender 
 stalk. But he had contrived to bring together several 
 heads, whose roots stood apart, and, with cordage 
 which he could furnish at will, had bound them 
 firmly together, so that his elevated habitation was 
 anchored on all sides. From whatever airt the wind 
 * Mr. White has named him EjKira Landsluroii.
 
 222 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 blew, it had at once halser and stay. Not only did 
 he bind the heads together, but he bent, doubled, and 
 fastened them down as a thatch roof, under which his 
 habitation was suspended. As he was a larger spider 
 than usual, his house was large. The more capacious 
 apartment, which I believe was the nursery, being 
 beloAv; and the smaller one, which was his observa- 
 tory or watch-tower, being above, from which he 
 could pounce on his prey, or, in case of hostile attack, 
 could make his escape by a postern gate, so as to con- 
 ceal himself among the grass. 
 
 During my visit in Jime last, I was anxious, as we 
 returned from Whiting Bay, to ascertain whether this 
 interesting colony of tent-makers was still in a thriv- 
 ing state; and not seeing any at first, I began to fear 
 that a Highland clearance had taken place. When I 
 at last discovered a few of them, I saw that, as there 
 are times of low trade among our industrious two- 
 footed artisans in towns, so are there occasionally 
 hard times among our six-footed operatives in the 
 country. The field in which they encamped had, I 
 suppose, been overstocked. The stately Holcus had 
 been eaten down; but these shifty children of the 
 mist had availed themselves of the heather — doubling 
 down the tops of some of the heath-sprigs, and under 
 this thatched canopy forming their suspension-taber- 
 nacles. As yet, however, it was too early in the 
 season. The house had only one apartment; the web 
 of which it was formed was as yet thin, so that 
 through it I could see the spider, which being but 
 half gro-^^Ti, had not yet got in perfection its fine tiger-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 223 
 
 like markings. " Go'to the ant, tliou sluggard;" go 
 also to the spicier. He who taught the one taught 
 the other; and, learning humility, let hoth teach thee. 
 I said that kings might learn of the spider; and 
 one of the greatest of our Scottish kings, some five 
 hundred years ago, disdained not to learn of an An-an 
 spider in the very district in which this spider is 
 found. The tradition still lingers in Arran, that 
 King's-cross-point was so named, because from this 
 point in Arran King Robert the Bruce sailed for 
 Carrick, his own district in Ayrshire. "When he was, 
 by a train of adverse circumstances, almost driven to 
 despair, it is said that after a sleepless night, in a 
 humble cot on this rocky point, he in the morning 
 observed from his lowly bed a spider actively em- 
 ployed in weaving her silken web. To make it firm 
 and extensive, she endeavoured to fasten her filmy 
 threads on a beam projecting from the roof, -but in 
 attempting to reach this beam she fell doA^Ti to the 
 gi-ound. Six times she repeated the attempt with no 
 better success, but instead of being discouraged, she 
 made a seventh attempt — reached the wished- for point, 
 fastened her adhesive cords, and went triumphantly 
 on with her work. On observing this, the king 
 sprang up with revi^-ing hopes and fresh resolution. 
 " Shall I," said he, " be more easily discom-aged than 
 this reptile? Shall she, in spite of repeated failures, 
 persevere till croAvaied AA-ith success, though her object 
 is to enslave and destroy? and shall I leave anything 
 untried that I may deliver from thraldom my oppressed 
 subjects?" lie hastened to the beach, launched a
 
 224 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 fishing-boat, sailed from Kmr^'s -cross-point for 
 Ayrshire, which he reached in safety — secretly as- 
 sembled his liege men in Carrick — made a bold, and 
 sudden, and successful attack on his o^vn castle of 
 Tumberry, which he took from the vanquished Eng- 
 lished garrison; and, following up this auspicious 
 blow, he advanced on the tide of victory till, at Ban- 
 nockbm-n, he drove the cruel invaders from the land, 
 and set once more our beloved Scotland free.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Early sail to Brodick — Morning lovely — The prime precious- 
 View of the mountain-peaks — Profile — Grandeur and beauty 
 of Brodick Bay — Lesson from testy crabs — Brodick Castle — 
 Walk towards Corrie — Rare plants by the road-side — Ancient 
 sea-cliflFs, and water worn caves. 
 
 " Now morn, her rosy steps in the eastern clime 
 Advancing, sowed the earth with orient pearl. 
 
 Awake! the morning shines, and the fresh field 
 Calls us. AVe lose the prime, to mark how spring 
 Our tender plants, how blows the citron grove; 
 What drops the myrrh, and what the balmy reed ; 
 How nature paints her colours— how the bee 
 Sits on the bloom extracting liquid sweet." 
 
 Milton. 
 
 It was now the 13th of Juue. Our happy week in 
 Arran was drawing fast to a close, and Ave were 
 resolved that none of it should be lost in sloth. 
 Isabella, one of our family-party, Avas to leave us 
 this morning by the steamer, to visit friends in Port- 
 Glasgow ; and, as Ave meant to accompany her in the 
 steamer to Brodick, Ave were all astir by five o'cloc 
 in the morning, and ready, after an early breakfast, 
 to go aboard at six o'clock. The morning AAas most
 
 226 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 lovely. How many of those most capable of enjoy- 
 ing it lose, throughout life, all the beauty of this 
 " hour of prime!" It is said that Thomson wrote 
 in bed these fine objurgatory lines : — 
 
 " Falsely luxurious, will not man awake, 
 And, springing from the bed of sloth, enjoy 
 The cool, the fragrant, and the silent hour, 
 To meditation due and sacred song ?" 
 
 It may be so ; but if the following lines trere written 
 in bed, they are so true to nature that they must have 
 been the transcript of what he had formerly seen in 
 a morning walk: — 
 
 " The meek-eyed morn appears, mother of dews. 
 At first faint-gleaming in the dappled east ; 
 Till far o'er ether spreads the widening glow, 
 And, from before the lustre of her face. 
 White break the clouds away. With quickened step 
 Brown night retires ; young day pours in apace, 
 And opens all the lawny prospect wide. 
 The dripping rock, the mountain's misty top, 
 Swell on the sight, and brighten with the dawn. 
 Blue, through the dusk, the smoking currents shine. 
 And from the bladed field the fearful hare 
 Limps awkward; while along the forest glade 
 The wild-deer trip, and, often turning, gaze 
 At early passenger. Music awakes — 
 The native voice of undissembled joy — 
 And thick around the woodland hymns arise." 
 
 Though not one of the seven sleepers, I must 
 own that I am not always a-foot at cock-crowing. 
 The inducement on this occasion was sufficiently 
 strong. The morning was lovely as heart could 
 wish; the scenery was exquisite; and had we had
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 227 
 
 nothing but the sail to Brodick we woukl have con- 
 sidered ourselves amply rewarded. The sea was a 
 mirror, reflecting from its bosom the Holy Isle, and 
 the only vessel that, after the late storm, yet lin- 
 gered in the refuge-yielding loch. Where was the 
 storm now? Is it possible that the smiling sea, 
 murmuring and sporting in softest ripplings on the 
 shore, was lately a scene of strife and turmoil — dash- 
 ing itself, as if in bitter rage, against the stubborn 
 rocks by Avhich its proud waves were stayed ? He 
 who ruleth the winds and waves had said to them, 
 " Peace!" The storm sank into a calm — the waves 
 were still. From the steamer's deck we could count 
 the pebbles scattered on the sand at some fathoms' 
 depth, and could see the finny tribes disporting 
 amidst the little marine forests of alga-, gently waving 
 in the ebbing tide. 
 
 When the powerful steam began to exert its pro- 
 pelling force, we soon cleared the loch; and, passing 
 Clachland- point, and gliding along the precipitous 
 banks on the left, we had before us another of those 
 fine views which, in endless variety, present them- 
 selves in Arran. How magnificent is Goatfell, Avith 
 the adjoining peaks ! Nothing but the hand of the 
 Almighty could have moulded this stupendous scene. 
 Even angels, one would think, might look doAvn with 
 wonder, when so many square miles of granite were 
 pushed up in such rugged grandeur through the firm 
 rocky strata, constrained to yield to this eruptive 
 force. These strata, once horizontal, now incline 
 towai-ds the granite, giving proof of upheaval. By
 
 228 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 being indurated and contorted, and closely united to 
 tlie gi'anite, they show that the granite, at the time 
 of upheaval, must have been intensely heated and in 
 a state of partial fusion, imparting the same degree 
 of fusion to the schist, where they came in contact, 
 so that they form one inseparable mass. They are 
 like two different coloured sticks of sealing wax con- 
 joined when in a state of partial fusion, and firmly 
 adhering, along the longitudinal line of junction, as 
 one body, after they had cooled. In specimens which, 
 in 1842, my excellent friend, the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel 
 Paterson of Glasgow, and I brought down, from the 
 steep side of Tornidneon,* near Lochranza, the schist 
 and granite form one closely united stone; but, 
 though inseparably incorporated in consequence of 
 fusion, the line of junction is distinctly marked by 
 the thorough difference betwixt the two sides ol the 
 united fabric. 
 
 But let us return to the steamer, on her way to 
 Brodick. From a certain point in our progress, 
 many think that they can trace, in the outline of the 
 mountain tops, a striking profile of Lord Brougham ; 
 and if so, well may Ave say that he has here a monu- 
 ment cere perennius — more durable than brass. The 
 thin covering of mist which, for a little, had partially 
 veiled these noble peaks, was now disappearing. 
 All that remained on the lofty shoulder of the moxm- 
 tain were some fleecy cloudlets of white vapour, 
 
 * Tornideon means, I believe, the hill of ptarmigans. Ptar- 
 migans are found there; and the goshawk, I am told, builds in 
 the cliffs, not much to the satisfactionol^the gentle ptarmigans — 
 a ready quarry.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 229 
 
 adding much to the beauty of the spectacle, as, float- 
 ing upwards, they were fast evanishing, giving goodly 
 promise of a lovely day. 
 
 In few places on this fair earth is there beheld so 
 delightful a mingling of beauty and grandeur as in 
 the near view of Brodick. Grandevir you certainly 
 expect ; for these magnificent mountains are seen 
 from afar, and form the greatest ornament of our 
 western coast. But you are not prepared for the re- 
 markable beauty, and sweetness, and softness given 
 by the rich clothing of wood on the mountain skirts, 
 down to water's edge ; nor for the fine eifect pro- 
 duced by Brodick Castle, rising in ducal gi'andeur 
 amidst the embowering foliage of many venerable 
 trees; nor for the solemnizing view of the deep-retir- 
 ing glen, winding along the Rosa, till it seems lost 
 in the embrace of the approximating mountains. 
 
 On reaching Brodick, we had leisure, in waiting 
 for the little boat that was to land us on the quay, to 
 contemplate the noble scene — above, and around, and 
 below. I am seldom on the sea; but when there, I 
 am unwilling to pass imnoticed the wonders of the 
 deep. Oh ! how full of wonders is that mighty 
 deep! When we see the Lord's wonders in the deep, 
 may they so utter their voice as to teach us to look up 
 imto the heavens for greater wonders there! Some 
 have a gi'eat knack at drawing useful lessons from 
 the mute inhabitants of the deep. It was at Brodick 
 that Mr. James Wilson, a distinguished natm^alist, ob- 
 served one morning two men in a boat looking dovn\ 
 intently into the water, and from time to time pulHng
 
 230 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN, 
 
 something rapidly up. His curiosity was excited ; 
 and, on inquiring into the nature of their employ- 
 ment, he found that they were fishenuen, catching 
 crahs in an ingenious manner. When, through the 
 clear water, they saw a crab at his morning walk, 
 they touched him with a long pole, and instantly the 
 crab grasped the pole with his claws ; they gave an- 
 other pounce, and he grasped more firmly; they gave 
 a harder jog, and, out of all patience, he clasped the 
 pole with all his claws ; and forthwith, ere his paroxysm 
 was over, they hastily drew up the pole, and landed 
 him in the bottom of their boat. The moral infer- 
 ence w^hich Mr. Wilson draws, and for which I have 
 mentioned this, is exceedingly good. " I saw from 
 this," said he, " that it was not safe for either crabs 
 or Christians, when exposed to provocation, to lose 
 their temper." 
 
 Leaving Isabella, whom we had thus far escorted, 
 to proceed in the steamer, we landed before seven 
 o'clock, having thus fully five hours to dispose of till 
 the arrival of the steamer from Ardrossan, by which 
 we meant to return to Lamlash. We would have 
 visited the Castle at this time, had we not been de- 
 sirous of reaching the rocks towards Corrie at ebb- 
 tide. The Castle is undergoing repairs, and receiving 
 a considerable addition, part of which is to be in the 
 form of a tower, which, when seen from the bay, will 
 have an excellent effect, in its elevated site, among 
 the surrounding woods. The Castle garden is worth 
 being visited; for, though it contains nothing that is 
 very rare, it is delightful to see the healthy luxuriance
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 231 
 
 of many rather tender exotics, which brave the winter 
 without any protection, giving good proof of the great 
 mildness of the insular climate. There were some 
 rare mosses at one time on the walls of the Castle ; 
 but the improvements that are going on may strip 
 them of their mural treasures. Parietaria officinalis 
 may escape, I hope, being of sturdier make than the 
 mosses. This PelUtory-of-the-waU I have seen, in the 
 west, only on Brodick Castle-wall, and on a parapet 
 wall at Troon harbour. Its filaments are jointed, and 
 to this peculiarity they owe the elastic property by 
 Avhich, in a hot summer-day, the pollen is so copiously 
 discharged. The filaments of the mulberry flower 
 must have some such peculiarity. I remember on a 
 fine summer-day, in passing a mulberry tree in the 
 garden at AVhite House, Lamlash, having my atten- 
 tion attracted by little pufts of poAvdery vapovir burst- 
 ing, from time to time, from various parts of the tree. 
 I found that it was occasioned by a filament being let 
 loose with an elastic spring, which caused the pollen 
 of the concussed anther to ascend about tAvo inches 
 like smoke, that it might come doA\Ti like a fertilizing 
 shower on the subjacent pistils, which, as the mul- 
 berry is a monoecious plant, are on different floAvers 
 from those that have the anthers, and, but for this 
 beautiful contrivance, might not receive the pollen. 
 
 Passing the Castle, we proceeded northward to- 
 wards Corrie. A person does not require to leave 
 the road to find what to many might be more rare 
 than pleasant, viz., poisonous adders, Avhich come out 
 of the Avood to bask in the sun. These, I think, have
 
 232 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 been reduced in number, since Brodick became so 
 much frequented ; for, some years ago, a person coidd 
 seldom pass along this road on a fine day "without 
 seeing an adder, either dead or alive. But the bot- 
 anist may find, close by the road-side, >vhat is more 
 to his taste — the beautiful little Plnguicula Lusitanica 
 (pale butterwort), so much valued in many places 
 that a person, Avho at times sold as well as bought 
 plants, told me that he laid in a good store of this 
 little inhabitant of the bog every time he "was in 
 Arran, and disposed of them to his correspondents at 
 home and abroad, at the rate of half-a-cro\\Ti the 
 plant. There is another plant very common at Bro- 
 dick, which, I am told, is gi'eatly prized by foreign 
 botanists, "viz., Brassica Monensis (Isle of Man cab- 
 bage); and what is more beautiful than either — 
 Lithospermum maritimuTn (sea-side gromwell), of 
 which there are splendid tufts on the beach. Par- 
 nassia paliistris (grass of Parnassus), is very frequent 
 here, with its finely fringed nectaries. The three 
 kinds of Drosera (sundew) may be found at no great 
 distance, with their singular leaves clothed with liscid, 
 insect-catching glands, sparkling in the sun like bril- 
 liant diamonds. Plants acquire an additional value, 
 as memorials of friends with whom, in collecting them, 
 we have made little excursions. Well do I remem- 
 ber with what eagerness I grasped, near this place, a 
 large tuft of a magnificent moss, rare in Scotland — 
 Splachniim ampullaceum (flagon-fruited splachnum) ; 
 tmd what delight I had in dividmg the spoil with my 
 two companions who could appreciate it — Dr. Cui'die,
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 233 
 
 now in Australia, and Dr. Philip Maclaggan, from 
 Edinburgh, now in Canada; still fond of Natural 
 Science, but interested also, I am happy to say, in 
 Avhat is better than Natural Science. And Erythrcea 
 compressa of Link, found plentifully on the shore, 
 reminded me of the pleasure of meeting the learned 
 and venerable Prussian Professor Link on a memor- 
 able day in AiTan. Many fine ferns are found on 
 the cliffs which form the ancient boundary of the 
 sea, of which I shall mention only the stately Osmunda 
 regalis (the royal fern), and the lowly Hymenophyl- 
 lum Wilsoni, neither of them uncommon in Arran. 
 
 In the face of the ancient sea-cliff, extending along 
 this coast, there are a number of water- worn caves, to 
 which Mr. Ramsay in his " Guide" refers, as con- 
 sidered, in connection with the sea-shells found 
 abundantly in the soil, when turned up, even at the 
 entrance of the water-worn caves, as affording proof 
 that the waves once dashed against these cliffs, and 
 formed the caves; — as well as a proof of recent eleva- 
 tion of the sea-beach. " It has also been remarked 
 that these caves dip to the south, agreeably to the 
 inclination of the anticUnal line, their pillars being at 
 right angles to the plane of stratification, not to the 
 horizontal level ; proving that their formation by the 
 influence of the waves took place previous to their 
 elevation to their present height." 
 
 About this time the young people made what they 
 considered rather an interesting discovery, viz., a 
 Highland cottage at the base of ]\Iaoldo'n, in which 
 milk might be purchased. They had made an early
 
 234 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 breakfast, and after sailing five or six miles, tliey had 
 walked some hours on the shore; and they began to 
 think that, amidst their scientific pursuits, the vulgar 
 employment of eating and drinking might form rather 
 an agreeable interlude. Accordingly, they had some 
 delicious milk along vnih the biscuits they had brought 
 Avith them ; after which they retiimed cheerily to the 
 sea-beach. Our chief look-out on getting again 
 among the rocks was for a rare sea- weed — Codium 
 to7nentosum; and for a rare animal upon it — Aplysia^ 
 now Actceon viridis; both of which we had foiind 
 about this place a year before; but as we were not 
 successful in finding them on this occasion, I shall 
 have recourse to what I had written respecting them 
 when they were discovered ; but this I must reserve 
 as the subject of another chapter.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Codium tomentosum — Found near Corrie — Actceon viridis, a rare 
 and beautiful mollusc found on it — Described — God's creatures 
 not to be despised, because they may be small —If He adorns 
 and sustains them, will He forget thee, O thou of little faith? 
 
 In a little rocky pool of sea-water near the base of 
 Maoldo'n, betwixt Brodick and Corrie, I discovered, in 
 July 1844, an alga, whicb seemed new to me. I laid 
 hold of it, and found it no easy matter to detach it 
 irom the rock to which it firmly adhered. It turned 
 out to be Codium tomentosum^ not rare, I believe, in 
 either England or Ireland, but so rare in Scotland that 
 I have heard of its being found only by Dr. Curdie, 
 in the Island of Gigha, off KintjTe, and by W. 
 Thompson, Esq., Belfast, in a rock-pool near Ballan- 
 trae, in AjTshire. On taking it out of the water, I 
 observed a greenish gelatinous animal on it, which, 
 without examination, I cast into the pool again, that 
 it might continue to enjoy life. I afterwards saw on 
 the Codium, two more of the same species, but con- 
 siderably smaller ; and observing tliat they were 
 beautifully mottled with azure spots, I deposited them 
 in my vasculum, among the branches of the Codium.
 
 236 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 When, on reaching home, I put them into a tumbler 
 of sea- water, I saw that I had got a rare and beauti- 
 ful mollusc, discovered by Colonel Montagu on the 
 Devonshire coast, and described by him in " The 
 Transactions of the Linnaean Society.'' These " Trans- 
 actions " I had not in my possession ; but I found as 
 much as answered my purpose in " The History of 
 British Animals,-' by my philosophical friend, Dr. 
 John Fleming, now, I am happy to say. Professor of 
 Natural Science in the New College, Edinburgh, 
 Avhose most valuable works should be in the hands 
 of every British naturalist. As I kept the Actceon 
 for nearly a week in the tumbler, where it seemed 
 to browse with great satisfaction on the wooUy beard 
 of the Codium, I had good opportimities of observ- 
 ing it, and I fomid it even more beautiful than I 
 could have supposed. The excellent description found 
 in the " British Animals" is as follows: " The fore- 
 part of the body is like a common Limax (' slug'); 
 tentacula or feelers two, flat, but usually rolled up, 
 and appear like cylindric tubes; at a little distance 
 behind the tentacula, on each side, is a whitish mark, 
 in Avhich is placed a small black eye; the body is de- 
 pressed, and spreads on each side into a membrana- 
 ceous fin, but which gradually decreases from thence 
 to the tail. This membraneous part is considerably 
 amorphous, but is usually turned up on the back, and 
 sometimes meeting, though most times the margins 
 are reflected. This, as well as the back, is of a beauti- 
 ful grass-gi'een colour, marked on the superior part 
 of the fins or membrane with a few azure spots, dis-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 237 
 
 posed in rows; the under part with more numerous 
 but irregular spots of the same. The fore part of the 
 head is bifid; the hp marked by a black margin." 
 With these my observations in general agree. Its 
 colour is green — betwixt grass-gTeen and bottle-green ; 
 but in certain lights it has a considerable shade of 
 rich puce-colour on the finest velvet. It is beauti- 
 fully dotted with azure and wdth gold. The azure 
 spots are small and numerous on all parts of the body 
 and of the fins, and are precisely of the same brilliant 
 azure as the lines on Patella pelbicida. The golden 
 spots were confined to the upper parts of the body. 
 They were few in number, but considerably larger and 
 less regular in foraa than the azure dots. Two of 
 them, for instance, were oblong, and extended from 
 the ear-like tentacula down to the eyes, which were 
 placed on the back of the neck, as if to keep watch 
 against the enemies from behind, while it was busy 
 feeding on the rich pasture afibrded by the green 
 Codium. 
 
 I The membrane that acts as fins is of the same 
 colour and substance as the body. When the fins 
 are raised and meet al)Ove, they give it the appear- 
 ance of being gibbous on the back. More generally, 
 hoAvever, they are a little apart from each other, and 
 in swimming they extend horizontally from the body, 
 and show, at the base of the neck, betwixt the upper 
 part of the fins, a whitish protuberance. At the base 
 of each fin, and pretty close to the back, there could 
 be seen, when the light was favourable, all along the 
 inside, a line like the mid-rib of a leaf; and from
 
 238 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 this double mid-rib there proceeded, at intervals, 
 veins in a slanting direction to the upper margin of 
 each fin ; so that when the tAvo fins were expanded, 
 it was like a green-veined leaf. To this appearance 
 it may at times owe its safety, by deceiving the eye of 
 prowlers. 
 
 The description of the mouth given in the quota- 
 tion suited my specimens, except that in them the 
 margin of the upper lip was black. The loAver lip 
 and part of the throat were quite white, and w^ere the 
 only parts that had none of the azure dots. Could 
 I transfer to the printed page a colom-ed drawing of 
 it by my daughter Margaret, a single glance w^ould 
 give a better idea of it than all my words; though 
 still we would be constrained to say : " Who can 
 paint like nature ? " 
 
 This brief quotation from the poet of the seasons 
 suggests to us an answer to those who may be ready 
 to say : " What trifling ! why such a fuss about a 
 painted sea-slug?" If God painted it, should not we 
 admire it, and adore Him by whom it was arrayed 
 in so much beauty ? He made all things for his own 
 glory ; and if this tiny mollusc, like a floating emerald, 
 has not before attracted the gaze of any eye in Scot- 
 land, this is a reason why we should admire it the 
 more when seen, and give glory to Him who deigned 
 to adorn it. Millions of them may have lived and 
 died vuinoticed by man; but as they enjoyed all the 
 happiness of which they were susceptible, they were 
 not created in vain. But they answer a nobler pur- 
 pose, if they lead up the thoughts of even one human
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARUAN. 239 
 
 being to nature's wonder-working God, bringing some 
 small tribute of glory to the benignant Creator, and 
 exciting thoughts which may be remembered with 
 pleasure when the sea and all that is in it have passed 
 away! 
 
 God's creatures are not to be despised because they 
 may be small ; for by the least of his creatures he can 
 accomplish great and Avonderful works. How small 
 are the coral polypes! and yet, under the teaching of 
 God, they can plant the sea with islands, and build 
 reefy walls which ocean's proudest waves cannot de- 
 molish ! Feeble are the sea-fowls that build their 
 yearly nests on the rocky islands of the distant main ; 
 but these feathered tribes are like living clouds or 
 •\\'inged legions. Their droppings cover the rocks. 
 M}Tiads after myriads live and die ; and their dead 
 bodies mix with the mass. The work of accimiula- 
 tion for ages goes on. At last it has been discovered 
 that this ornithological deposit of filth and corruption 
 has become a perfect store-house of wealth imd ferti- 
 lity. Thousands of our hardy seamen have got em- 
 ployment m transferring it from the ends of the earth ; 
 and now it is giving increased productiveness to our 
 soil, a fresher verdure to our fields, and a richer tinge 
 to the golden wavings of our harvests. 
 
 If man attend to great operations, he is apt to 
 be engrossed thereby, and to neglect what is small. 
 God neglects nothing. He who made and feeds behe- 
 moth and leviathan, also made and feeds this little 
 marine beauty which we have feebly helped to de- 
 scribe. He who streaks the dawn with puq^le light
 
 240 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 — AvliG gives the orient tints of the morning to the 
 eastern sky, and its glorious iridescence to the cove- 
 nant-bow in the clouds, deigns also to paint the spark- 
 ling dcAV-drop — to give its crimson blush to the frag- 
 rant rose, and to clothe in green, and azure, and gold, 
 this delicate little denizen of the deep ; and if He so 
 clothe the green Act(son, which to-day is, and ere to- 
 mon'ow may pass away for ever, child of immortality, 
 will He forget thee? If thou look to Him with faith 
 in his Son, He >vill remember thee with that love 
 which he beareth to his own — ^he will give thee food 
 to eat and raiment to put on — he wdll seal thee with 
 the Holy Spirit of promise — ^he will clothe thee with 
 the robe of righteousness, the garment of salvation ; 
 and bringing thee at last to Immanuel's land. He Avill 
 put a new song into thy mouth, and joy unspeakable 
 and eternal into thy heart, and will bless thee with 
 that rest that remain eth for the people of God!* 
 
 * Since I wrote the above, I have seen, in the " Annals of 
 Natural History," an excellent and truly scientific paper on the 
 anatomy of the green Actaon, by George J. Alliman, Professor of 
 Botany in Trinity College, Dublin.
 
 CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 Corrie visited with mingled feelings — Earthly joys evanescent — 
 Streams from the hills— Junctions of slate and granite in the 
 streams — Limestone quarry at Corrie — Fossils — Boulders at 
 Cromla— Glen-Sannox— Red deer— Blue Rock— Fallen Rocks 
 —Echo — Poor old man— His history. 
 
 We were now advancing towards Come. Had our 
 time permitted, gladly would we have lingered about 
 a place for certain reasons very much endeared to 
 me, and which I cannot visit without mingled feel- 
 ings — those of a mournful kind, however, having the 
 predominance. There, in earlier life, I for a time 
 sojourned mth a beloved invalid, brought thither in a 
 state of the greatest weakness, but who, by God's kind 
 blessing on the change of air and scene, returned con- 
 valescent, ere many weeks had elapsed, to her Low- 
 land home, of which for yeai's she continued to be, 
 of all created things, the chief light, and joy, and 
 charm. But how evanescent are our earthly joys! 
 How soon the clouds return after the rain ! The 
 place that knew her knows her no more. The grave 
 has opened and closed. But has not heaven opened 
 also to receive what cannot die? And is not the 
 grave a quiet resting-place to the bodies of the an- 
 
 Q
 
 242 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 somed, till, at the voice of Christ, they come forth, 
 no longer frail and mortal, but fashioned like unto 
 Christ's glorious body, to be the everlasting residence 
 of glorified immortal spirits ? In revisiting scenes 
 which had been gladdened by the presence of those 
 most dear to us, but who now have no part in all 
 that is done under the sun, we surely should be 
 reminded that we are fast journeying to the house 
 appointed for all living ; and surely we should be 
 incited to follow Jesus, that we may be guided by 
 him to his kingdom of glory, there to meet with those 
 with whom Ave delighted to take sweet counsel on 
 earth, and to share with them in happiness which is 
 inconceivably exquisite, and permanent as the source 
 from which it flows. 
 
 " Friend after friend departs ; 
 
 Who hath not lost a friend ? 
 There is no union here of hearts 
 
 That finds not here an end : 
 Were this frail world our final rest, 
 Living or dying, none were blest. 
 
 " There is a world above, 
 
 Where parting is unknown — 
 A long eternity of love, 
 
 Formed for the good alone : 
 And faith beholds the dying here 
 Translated to that glorious sphere ! " 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 The whole coast about Corrie is full of geological 
 interest. In several of the little streams that come 
 down from the mountains, the junction of schist and 
 granite may be seen. In the bed of a stream north
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 243 
 
 of Maoldou, the junction of slate and granite is very 
 evident. One of tlie most interesting junctions in 
 the whole island is in the bed of the White Water, 
 which falls into the sea south of Corrie. This stream, 
 no doubt, gets its name from the snowy line of foam 
 which it exhibits after a rainy day, as it dashes down 
 the precipitous mountain side. At the foot of a line 
 cascade in this stream, if you are not much afraid of 
 being drenched by the spray, you may examine this 
 curious geological phenomenon. The sandstone and 
 granite make so near an approach, that a person is 
 apt at first to think that they are conjoined; but a 
 closer examination shows that a thin strip of slate 
 intervenes betwixt the sandstone and granite. Here 
 we have the close junction of two rocks formed by 
 different agents — the slate by water, and the granite 
 by fire ; and it is by the operation of fire that both 
 have been fused so as to be conjoined when in a state 
 of liquidity. 
 
 When speaking of Come, we must not fail to men - 
 tion the rich quarry of mountain limestone found 
 there, about twenty feet in thickness, including the 
 alternating beds of red shale. It is WTOught in the 
 direction of the dip, and is used in the island, and 
 exported for architectural and agricultural purposes. 
 Carts go along the cavernous passage, to remove the 
 limestone as it is quarried. It is now wrought far 
 into the bowels of the mountain, but I have for- 
 gotten how far, though I went to the termination of 
 this subterranean passage. This limestone abounds 
 in fossils, the chief of which are, Productus Scoticus,
 
 244 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Prodiictus giganteus^ Spir[fer striatiis, Cardium alce- 
 forme, encrinites, &c. Several trap dykes penetrate 
 the limestone, and where they come in contact with 
 it, produce considerable induration. 
 
 We foraierly mentioned Avater-wom caves in the 
 ancient sea-cliffs, as affording proof that at a com- 
 paratively recent period the beach here had been 
 raised. Near the gate of Cromla House, at Corrie, 
 there are two granite boulders, which are regarded 
 as affording additional proof of recent elevation. Mr. 
 Ramsay, in his excellent " Guide," says: " These 
 stones, Avhich are now considerably above the tidal 
 level, rest not on their broad and most solid part, but 
 on their apices, as if, wdiile they were within high- 
 water mark, the action of the advancing and retiring 
 waves had washed away the lower part of the rock, 
 and left them when the coast was upheaved to its pre- 
 sent height, in the position they now occupy." 
 
 Our morning hours Avere going past apace. Glad- 
 ly would we have gone on to have a view of Glen 
 Sannox, which may well dispute the palm with Glen 
 Rosa, though the latter is exceedingly magnificent 
 near the head, at a place which, independent of the 
 grandeur of the scenery, should be visited by geolo- 
 gists, on account of a jtmction there to be seen in the 
 channel of the burn. The best view of Glen Sannox 
 is got from an elevated position, such as the deck of 
 a steamer. But he who has thus had a vie^v of it 
 from tcithout, will probably not rest satisfied till he 
 has also had a view of it from icitliin; and as he moves 
 through this rugged scene of desolate grandeur, in
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 245 
 
 wliich there is scarcely the appearance of anything 
 that lives, he may he startled from his reverie by the 
 bold, hoarse note of the heath-cock as he springs from 
 the heather at his feet, or by the loud scream of the 
 eagle as he rises from his eyry in Keirvore, or by the 
 more astounding apparition of a noble red deer start- 
 ing from his lair amidst the deep heath, and bound- 
 ing away in antlered majesty. I have known this 
 happen in Glen Sannox. A friend of mine told me 
 that he on one occasion saw thirteen of these stately 
 animals ambling in Indian file along one of the lofty 
 ridges not far from this place. I considered it as no 
 small treat to see even one of these nearly extermi- 
 nated denizens of these romantic wilds, as he scudded 
 along the sloping side of Glen lorsa, till, having got 
 beyond bow shot, or the reach of a bullet, he turned 
 and looked down on me with an air of scornful de- 
 fiance. 
 
 Neither would our limited time allow us to go on 
 to the Fallen Rocks, a wonderfid scone, where an im- 
 mense projecting cliff of old red sandstone had at 
 some remote period given way, and as it tumbled 
 down the mountain side towards the sea, left along 
 the whole of the declivity great masses of the con- 
 glomerate, huddled together in rugged grandeur. 
 Nor could we even venture to approach the I^lue 
 Rock, willing as we would have been to try the powers 
 of its celebrated echo, which, according to the account 
 of a facetious lady, Avhcn spoken to in English re- 
 sponds in native Gaelic. Turn then we must, and 
 scarcely had we turned, till we came up to an old
 
 246 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 man, seated on one of the boulders on the shore, 
 whom we recognised as the person we had seen a 
 little before in the cottage where the milk refresh- 
 ment was obtained. When I entered the house, I 
 had observed him at an early breakfast, and thinking 
 that he was one of the household, I attempted to 
 hold conversation with him ; but his answers to what 
 I said were very brief. On coming out, the person 
 who inhabited the house told us that he was a poor 
 man who had seen better days; and before leaving 
 them he was receiving this early repast. He had 
 lodged, I think, with them during the night. Know- 
 ing this, I again accosted him as he was resting him- 
 self on the stone; and having given him a trifle, I 
 found that he was more communicative. Unfortu- 
 nately, Ave cannot often give credit to what is told of 
 their oa\ti history by the wandering poor. They are 
 tempted to paint imaginary scenes of calamity to ex- 
 cite our sympathy ; and knowing this, the more 
 woful their story, the less we are disposed to believe 
 it. I doubt not that at times we do them injustice; 
 for the cup which they are drinking is often a bitter 
 one, and not always mingled by their own hands. A 
 few days ago a portion of family history was told me 
 by a person of undoubted credit, who knew the truth 
 of the particulars, which, if mentioned by a sti-anger 
 applying for aid, would probably have been regarded 
 as fictitious. The death of a female of good charac- 
 ter, a few days previous, being mentioned to me, it was 
 added, there was something peculiar in her history'. 
 She was the mother of fifteen children, only one of
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 247 
 
 whom survived her. Thirteen of them died in in- 
 fancy; and it might he said that the day of their 
 death Avas better than the day of their birth, for there 
 was some malformation about the head, which rendered 
 them what is called objects. One lovely girl, free from 
 any such defect, lived till she Avas about seventeen 
 years of age ; and what must have been the grief of 
 her affectionate parents Avhen, at this interesting age, 
 they saw her drooping and pining aAvay, and by rapid 
 consumption brought doAvn to the grave ! One healthy 
 daughter, however, still remained — their comfort, we 
 doubt not, for a time. But did she continue to be 
 their comforter? She was married, and it is believed 
 well man-ied; but it had been reported that she had 
 contracted habits of inebriety. The father had gone, 
 it was thought, to visit and counsel her; the mother 
 in his absence was seized Avith shivering. At first 
 no danger was apprehended ; but as her state became 
 more alarming her husband Avas sent for, and ere he 
 returned, his beloved Avife Avas no more ! The old 
 man's history, Avith Avhom I then conversed, was 
 mournful, but less uncommon, and I Avas disposed to 
 think that it Avas a true one. He told us that he Avas 
 from the neighbourhood of Inverary — that he had 
 been a shipmaster — that he had had a large family — 
 that one of his sons had been a Avriter, and another a 
 student of divinity under Dr. M'Gill in GlasgOAv; but 
 that all his family Avere dead. That the student had 
 died after a lingering illness of many years ; that, to 
 crown his calamities, his vessel had been Avrecked ; 
 and that having lost his all, and being advanced in
 
 248 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 life, lie was dependent on charity, and was now on his 
 way to Brodick and Laralash, in the hope of obtaining 
 some aid from sea-faring men who had known him in 
 foi-mer years. I did not learn whether he had become 
 acquainted Avith Him who is as a liidiug-place from 
 the wind and a covert from the tempest, Happy 
 they who have cast their anchor within the veil, and 
 have fled for refuge to the hope set before them in 
 the Gospel.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A fleet of /)g)-oe.'!— Ansv.'er to the question, " What is a Berocf" 
 Description of Berot ovata — Iridescence in the morning sun- 
 beams—The songs and odours of a Highland glen or mountain 
 side, sweet as those from Araby the Blest— The goodness and 
 mercy of God — We admire and adore Him in his works— The 
 Heroes shine by borrowed light — So do God's cliildren — Some 
 Bero'ds shone not, their track being marked only by a dark 
 shadow— So is it with those human beings who hate light and 
 love darkness. 
 
 In giA'ing an account of what fell under our notice in 
 the way from Brodick to Corrie, I intentionally omit- 
 ted one discovery, that I might return to it, and speak 
 of it more fully. One of the gi-eatest treats we had 
 ill this lovely summer morning's walk was our falling 
 in with a whole fleet of Beroes. And what is a Ber-oe? 
 It is a living creatiu-e; and in Professor Fleming's 
 " British Animals " it is ranked among Badiata aca- 
 lepha. As astronomers give classical names to planets, 
 and stars, and constellations, from their imaginary 
 resemhlancc, in some respect, to some person, or ani- 
 mal, or inanimate objects, such as Saturn, Jupiter, 
 Venus, the Ram, the Bull, the Lyre; so naturalists, 
 in imitation of astronomers, often give classical names
 
 250 EXCTJUSIONS TO ARRAN. * 
 
 to the animals they describe. Now, Beroe is men- 
 tioned as one of the sea-nymphs by Virgil in the 
 striking fable of Aristceus and his bees; and were it 
 justifiable thus, as it were, to honour Heathen mytho- 
 logy, we Avould say that the name is well chosen; for 
 our Beroe corresponds to the description given by 
 Virgil of his sea-maid : — 
 
 " Clioque et Bero'i. soror : Oceanitides ambse, 
 Ambae auro, pictis incmctae pellibus amb«." 
 
 " Clio and Beroe, from one father both, 
 
 Both girt with gold, and clad in party-coloured cloth." 
 
 This description was still more applicable to another 
 species afterwards found, though this one was at times 
 entitled to it, from the golden iridescence of its hues. 
 The Beroe now found was not unknown to me, but 
 it was new to my yoiuig companions, who beheld it 
 with much interest. It requires a practised eye 
 readily to detect this fragile diaphanous creature. It 
 is not very rare in the Frith of Clyde ; but it must be 
 rare in some of our seas; for a first-rate naturalist, 
 who is acquainted with almost all the creeping crea- 
 tures, and all the natant beauties of the deep, men- 
 tioned to me that it has never been his good fortune 
 to find a Beroe ; and Dr. Fleming, at the time his 
 " British Animals" was published, seems to have seen 
 but one specimen, though I know that he is now 
 acquainted with five or six species. The first I ever 
 saw was caught in a gauze net by Professor Edward 
 Forbes, when he and I were with Mr. Smith of Jor- 
 danhill in his yacht, the Amethyst^ in the Kyles 
 of Bute. Having thus learned to be on the outlook
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 251 
 
 for them, I found them afterwards in tranquil creeks 
 at Milport and at Ardrossan. I was going to say 
 that it is one of the most beautiful and interesting of 
 the little inhabitants of the deep ; but so many of the 
 dwellers in the deep are beautiful and interesting, 
 that the one under consideration at the time is apt to 
 be regarded as the most attractive. This, however, 
 is not a bulky beauty — not of the Dutch make; for 
 it is only about an inch and a quarter in length, and 
 three-quarters of an inch in diameter; and it is almost 
 as transparent as the limpid element in which it floats. 
 It is, I believe, the Bero'e ovata of Professor Fleming; 
 and I shall extract part of the description given of it 
 inhis " British Animals:" " Beroe oeata — The body 
 orbicular, slightly depressed at the summit, and a 
 little protuberant at the base. There were eight ver- 
 tical bands or ribs extending from the summit to 
 the base. These were narrow, denticulated on the 
 margin, confined to the surface, and of a denser sub- 
 stance than the gelatinous interior. From the cen- 
 tral substance of the ribs a number of filaments pro- 
 ceeded, which were lost in the substance of the body. 
 The mouth, or opening at the base, had some appear- 
 ance of having its margin divided into four lobes. 
 
 Each rib is furnished with a tube, uniting 
 
 with it near the middle. I could easily observe the 
 water enter the tube at the summit, pass into the 
 lateral vesicles, and go out at their external openings ; 
 and in some cases the motion of the current was re- 
 versed," &c. 
 
 Our Beroe also was egg-shaped, and di^^ided into
 
 252 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 equal compartments by eight longitudinal ribs. It 
 consisted of pellucid gelatine, so that it was like a 
 floating egg of fine crystal. But the most wonderful 
 part of the animal is the tubular ribs through which 
 streams of water flow. They are close set externally, 
 with fine cilia, upwards of a hundred on each rib ; 
 80 that when it wishes to move, these cilia, like a 
 thousand paddles, are instantly in a state of the most 
 rapid motion. At first Ave observed only one, Avhich, 
 lifting cautiously in some water in the hollow of the 
 hand, we dropped into a little rock-pool, where we 
 could better observe its evolutions. We could then 
 inspect, not only its external workmanship, but also 
 its internal machinery ; for it was so transparent, that 
 we could see into its very core. Alas for us frail 
 mortals, if our neighbours could see into our hearts ! 
 But though the?/ cannot, we should not forget that 
 there is One who not only can, but does, search all 
 hearts, and who understands all the imaginations of 
 the thoughts. " He who formed the eye, shall He 
 not see?" He that made the heart, shall He not 
 know all that passes therein ? When m'c reflect on 
 this, well may we humble ourselves in the dust, and 
 cry, " Behold, we are vile; what shall we answer 
 thee?" Lord, be merciful to us sinners; behold us in 
 the face of thine Anointed; blot out our iniquities, 
 tmd accept us in the Beloved. 
 
 Though at first we ol^served only one solitary Beroe, 
 we had not eone far till we found them in abundance. 
 
 O 
 
 In one little creek there was a flotilla of fifty. What 
 life — what beauty — what happiness, in that little fleet !
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AURAN. 253 
 
 Fifty thousand paddles, of exquisite -workmansliip, 
 were in rapid, noiseless motion, twinkling with all the 
 iridescent beauty of the morning deAv. I had not 
 before observed this lovely iridescence ; and I ascribed 
 it in part to the more favovirable inclination of the 
 sunbeams at this early hour. 
 
 " Now morn, her rosy steps in the Eastern clime 
 Advancing, sowed the earth with orient pearl. 
 .•••■•• 
 Awake ! the morning shines, and the fresh field 
 Calls us. We lose the prime, to mark how spring 
 Our tender plants ; how blows the citron grove ; 
 What drops the myrrh, and what the balmy reed ; 
 How Nature paints her colours ; how the bee 
 Sits on the bloom extracting liquid sweet." 
 
 Milton. 
 
 We are no longer in Paradise; we are not the in- 
 habitants of Eastern climes; but we have no cause to 
 niurmm". I question whether odours fresh from Araby 
 the lilest were ever more delightful than those wafted 
 by the zephyi's from a blooming bean-field; or whe- 
 ther the rich perfume of citron or cinnamon groves 
 ever sui-passed the fragrance arising, after a shower, 
 from a birchen copse, intermingled with hawthorn, 
 and honeysuckle, and sweet-smelling eglantine. "Was 
 ever hum of Hybltean bees happier or more peace- 
 speaking than that which arises from the sunny side 
 of a Highland hill, clothed for miles with wild thjTiie 
 and purple-blooming heather? Though tropical birds 
 have gayer plumage, can they equal in song our cheer- 
 ful mavis, our mellow merle, or the happy, heart- 
 fraught h)Tiin of the soaiing sky-lark, poming, as she
 
 254 EXCURSIONS TO ARUAN. 
 
 soars, a flood of song in at the gates of heaven, and 
 down on the inhabitants of the earth? saying, it may- 
 be, to subjacent mortals; " Sit loose to the earth; 
 seek your home in the sky." It is during the hour 
 of prime that the feathered warblers delight to raise 
 their matin song. Were we oftener to hear them in 
 that fresh and tranquil hour, we might be more dis- 
 posed to rival them by singing, with grateful hearts, 
 songs that were once sung in Zion, and which are still 
 listened to with pleasure by Zion's glorious King. 
 
 The morning hour is a precious one for the natu- 
 ralist, when Nature has, as it were, turned over a 
 fresh leaf of her works. Let him, then, after prayer- 
 fully perusing a portion of a better book — the " more 
 sure Word " — sally forth to drink in knowledge fresh 
 from the fountain; and the more that he sees of the 
 Lord's handiwork by flood and by field, the more will 
 he be disposed, if he looks up to him as a Father, 
 to adore him for his kindness, not only to man, but 
 to those numberless creatures, both great and small, 
 with which he has peopled the earth. His kindness 
 towards man is fitted to fill heaven as well as earth 
 with astonishment. He made him but a little lower 
 than the angels; he crowned him with glory and 
 honour; he made him lord of this loAver creation. But 
 dark is the second page of the early history of man ! 
 How is the gold changed ! how has the most fine 
 gold become dim ! The children of God have be- 
 come the slaves of Satan. The inhabitants of para- 
 dise were driven out into the world — brought under a 
 curse for the sin of man. And why Avere not these
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 255 
 
 proud and ungrateful children of rebellion driven 
 down into the deep abyss of woe? It was because 
 mercj, the loveliest attribute of Deity, hitherto un- 
 knoA\Ti, shone forth in all its benignant brightness. 
 When angels revolted, for reasons not revealed to us, 
 there was no forgiveness ; but when man rebelled, the 
 Lord said: " Redeem from going down to the pit; 
 for I have found a ransom." AV^lien " the earth said. 
 It is not in me ; and when the deep said, It is not in 
 me ;" the heavens sent forth their richest treasure. He 
 who has the glory of the heavens veiled his glory, 
 that by his atoning sufferings he might save a multi- 
 tude whom no man can number of the perishing in- 
 habitants of this earth. " God is in Christ, recon- 
 ciling the world to himself, not imputing to men their 
 trespasses ;" binding them to himself in an everlasting 
 covenant; sealing them with the Holy Spirit of pro- 
 mise; and raising them at last to blessedness, far above 
 their highest Avish, and permanent as the source from 
 which it flows. He who can look up to God as his 
 Father and Friend, beholds with greater delight the 
 beauty of creation, and the happiness enjoyed by 
 countless myriads of the inferior animals, however 
 minute many of them may be. Even the beautiful 
 little Beroe, m Inch sparkles amidst the waves, is be- 
 held by him with interest and with some degi-ee of 
 affection, Avheu he remembers that his heavenly Father 
 made it, sustains it, and has so adorned it with pris- 
 matic radiance, that, like a floating fragment of the 
 covenant-bow, it seems, though mute, expressively to 
 say : " The hand that made me is divine."
 
 ^56 EXCURSIONS TO ARKAN. 
 
 Our attention was draA^-n to tliis little Beroe by the 
 occasional iridescence of portions of its body, and par- 
 ticidarly of tbe tiny paddles or cilia, sparkling under 
 tlie rays of tbe sun. It vras tbe brilliant sun that 
 rendered them radiant. Beautiful as they are, they 
 have no radiance of their omti. Their sweet beams 
 are borrowed. Their light comes from on high — from 
 the sun, God's treasure-house of light. Oh! shoidd 
 not we remember that it is only when we reflect the 
 beams of a better sun — the Sun of Righteousness — 
 that we can at all be said to shine? We are all dark- 
 ness, and walk in darkness, till the day dawns, and 
 the day-star arises, and from the Fountain of light and 
 life, life and light are given to us. " Wherefore, 
 awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, 
 and Christ shall give thee light." " Arise, shine; 
 for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is 
 risen upon thee." Let us court the beams of this 
 blessed light; for if Ave reflect their splendour as we 
 journey throvigh the wilderness, we shall shine as the 
 jewels of Christ's crown in our Fathers kingdom 
 above. 
 
 Another thing struck me. Though the sun was 
 shining, there were some of the Beroes that did not 
 shine. Those that reflected the light from their 
 spangled sides were easily observed; but the others, 
 being nearly the colour of the water in which they 
 floated, would not have been observed by us had it 
 not been for the shadow which, little opaque as they 
 were, was formed on the sand at the bottom. Now, 
 here were beautiful creatures, with organs fitted to
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 257 
 
 reflect the light, but, somehow, they received not the 
 beams that Avere illiiminating those around them. Is 
 not this the case with many human beings? They 
 may be endowed A^dth noble talents — they may have 
 the form of godliness — they may sit as God's people 
 sit, and may seem to hear as God's people hear; but 
 they hear only with the hearing of the ear — their 
 hearts are on the mountains of vanity, and the "Word 
 Avhich to others is the savour of life unto hfe, is to 
 them the savour of death unto death. Instead of 
 shining for the glory of God and the good of those 
 around them, their path is marked only by darkness. 
 They love not the light; they receive not the things 
 of the Spirit of God, and they walk among sparks of 
 their o^vn kindling. These Uttle Beroes were floating 
 on the tide; the first rough wave might have dashed 
 them against a rock, or run them aground on the 
 sand, and then a single beam of the scorching sun 
 would have Avithered them up for ever. O should 
 not they who are walking in darkness, and spreading 
 darkness, consider that the day is far spent, and that 
 the night is at hand; and that nothing can be more 
 dreadful, when emerging from the valley of the 
 shadow of death, than the wrath of the Lamb, whose 
 benignant smile they are now despising ? 
 
 R
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Medusas, commonly called Sea-jellies — Stinging properties known 
 to bathers — A beautiful little one discovered, which had about 
 
 , the same time been discovered and described by Mr. Hugh IMiller 
 — Medusae compared with soap-bubbles — Medusae remind us of 
 young men and maidens of different descriptions — Describe 
 the diflTerent classes — Anecdote. 
 
 ^yHERE is the person who lias ever walked on the 
 sea-shore, who has not observed what is commonly 
 called a sea-jelly? These sea-jellies are very much 
 at the mercy of" the winds and waves ; and after a 
 breeze they are often seen spread on the shore; and 
 as they show no symptoms of life when they are out 
 of the water, many see them without supposing that 
 they ever had life. But when we see them floating in 
 a quiet creek, it is evident that they live, and enjoy 
 the life that God has given them. Their gelatinous 
 body is a flattish hemisphere ; and they move through 
 the waves by gracely contracting and expanding their 
 body, like the folding and unfolding of an umbrella. 
 By naturalists they are ranked among the Acalepha; 
 and they derived this learned Greek name from a
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN, 259 
 
 property which many of them possess of stinging like 
 a nettle. Bathers often learn this by painful ex- 
 perience. "When they fall in with a large Scoudre (the 
 Scotch name), and get entangled among its long en- 
 venomed threads, they find themselves in a most 
 unenviable predicament. I have known ladies so 
 much stung, that, what with pain and what with 
 fear, they were in a fever, and had to send for medi- 
 cal aid. Only a few of them have this stinging pro- 
 perty; and it is probable that it is bestowed on the 
 few for the defence of the many, as they are all 
 supposed to say, " Touch me at your peril." Many 
 serpents are harmless, but as others of them are ex- 
 ceedingly poisonous, the whole race are hated and 
 shunned as venomous reptiles, and as kindred of the 
 serpent that had so much share in Adam's fall. The 
 only one of the sea-jellies that I know to be possessed 
 of the stinging talent is the large broAvn Scoiidre, so 
 common on our shores.* 
 
 * The threads retain their virulence after they have been 
 separated from the animal by the force of the ivaves. When 
 I was in a boat one day near Ardrossan, I grasped, as it was 
 carried past by the tide, what I thought was a rare and beautiful 
 purple Alga, but I very speedily let go my prize. Major Martin, 
 who was alongside of me, next grasped it as it passed him ; but 
 in a moment dashed it back into the sea. We looked at each 
 other, and, notwithstanding the smarting of our fingers, laughed 
 on findmg that we had both greedily caught a 'I-AviVir— disjecta 
 memlira Medusa: 
 
 This reminded me of what Captain James Craig had told me, 
 on giving me a beautiful little specimen of a kind of porcupine 
 fish, which he got off Ichaboe. Seeing many of them swimming 
 round the vessel, he caused one to be hauled up in a bucket, and 
 laid hold of it with his hand; when blowing itself up like a ball,
 
 260 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 We had seen seyeral beautiful sea-jellies this 
 morning, chiefly those of a bluish-white colour, with 
 violet-markings above ; in some, a cross ; in others, 
 four circles. There is a pretty kind which I have 
 occasionally seen in Arran, about the size of a large 
 orange, of a buff colour, and more hemispherical than 
 the commoner kinds. We saw them best from the 
 deck of the steamer, before starting from Lamlash, 
 and when the vessel stopped for a little in Brodick 
 Bay. We doubt not that the tribe got the name of 
 Medusa from the circular fringe of tentacula proceed- 
 ing from their margin, bearing some resemblance to 
 the Gorgon's head, with its ringlets of serpents. 
 
 There was one discovered by my son David, which 
 was quite new to us, and, from its minuteness, proba- 
 bly known to few. We took it home, and put it in 
 a tumbler of sea-water, that we might better observe 
 its structure and its graceful evolutions. I would 
 have attempted to describe it, but glad was I, soon 
 after we had seen it, to find this done to my hand by 
 one who is acknowledged by the best judges to be 
 facile prwceps in the scientific world as a graphic 
 describer of natxu-e — Mr. Hugh Miller — best known 
 among men of science as the author of the truly 
 interesting work on the " Old Eed Sandstone," but 
 
 and erecting its spines, with which it was as closely covered as a 
 hedgehog, it soon cavised him to rue his temerity. He contrived, 
 however, to hand it to the mate, who very quickly sUpped it, 
 without warning, into his neighbour's hand ; and it passed thus 
 from hand to hand, till all were convinced that it was less uncannie 
 to grasp a stout Scotch thistle, or to handle an urchin, than to 
 have anything to do with this well-armed little African sailor.
 
 EXCURSIOKS TO ARRAN. 261 
 
 better known to our countrymen in general as the 
 talented editor of the " Witness." Nothing escapes 
 his scientific eye ; and from his " Summer Bamhles" 
 I learned that he had about the same time discovered 
 it when aboard the Betsy, off the Island of Eigg. 
 He speaks of two — one scarcely larger than a 
 shilling, " another still more minute" (ours, I think 
 about the breadth of a sixpence), " and which, pre- 
 senting in the water the appearance of a small hazel 
 nut of a brown-yellowish hue, I was disposed," he 
 says, "to set do^Mi as a species of Bero'^. On 
 getting one caught, however, and transferred to a 
 bowl, I found that the brown-coloured, melon-shaped 
 mass, though ribbed like a Bcroc, did not represent 
 the true outline of the animal : it fonned merely the 
 centre of a gelatinous ball, which, though scarcely 
 visible, even in the bowl," proved a most effective 
 instrument of motion. Such Avere its contractile 
 powers, that its sides, nearly closed at every stroke 
 behind the opaque centre, like the legs of a vigorous 
 swimmer; and the animal — unlike its more bulky 
 congeners, that, despite of their slow persevering 
 flappings, seemed gi'eatly at the mercy of the tide, 
 and progressed all one way — shot, as it willed, back- 
 ward, forward, or athwart." The transparent tumbler 
 gave me this advantage in observing it, that I could 
 use a magnifying lens when it approached the side of 
 the tumbler. Notwithstanding this advantage, it was 
 some time before I observed the true form of the 
 animal, as Mr. ]\Iillcr's excellent description had not 
 then been published. The transparent ball that rose
 
 262 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 above its bodj was so very pellucid, that it was a good 
 while before I observed it all. It rose to a considerable 
 height above the buff-coloured body of the animal; 
 and it was elegantly shaped, like the fine crystalline 
 shades often placed over stuffed birds, or artificial 
 flowers, or miniature figures formed of piu'e alabaster. 
 The finest crystal vase was clumsiness itself Avhen 
 compared with it. It was fine as the transparent 
 soap-bubble blown out of a pipe ; and we doubt not 
 that, like this bubble, it would have been iridescent, 
 had it been so placed as that the sun could have 
 shone on it. DeUcate as its fabric was, the vigoixr 
 of the little creatui-e was yery remarkable, and has 
 been well compared to the efforts of a strong sAA-im- 
 mer, as it alternately contracted and expanded its 
 pellucid organization. The margin of its mouth had 
 a close fringe of brownish tentacula. By the aid of 
 the lens, I could observe that they were drawn in 
 w^hen the body Avas contracted, but that at every 
 stroke they were protruded like forked lightning, or 
 like tethered serpents, darting or flashing forth, till 
 they were longer than the whole body of the animal. 
 Though I am not much acquainted Avith the classi- 
 fication of the Medusce^ I think that this tiny Gor- 
 gonette should probably be ranked in the genus Thaii- 
 ma7itias, as it bears some resemblance to Thauman- 
 tias T/iomjysoni, AAhieh I found some years ago at 
 Milport, and Avhich is figured, I think, in the " Annals 
 of Natural History." When I conjectured that in 
 faA^ourable circumstances it AA'ould be iridescent, I 
 did not remember that Thaumardias was one of the
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 263 
 
 names of Iris, tlie rainbow; but tbis renders it pro- 
 bable that the name was given because of iridescence. 
 
 In looking at this little Medusa, with its semi- 
 invisible gelatinous canopy, and comparing it with 
 others of its kindred, Ave could not help thinking of 
 the beautiful soap-bubble balloons Ave had lately seen, 
 which, though in some respects alike, in others 
 differed from each other. Those formed in the usual 
 way, by air breathed from the lungs, Avhich had lost 
 part of its oxygen, and had got in its place some car- 
 bonic acid, were evidently heavier than the atmos- 
 pheric air into Avhich they were launched from the 
 boAvl of the tobacco-pipe; for so soon as they had 
 lost the impulse given them Avhen they were disen- 
 gaged, they shoAved a doAvuAvard tendency, and, after 
 a fcAV Avindings, came doAvn to the ground. Another 
 Avas formed in the same manner, AA-ith this difference, 
 that it Avas filled A\Tth hydrogen gas, Avhich had been 
 collected in a bladder; and thus, being lighter than 
 the atmospheric air, it rose beautifully, and soon 
 fastened itself on the ceiling of the room in Avhich the 
 experiment Avas performed. 
 
 Will my juvenile friends forgiA'e me, should I say 
 that by balloons and Medusce I am reminded of 
 " young men and maidens," and should I try to read 
 them a short lesson? Has not "God made of one 
 blood all the nations of men to dAvcll on all the face 
 of the earth?" Has he not fashioned their hearts 
 alike ?" And yet, Avith a common origin, and a com - 
 mon nature, and great similarity in many respects, is 
 there not in other respects a striking dissimilarity?
 
 264 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Take a given number of the young of the same age, 
 of the same rank, and y>'ith. the same privileges — 
 how often does their history prove as different as day 
 and night ! Some are fair, but frail, floating or flut- 
 tering about for a little in great beauty, and with 
 some promise ; but they are unsound at the core ; 
 they seek not to get quit of the stony heart which 
 they carry about with them ; they have consequently 
 a tendency to descend, and like our carbonated 
 bubble, they fall lower and lower, till they mingle 
 with the dust. Others are like the massive Medusce, 
 without energy, or effort, or aim. They swim with 
 the tide; they allow themselves to be driven about 
 and tossed by every wind and wave; they think not 
 of the breakers ahead, though they are constantly 
 nearing them ; and a life of aimless ease soon termi- 
 nates in utter ruin. Others are like the great stinging 
 Scoudre — intent on evil, and capable of inflicting it. 
 See you a person of this description, my young friends? 
 Flee from him; '■'•Jiahet fcenmn in cornu — he has a 
 wisp on his horn," showing him to be vicious, given to 
 push and gore. Shun him as you would the pestilence. 
 Another class there is, pufl^ed up with self-conceit, 
 aiming at great things, but, from want of ballast, 
 unable to execute them. How aspiring is that little 
 hydrogen bubble ! It mounts high ; but it carries 
 little up, and it brings less down. Chemists tell us 
 that hydrogen is the lightest of all ponderable sub- 
 stances. Vanity is lighter. Unhappy they who 
 have their head full of it. They remind us of the 
 aspiring youth in Heathen mythology, whose ambi-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 265 
 
 tion it was to drive for a day the chariot of the sun, 
 hut, having neither strength nor skill to guide the 
 wing-footed steeds, and leaving the heaten track, he 
 perished in the daring enterprise. They recall also 
 to our remembrance another ancient fahle, written 
 when foxes spake, and players on the stage not only 
 personated fictitious characters, but wore a false face 
 — a mask, sometimes with finer features than those it 
 covered. In those days of yore, Reynard formd a 
 fine mask. He looked at it with surprise and admi- 
 ration ; but happening to turn it over, and finding 
 that it was light, light, he lifted up his voice and 
 exclaimed, not in Latin, " Fronti nulla fides — 
 There's no trusting to looks," — but in pure ancient 
 Greek, which, as his interpreter, we must render into 
 English, " AVhat a beautiful head! — but it has no 
 brains!" Had this gash fox understood Scotch, we 
 doubt not he would have said, " It's very bonny, but, 
 alas! it is toom!" 
 
 But we must close with the little Medusa -with 
 which we started; which, unless it has been knoAvn 
 and named before, we may not improperly name, in 
 honour of its Scotch discoverer, Thaumantias Mllleri. 
 It was less than any around it; but, endowed with 
 spirit and innate vigour, it evidently rejoiced in the 
 exercise of its poAver, and seemed not only the most 
 active, but the most happy of the whole. It was 
 delightful to see this little crystal bell putting forth 
 a miniatiu-e giant's strength, and, instead of jnelding 
 to the adverse tide, bounding at will through the 
 opposing waves in companulated beauty.
 
 266 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 And is not it the representative of a class? Yes, 
 of a noble class — the excellent ones of the earth, 
 whom God has ennobled, gi'v'ing not mere talent, but 
 energy, generated and sustained by grace. We honour 
 talent; but mere talent may dishonour the possessor 
 of it. Even genius may perish amidst its own deceit- 
 ful coruscations; but gi'ace burns, not with a flicker- 
 ing blaze, but with a steady flame — the fire of holy 
 zeal for God's glory, accompanied -with the kindly 
 Avarmth of brotherly love. It gives elevation to the 
 mind, and heavenly strength to human efforts. He 
 who is rich in grace is " always abounding in the 
 work of the Lord, forasmuch as he knows that his 
 labour shall not be in vain in the Lord." It has 
 been quaintly said respecting one of this class, " The 
 sun stood still when he was not busily employed in 
 his Master's service." In trying circumstances it 
 exalts what might have seemed an ordinary character 
 into one that is extraordinary, in doing or in suffer- 
 ing, converting the natural timidity of female love- 
 liness into the warrior's courage or the martp-'s 
 endurance; or giving to the man whose hfe has been 
 spent amidst the useful arts of peace, that heroic 
 firmness of Christian principle which mighty kings 
 may not be able to imitate, and which raises above 
 the fear of man, that worketh a snare. Bernard 
 Palissy, to whom France was indebted in the six- 
 teenth century for the introduction of the manufac- 
 ture of enamelled pottery, was one of the most 
 extraordinary men of his time ; in his moral character 
 displaying a high-mindedness and commanding energy
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 267 
 
 altogether in harmony with the reach and originality 
 of conception by which his understanding was distin- 
 guished. " Although a Protestant, he had escaped, 
 through royal favour, from the massacre of Bartlio- 
 lomcAv; but having been soon after shut up in the 
 Bastile, he was visited in his prison by the king, 
 who told him, that if he did not comply with the 
 established (Popish) religion, he should be forced, 
 however unwillingly, to leave him in the hands of his 
 enemies." " Forced! sire," replied the brave old 
 Huguenot — '■'■forced! this is not to speak like a 
 king; but they Avho force you cannot force me. I can 
 die." And he did die — not by the SAVord, nor by 
 the axe of the headsman, which, comparatively, 
 would have been merciful, but by lingering imprison • 
 ment in the dmigeons of the Bastile, from which he 
 was not delivered, till, in the ninetieth year of his 
 age, death set him free !
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 A beautiful Ciliograde or Bero'd — Beroe cucumis described — Dif- 
 ferent Ciliogrades described — A rare Alga — Gloiosiphonia 
 capillaris — Moral reflections — Lessons from weeds. 
 
 Under the last part of the general title Ciliogrades and 
 Sea-weeds I might have a wide range, seeing that it 
 might be understood to comprehend one of the most 
 interesting departments of botany; but instead of 
 availing myself of this privilege, I mean, on the pre- 
 sent occasion, to keep within very narrow bounds, 
 and to speak only of one rare Alga. And before at- 
 tempting to describe it, as our gleanings in Arran 
 are very near a close, I shall take the liberty of 
 mentioning another Ciliograde or Beroe which was 
 discovered in Arran. In the month of July, when 
 my daughter Margaret was on a visit to her friend 
 
 IMiss R y, at that time residing in Arran, they 
 
 fell in with a Beroe, some specimens of which 
 were as large as a common-sized lemon. I was 
 sorry that I was not of the party, but I had not long 
 cause of regret, for the succeeding week, when my 
 young people were bathing at Saltcoats, they fell in 
 with a squadron of them, and having captured some,
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 269 
 
 they brought them home for my inspection : " Lo, 
 
 children are a heritage of the Lord Happy 
 
 is the man that hath his quiver full of them." It 
 would be paying them a poor compliment, were I to 
 rest their fihal attentions on nothing better than their 
 captui-ing of Beroes; and yet, as I have little time 
 myself for strollmg on the shore, I count it some 
 advantage to have occasionally younger eyes and hands 
 at work for me. AVhen they were yomiger than they 
 are now, a penny was promised for every new shell 
 or sea-weed, &c., they found on the shore; and when 
 new ones became rare, the premium rose to sixpence. 
 This I thought one of the cases in which bribery was 
 not corruption. For some weeks after this, the Beroes 
 in fine Aveathcr were fo\ind in considerable abundance. 
 I brought some of them home, and putting them in 
 sea-water in a jar, I had the pleasure of observing 
 their movements. The largest one we observed here 
 was three inches in length, by about one inch and 
 a-half in diameter. It was very beautiful — much 
 more magnificent than the Beroe ovata. In shape, it 
 resembled an antique pitcher contracted at the neck, 
 with a graceful revolution, or turning back at the 
 brim. It did not permanently retain this shape, 
 however, for it could vary it at will. The shape which 
 it more generally assumed was that of a clasp purse, 
 rounded at the base, and somewhat truncated at the 
 mouth. They were of various sizes, from the size of 
 a lemon, a little truncated above, to the diminutive 
 size of a lady's thimble. Being in general much 
 larger and heavier than the Bero'i ovaia^ they are
 
 270 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. ~ 
 
 more likely to attract attention; and yet I never 
 heard of their being observed on our coast before. 
 As I knew that some fine Beroes had been found on 
 the Irish coast, I sent a figure of this one to Mr. 
 William Thompson, Belfast, who showed it to Mr. 
 Patterson, Belfast, who has written very scientifically 
 on Beroes, and who kindly sent me his mteresting 
 publications; but as it was new to both these gentle- 
 men, Mr. Thompson forwarded the figure to Professor 
 Edward Forbes, London, who informed us that it 
 was Beroe cucumis, and that he had found numerous 
 specimens of it that season in Lochfine, and had 
 spent two whole days in the examination of them. 
 As it is a rare animal, I may give a short description 
 of it. It is gelatinous, like the sea-jellies, and hollow 
 inside like a pitcher. The whole body has a tinge of 
 pink, and the eight ribs closely set with cilia, are 
 beautifully adorned, having on each side an edging 
 like fine crimson lace. In the larger specimens, this 
 lace-work was studded with little orange oval-shaped 
 bodies, like little grapes, attached by a capillary 
 peduncle. When the Beroe was at rest, they rested; 
 but when the cilia began rapidly to play, and the cur- 
 rent of water, mixed at times vnth air-bubbles, to 
 rush tln-ough the tubes of the ribs, then all the little 
 orange bodies were in quick motion, as if dancing to 
 the music of the spheres; or, believing in fairies, as 
 our forefathers did, one might have fancied that they 
 were lace-bobbins, moved by nimble, invisible fairy 
 hands, weaving the beautiful lace edging with which 
 they were intermingled. Professor Forbes, however,
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. '271 
 
 says, as I had conjectured, that they are the eggs 
 attached to the phicentary membranes; and I doubt 
 not that they are thus shaken by the motion of the 
 cilia, that when fully ripe they may thereby be. de- 
 tached. 
 
 But why should I attempt to describe this animal, 
 when, having been found by Dr. Maccartney, on the 
 shore of Kent, so good a description is given in my 
 Vade-mecum — Professor Fleming's " British Ani- 
 mals ?" I shall subjoin part of it: " This most ele- 
 gant creature is of a colour changing between purple 
 violet, and pale blue; the body is truncated before, 
 and pointed behind; but the form is difficult to assign, 
 as it is varied by partial contractions at the animal's 
 pleasure. I have represented the two extremes of 
 form that I have seen this creature assume. The first 
 is somewhat that of a cucumber, which, as being the 
 one it takes when at rest, should perhaps be consi- 
 dered as its proper shape. The other resembles a 
 peai', and is the figure it has in the most contracted 
 state. The body is hollow, or forms internally an 
 infundibular cavity, which has a wide opening before, 
 and appears also to have a small aperture posteriorly. 
 The posterior two-thirds of the body are ornamented 
 Avith eight longitudinal ciliated ribs, the processes of 
 which are kept in such a rapid rotatory motion, while 
 the animal is swimming, that they appear like the 
 continual passage of a fluid along the ribs," &c. 
 
 As it is not likely that I shall return to the Beroes 
 again, I have been tempted to subjoin some informa- 
 tion respecting two of that tribe, so well described by
 
 272 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Mr. Patterson, in the papers lie so kindly sent me. 
 They are distingviished from the Beroes that have 
 come under my observation, by ^ha^ang tentacula. 
 The first bears a considerable resemblance to one 
 described by Professor Fleming in his " British Ani- 
 mals," under the name of Pleurohrachia pileiis. 
 Mr. Patterson points out in Avhat respect his differs 
 from Pleuro. pileus. His, to -which he has given the 
 name Cydippe pomi/ormis, was found by him in con- 
 siderable abundance at various times, near Lame, in 
 the county of Antrim. It had not before been re- 
 corded as British. From Mr. Patterson's desciiption, 
 which is ably and tastefully AYritten, it is eA-ident that 
 it is a creature of great beauty and elegance. Its 
 form, as its specific name imphes (pomi/ormis, apple- 
 shaped), is more globular than either Beroe ovata or 
 JBeroe cucumis. Its consistence and also its move- 
 ments by cilia (hence Ciliograde), were pretty much 
 the same; but what most obviously distinguished it 
 from the genus Beroe, was that it had two tentacula 
 i^one from each side — which, when extended, were 
 five or six times the length of its body. These ten- 
 tacula were of great beauty, being beset with dehcate 
 hair-like cilia, diverging like branchlets from the main 
 stem; at times, indeed, rolled up like beads, but at 
 other times moving gracefully, like the tentacula 
 from which they sprang. The tentacula themselves 
 were not always visible, as on any alarm, they with- 
 drew with a sudden jerk into their sheath-like tubes, 
 in which they lay concealed till the alarm was over, 
 when, as they wheeled onwards, rising and fall-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 273 
 
 ing at pleasure, they exhibited in great perfection 
 their locomotive powers, and displayed in the sun- 
 shine the splendid iridescence of their colouring. 
 
 Another thing remarkable in them Avas their seem- 
 ing insensibility of pain. An active little Medusa 
 having laid hold on one of them, before they could 
 be separated, it cut out from the side of the Cydippe 
 a segment of a circle extendinjj to more than a third 
 of its breadth and fully two-thirds of its length. Did 
 the Cydippe die, when three ribs with their gelatinous 
 clothing, were thus like a crescent cut out of its body? 
 No such thing. During four days that it was after- 
 -wards kept, it continued to career through the jar, 
 and seemed as active and happy as before it met with 
 the seemingly ruinous mutilation! AVhen any of 
 them happened to be shattered by the storm, the 
 principle of vitality continued in the fragments. And 
 when one of the fragments was clipped into small 
 pieces, the cilia on the smallest hillock persisted in 
 their rapid movements for a night and a day after an 
 operation which might have seemed as deadly as if 
 performed by the scissors of the Fates. 
 
 Mr. Patterson describes another Ciliograde which 
 he had the pleasure of discovering, and to which he 
 has given the name of Bolina Hihernica. It comes 
 near the shape of Beroe ovata; but it had four ten- 
 tacula, which were very beautiful — sometimes erect 
 like the ears of a horse, and at other times hanging 
 down like the cars of a lap-dog. The only thing I 
 shall advert to respecting the Bolince is their phos- 
 phorescence. When about thirty were put^ into a
 
 274 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 glass iar, and the water agitated, the whole contents 
 of the vessel became so completely lighted up as to 
 render all the adjoining objects for a moment visible. 
 On stirring them round, they were seen like lamps 
 suspended in the water. " It was impossible to behold 
 these bodies of innocuous flame floating amidst the 
 brightness which they themselves diffused, without 
 feeling that to convey an adequate idea of their beauty 
 would be a task more fitted for the imagery of the 
 poet than the language of the naturalist." 
 , The rare sea -weed to which I alluded at the com- 
 mencement of this article, was Gloiosiphonia capil- 
 laris, which was on this occasion found by my son 
 David, in a rock-pool not far from Corrie, being the 
 only known habitat of the plant in Scotland, except 
 one. It is rare in Ireland, and still more rare in 
 England. A year or two ago it had been found by 
 me in Saltcoats Bay. I had observed it at low- 
 water, in a little channel betwixt two rocks, as I was 
 retreating with all convenient speed, lest I should be 
 circumvented by the returning tide, as I had been 
 some days before. In my haste, I snatched only a 
 small portion from a large plant of it growing on a 
 bed of shale, thinking that it was some common 
 thing, vrith rather an micommon aspect. On floating 
 it in fresh-water, spreading it on paper, and exposing 
 it to the air, it changed in a short time from a dull 
 brownish-red to a fine bright crimson. I then fovmd 
 that it was not an old friend with a new face, but an 
 alga of great beauty, which was new to Scotland, viz., 
 Meso^loia, now Gloiosiphonia capillaris. Next sea-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 275 
 
 son it was found in considerable abundance in the 
 same locality, in shallow water; but from being too 
 much exposed to the light, or to some other cause, it 
 had lost much of its fine crimson colour. My son, 
 by wading into deep water and catching the plants 
 with his toes, got fine specimens, which on being 
 plunged in fresh- water, and then exposed to the air, 
 assumed the rich crimson hue. 
 
 If some can find sermons in stones, and good in 
 everything, may not we extract lessons even from 
 ureeds ? The prescribed address of a certain order of 
 monks in meeting each other is : " II faut tnourir, 
 mon frere ;" and the regular response is : " Om., tnon 
 frere, il faut mour'ir ! " The '■'■ il faut" (the must) 
 shows that Death naturally is anything but welcome. 
 But since he icill come, however tmwelcome, and 
 since he inay come at an inconvenient season, when 
 we are ill prepared for receiving him, should we not 
 consider whether it may not be so ordered that death, 
 instead of being met with reluctance, may be hailed 
 as the harbinger of a blessed change? This very 
 alga which has been under our consideration, when 
 living in its submarine habitation, is but an ungainly 
 weed; and when torn from its native rock, and ex- 
 posed to the air, after being plunged in fresh- water, 
 death ensues. Yet it is only then that its worth 
 appears. Then only it becomes permanently beauti- 
 fiil, when it is clothed in the unchangeable loveliness 
 of death. If death is to make a change for the better 
 on thee, gentle reader, instead of saying mournfully, 
 " We mu<t die," are you not ready to say, " I would
 
 270 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 not live alvvay" — " willing rather," yea, " having a 
 desire, to depart and to he with Christ, which is far 
 better ?" It was a mystery hid from ages, how the 
 merciless king of terrors might he converted into a 
 friend — how, by dying, the happiest and loveliest of 
 human beings may become for ever unspeakably more 
 happy and lovely. The mystery is over — the secret 
 is divulged. The Volume of Inspiration reveals it. 
 If thou believest in Jesus, the change which death 
 effects is unspeakably for the better. The earthly 
 house of this tabernacle dissolves; but thou shalt 
 have a building of God, a house not made with hands, 
 eternal in the heavens. " Thou shalt hunger no 
 more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sim 
 light on thee, nor any heat ; but he who is in the 
 midst of the throne shall feed thee, and shall lead 
 thee to living foimtains of waters, and God shall 
 wipe away all tears from thine eyes."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Visit to a man in a desponding state — His appearance of great 
 dejection in the midst of a beautiful scene — Interview de- 
 scribed — What a blessing, health of body and mind ! — The 
 Gospel sound in Arran — Return to Lamlash by the shore — 
 Rarish shells — Rare Algae. 
 
 On Saturday, the 13th of June, 1845, aftvir spendmg 
 five days very pleasantly in the Island of Arran, I 
 found it necessary to return home. As the steamer 
 was not to start till three o'clock in the afternoon, 
 we had still several hours at our disposal, and I 
 thought I could not do hetter than spend part of the 
 time in visiting an old man at some distance, who 
 had sunk into a state of despondency. Feeling that, 
 from the infirmities of old age, he was becoming 
 unable for the work arising from a little ground for 
 crop, and for keeping a cow, it was arranged that he 
 should live with those into whose hands his little 
 patch of ground had come; but when he had sold his 
 cow, and j)aid his debts, he found that he had only 
 a single shilling remaining. What was he to do? 
 Instead of casting his cares on Ilim wlio has said, 
 " Even unto hoar hairs I am he," he pondered on
 
 278 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 his state, and brooded over liis forlorn condition till 
 faith was enfeebled and reason failed, and, driven on 
 by the fiery darts of the adversary, he attempted to 
 destroy himself. Everything was done to comfort 
 and cheer him. All around were kind. The factor 
 gave him a liberal weekly allowance, and sent a per- 
 son to take charge of him; but all would not do. 
 He became utterly hopeless, regarding himself as a 
 reprobate whose prayers would be rejected, and for 
 whom it was in vain to pray. His abode was more 
 than three miles from Lamlash ; but it was one of the 
 finest walks in the island, as in looking back, when 
 about mid-way, Lamlash was seen to the greatest 
 advantage; and on looking forward, the bay and 
 castle of Brodick were lying in beauty before you, 
 with the most magnificent mountain scenery forming 
 the background. I have been told that it resembles 
 the moimtain scenery of Skye — thought to be the 
 grandest in Britain. 
 
 At this point our path diverged from the public 
 road, and the scene became more sequestered and 
 rural. It was one of nature's halcyon days. The 
 air was calm; the Highland lambkins were racing in 
 merry gambols aroimd the grassy hillocks, or butting 
 at each other in mimic fight. The grasshoppers were 
 chirping amongst the heath; and the lark, though 
 so far up in the sky as to seem little larger than a 
 butterfly, was making the very hills resound with her 
 melodious descant. In such a scene, is it possible to 
 be unhappy? Look at that aged man whom we have 
 now reached, and after a smgle glance you will say,
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 279 
 
 Alas! it is possible. On coining up to the house, I 
 found several hardy Highlanders busily employed in 
 mending their herring nets. An old man stood 
 motionless beside them. His eye was fixed on va- 
 cancy, and it was evident that he took no interest in 
 the Avork. I at once set him down as the person I 
 came to visit; and I was right. I tried to engage 
 him in conversation, but in vain. I asked him to 
 take me into the house, which he did. Finding that 
 he would not enter into conversation, I spoke to him 
 in such a way as I thought, with God's blessing, was 
 best fitted to dissipate the gloom, and to lead him, in 
 Christ's name, to cast himself at the footstool of the 
 throne, asking mercy to pardon, and grace to help. 
 Before I left him I said, " Would you like that we 
 should join together in prayer to the God and Father 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ?" " By all means," was his 
 ready reply, and it was the first sentence I had heard 
 him utter. Bowing down, we raised our cry to Him 
 who can cure all manner of diseases; pleading the 
 merits of that blood which cleanseth from all un- 
 righteousness; and praying for the outpouring of the 
 Spirit, who can cause hght to arise in darkness, and 
 who can say to the tempest-tossed soul : " Peace, be 
 still." Whether he who was walking in darkness, 
 seeino- no light, joined in prayer, I knoAV not. When 
 I bade him forewell, he spoke not a word ; but the 
 feeling manner in which he pressed my hand showed 
 that he was not insensible of the kindness of my in- 
 tentions. 
 
 Dear reader, have you " sa7ia mens in corpore
 
 280 EXCURSIONS TO ARUAN. 
 
 sano — a sound mind in a healthy hody?" O be 
 grateful for the precious blessing ! Who is there so 
 thankful as he ought? I fear that we must all plead 
 guilty. We are often least thankful for our greatest 
 blessings, because they are common and uninter- 
 rupted, though these very circumstances should so 
 greatly increase our gratitude. The sun daily rises 
 on the evil and on the good. How many even of the 
 good allow days and months to pass over their heads 
 ■wdthout ever, from the heart, thanking the Lord for 
 giving the sun to rule the day ! I believe they are 
 more grateful for the lesser light that rules the night, 
 because they at times feel the want of it. In the 
 same manner, the most healthy are not unfrequently 
 the most ungrateful for health ; and how many, be- 
 cause they never feel reason staggering on her throne, 
 never thank God for granting to them the continued 
 use of reason! 
 
 How incomprehensible is mental derangement ! 
 Lofty genius is often seen to be near akin to madness. 
 Often derangement is accompanied with increased 
 acuteness of intellect; but then it has got a sinister 
 bias — a ^vrong turn. He " is beside himself;" " he 
 is not in his right mind;" " he is not himself;" are 
 expressions that show that a melancholy change has 
 taken place. The person is under a mahgnant in- 
 fluence that he cannot control. He, in many cases, 
 feels and dreads its approach, and warns those whom 
 he best loves to keep out of his way, and to remove 
 from him the means of self-destruction. " Let not 
 the wise man, then, glory in his wisdom," but let
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 28 1 
 
 him walk humbly Lefore tlie Lord, the giver of every 
 blessing, seeking to employ reason aright as a precious 
 talent for which he must render an account. 
 
 A venerable and pious octogenarian at Lamlash 
 had long known this old man of whom we have been 
 speaking, and wished me to visit him. For upwards 
 of thirty years he had been a member of a prayer- 
 meeting along with him. He had no doubt of the 
 sincerity of his religious profession : and though, under 
 the influence of mental abeiration, the enemy had 
 been allowed to prevail, he fondly cherished the hope 
 that the cloud would yet pass away, and that in his 
 right mind he would yet glorify the Lord.* lie had 
 often taken SAveet counsel with him in going to the 
 house of God, when the place where they delighted 
 to worship was at what many would have regarded 
 as an impracticable distance. What would our gentle 
 citizens think of a nine hours' walk in going to 
 church, and in returning? And if they would think 
 this rather too much along a smooth pavement, or a 
 well-made road, what would they say if it were over 
 steep hills, and through a wild rugged moor, AA'here 
 there is no path except what is formed by sheep, or 
 by the feet of travellers, and where, in some places, 
 the best path in summer is along the rough channel 
 of a mountain stream, and in winter, when the chan- 
 nel is filled with water, along the rougher banks of 
 the rivulet, through knce-dcep heather? It is not a 
 trifle that will keep a pious Highlander fi-om the 
 
 * Since I wrote this I have had the satisfaction of hearing that 
 his health is restored, and that he is now iu his right mind. ,
 
 282 EXCURSICNS TO ARRAN. 
 
 place where the true Gospel sound is heard. Arran 
 had fully shared m the spiritual deadness which per- 
 vaded Scotland in the end of the last and the he- 
 ginning of the present century. A time of refresh- 
 ing, however, came from the presence of the Lord. 
 Abouf 1812, under the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Mac- 
 hride of Kilmorie, there was a great revival. He was 
 a truly pious and devoted servant of Jesus Christ, 
 and God blessed his lahom-s. Many waited on his 
 ministry from all parts of the island. The venerable 
 Christian at Lamlash told me that he and his afflicted 
 friend had for years been in the habit of going to 
 Kilmorie on Sabbath — a walk of nearly four hours; 
 and that after the death of Mr. Macbride they were 
 in the habit of attending the Rev. Mr. M'Millan, then 
 at Lochranza, about fifteen miles distant, and part of 
 it the most rugged road ever I travelled. Far was 
 he, however, from grudging the toil. He looked for- 
 ward to the Sabbath with spiritual longing. Thirst- 
 ing for the Word, he never thought the journey 
 tedious; and though in winter he had often to return 
 by lantern-light, he had been strengthened by the 
 Gospel feast — he had much that was pleasant to muse 
 upon by the way, and he never found himself less fit 
 for labour on Monday because of his necessary jour- 
 neyings on the Lord's-day. " Blessed is the man 
 whose strength is in Thee — in whose heart are the 
 ways of them. Who passing through the valley of 
 Baca, make it a Avell; the rain also filleth the pools. 
 They go from strength to strength; every one of them 
 in Zion appeareth before God."
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 283 
 
 My son had accompanied me, and for the sake of 
 variety we returned by the Corriegills shore. A 
 conchologist might pick up several good things about 
 Corriegills, but there is little to be got in a hurried 
 walk. AmphiJcsma compressiim, however, is got at 
 low water — a rare shell on the opposite coast. Some 
 time after this, there was sent to me a bottle dredged 
 not far from this place. It was full of fine black 
 mud, containing some rare Annelides, and richly in- 
 crusted outside Avith Milani, and various kinds of 
 zoophytes; adhering to which I found Patella fulva, 
 a little limpet that was new to me. We got some 
 beautiful sea-weeds, but nothing that we had not be- 
 fore fallen in with. Among those di'cdged by us en 
 a preceding evening, there were some rarer Alga) 
 than I at first was aware of. Among some of them 
 that I sent to Mr. Ralfs, at Penzance, he was de- 
 lighted to find, in fine fructification, Calithamnion 
 seirosperiitum,* which is very rare in England, and 
 which had not before been got in Scotland. And 
 among some I sent to Dr. Ilarvey, Trinity College, 
 Dublin, he was not a little pleased to find what he 
 thought was the long lost Calithamnion interruptum. 
 If, after strict scrutiny, he is convinced that it is so, 
 a figure of it will no doubt have the honour of a place 
 in his splendid Ph)/colo(/ia Britannica, which is now 
 being published in monthly parts. 
 
 • Since this was written a beautiful figure of it has appeared 
 in Dr. Harvey's Phycolo'jia Britannica, under a new name- 
 Seirospora GriffUhsiana.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Hot walk to Lamlasli — Porpoises in the bay — Solan geese and 
 gulls in the air betokening the arrival of herring-shoals — Fisher- 
 men on the shore preparing their nets and their vessels — The 
 vessels much improved — At the time of the religious revival in 
 Arran, the fishermen an example to all fishermen in the 
 kingdom — The worship of God observed — Their vessels — Go 
 aboard the steamer, homeward bound — The loveliness of the 
 Bay reminded me of an excursion when the British Association 
 met at Glasgow, and visited Arran — Sir Roderick Murchison'a 
 praise of Arran. 
 
 Our walk altogetlier was about eiglit miles. As 
 the steamer's hour was drawing near, the latter part 
 of it required to be accomplished with all convenient 
 speed. The day was lovely; the sun's beams were 
 more powerful than I ever again felt them during the 
 whole of the summer, so that I reached Lamlash in 
 that semi-parboiled state which I have more than 
 once made some approach to in Arran. Before we 
 reached the quay we passed a considerable number 
 of fishermen, who, having their nets spread on a 
 framework of poles, Avere making preparation for the 
 herring fishery. We had seen porpoises the evening 
 before, tumbling playfully in the bay, after a satis- 
 factory repast, it is 'probable, on some hundreds of
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 285 
 
 herrings. The herring gulls {Larus argentatus) 
 were reconnoitring on the wing, or diving in the 
 deep. The gannets, or solan geese {Sula Bassana\ 
 in their exploring excursions from Ailsa Craig, had 
 become a^vare of the arrival of the wished-for shoals 
 in the bay. Tiiey might be seen poised in the air 
 intently on the watch with their wild, keen-piercing 
 eyes, and then dashing perpendicularly downwards, 
 like^an aiTOW from a bow, disappearing for a little 
 among the waves, but soon emerging with their 
 silver-scaled prey in their formidable bills.* The 
 fishermen were making diligent preparation for 
 having a share of the rich spoil. Of late years they 
 have made gi'eat improvement on the structure of 
 their vessels. Instead of being of the clumsiest form, 
 both science and taste are now displayed in their 
 formation, so that they are handsome yacht-rigged 
 quick-sailing vessels. Though the vessels are greatly 
 improved, v.e fear that in some most important 
 respects the fishermen themselves have been retro- 
 grading. During the revival, and for some time 
 afterwards, the blessed efi'ects of increased spiri- 
 tuality were felt by sea as well as by land. True re- 
 ligion renews the man, and where the man goes he 
 carries his religion along with him. The Arran 
 
 • The poor solan geese, from their well-known love of herriDg3, 
 are at times deceived to their ruin. A herring is nailed to a 
 fir-board, and floated in the sea. Seeing the tempting bait, the 
 gannet descends with great velocity; but instead of carrying o2 
 his prey, his stout bill pierces so deeply into the board, that he 
 cannot disentangle himself, and thus becomes the property of the 
 artful gannet-catcher.
 
 286 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 fishermen, at that time, might have heen an example 
 to all fishermen in the kingdom. When the take 
 of herrings is good, it is a delightful thing, in a fine 
 summer evening, to see the vessels issuing from the 
 various stations to which, in the morning, they had 
 retired, and, like eagles hastening to their prey, con- 
 verging towards the place where the booty is to be 
 sought for. Ere the sun goes down a fleet of a hun- 
 dred sail may at times be seen resting on the bosom 
 of some tranquil bay. Then^ however, it was not the 
 eye only, but also the ear and the heart that were 
 delighted. When the vessels had taken their station, 
 when they had shot their nets for the night, and the 
 hum and bustle of business had ceased — the silence 
 that ensued was soon broken by the sweetest sounds. 
 The voice of psalms was heard from every vessel in 
 the fleet. The worship of God had begun. The 
 waters wafted the joyful sound to the land; the hills 
 re-echoed it to the sea; from the sea it ascended to 
 the heavens; and while it added to the joy of happy 
 cherubim, it entered, we doubt not, into the ears of 
 the Lord of Sabaoth. We wish we could truly state 
 that this pious and praiseworthy practice prevails 
 still. We fear it does not. If it be the duty of 
 Christian men to worship God in their families; 
 and if, at the time of morning or evening sacrifice, in 
 their lawful pursuits, they are separated from their 
 households, if they cannot pray with them, surely 
 they ought to pray^^r them. And if a sudden squall 
 during the night should plunge them in the deep, 
 the prospect of death would not be more awful be-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AURAN. 287 
 
 cause they had lately, in social worship, committed 
 themselves to Him who neither slumbers nor sleeps, 
 pleading the fulfilment of the promise, that where- 
 ever two or three are met together in the name of 
 Jesus, there he will be with them, to bless them, and 
 to do them good. And if Jesus, though unseen, be 
 with them to preserve them, surely, when the morn- 
 ing watch arrives, they are not less likely to find that 
 they have cast their net on the right side of the ship, 
 and that it comes up laden with a great multitude of 
 fishes. 
 
 At the hour appointed we were aboard the 
 steamer, and soon the paddles began to revolve. 
 We were " homeward bound," and to rightly consti- 
 tuted minds the sound is pleasant. Unhappy the 
 man who is not happiest at home; and unhappy 
 the minister whose greatest enjoyment is not found 
 in the discharge of his pastoral duties among his 
 own people! And yet the happiness of domestic 
 life and the usefulness of a pastor are not lessened 
 by the occasional inbreak of a short excursion on 
 the unvaried routine of life. When Ave Avcre fairly 
 out of Brodick Bay, the loveliness of the evening 
 and the scenery recalled the remembrance of an- 
 other little excursion on a memorable day. When 
 the meeting of the British Association took place in 
 Glasgow, I had the pleasure of being a member, 
 and of receiving a ticket as one of the party to 
 explore part of Arran, and to partake of the mag- 
 nificent repast given by the Jlarquis of Douglas 
 to the members, in a pavilion erected for the pur-
 
 288 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 pose at Brodick Castle. In coasting the island 
 in the forenoon, Sir Roderick Murchison lectured, 
 as we proceeded, on the geology of Arran. At the 
 repast we had the pleasure of seeing and hearing 
 some of the most distinguished savans of Europe. 
 Whilst we were returning by the steamer in the 
 evening, Professor Johnston lectured on chemistry, 
 in connection with geology. When we were a few 
 miles from Brodick, Sir Roderick Murchison said : 
 " I am very unwilling to interrupt Professor John- 
 ston in his most interesting lecture, hut I am 
 tempted to request that you will all look back for 
 a moment on the scenery we are leaving behind." 
 The evening sun was gilding the peaked mountains. 
 Goatfell rose in the centre as monarch of the 
 scene, flanked on the one side by the towering 
 pinnacles aroimd Glen Sannox, and on the other 
 by Ben Noosh, and the Holy Isle, and conical Ailsa. 
 The sea itself, under the beams of the setting sun, 
 was like melted gold, while here and there a vessel 
 might be seen with every sail set, as if courting 
 a breeze, and yet lingering as if im^^dlling to quit 
 the splendid scene. " Gentlemen," said Sir Rode- 
 rick, "did you ever see anything so rich and lovely? 
 M. Agassiz, have you anything more magnificent 
 even in your Alpine Switzerland V It would have 
 been too much to expect that Agassiz would allow 
 Scotland to caiTy off the palm from his beloved 
 fatherland, but he came very near it. He said, " It is 
 beautiful ! most beautiful ! And you have one thing 
 that in Switzerland we have not — ^you have the sea!"
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Sailed for Arran — Meet Mr. Alder of Newcastle — Dredge along 
 with him— Get Star-fishes, Zoophytes, and Nudibranchs — 
 A new Nudibianch found by Mr. Alder — Walk from Lamlash 
 by Whiting Bay, Kildonan, Little Mill, Auchinhew, &c., to 
 Lag. 
 
 Having a few days free from any urgent professional 
 engagement, I availed myself of an opportunity which 
 might not soon again occur, and on the 1st of June 18 4G 
 embarked, with my son David, for our favourite Island 
 of Arran. As an additional inducement, I knew that 
 Mr. Joshua Alder of Newcastle had taken up his abode 
 for a few weeks in Lamlash, and as I had had the plea- 
 sure of meeting with him in Ardrossan, I looked for- 
 ward with delight to the benefit which I might derive 
 from associating for a few days with a gentleman who 
 is not only highly distinguished as a naturalist, but 
 much respected and esteemed by his numerous friends 
 for his strict honour and modest worth, and for the 
 suavity of his unassuming manners, proceeding from 
 a kind and honest heart. On landing at Lamlash Ave 
 found him Avaiting our anival on the quay, and it was 
 soon arranged that Ave should spend some hours in
 
 290 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 dredging. The afternoon "was very favourable. Ac- 
 companied by Miss Alder, who enters with zeal into all 
 her brother's pursuits, and Miss M , my sister-in- 
 law, who happened to be in the island, we laiinched 
 from the quay and rowed to the Holy Isle before we 
 shot our dredge. In crossing we had the pleasure of 
 seeing several beautiful Beroes floating past us, but we 
 were ill-prepared for Beroe-fishing, as we had no ves- 
 sel either for catching or preserving them. At the first 
 haul of the dredge we took up several things deserving 
 of notice. At the root of some tangle brought up by 
 the dredge Ave found Comatida rosacea, the feather- 
 star, much prized by me when I found it for the first 
 time in this bay two years ago, but which was now 
 found by us in abundance, and which had been got 
 in still greater abundance by Mr. and Miss Alder, at 
 Torquay. A little fish was found by us, which Mr. 
 Alder knew to be Calli/onhniis Dracunculus the sor- 
 did dragonet. We got also several specimens of the 
 little sucker, Lejndogaster bimaculatus, prized as new 
 and rare when found by me in this bay in 1844, but 
 which I now saw was far from being rare. On the 
 Laminaria \\e found LepraUa hyalina, Lepralia ver- 
 rucosa; and Lepralia anniilata, all — especially the 
 last two — rare; also, Tuhulipora orbiculus, and Dis- 
 copora Mspida. We got some ugly overgrown speci- 
 mens of the common cross-fish and equally well- 
 thriven specimens of Uraster glacialis^ and a gigantic 
 specimen of Luid'ia fragilissinia, new to me, and but 
 lately discovered by Dr. Johnston, and named by 
 Professor Edward Forbes. Each ray was a foot in
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 291 
 
 length ; so that, being fully two feet in diameter, if 
 royalty went by bulk, tins might have been king of 
 the star-fishes. But, whatever was his rank, " otium 
 cum dic/nitate " had not been his lot, for he bore proof, 
 by loss of limbs, that a maritime life is not free from 
 dangers and difficulties; for he was greatly muti- 
 lated, " Skin for skin, all that a man has will he 
 give for his life." Luidia has the principle of self- 
 preservation so powerfully implanted, that it willingly 
 parts with its limbs that it may escape with its life. 
 You may think yourself sure of your prey when you 
 have laid hold of a stout ray, whereby to haul it into 
 the boat ; but the likelihood is, that though you retain 
 the ray, your booty swims off, owing to this readiness 
 to part with its limbs to save its life. Entire specimens 
 of this species are seldom got. The one which on 
 this occasion came into our hands had been in perils 
 before, so that only two of its rays were entire. The 
 others were in various stages of gi'owth; and in mercy 
 to the maimed veteran we threw him back into the 
 deep, in the hope that he miglit be spared to become 
 a perfect animal. We got this afternoon several 
 hai'ge specimens of Goniaster Tempietoni, a very beau- 
 tiful scarlet-coloured star-fish, generally considered as 
 a rarity, but which is far from being uncommon in 
 Lamlash Bay. When we came on the scallop- bank 
 we brought up lots of beautiful Pectens^ which were 
 prized by the boatmen for bait, but which were 
 strictly scrutinized by us before we parted with them, 
 in the hope of obtaining something on them more 
 precious than all that was in them. Mr. Alder
 
 "292 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 was chiefly intent on finding Nudibranchs, while 
 I was more on the outlook for Algae and Zoo- 
 phytes. With respect to the former, I was disap- 
 pointed. T was almost sure that we should find on 
 the clams, as we did ahout the same season last year, 
 several specimens of the rare and beautiful Calitham- 
 nion seirospermum, now Seirospora Gr\ffi,thsiana ; but 
 not a single frond could be seen. We got on them, 
 howeyer, some good Zoophytes, such as Plumularia 
 jjinnata, Plutnularia Catharina, and Thoa halecina. 
 I hoped that we might find Phimularia myriophyllum, 
 which, especially if enriched with vesicles, would 
 have been a prize, as the two specimens which at dif- 
 ferent times I got in Anan, are the only examples 
 that have been found of it with vesicles. One of 
 these specimens I had sent to my excellent firiend Dr. 
 Johnston, who has given a figure of the strange- 
 looking vesicles, and honoured it with the following 
 notice in his admirable work on '' British Zoophytes :" 
 " Since the preceding sheet was printed, I have re- 
 ceived from my friend, the Rev. D. Landsborough, a 
 specimen of Plumularia inyr'wpliyllum vnth ovaries. 
 These are very peculiar, and unlike any I have ob- 
 served in any other Sertularian zoophyte. In the 
 origerous pinnules there arises from the base of the 
 polype-cell, and on its outer side, a long gracefully- 
 curved process; and as all the processes curve round 
 in one direction, they give the pinnule a secund 
 character and habit, very difterent from that of the 
 bai'ren shoots. The processes are alternate, hollow, 
 coarsely denticulated on the external edge; and at
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 293 
 
 their base, opposite the polype-cell, the ovaries are 
 situated. These are didymous, or in pairs, sessile, 
 smooth, resembling a muscle-shell in shape, and easily 
 detached. They diJffer from the horny vesicles of the 
 Sertularians in texture and in shape, and may best be 
 described as naked ovaries. The spinous process which 
 protects them appears to be formed by a prolongation 
 of the spine that supports the barren polype cell."* 
 
 Mr. Alder considered himself more successful, for 
 he found a new Nudibranch, which, in honour or 
 the place of its nativity, he has called Eolis Glot- 
 tensis, from Glotta, the Latin name for the Isle of 
 Arran. JMr. Alder afterwards found Doris Jtammea 
 and Doris Johnstoni, and a new Doris, xerj unlike 
 any of the other British species — Doris plaiiata. And 
 he was much pleased with finding a new species of 
 their new genus Eumenis, viz., Euinenis Jlai-'ula, quite 
 distinct from the species found in Torbay the year 
 before, but confirming the characters given to the 
 genus. Were I to say that these Nudibranchs differ 
 from testaceous mollusca, as snails that have shells do 
 rom slugs that are without shells, though there would 
 be an approximation to tlie truth, it would be very 
 much to the disadvantage of the Nudibranchs, as it 
 would give us no idea of the diversity and beauty 
 of their form and colouring. Justice, however, is 
 done to them in that splendid monograph of British 
 Nudibranchiate IMollusca, by Alder and Hancock, 
 in the course of publication, and of which, as a mem- 
 
 * See a copy of Dr. Johnston's figure of the ovaries, at the end 
 of this chapter.
 
 294 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 l>er of the Ray Society, I hare got the two parts 
 that are published. Great progress has of late been 
 made in this branch of natvu-al history. It had been 
 so little studied that, about twenty years ago, only 
 six genera and about tAventy species had been de- 
 scribed ; whereas, when the first part of the w ork to 
 which we have referred was pubhshed, fifteen genera 
 and above eighty species could be enumerated; and 
 even since last year upwards of a score of species, 
 I believe, have been added to that number; and in- 
 teresting additions continue from time to time to be 
 made. 
 
 But I had something beside dredging in view at 
 this time. Though I have circimiambulated the 
 island, I had gone along the higliAvay, in going from 
 Kildonan to Kilmorie, and had thus missed a very 
 interesting part of the sea-shore, which I proposed 
 visiting on this occasion ; so that David and I landed 
 near to Boneen. In mounting the heights to reach 
 the highway to the south of Lamlash, it was delight- 
 fiil to look back on the peaceful loch, sleeping in the 
 bosom of the surrounding mountains. As the sun 
 was very powerful, it was delightful also to take 
 breath; but this was a pleasure that could not long 
 be indulged in, as it was already five o'clock, and a 
 walk of some length lay before us. As my time was 
 limited, I could have wished to reach Lag that even- 
 ing ; but as it was fourteen miles distant, and as the 
 afternoon was one of the very hottest of the season, 
 I proposed staying for the night at Kildonan, being 
 told that we might get lodgings there. Om- path lay
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 295 
 
 along tlie shore, and our walk was a delightful one. 
 There was scarcely anything in the scenery that could 
 be called grand, hut there was so much sweetness, 
 that, in the loveliness of the scene and of the season, 
 we were disposed to say, " Nunc est formosissimus 
 annus." In passing near to King's-cross, we searched 
 for the tent-making spiders, and I was sorry that not 
 one of them could be found. I was more wishful to 
 renew my acquaintance with the tent-makers, as my 
 enthusiastic friend Mr. Adam White of the British 
 Museum, has dubbed this kind Epeira Landsburgii. 
 At a more advanced period of the summer, I doubt 
 not that they will resume their textorial occupation. 
 
 After making some calls at Whiting Bay, we 
 trudged along by Largie-More, Largie-Menoch, and 
 Largie-Beg, which I have become so learned in Gaelic 
 as to know mean the great, the middle, the little 
 field. In passing the steep rocks at Dippen, we 
 found that they Avere full of life, being inhabited by 
 flocks of jackdaws and starlings, which, having their 
 nests there, kept up a continual concert, after a sort; 
 for though their song has little music in it, it has this 
 recommendation, that it is expressive of happiness. 
 We doul)t not that they are very happy. They may 
 have large families at this season to provide for, but 
 they grudge no labour, and they have no care. "They 
 sow not, neither do thoy reap and gather into barns; 
 but our heavenly Father feedeth them." If (Jod so 
 feed the fowls of the air, how much more will he feed 
 his intelligent offspring, if, even with a little faith, 
 they put their trust in him !
 
 296 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 After a very pleasant walk we reached Kildonan 
 about eight o'clock. We thought that our walk was 
 over for the evening; but we had been reckoning 
 without our hostess, for on reaching the house which 
 we wished to be our domicile for the night, we learned 
 that the widow had ceased to entertain travellers. 
 Laden with years and infirmities, she was sitting in 
 an arm-chair, evidently very feeble, and at times 
 groaning with pain. She said that she was very 
 sorry that she could not accommodate us; that she 
 was quite frail; that her family were either gone 
 down to the grave, or removed from her; that one 
 of her daughters, who had been mamed in Greenock, 
 had come on a visit to her mother and her native 
 place, but that the cart which had conveyed her and 
 her husband and children from Lamlash by night, 
 had been overturned; that her husband's leg had been 
 broken, and that he was at that time occupying the 
 apartment and bed to which, otherwise, we should 
 have been very welcome. There was not another 
 place where we could be accommodated nearer than 
 Lag, which was six miles farther on. We had not 
 yet dined, as at dinner time we had been delightfully 
 occupied in Lamlash Bay. We asked if she could 
 give us any refreshment. She readily agreed to get 
 tea for us, and with her daughter's aid, it was soon 
 prepared — tea, and oaten cakes, and delicious butter, 
 and fine fresh eggs, fonning the best possilile repast 
 for pedestrian travellers. In asking a blessing from 
 the Lord, I had prayed for the afflicted widow, and 
 had besought the Lord to exercise his healing power
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 297 
 
 and sanctifying grace in behalr of her son-in-law, still 
 confined to bed in the adjoining apartment. Con- 
 cluding from this, I suppose, that I was a minister, 
 when I asked her what we were to pay, she said with 
 great fervour, " Nothing, nothing; you are very wel- 
 come to anything I could give — I only wish it had 
 been better." As she persisted in her refusal, I put 
 something into the hands of her little grandson, and 
 it was with difficulty that I could get off Avithout 
 taking back the half of what I had thus given, though 
 it was not more than we would have been charged in 
 the Lowlands. On making inquiry about her after- 
 w^ards, I learned that she was a truly worthy old wo- 
 man : that her refusal did not proceed from the greedy 
 anything- i/oti-please principle, from a pretence of kind- 
 ness, in order in the end to obtain not only what 
 could be claimed, but a gratuity as a requittal for the 
 appearance of liberality; but that in the depth of 
 her poverty she was actuated by that genuine kindness 
 of heart by A\liich through hfe she had been charac- 
 terized. 
 
 We had already walked eight miles, and six more 
 lay before us. In the days of my youth, this would 
 have been a pleasure ; but the buoyant elasticity of 
 youth is gone, and, though the grasshopper is not yet 
 a burden, the autumnal almond tree, premonitory of 
 winter, begins to flourish. Yet I have cause to be 
 exceedingly thankful for much health and strength, 
 and for a considerable residue of those walking capa- 
 bilities which often rendered me very independent, 
 and enabled me to enjoy pleasant excursions, which
 
 298 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 otherwise I must have denied myself. To my yoimg 
 companion, though kiden with a portmanteau, the 
 walk was not at all formidable. It was now betwixt 
 eight and nine o'clock, however, and no time was to 
 be lost in idle parley. We pushed on, therefore, 
 though the sweet scenery tempted us at times to halt. 
 Plada lay before us in sober beauty; the sea beyond 
 lying under a veil of haze, and the sea around the 
 little island being beautifully dotted with fishing 
 boats. Before we reached Little Mill Ave had a 
 etriking view of Bennan-head, a bold headland, 
 which loomed very large amidst the closing shades of 
 evening. At Auchinhew there is a deep glen, through 
 which a bold hurn pours its waters in limpid purity, 
 except where, in dashing over a rocky barrier, they 
 are converted into snow-white foam. Our ascending 
 path lay along this glen, and gladly would I have 
 explored it, had not the evening shadows ceased to 
 lengthen; the sun having gone to beautify another 
 hemisphere with light and shade. The fall, or cas- 
 cade, of Eiss-a-More, Headrick tells us, " much ex- 
 ceeds a hundred feet perpendicular;" and he adds, 
 " with a vivid sim at my back, and the cascade in 
 front, I enjoyed a beautiful iris, Avhich was a perfect 
 circle ; and, by varying my position, it varied from a 
 circle and fashioned its drapery, in the lower parts, 
 so as to invest the stones in the chasm below the 
 cascade. This phenomenon was produced by the 
 refraction of the rays of light by the particles of 
 water or spray projected from the cascade." We 
 may still further tempt those who have leisure to visit
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AUllAN. 299 
 
 it, by quoting Mr Ramsay's excellent description. 
 " To the nortli-east of the farm of AuchinhcAv is a 
 most picturesque waterfall, called Eiss-a-lNIore, or the 
 Great Fall, -which precipitates itself over a lofty pre- 
 cipice into a magnificent amphitheatre, surrounded by 
 perpendicular cliffs, the lower part of which is com- 
 posed of layers of sandstone, interpenetrated by dykes, 
 which end in overlying masses of greenstone and 
 basalt, partly jointed, and arranging themselves into 
 rude and irregular prisms. Where the sandstone 
 joins the igneous rock it is much indurated. The 
 parallelism of the layers is slightly discomposed at 
 the penetrating dykes, forming small faults." 
 
 In approaching Auchinhew we had inquired at a 
 person we met our distance from Lag, and were told 
 that it was only four miles, and that we would easily 
 reach it by ten o'clock. After walking half-an-hour 
 at a pretty qmck pace we put the same question to 
 another person we met, and the answer was that Lag 
 was four miles and a half distant. This was not 
 very cheering, but Ave went on courageously, for the 
 evening was charming, though extremely hot ; and 
 we were serenaded by the maA^s, the blackbird, the 
 cuckoo, and also by the corncrake or rail, now heard 
 by us for the first time this season ; and though not 
 of itself sweet, its note is thoroughly rural, telling us 
 that wished-for summer is at last come, and has 
 clothed the corn-fields with enough of verdant l)]ade 
 to conceal the lurking stranger so often heard and so 
 seldom seen. Having proceeded about a mile, we 
 again made inquiry as to the distance of Lag. Alas !
 
 300 
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Lag, instead of lagging, seemed to be floating on before 
 us, for it was still distant four and a half miles ! 
 Whether it took pity on us and retraced its steps Ave 
 shall not pretend to determine, but the last miles 
 certainly seemed short ones, and we had the pleasure 
 of reaching it a little after ten o'clock ; and it was 
 Avorth reaching, for it is a very comfortable, well-kept 
 inn, in a lovely dell. Though I had been near it 
 before, I had never seen it, for it lies snugly hid in a 
 sweet hollow, with a lively stream, called Torlin Water, 
 running through the little dale close to the inn. The 
 sleep of the labouring man is sweet, and so is the 
 sleep of the weary traveller; and committing ourselves 
 to Him who slumbers not, neither sleeps, we were 
 soon in the enjoyment of refreshing repose. 
 
 Plumularia MYRioPHYLLUM with ovaries. — See page 292.
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 Sleep, a precious blessing — Ancient necropolis at Torlin — South- 
 end Harbour — Rare Nudibranchs, Zoophytes, and Algaa — Cliflfa 
 on Kilbride Farm — Bird-nesting — AVild - flowers — Struye 
 rocks— Monster's Cave — Anecdote of hawk and swallows — 
 Rare rock-plants — Bennan-head — Reflection from the sea — 
 " Sky and Ocean "—View of Plada and Ailsa — Kildonan, Dip- 
 pen— Fresh-water Alga;— Dr. P. Neill and Primula Scotica — 
 Hard names— Reach Whiting Bay — Evening worship on the 
 green — Surrounding scene. 
 
 Sleep has been spoken of as the twin-hrother of 
 death. How welcome the one — how dreaded the 
 other ! Sleep has been spoken of by the poet as a 
 fair-weather friend : — 
 
 " He, like the world, his ready visit pays 
 Where Fortune smiles; the wretched he forsakes; 
 Swift on his downy pinions flies from woe, 
 And lights on lids unsullied with a tear." 
 
 "VVe own no obligations to Fortune ; we arc little 
 careful to court her smile, and we dread not her 
 frown ; but we owe much to a kind Providence, and 
 we lament that Ave are not half so grateful as wo 
 ought for innumerable favours, and, among others, 
 for so many nights of refreshing rest. This night
 
 302 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 had ackled to tlie number. Many had lain down to 
 arise no more. Many had been filled ^^dth tossinga 
 to and fro to the dawning of the day. We had lain 
 doA\Ti, and had awaked in health and strength ; for the 
 Lord had given us refreshing rest in sleep. After an 
 early breakfast we sallied forth. I was glad that we 
 had reached Lag the evening before, for otherwise I 
 could not, without over-exertion, have accomplished 
 what I had planned. We had still enough before us 
 for the day, to explore the sea-shore from Lag to Kil- 
 donan, and afterwards to walk to Whiting Bay. 
 The first point at which we aimed was Claitshimore 
 and Southend Harbour. Claitshimore is a group of 
 six dykes in the sea, two of which are of great size. 
 Clachig stood temptingly up on the hill-side above 
 Claitshimore; and fain Avould I have claimed some 
 old acquaintance with the kind family there, but time 
 would not permit. On leaving Lag we had inquired 
 the way to Southend Harbour at a person engaged 
 in agricultural work on the farm, and he kindly 
 accompanied us part of the way, and gave us much 
 interesting information. Having inquired at him 
 respecting something like an old building on a height 
 to the left, he told us that it was Torlin, one of the 
 greatest cm-ioslties in Arran ; that it had been a very 
 ancient burying-place, of which there was not a trace 
 of information in history ; that some years ago exca- 
 vations had been made in it; that it Avas found to be 
 divided into several cells or catacombs by separating 
 walls ; that each apartment was filled with human 
 bones to the depth of about eight feet ; and that, from
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 303 
 
 the great accumulation of bones it was e^-ident that 
 many thousands of the human race had found there 
 their long home. We regretted that we could not 
 visit this antique necropolis. 
 
 The natural harbour at Southend is a great curio- 
 Bity, to which our attention had been drawn by the 
 description of it in our friend ]\[r. Ramsay's book. 
 This geological lusus naturce is thus formed: Two 
 dykes, parallel to each other, run a long way into the 
 sea, forming the east and west sides of the harbour. 
 A transverse dyke of smaller dimensions, runs from 
 the one dyke as a jetty, leaving a passage into the 
 basin or inner harl)our, in which vessels may lie at 
 anchor, sheltered from the ^\inds and waves. And 
 then, to complete the harbour, another dyke on the 
 land side runs parallel \vith the jetty, forming a quay 
 to this natural harbour. But the dykes that abounded 
 on the shore were interesting, not only in a geological 
 point of view, but as forming good ground for us in 
 the quest of Alga and Nudibranchs. In the pursuit 
 of the latter, my son, as having yomiger eyes, was 
 much more successful than I was. lie got ^'Egirca 
 ■puHCtUucens, so rare, that till JMr. Alder got it about 
 a fortnight before at Ardrossan, only one example 
 had ever been found. This is one of the creatures 
 that show that many of the works of God must be 
 " sought out," and carefully examined, before their 
 great beauty can be discovered. A person who knew 
 nothing a])out Nudibranchs would pass l)y this as un- 
 deserving of notice. It might be tliouglit a little dark- 
 grey marine slug. Its body, however, is pretty thickly
 
 304 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 set witli little truncated turrets; and tlie spaces be- 
 t^\axt these are occupied by little rings formed of 
 black dots ; and in the centre of each circle there is a 
 little point or spot of the most brilliant blue, like the 
 dots on Actceon viridis, or the lines on Patella coBvulea 
 or P. pelhicida. It is from these shining spots that 
 it takes the specific name jninctilucens. He got also 
 Polycera ocellata, Eolis coronata, E. Drummondi^ and 
 a large light-grey specimen of Eolis papillosa. He 
 also succeeded in finding a rare Zoophyte, Liicernaria 
 guadricornis, new to Britain when Mr. Alder found 
 it at Ardrossan a fortnight before; but which Dr. 
 Johnston thinks may be a variety of Lucernaria fas- 
 eicularis. He got, besides, something that was new 
 not only to us, but also to Mr. Alder, but which was 
 like a Lucernaria in a young state. We got also 
 some good Algas, such as Polysiphonia parasitica, 
 Calithamnion arhuscula, &c. Were I v^Titing an 
 agricultural survey, I might find mucli to say in 
 commendation of the excellent farming on Clachig, 
 Lag, Kilbride, &c. ; for Arran has here lost its alpine 
 character, and stretches forth into extensive and 
 well-managed farms, consisting of fertile plains and 
 sunny braes, laden with rich crops. But it is not 
 of crops and cows that I am inclined to speak — but 
 of birds, and beasts, and creeping things— of craigs 
 and cliffs, and caves and cleughs, and of the various 
 shrubs, ferns, mosses and wild flowers, that adorn the 
 same. I was much pleased with the fine precipitous 
 rocky cliffs facing the sea on the farm of Kilbride, 
 composed chiefly of sandstone. These cliffs are the
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 305 
 
 favourite resort of several of the feathered tribes, 
 chiefly jackdaws and rock-pigeons, that having at 
 this time their nests there, kept up an incessant 
 cooing and cawing. Some boys passed us, from 
 whom I learned that they were on their Avay to the 
 cliffs, bent on scaling '. them, that they might carry 
 home with them some young jackdaws as pets. I 
 charged them to show their tender-heartedness by 
 leaving some of the brood in the nest, that the parent 
 birds might not be leit to wail in utter bereavement. 
 
 " I have found out a gift for my fair — 
 I have found where the wood pigeons breed ; 
 But let me the phinder forbear, 
 She will say 'twas a barbarous deed. 
 For he ne'er could be true, she averred, 
 Who could rob a poor bird of its young. 
 And I loved her the more when I heard 
 Such tenderness fall from her tongue." 
 
 I would not trust my life in the hands of the heartless 
 clo^vn, who, when a boy, could wantonly plunder a 
 nest, that he might have the pleasure of putting the 
 unfledged young to death. I have knoAvn such boys, 
 and they always turned out worthless fellows. 
 
 Among the diversity of wild flowers on the shore 
 at this place, two particularly attracted our attention 
 — the one was Lithospermum maritimum, a beauti- 
 ful plant, with procumbent branches spreading on the 
 sand. The flowers are of a beautiful purplish-blue, 
 and the leaves are covered with a fine glaucous 1)loom, 
 like that seen on some plums. It is sometimes 
 called the oyster-plant; for the flavour of the pkmt, 
 when chewed, resembles that of oysters. The other 
 
 IT
 
 306 EXCURSIONS TO AURAN; 
 
 flower, which we still more admired, was a variety of 
 the little Scotch rose, Rosa Spinosissima. This is 
 certainly not a rose without a thorn, but it is never- 
 theless one of great loveliness. I have often admired 
 the numerous varieties of this little rose in a culti- 
 vated state, hut I never saw in a garden any collec- 
 tion equal in beauty to what we here saw in its wild 
 state. The usual hue of this little rose is creamy- 
 white; but here, on a cream-coloured ground, the 
 petals were beautifully shaded with pink, from dark 
 to lighter hues. Others, instead of being delicately 
 shaded, were beautifully mottled with pink; and as 
 there was considerable variety in the shading and 
 mottling, and as these sweet flowers were in full blow, 
 we vrere disposed to linger among them in admiration. 
 How beautiful is the rose in all its endless varieties ! 
 The niehtinorale is fabled to admire it in the East, 
 the Teian Bard admired it in Greece, and celebrated 
 it in his lively song ; and whether from admiration of 
 the poetry or from love of the flower, some Anacre- 
 ontic lines took an early hold, and I shall venture to 
 quote them from memory, — 
 
 'Paoov CO (pipitrrov avSos 
 
 'PaSa xai hoiiri Tspcrvz. 
 
 Best beloved of Flora's train, 
 Glory of the vernal plain, 
 Prized by those whose lordly sway 
 Fairest, widest realms obey — 
 Rose, whom even the gods above 
 Cherish with immortal love. 
 
 J. G. S.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 307 
 
 We soon reached Struye Rocks at the very southern- 
 most extremity of Arran; and at the very commence- 
 ment of the cUffs we found a great cave, which 
 attracted our attention. We were glad to enter it, to 
 be shaded from the heat, and it was literally the 
 shadow of a great rock, or of a mass of rocks. Rocks 
 of softer material, which had been imbedded, had been 
 washed away, probably Avhen the sea was at a higher 
 level. The coolness of the cave was very refreshing 
 to us. How often have Zion's travellers, when weary, 
 felt the blessed influence of a more delightful shade! 
 The large excavation into v/hich we had now entered 
 is called the Black Cave, or the Monster's Cave. The 
 mouth and sides of the cave are supported by rude 
 basaltic columns, giving it somewhat the appearance 
 of Gothic architecture. It may be at the mouth 
 eighty or ninety feet in height ; the breadth is about 
 the half of the height. The length is considerably 
 greater than the height ; but the floor, instead of being 
 level, inclines upwards till it temiinates in an opening 
 which communicates with the clifis above. Owinar to 
 this orifice a current of air passed through the cave 
 — very agreeable in so hot a day, but which, if long 
 enjoyed, might not have been very safe; so that after 
 having gathered in it some specimens of Aifplenium 
 Marinutn, we gave it up again to the rock-pigeons, a 
 covey of which had issued from it as we entered. 
 
 Leaving the cave, our path for a considerable way 
 was a very rugged one, whether we kept low down 
 among the large boulders close by the sea, or kept 
 farther up close by the base of the cliffs. Owing to
 
 308 EXCURSIONS TO ARBAN. 
 
 the great heat reflected from the rocks, I was glad at 
 times to stand still to contemplate the precipitous 
 cliffs which, in rude columnar form, rose to a great 
 height; or to listen to the mingled cry, and watch 
 the evolutions of the numerous birds which had their 
 nests in the crevices of the rocks, far out of the reach 
 of man. In addition to the jackdaws, and pigeons, 
 and starlings, blackbirds and mavises might be seen, 
 with more than one kind of hawk, which would not 
 have far to travel in search of booty for their young. 
 There seemed, however, to be a good neighbourly 
 feeling among the tenants of the rock; for the peace- 
 ful pigeons, and even birds of smaller size, seemed to 
 approach the predaceous hawks without fear, either 
 having learned hardihood from being accustomed to 
 danger, or having taught the hawks, out of respect 
 to then- numbers, to be on their good behaviour at 
 home, and to depend on captures from abroad. Since 
 I \^Tote the preceding sentence, a paragraph in a 
 periodical presented itself very opportunely, showing 
 that even the smaller birds know that union is 
 strength, and that they can cause their cruel oppres- 
 sors to quail under their united assault, and quit the 
 prey which their greedy claws had clutched. " On the 
 forenoon of Monday last, while some boys were 
 watching a pair of swallows feeding their young be- 
 hind Charlotte Street, a hawk skimming along the 
 eaves of the houses suddenly pounced upon the nest, 
 and carried away two of the brood. One of the 
 parent birds having witnessed the onslaught, instantly 
 gave utterance to a peculiar cry, which, as by the
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 309 
 
 power of incantation, quickly convened a noisy and 
 enraged SAvarm of comrades from all quarters, who, 
 with one consent, gave chase to the destroyer, and 
 overtaking him ere he had got half across the Inch, 
 commenced such a desperate attack that he soon gave 
 evident signs of being fairly overmastered, and ulti- 
 mately sought the ground at a short distance from the 
 fisher's lodge, where he bravely tried his best to repel 
 the onsets of his assaulters, but was compelled to relin- 
 quish his prey and seek for safety in inglorious flight. 
 After his departure, which was effected under no little 
 molestation, the swallows set about the conveyance 
 of the young ones to the nest, which, it is said, they 
 effected in fine style, and seemingly to the satisfaction 
 of the Avhole tribe, Avho gave unmistakeable signs of 
 being more than usually pleased on the occasion." — 
 Perth Adcertiser. 
 
 One of the chief reasons why I AA-ished to traverse 
 the rugged road along the base of Struye Cliffs, was 
 that I might try to fall in with some of the rare plants 
 that have their habitat there. I remember with what 
 pleasui'e Dr. Curdie, who discovered them, brought 
 me specimens of the follomng : Latliyrus sylvestris; 
 Althai officinalis ; Carlina vulgaris; and Inula Hele- 
 nium. They are very rare, and therefore prized by 
 botanists. It was not my hap to find any of them ; 
 and I was not surprised at this, as I was making a 
 hasty transit. They could not so easily elude Dr. 
 Curdie, Avho lived near the place, and could leisurely 
 scrutinize every cliff', and crcA-ice, and cranny of this 
 wild and rugged spot.
 
 SIO EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Bennan-head is a continuation of tliese rocks, and 
 in passing under it, it did not seem so bold a head- 
 land, as when seen betwixt us and the horizon in 
 approaching from the eastern side the evening before. 
 The slip of level land betwixt the rocks and the sea 
 becomes a little broader than at Struye, and it is 
 carefully cultivated up to the very base of the cliffs. 
 After admiring the crags, and crops, and pastures on 
 the slope to the left, we had only to turn to the right 
 to see them reflected in the glassy sea, in all their 
 diversified colouring of yellow, and green, and grey. 
 How beautifully such a scene as this is described by 
 my highly accomplished friend, the Rev. J. G. Small, 
 in his sweet " Songs of the Vineyard." 
 
 " Calm is the face of ocean — not a breath 
 Of wind disturbs its quiet ; and it lies 
 Now like some lovely saint Just hushed in death ; — 
 Now, as the varying aspect of the skies 
 Is shed on the responding scene beneath, 
 Like some fair being wrapt in sleep it seems. 
 While we may almost trace her varied dreams 
 In her mild features, — smiling now in love. 
 Now sunk in pleasing sadness, calm and deep ; 
 And each sweet change that from on high is given 
 Seems kindly ordered by a Power above. 
 
 ' Thus giveth He to his beloved sleep.' 
 Thus dreams of bliss, and chastening griefs, and even 
 The shades of death, fall light on the pure soul 
 
 from heaven." 
 
 This is exquisite! and could I write such lines as 
 these, I would be greatly tempted exultingly to say, 
 " lo anche sono poeta." The different patches of 
 crop along this landward slope seemed to belong to 
 different persons — consequently, better and worse cul-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 311 
 
 tiyated. Some patches were clean, and liealtliy, and 
 verdant ; others had a golden aspect from the copious 
 intermixture of corn, marigold, and wild mustard ; and 
 though the OAvners might not think this splendour a 
 sufficient compensation for a light grain-crop, we were 
 taught that naught is made in vain, for the happy hum 
 of myriads of busy bees showed us that though it is 
 not all gold that glitters, yet this yellow weed was 
 more prized by them than all the gold that ever issued 
 from the rich mines of Peru. 
 
 In passing Drumlabara, we had a very singular 
 view of Plada and of Ailsa. Plada is a little island 
 about a mile from the shore of Arran; and Ailsa is a 
 magnificent conical moxmtain firmly anchored some 
 dozen miles out at sea. From this point of view 
 Plada lay full before us, and so concealed the inter- 
 vening miles of sea, that Ailsa, towering above it, 
 seemed placed in close juxtaposition. Plada would 
 have afforded us gratification, though we had repeat- 
 edly visited it before; but the old truthful sentence, 
 '•'■ Tempus fugit^' was sounding in our cars; and I 
 liad to be satisfied with the remembrance of its semi- 
 columnar rocks, and of its old and new light-houses, 
 which distinguish it from the single light of Cumbrae, 
 twenty-two miles farther up the Frith. And I remem- 
 bered, also, the little creek at the landing-place, filled, 
 when I last saw it, with many kinds of Al(j(s and 
 beautiful Meduscc. We had also before our eyes the 
 old castle of Kildonan, which Ave would gladly have 
 revisited; but " Tcmpus fugit" sounded as loudly as 
 ever, and on we trudged towards Dippen — not the
 
 312 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 bold cliffs of Dippen on the sea-shore, which " Tem- 
 pus fugit "■ would have still more sternly interdicted, 
 l)ut the farm-house of Dippen on the straight road 
 to Whiting Bay. We ventured, however, to look 
 into a well at Dippen, in which, some years before, 
 we had got Batracho sperumin moniliforme; and we 
 were glad to find that this interesting Batracho- 
 spermum had kept possession of the habitat, and 
 that now there was conjoined with it a kindred fresh- 
 water beauty — Draparnaldia giomerata. 
 
 At Largie Bay we had observed, in a well, the even- 
 ing before, plenty of OsciUatoria nigra^ and we wished, 
 as we returned, to take with us specimens of a plant 
 which, from the oscillatory motion of its filaments, 
 seems to be endowed with animal life; but great 
 changes often take place in a night in the condition, 
 not only of men, but of plants. " They come up in 
 a night, and perish in a night." In the course of a 
 night the Oscillatm-ia had in one sense been lifted up, 
 and in another sense degraded and debased. It had 
 been lifted up from its lowly situation in the limpid 
 fountain, and was floating at the top of an old heiTing- 
 ban-el, which, in order that it might be cleansed from 
 pollution, had been filled with water from the Oscil- 
 latoria-yielding Avell! This reminded me of what 
 I had been told many years ago by my worthy and 
 well-known friend Dr. Patrick Neill. — In one of his 
 botanical excursions to the north, he had been among 
 the first to discover Primula Scotica — one of the most 
 lovely of our rare native plants — a little pink Scottish 
 primrose. Next year he directed his steps to the same
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 313 
 
 place, and he had been requested by many of his 
 friends in Edinburgh to bring them specimens of the 
 rare Scottish primrose. lie found the place, but, 
 horresco referens ! he stood aghast when he saw that 
 the farmer had been before him, and had covered over 
 the whole field — Scottish primroses and all — Avith a 
 thick and fragrant top-dressing of herring-guts ! 
 
 Some of our fair readers who have plants and 
 flowers, may be disposed to say, " I wish he would 
 speak of his plants under plainer titles, instead of 
 giving such jaw-breaking names as Batracho spermum 
 moniliforme ! " Dear lady, I fear I would not greatly 
 recommend my little favourite to your regard by in- 
 troducing it under the more intelligible name of pad- 
 dock- sj)aicn ; for since the truth must be told, Ave must 
 confess that it has taken its learned name from its re- 
 semblance to the spawn of frogs. But if you can 
 prevail on yom-self to handle Avhat may seem a mass 
 of dotted gelatine, do take a little of it, and casting 
 it into a basin of water, and placing some Avhite paper 
 under it, bring it out of the water on the paper, if you 
 can, for it is as slippery as an eel ; and if you succeed, 
 you will be surprised that you did not before observe 
 its surpassing beauty. It has spread itself out into 
 numerous branches; each branch is like a string of 
 beads fastened together by almost invisible gelatine; 
 and beautiful as it is to the naked eye, it becomes ex- 
 ceedingly more so under a magnifying glass ; for every 
 bead is of such exquisite workmanship, that you will 
 confess that nothing could form it but the finger of 
 God!
 
 814 EXCURSIONS TO ARR AX. 
 
 After a pretty long walk, we readied Mr. King's 
 at Whiting Bay, in good time for tea, and ^vitli High- 
 land appetites to enjoy it. I found that it had been 
 arranged that I should preach on the green at Silver 
 Bank soon after tea. As there had been short warn- 
 ing, the congregation was not great, but it was com- 
 posed of persons from various quarters — some from 
 Ayi-shire, others from Renfrewshire, and our gentle 
 and amiable hostess and her sister were from London : 
 and then there were the Highlanders, some of whom 
 were very patriarchal in their appearance— persons of 
 known worth and piety, who were seen reclining on 
 -the green sward before the appointed hour, hungering 
 tor the Word, even from a Lowland tongue. We 
 were under that canopy which the Lord stretched 
 forth of old. On the one side was the sea, which 
 from the beginning of time had not ceased to ebb and 
 flow; and though in winter, with its dashing surge, it 
 almost shakes the stable earth, now, under the in- 
 fluence of a gentle summer breeze, it seemed play- 
 fully coquetting amongst the trap dykes, or holding 
 a kind of sotto voce converse with the smooth pebbles 
 on the shore. On the left were the everlasting hills, 
 skirted towards their base with natural copsewood, 
 in Avhich the birds seemed to vie with us in our soncr 
 of praise. In front were Kings-cross-point and the 
 Holy Isle; the one reminding us of a brave king, the 
 deliverer of his country— the other reminding us of 
 a faithful servant of Jesus, honoured in breaking 
 asunder the enslaving chains of Satan, and shedding 
 the beams of Gospel light over the benighted isle.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 315 
 
 There was much to impress us with a sense of the power 
 and wisdom, the goodness and mercy of God ; and 
 also Avith a deep sense of the great responsibiUty 
 and of the fleeting nature of the life of man. " Our 
 fathers, where are they? the prophets, do they live for 
 ever?" King and saint have passed away, and those 
 whom the one led to b<attle, and also those whom the 
 other sought to lead into the ^vay of life. The place 
 that knows us, shall soon know us no more for ever. 
 O may we follow Jesus, that we may be followers of 
 those who through faith and patience are now inherit- 
 ing the promises!
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Walk on the shore at Whiting Bay — AlgBe, &c., found— A day's 
 dredging in Lamlash with Mr. Alder and Major Martin — Shells, 
 &c., dredged — Description of the nests of Lima tenera — Its 
 beautiful appearance — Its mode of swimming — Amphldotus 
 j)urj)ureus — Bolina Hihemica — Great heat of the weather — 
 At Whitehouse — Botanical walk with Rev. Mr. Stevenson — An 
 anecdote — Adders — Leave Arran — List of shells, &c. 
 
 Two lovely days had passed over our heads, and the 
 od of June seemed resolved to be fully as delightful 
 as its predecessors. After morning worship and 
 breakfast we set out for Lamlash, intending, however, 
 to spend some time on the strand at Whiting Bay. 
 We were joined by my sister-in-law and my daughter 
 Isabella, who had been for some days with our friends 
 at Silver Bank, dm-ing which time they had collected 
 some good Algas on the shore — Griffithsia seiacea; 
 jEnteromorjyha clathrata; Helminthocladia virescens; 
 N'ltophyllmn laceratum,; Rhodomenia laciniata; Call- 
 thamnion corymhosimi ; and magnificent specimens of 
 Polysiphonia parasitica. These were found in pools, 
 growing on the purple scirrf on the rock forming the 
 basis of Millepora poli/morpha. We found also a 
 beautiful little Medusa. The external covering was
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 317 
 
 very conical, and clear as crystal, and the body of the 
 little beauty was full of granules of the richest ver- 
 milion colour. It was somewhat injured Avhen 
 found, but a figure of it taken by Margaret was sll0^vn 
 to Mr. Alder, Avho thought that it Avas Tkaumantias 
 pileata of Forbes. Isabella handed me an Alga which 
 she had gathered, and I would have cast it away as 
 something common, in a state approaching to decom- 
 position, had she not asked me to observe how tough 
 it was. I found that it Avas nearly as elastic as India 
 rubber, I sent it to Dr. Dickie, King's College, who 
 has kindly resolved several of my algological doubts, 
 and I learned from him that it belongs to the new 
 genus Micromega, haA'ing the frustules oi Schizonemay 
 but with a continuous frond. 
 
 Among the trap dykes, which are so numerous at 
 Whiting Bay, Ave found an EcMmis, Avhich congre- 
 gates in the pools, but Avhich, I suspect, has not yet 
 been described. I mentioned it on another occasion 
 as a variety oi Echinus lividus, but I noAv suspect that 
 it is different. It resembles in hue and form Echinus 
 miliaris^ but it is of far greater size. Among the 
 same trap dykes David found a fine specimen of 
 Acteon viridis, and as no plants of Codiuni tomento- 
 suin Avere at hand, it Avould appear that the Avoolly 
 filaments of that plant are not its only diet. He 
 caught also a fine little Nudibranch, Avhich Avas quite 
 new to us. On shoAA'ing it to Mr. Alder, he told us 
 that it Avas Triopa clavigera, Avhich Avas so much 
 admired by Miiller, Avho first described it, tliat he 
 begins by saying, " Hoav Avonderfully the gi"eat Creator
 
 318 EXCURSIONS TO ARE AN. 
 
 has adorned this beautiful Httle creature ! " I shall 
 not attempt to describe it, but Ave shall have justice 
 done to it bj-and-by, by the pencil of Mr. Alder or 
 Mr. Hancock. Leaving the shore we sauntered on 
 towards Lamlash. 
 
 Next day, the 4th June, was as sweet and lovely 
 as heart could wish. Major Martin had arrived from 
 Ardrossan, and, as he had a dredge of his own, it 
 was arranged that he should go in a boat by himself, 
 and that we should go in another along with Mr. and 
 Miss Alder. The boats crossed and re-crossed each 
 other in the bay. At first we were very unsuccess- 
 ful. The boatman, that Ave might lose nothing that 
 entered his dredge, had covered it all Avith stout can- 
 A'ass. This Avas Avell intended, but it did not ansAver 
 the purpose, for the canvass being thick retained the 
 water, so that as we moved rapidly along a whirlpool 
 was formed in the dredge, Avhich sAvept out every 
 thing that was scraped up, and Avhen hauled up we 
 had nothing but a bagful of Avater. We tried a small 
 dredge of Mr. Alder's, Avith Avhich aa'c were tolerably 
 successful. Our best haul, to all appearance, con- 
 sisted chiefly of coral {Millepora poly7norpha) of a 
 reddish hue, but intermixed Avith it there were several 
 things of value. On an old Pecten there were several 
 specimens of a pretty little shell, Odostomia pallida; 
 as also of a shell which is a beauty Avhen in a good 
 state, Ci/prina minima. We got also Ceritkium ad- 
 versum {Terehra perversa., Flem.), a rare shell, even 
 in a dead state, but in this case inhabited by the 
 living animal. Trochus tumidtis was not rare, but
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARKAN. 319 
 
 ■\ve fell in with some that were rare — Trochus Mar- 
 tini of Smith — which is found to be T. Millegraniis 
 of Phil, and Pecten Landshurgii of Smith, which 
 turns out to be Pecten striatus fuci of Gmelin. The 
 most interesting, though not the rarest thing we 
 got, was Lima hyans of continental writers, Lima 
 tenera of Turt. I had before this some speci- 
 mens of this pretty bivalve, and I had admired the 
 beauty and elegance of the shell, but hitherto I had 
 been unacquainted with the life and manners of its 
 inhabitant. Mr. and Miss Alder had got it in the 
 same kind of coral at Rothesay, so that when Miss 
 Alder got a cluster of the coral cohering in a mass, 
 she said, " O, here is the Lima's nest ! " and breaking 
 it up the Lima was found snug in the middle of it. 
 The coral nest is curiously constructed, and remark- 
 ably well fitted to be a safe residence for this beauti- 
 ful animal. The fragile shell does not nearly cover 
 the mollusc — the most delicate part of it, a beautiful 
 orange fringe- work, being altogether outside of the shell. 
 Had it no extra protection, the half-exposed animal 
 would be a tempting mouthful — quite a honne-houche 
 to some prowling haddock or whiting ; but He who 
 tempers the wind to the shorn lamb, teaches this little 
 creature, which he has so elegantly fonned, curious 
 arts of self-preservation. It is not contented with 
 hiding itself among the loose coral, for the first rude 
 •wave might lay it naked and bare. It becomes a 
 marine- mason, and builds a house or nest. It chooses 
 to dwell in a coral grotto. But in constructing this 
 grotto, it shows that it is not only a mason, but a
 
 320 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 rope-spinner, and a tapestry- wearer, and a plasterer. 
 Were it merely a mason it would be no easy matter to 
 cause the polymorphous cord to cohere. Cordage, then, 
 is necessary to bind together the angular fragments of 
 the coral, and this cordage it spins; but it spins it as 
 one of the secrets of the deep. Somehow or another, 
 though it has no hands, it contrives to intertwine this 
 yarn which it has formed among the numerous bits 
 of coral so as firmly to bind a handful of it together. 
 Externally, this habitation is rough, and therefore 
 better fitted to elude or to ward off enemies ; but 
 though rough externally, within all is smooth and 
 lubricous, for the fine yarn is Avoven into a lining of 
 tapestry, and the interstices are filled up with fine 
 slime, so that it is smooth as plaster- work, not un- 
 like the patent Intonaco of my excellent, ingenious 
 friend, Mrs. Marshall. Not being intended, however, 
 like her valuable composition, to keep out damp or 
 to bid defiance to fire, while the intertwining cordage 
 keeps the coral walls together, the fine tapestry mixed 
 with smooth and moist plaster, hides all asperities, so 
 that there is nothing to injure the delicate append- 
 ages of the enclosed animal. Tapestry, as a covering 
 for walls, was once the proud and costly ornament of 
 regal apartments ; but ancient though the art was, 
 I shall answer for it that our little marine artisan 
 took no hint fi-om the Gobelins, nor from the work- 
 men of Arras, nor from those of Athens, nor even 
 from the earliest Taplssiers of the East. I doubt not, 
 that from the time Noah's Ark rested on the moun- 
 tain of Ararat, the forefathers of these beautiful little
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AURAN. 321 
 
 Limas liave been constructing their coral cottages, 
 and lining them with Avell-wrought tapestry in the 
 peaceful Bay of Lamlash. 
 
 When the Lima is taken out of its nest, and put 
 into a jar of sea-water, it is one of the most beautiful 
 marine animals you can look upon. The shell is 
 beautiful; the body of the animal within the shell is 
 beautiful; and the orange fringe-work outside of the 
 shell is highly ornamental. Instead of being slug- 
 gish, it swims about with great vigour. Its mode of 
 swimming is the same as that of the scallop. It 
 opens its valves, and suddenly shutting them, expels 
 the water, so that it is impelled onwards or upwards ; 
 and when the impulse thus given is spent, it repeats 
 the operation, and thus moves on by a succession of 
 jumps. AVhcn moving through the water in tliis 
 way, the reddish fringe-work is like the tail of a 
 fiery comet. The filaments of the fringe are probably 
 useful in catching its prey. They are very easily 
 broken oflF, and it is remarkable that they seem to 
 live for many hours after they are detached from the 
 body, twisting themselves like so many w^orms. 
 
 How prone are we to forget the Creator, even when 
 we are speaking of his Avondrous works ! — to'rob Him 
 of his glory, and to take to ourselves the praise ! How 
 ready are we to sacrifice to our own net, and to burn 
 incense to our own drag ! " Is not this great Baby- 
 lon, that / have built for the house of the kingdom, 
 by the might of my power, and for the honour of my 
 majesty?" How apt are we, in admiring the skill 
 and operative dexterity of the inferior animals, to
 
 222 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 admire them without adoring Him who teaches them 
 instinctively to perform what calls forth our wonder- 
 ing admiration ! 
 
 On comparing notes, we found that Major Martin 
 had heen still more successful, for he had more 
 active boatmen and a better dredge. He had got 
 three specimens of SpataTigus purpureus^ the purple 
 sea-urchin, which is rare; and, as usual, there were 
 some of the pretty little Montacuta suhstriata lodging 
 among their spines. He got also Pleurotoma Boothii., 
 first dredged by Mr. Smith and Professor Forbes, in 
 this bay. He got also Pecten ohsoletus; Pecten fuci 
 {Landshurgn of Smith) ; a large nondescript Nucula ; 
 Comatula rosacea; and a nearly entire specimen of 
 Ziuidia fragilissima. 
 
 I had almost forgot to mention that we saw some 
 pretty little Mediisce and some fine £eroes ; but they 
 almost all escaped, as we had no net for catching 
 them. One Beroe passed us nearly as large as a 
 lemon. One or two of smaller size Avere caught. Mr. 
 Alder took a drawing of one of them, and on com- 
 paring it with Bolina H'lbermca., so well described 
 by JMr. Paterson of Belfast, who first found it in Ire- 
 land, I was glad to find that we had fallen in with 
 this beautiful creature among the Scottish Isles.* It 
 differs from any of the Beroe tribe I had seen before, 
 in having in the upper part ear-like ciliated projec- 
 tions, Avhich give it great elegance of appearance. 
 Along the edge of the upper convolutions there was 
 a dark hair-like line, but whether immersed in the 
 * See the figure of Bolina Hihernica, p. 326".
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 323 
 
 substance of the body, or whether free and capable of 
 being extended, from the imperfect state of the ani- 
 mal, we could not determine. The likelihood is, 
 that it is not free, as Mr. Paterson does not mention 
 it. This was quite a day for Beroes — quite suited 
 to their fragile frame, the sea being smooth as glass. 
 To us, who enjoyed a slight artificial current from 
 the motion of the boat, the day was delightfril. I am 
 fond of warm, sunny weather, and I found nctt the 
 heat too much; but in many places ashore the heat 
 was broiling. In Ayrshire, the mercury at mid-day 
 stood at 84 degrees in the shade. At Whitehouse, 
 Lamlash, it Avas at 80 degrees; and Mr, Paterson told 
 me, that the evening before, at seven o'clock, it Avas at 
 76 degrees. I called in the evening; and sauntering 
 on such an evening Avith the Avorthy family among 
 their tasteful parterres, Avhere many of the floAvers 
 are tender exotics, a person is apt to suspect that 
 somehoAv or other he has Avandered into a tropical 
 clime; but, after all, he is Avell pleased to find that he 
 is among Highland hills, and leal, kind Scottish hearts. 
 On returning to our lodgings I had the pleasure of 
 finding that my excellent friend, the Rev. Mr. Steven- 
 son, from Ayr, had come to spend a day Avith us. 
 He came for a botanical ramble. If his clerical 
 engagements left him any leisure, he AA'ould wish to 
 recover and to increase the knoAvlcdge he acquired in 
 early life in this department of science, Avhen spend- 
 incf a summer in the Isle of Mull. Before avc re • 
 turned from our boating excursion he had made a 
 considerable collection of plants in the neighbourhood
 
 324 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 of Lamlasli. It was proposed that next day, after he 
 had dredged with us for some time, we should set 
 him ashore to hotanize for an hour or two in the 
 sohtudes of the Holy Isle. But when next day came 
 it put an interdict on that plan, as it was too breezy 
 for dredging. "We set out then in search of land 
 plants, directing our steps to Penlester-bum, and 
 to Ross-hill. We found nothing that was new to 
 me, as I had often trodden the ground before; and 
 we failed in finding some plants that I Icne^v were 
 once abundant in that locality. I searched in vain 
 for a fine reddish variety of Viola canina, which I 
 had cultivated for years in the manse garden. Nor 
 could I find Drosera Anr/lica, and P'mguicula Lusi- 
 tanica, Avhich, many years ago, I had gathered on 
 the moist acclivity of Ross-hill. I Avas glad, however, 
 that several of the Highland plants were new to Mr. 
 Stevenson, who greatly enjoyed the excursion. He 
 has so A^ide a field of labour before him at home, and 
 he is so willing to spend and be spent in his Master's 
 service, that his friends are at times afraid of his 
 being worn out. In seeing this faithful labourer in 
 the vineyard snatching with delight a few hours of 
 healthful recreation, I remembered the kind and con- 
 siderate command of Christ to his disciples, recorded 
 by Mark : " And the apostles gathered themselves 
 together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both 
 what they had done, and what they had taught. And 
 he said vmto them. Come ye yourselves apart into a 
 desert place, and rest a while: for there were many 
 coming and going, and they had no leisure so much
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAX. 325 
 
 as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by 
 ship privately." It is of importance to remember 
 that Jesus was of the party ; and if we Avish our rest 
 and recreation to be innocent and salutary, let us 
 make a point of having CJhrist, though unseen, along 
 with us. I must confess that I also remembered a 
 ludicrous anecdote told me by a respectable old lady, 
 which shows how differently actions may be viewed, 
 according to the opinion Ave entertain of the persons 
 by whom they are performed. When the late worthy 
 Mr. Bonar, minister of Cramond, was a young man, 
 he resided some time in the west, and was greatly 
 respected and beloved. In a country place, not far 
 from Paisley, a person observing a gentleman, with 
 some ladies, ascending an adjoining hill, said to a 
 woman whom he met, " Who is that going up the 
 hill?" " It is the minister," was the response; "and 
 it's just like him, idle, light-headed gomeril, flirting 
 about and speeling hills wi' a set o' glaikit hizzies." 
 " That's no your minister," said another person who 
 was passing — "that's ^Ir Bonar." "Mr Bonar!" 
 said she; is't him, honest man? Oh, I'm extraordinar 
 glad to see him get ony wee amusement ; he's weel 
 worthy o't, honest man ; he's wearing himself out wi' 
 constant study and sae muckle preaching." 
 
 In searching for flowers near the base of Ross-hill, 
 we were more than once reminded of Virgil's words, 
 " Latet ancju'u in Jwrha" for we saw two adders; but 
 they hid thomselvos among the heather with all pos- 
 sible speed. The adders are surely becoming less 
 numerous in Arran, for those were the only speci-
 
 326 
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 mens I saw during these hot days, in which they are 
 so disposed to bask in the sun. 
 
 But our time was out. Farewell then, to Beroes, 
 and Medusae, and gaping Limce, and fragrant flowers, 
 and stinging serpents — farewell a while. It is just 
 a twelvemonth, bating a Aveek, since I spent the same 
 number of days in Arran before, and if these visits 
 are few, and brief, and far between, they have yielded 
 us great enjoyment, and this has been not a little in- 
 creased by the delightful weather with which we were 
 favoured. We left Mr. Alder and Major Martin in 
 An-an ; and the folloAving list was kindly furnished 
 by Mr. Alder, containing the mollusca that were got 
 by us all.* 
 
 * See Appendix.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Revisit Arran along with the Rev. Dr. Brown and William 
 Buchanan, Esq.— Dredging with Major Martin — Rarities found 
 — Rare Algae — Examined and admired by our party at home — 
 Fry of Sucker- fish described —Cheerful, religious companions 
 enhance the pleasure of an excursion — " Church in the Inn " 
 — Rich shelly sand. 
 
 I THOUGHT, when I left Lamlash in the hegnining of 
 June, that I had taken farewell of Arran for that 
 season. In the middle of July, however, when a 
 husy time Avas over, I Avas much gratified, when Mr. 
 William Buchanan of GlasgOAv, having made arrange- 
 ments to take his worthy and much-loved minister, 
 the Rev. Dr. Thomas BroA\ii of St. John's, Ghisgow, 
 to Arran, for the benefit of his health, kindly asked me 
 to accompany them. Mr. Buchanan is well knoAvii 
 for his great worth of character, and more particularly 
 for his gi'eat kindness and active benevolence; and 
 who is there in Scotland to whom Dr. BroA\n is not 
 favourably knoAATi by report? and to Avhom can he be 
 personally known Avithout being gi-eatly beloved and 
 esteemed? IIoav many are there Avho Avould have 
 gladly embraced the iuAdtation that AA'as given me!
 
 328 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 The party was rendered more lively and agreeable 
 by the addition of two amiable and intelligent young 
 gentlemen, Mr. Buchanan's sons ; and latterly, of two 
 no less intelligent and amiable young ladies — his 
 daughter and niece. Mr. Buchanan loves his minis- 
 ter with filial affection, and we were all animated 
 ■ttith the desire that, through God's blessing, the little 
 excursion might contribute to the restoration of the 
 worthy Doctor's health. 
 
 After a fine sail, we reached Arran early in the 
 forenoon, and the remainder of the day was very 
 pleasantly spent by us — some walking, some driving, 
 some dredging. Next day was lovely — quite a 
 day for our enjoying Arran — quite suited for an in- 
 valid, like our dear friend, avIio had a nice drive with 
 his attached friend Mr. Buchanan — quite suited for 
 the young gentlemen to ascend Goatfell — and as 
 well suited for myself, Avho had arranged to meet 
 Major ]\Iartin, for some hours' dredging in Lamlash 
 Bay. I went in the Ardrossan steamer from Bro- 
 dick, and found the Major in a fishing-boat, as I ex- 
 pected, at the mouth of the loch. When his boat 
 came alongside of the steamer, I am sure that many 
 of the passengers would wonder what the gentleman 
 was about. He had already had a good haul; the 
 contents Avere spread on a table before him, and he 
 seemed seated at a repast. It was the feast of shells, 
 and some might imagine that he was looking for 
 oysters, among the mass of coral (^Millej)ora poly- 
 morjyhd) spread out before him. I was soon in the 
 boat beside him, seated at the board, to share in the
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 329 
 
 feast. The steamer proceeded on her Avay to the har- 
 bour; and we shot our dredge for a fresli haul. 
 What, however, was a feast to those engaged in it, 
 may soon pall on the appetite of those who only read 
 of it. I shall not, then, trouble my readers with any 
 lengthened account of our operations. Some of the 
 rarer things that we got may be mentioned. "We got 
 several specimeiis of Amphidotus roseiis in a live state. 
 It seems to delight in deep water, whereas we dredged 
 not one example of Amphidotus corddtus, so common 
 in the sand in shallow water. We got many frag- 
 ments of what seemed a large Echinus, Avhich we 
 conjectured might be Spatangus purpureus, as we 
 afterwards found it was. Several live specimens of 
 Echinocymus occurred, as also of Asterina gihhosay 
 Solaster papposa, Goniaster Templeioni, Crihella rosea, 
 Uraster (/lacialis, Luidiafragilissima, Ophiura alhida, 
 Comattda rosacea, &c. The rarest mollusc we got 
 was Trichotropis borealis in a live state. It is a spiral 
 shell with a curious hispid epidermis. This was 
 quite new to us. We got valves of a large non- 
 descript Nucula, and living specimens of Nucula 
 margaritacea ; also a few examples of Corhula striata, 
 young; — some fine examples of Lirrta tenera, and 
 a few of Lima fragilis, and one example of Bulla 
 ci/lindraca, and not a few of Kellia suhorhiciilata. 
 The only rare Alga we at the time observed, was 
 Bonnemaisonki asparngoides. I found afterwards that 
 I had got one that was new to Scotland, without 
 knowing that I had got a rarity. Nearly two months 
 after, I was favoured with a letter from Dr. W. II.
 
 330 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 Harrey, Trinity College, Dublin, enclosing a speci- 
 men of Peyssonelia Duhyi, a very interesting plant 
 Avliich lie liad dredged in the west of Ireland, and 
 asking me to look out for it next time I dredged. 
 Next day I happened to he out for some hours with 
 Major Martin in Cumbrae, near Milport, and I had the 
 pleasure of getting, encrusting an old shell, what 
 seemed to me like the Pe^ssonelia, only that it was 
 olive-coloured instead of reddish. In overhauling my 
 Lamlash shells, I observed one little patch which had 
 both the colour and the striations of the Pei/ssonelia. 
 I sent them both to him, and I had the pleasure of 
 hearing from him to-day, that the Lamlash Alga is 
 the veritable Peyssonelia in a young state. I was 
 well pleased, however, to hear that the Cumbrian was 
 not Peyssonelia but " Padina parvulu (Grev.), an 
 equally interesting species," a rare Alga not before 
 observed in Scotland. Our two active boatmen en- 
 joyed the sport, and seemed very anxious that we 
 should make discoveries. The winged hours passed 
 quickly by. The steamer, punctual to her hour, ap- 
 proached us, when I was taken aboard, and landed 
 at Brodick in good time for dinner. 
 
 I brought some of the live captures along with me, 
 which greatly interested our assembled party. We 
 got a basin filled with sea-water, and placed in it the 
 living contents of my vasculum, that Ave might see 
 some of their evolutions before we restored them to 
 the sea. The Echinus sphcera (sea-urchin) immedi- 
 ately gave symptoms of life by sending forth from 
 amongst its prickles hundreds of suckers, which it
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 331 
 
 could lengthen at will ; every one of them having a 
 terminal disc of adhesion, by which it could lay hold 
 of the side of the basin, and draw itself up, or along, 
 so that, aided by its prickles it coidd walk slowly, as 
 it does, on the rocks in search of food. A Spatangus 
 C»;ea-egg) also was soon at work. The bristles with 
 which it is covered are underneath like little spades 
 and shovels, for burying itself under the sand ; but 
 alas ! they were found rather at fault, as they could 
 make no impression on the hard basin. A scallop 
 (^Pecten operculatns) treated us occasionally with a 
 few of its rapid zig-zag movements. A pretty Lima 
 tenera, not to be behind its neighbours, bounced 
 about very gracefully. A beautiful Goniaster Teni- 
 pletoni (Templeton's sea-star), fi-om any symptoms 
 of life exhibited by his scarlet covering, might have 
 been thought dead or dormant ; but by his slipping 
 slowly along we saw that the numerous spines under- 
 neath were at work. I bear him a grudge. The 
 rarest shell that I had was put into the same basin, 
 that I might see the mollusc that inhabited it. Next 
 morning it was amissing, and could nowhere be 
 found. It may have made its way out of the basin ; 
 but it afterwards occurred to" me that the star-fish 
 may have gobbled it up, in the same way as I had 
 seen one of the same species devour a periAvinkle. 
 This was an after-thought. Had I thought of it at 
 the time I would have instituted a search for stolen 
 goods. 
 
 There was one thing which we all admired, though 
 at first when I saw it in the boat, I could not con-
 
 332 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 celve what it was ; nor was it till it had appeared in 
 all its phases, that I discovered what it was in reality. 
 On opening a scallop, I ohserved one of the valves 
 lined with what seemed Cellepora pumicosa, a zoo- 
 ph3'te ; but it was gelatinous, so that I concluded 
 that it might be some kind of" spawn. On opening 
 another scallop, I found that the white dots or cells 
 had become blackish-blue. On opening a third, I 
 found that the generality of the dots, instead of ad- 
 hering to the shell, were disengaged, and were swim- 
 ming in a little water in the concave valve, like a 
 number of sparkling diamonds. On applying a 
 magnifying glass I found that I had got a shoal of 
 little fish, and that their sparkling eyes were the 
 diamonds. I saw, moreover, that round the edge of 
 the patch many of the dots were still adhering; and 
 that round the head and eyes, which were prominent 
 in the centre, the body of the little fish was wrapped, 
 pretty much in the manner in which the cook sends up 
 'svhitings to table, with their tail in their mouth, very 
 much, I am sure, against the will of the whitings, if they 
 had had anything to say in the matter; but a most easy 
 and elegant position for these nascent gelatinous fish. 
 It was in the disengaged state, however, that they chiefly 
 excited our admiration. By the aid of the lens Ave 
 saw that the two eyes were the sparkling diamonds ; 
 that the body, which consisted of transparent gelatine 
 filled with grey granules, dwindled away towards the 
 tail, so that each little fairy fish of half an inch in 
 length resembled a pair of tiny scissors. Prosecuting 
 the investigation, I found them half-grown, and at
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 333 
 
 last full-grown, so that I had the satisfaction of as- 
 certainine: that the little beauties we had so much 
 admired were the fry of Lep'idogaster himacvlatus^ the 
 little two-spotted sucker-fish. How wonderfully the 
 Lord teaches the feeblest of his creatures to provide 
 for their own safety and that of their offspring ! What 
 a charming nursery this little sucker-fish selects for 
 itself ! It is rather nice in its choice. It is not an 
 old, weather-beaten scallop that it takes possession of, 
 but one that is fresh without, and smooth and pure 
 within. After it has entered, it certainly has some 
 way of gluing the valves together, for it is not with- 
 out difficulty that they can be torn asunder. Neither 
 is it imprisoned thougli the apartment is thus shut 
 against intruders; for closely as the valves cohere, 
 there are some little apertures about the ears of the 
 shell through which it can make its exit with its 
 numerous family, or by Avhich such little creatures 
 as they feed on may, in their simplicity, enter. The 
 good pastor and his worthy elder were much delighted 
 with this beautiful manifestation of the great kindness 
 of God towards these embryo fishes. 
 
 When a person who has any religion, wishes greatly 
 to enjoy a pleasure excursion, let him try to join a 
 party who are not only religious, but more so than 
 himself. More than once have I felt the benefit of 
 doing so. I shall never forget the pleasure I expe- 
 rienced in a delightful little excursion, commencing at 
 Dumbarton and extending to I.ochlomond, Lochgoil- 
 head, and the finest scenery in that direction, along with 
 two of my Scottish clerical friends, and two interesting
 
 334 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 young Prussian divines, M. Gimbert and M. Wester- 
 mere, at that time travelling in this country for religious 
 and ecclesiastical information. We were all rather 
 young and active pedestrians, and we must have been 
 very blind, or very phlegmatic, if, in the fine weather 
 we had, we could have traversed some of the finest 
 scenery in the world without admiration. But the 
 pleasure was of a much more elevated kind, in conse- 
 quence of the devotional spirit we were enabled to 
 maintain, which led us to feel that it Avas our Father's 
 works that we were admiring — even that God who 
 had proved himself our heavenly, reconciled Father, 
 by the mispeakable gift of his Son. 
 
 I think we felt this to be the case, also, on the 
 present occasion. We all had a lively relish for the 
 beauties of nature, but this was greatly increased by 
 our morning and evening devotions, especially when 
 guided by our heavenly-minded friend. Dr. Brown. 
 Pie is well-known to be eminently a man of prayer, 
 and it was delightful to hear him pouring out the 
 effusions of his warm and pious heart, blessing the 
 Lord for the wonders of divine mercy and grace; for 
 the atoning love of Jesus ; for the hopes of heaven, 
 Avhich, through faith in Christ, we are permitted to 
 cherish; and then raising his thanksgivings for all 
 our social enjoyments; and for the happiness we had 
 been experiencing in admiring some of the fairest 
 portions of this earth which he created ; and in con- 
 templating the wonderful goodness, and wisdom, and 
 power, manifested in the Avorks of his hands. 
 
 We have heard of " the Church in the army," and
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 335 
 
 " the Church in the navy," and glad are ^ve to liear 
 of them; but here we had the Church in the inn. 
 We were tabernacling in the inn at Brodick; but 
 though it was the busiest time of the season, and the 
 inn, I believe, generally full, we often said, " How 
 quiet we are ! " There was no noisy bustle — no roar 
 of riot; but everything seemed nearly as quiet as in 
 our own habitations. Not only our own party as- 
 sembled for morning and evening worship, but there 
 generally met with us portions of two other families, 
 temporary residents like ourselves in the inn. Though 
 not of the same denomination, they were, I believe, 
 as I trust we also were, of the Church of Christ. 
 They all knew Dr. Brown's worth, and knew their 
 duty, and evidently valued the privilege. 
 
 All pursue happiness; but all seek it not in the 
 same way. " Dum vivimus vivamus," said many of 
 old. Alas ! for Horace, who, knowing the rapid flight 
 of time, could advise to spend it in drinking, or in 
 preparing wine for others, saying, 
 
 " Sapias, Vina liques,'''' " Dumloqmmur,fugeritinvida 
 
 jEtas. Carpe diem, quam minirj^um credula lyostero.^'' 
 
 " Let us crown ourselves with rose-buds before they 
 be withered," said the voluptuaries of old; " let no 
 flower of the spring pass by uncropped ;" let us make 
 the best of this fleeting life; " let us eat and drink, 
 for to-morrow we die." Even on the ground of the 
 highest enjoyment of life, let its " live by the faith of 
 the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for 
 us." How much do the following beautiful lines of
 
 336 EXCURSIONS TO ARBAN. 
 
 the pious Doddridge commend themselves to the taste 
 and sound j udgment of the believer ! 
 
 (" Dumvivimus vivamus.''^) 
 
 " Live Avhile you live," the Epicure would say, 
 " And seize the pleasures of the passing day." 
 " Live while you live," the sacred preacher cries, 
 " And give to God each moment as it flies." 
 Lord, in my life let both united be — • 
 I live in pleasure when I live to Thee ! — 
 
 " Carpe diem" says Horace. It is a nohle advice, 
 if" rightly acted on. I am tempted to insert the fol- 
 lowing lines, for which I have a liking, chiefly, I sup- 
 pose, because 1 heard them often sung by a dear young 
 group, now in part scattered over the face of the 
 
 earth : — 
 
 The taper burns — the moments pass. 
 The gliding sand slips through the glass; 
 And soon the rapid stream, alas ! 
 Of life shall cease to flow. 
 
 The taper burns — its flame is bright; 
 O waste not, then, the joyful light ; 
 For quickly comes the dark, dark night, 
 Our shortening day to close. 
 
 The taper burns — Time * hastes away; 
 Her forelock grasp — she will not stay; 
 Nor angel's wing overtake her may 
 One hairbreadth even gone by. 
 
 Prize life's fleet moments, 
 F'ast the wasting taper burns; 
 Prize — the flying moment prize ; 
 
 It flies : — and ne'er returns. D. L. 
 
 * Time made feminine, because Horace, where he says, " carpe 
 diem,'''' speaks of the flight of " invida ^tas.'"'
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN, 337 
 
 We have wandered far from the business in which 
 we were engaged — namelj', examining the contents 
 of my vasculum, transferred to a basin of sea- 
 water. We had found a shoal of miniature fishes 
 ensconced within the valves of a scallop; and so 
 very minute were they, that they found " ample 
 scope and verge enough " in the sea which the con- 
 cavity of a valve contained. On examining the other 
 shells, Mr. Buchanan found an old Venus dccussata 
 which had not been opened, and the opening of it 
 taught me a lesson which I wish I had learned 
 earlier in the day, for several shells of the same kind 
 had been cast overboard, because they were old and 
 weather-beaten. When this one was with some diffi- 
 culty opened, we found that it contained what seemed 
 a cluster of pearls. It was a nest of the beautiful little 
 mollusc KelUa suhorbkulata. Here, again, we found 
 another little creature instinctively taught by Him 
 who formed it, to seek protection from the buffeting 
 of the billows. Its own beautiful habitation is ex- 
 ceedingly fragile, but not so the stout bivalve, in 
 which we found a colony of young and old, from a 
 line to half an inch in breadth. Let not the dredger 
 allow a single old shell to pass through his hands 
 without strict scrutiny, for we afterwards found some 
 of the rarest shells in these unsuspected, but secure 
 lurking-places. 
 
 I may here mention that, remembering how much 
 the shelly sand had been prized which I got in Lamlash 
 Bay two years ago, when I was along with ]\Ir. Smith 
 of Jordanhill, I was very desirous of getthig some 
 
 Y
 
 338 EXCURSIONS TO ARUAN. 
 
 more of it on this occasion, when I was along with 
 Major Martin. Many a time the dredge came up 
 without any of it, but when any appeared, I depo- 
 sited it in a bag, which I brought home with me, 
 expecting that it would yield some rarities. Nor have 
 I been disappointed. I have not had time to examine 
 above a handful of it myself, but even in that small 
 quantity I got several very rare shells, and two or 
 three that were quite imknowTi to me. I sent small 
 bagfuls of it to Mr. Alder, Newcastle; Mr. Bean, 
 Scarborough; and Mr. Thomas Gray, Glasgow; and 
 these gentlemen concur in saying that in minute shells, 
 especially foramenifera, it is exceedingly rich. Mr. 
 Bean says, that in these little shells it is beyond com- 
 parison the richest he has ever examined. They all 
 say that they have got shells in it new to them. A 
 very distinguished conchologist wrote to me this sum- 
 mer, that a friend had given him a specimen or two 
 oi Lagenula striata^ a shell which he had never found 
 in all the sand he had examined. I must send him 
 a handful of the Lamlash sand, for Mr. Bean heads 
 his list of shells found in it with — " Lagenula striata, 
 six hundred specimens! ! !"* 
 
 * See Mr. Bean's list in the Appendix.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Go to see the capercaillies — Description of these interesting 
 birds — Visit Brodick Castle— Some account of it — Visit Glen 
 Sannox — The Barytes Mill— The wildness of the Glen — Ac- 
 count of a Prayer-meeting at Brodick — Conclusion. 
 
 Two of our numbered Arran days had passed away. 
 On the forenoon of the thh-d, we went to the game- 
 keeper's, above the castle, to see the collection of 
 Tetrao urogallus^ the capercaillie or cock of the Avood, 
 which the Marquis of Douglas and Clydesdale is en- 
 deavouring to restore to Arran, where it was once 
 common, as in all the wooded districts of Scotland. 
 There is something interesting in the history of these 
 beautiful birds, as being once natives, and gradually 
 extirpated, somewhat in the way that the human abo- 
 rigines in many countries have been rooted out. So 
 long as the woods flourished, they could bid defiance 
 in so far to the cruel arts of man; but when the 
 woods were cut doAvn, or perished through neglect, 
 the poor capercaillies, being at once deprived of food 
 and shelter, either died of hunger, or fell by the arrow 
 or the gun of the sportsman. We learn that they 
 continued in the woods in Strathspey till 174.'>, a
 
 o40 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 menioraWe year in Scotland, and that tliey were seen 
 in the woods of Strathglass in 1760. They were not 
 long extinct ; for early in the present century attempts 
 were made to restore them to Scotland from the Nor- 
 wegian forests, where they still abound. The attempt, 
 I understand, has been pretty successful in the north 
 of Scotland, Avhere there are extensive forests ; but in 
 Arran we cannot, I fear, for many years to come, hope 
 to see them otherwise than as interesting prisoners ; 
 for, Avhen liberty is gi-ven them, there is not at 
 present sufficient extent of Avood to afiFord them the 
 necessary protection and nourishment. Everything, 
 however, is done to render them comfortable in their 
 state of imprisonment. They are in the open air, 
 in a portion of the fir plantation, enclosed with long 
 stakes, and over- arched with spars; thus forming 
 an aviary suited to the size and tastes of the occu-- 
 pants. When Mr. Croll took us into their enclosure, 
 they had been aware of our approach, and had con- 
 cealed themselves in the thickest and remotest part of 
 it, from which they made their escape as soon as we 
 drew near. By following them from place to place, 
 in spite of their shyness, we got a "t^ery good view of 
 them. They are beautiful fowls. A full-grown one 
 is nearly three feet in length, and when the wings are 
 expanded, almost four feet in breadth, weighing from 
 ten to fifteen pounds. The bill is very strong, and of 
 a light colour. Over each eye there is a naked skin 
 of bright red, becoming a brighter scarlet at the pair- 
 ing season. The feathers on the head and throat are 
 darker than those on the body, ha\"ing, as well as the
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 341 
 
 back and ^vings, elegant transverse dark markings. 
 The breast is black, with a tinge of glossy green. "We 
 are now speaking of the cock ; for the hen is consider- 
 ably smaller, and of a much lighter colour, so that a 
 person seeing her for the first time, would take her 
 for a bird of a different species. They w'ere moulting 
 when we saw them, so that they did not appear to 
 advantage. When they are in good health and spi- 
 rits, the cock displays a variety of attitudes, erecting 
 his feathers on his head, swelling his neck, elevating 
 his tail, trailing his wings, and marching about some- 
 what like the tui'key-cock, though with more of true 
 stateliness, and less of mock-majesty. They are daily 
 fed with oats, and barley, and Indian corn; and a 
 supply of fir branches is given them every morning. 
 This is their favourite food in a wild state ; and we 
 saw that they had completely stripped the branches 
 which a feAV hours before had been cast in to them. 
 
 From the capcrcaillie a^^ary we proceeded to the cas- 
 tle, through which we were conducted with groat civi- 
 lity by the person who had the chief superintendence. 
 Many workmen w'ere still employed in and ai'ound 
 it, bringing to a close the additions and repairs which 
 for a considerable time have been in progress. Even in 
 this unfinished state, I was much more pleased with 
 the castle than I expected. The front view of it from 
 the bay is not the best. I would have liked some- 
 thing at the north end to correspond with the new 
 tower at the south end — not a similar tower, to produce 
 perfect uniformity, but something elevated, to pre- 
 serve the balance of power. It is only in the front
 
 342 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 yiew, however, of it that this want is felt. When seen 
 from any other point of view, it has a very fine effect. 
 On this occasion we approached it from the north, 
 and came on the remains of a tower, which I would 
 have been sorry to see swept away, as it had been 
 erected by Oliver Cromwell. I am glad of the in- 
 creasing respect for the memory of Old Noll. Had all 
 our princes had as pious hearts, and all our statesmen 
 as much British pluck, as the much-maligned Pro- 
 tector, our Protestantism would have worn a nobler 
 aspect; and the horns of the "beast," instead of being 
 proudly protruded, as of late, would have been cau- 
 tiously retracted, like the slimy horns of the cowardly 
 snail. Cromwell's old tower is preserved, and this 
 more than reconciles me to any want in the balance 
 of power in the front view of the edifice. I shall not 
 attempt to give a description of the castle, either in- 
 ternally or externally. I may, however, say, that on 
 ascending one flight of stairs, there is now a very fine 
 suite of apartments — especially dra^ving-room, dining- 
 room, and an intervening room as a library, which, I 
 was glad to learn, was soon to be well stored with 
 books, and adorned also, I hope, with some of those 
 paintings by the great masters, in which the noble 
 family of Plamilton is so rich. We were greatly 
 pleased with the grandeur of the ornamented ceilings 
 of these apartments, in which there were many shields, 
 with the armorial bearings of the various branches of 
 the family. We were told that they were to be gilded. 
 This will be splendid ; but I question whether it will 
 be more to my taste. There is a chaste and simple
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 343 
 
 elegance in the pure white. However, the work is 
 only in progress; and there is a well-known Scotch 
 proverb, that '■'■fides and gentles" should not be shown 
 half-finished work, and as, in the circumstances, there 
 is nothing very complimentary in being included in 
 either of these classes, I shall attempt to escape with 
 the cautious remark, that much may be said on both 
 sides. The newly erected tower is at the south end 
 of the castle, where the principal entrance and en- 
 trance-hall are noAv to be. The staircase, which leads 
 from the entrance-hall to the upper apartments, is 
 enriched with a magnificent oaken balustrade. The 
 situation of the castle Ts very commanding; and when 
 the grounds are dressed up; the new approach from 
 the south opened; the garden re-modelled, under the 
 fine taste of the Marchioness of Douglas — stocked 
 with the finest fruit, and wth a first-rate collection of 
 rare and beautiful flowers, in -which I have been told 
 she delights — there \\\\\ be in this princely residence 
 almost ever^'thing that this world can give to promote 
 happiness : and when the earth saith. It is not in me ; 
 and the sea saith. It is not in me, may its noble inmates 
 have, not only " the fatness of the earth, and plenty 
 of corn and wine," but may they also have " the dew 
 of heaven from above," and " the blessing of the 
 Lord, which maketh rich and addeth no sorrow." 
 
 On the fourth and last day of our abode in the 
 island, we proposed visiting Glen Sannox; but though 
 the morning had been fine, a watery cloud disengag- 
 ing itself on a sudden from the top of the mountains, 
 poured down such a torrent, that the jaunt for some
 
 344 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 time was impracticable. After dinner, however, it 
 cleared up, and though it was then late enough, off 
 we set in two cars. As the road has been gone over 
 by us already, I shall not linger on it now. Having 
 reached the mouth of the glen, we alighted and walk- 
 ed to the Barytes Mill. Though the works have been 
 going on here for a number of years, I had never be- 
 fore visited them, and we had considerable pleasure 
 in being showoi through the mill, and of seeing the 
 mode of procedure. The Barytes or terra ponderosa^ 
 as it used to be called, is dug out of the earth on the 
 hill-side, and cast into the mill, where it is ground to 
 powder. In this state, after being violently agitated 
 in vats full of water, the mass is allowed to subside, 
 and the Barytes, being much heavier than the other 
 materials with which it is mixed, sinks to the bottom, 
 Avhexi the upper part of the deposit, which is both 
 lighter and of a darker hue, is separated from it. 
 When this process has been several times repeated, 
 the Barytes alone remains as a pure white powder, in 
 which state it is packed up in barrels ready for the 
 market. It is chiefly employed, we were told, in oil- 
 painting, as a substitute for white-lead. It is much 
 cheaper, and regarded as an inferior article, though 
 in some cases it is preferred, I am told, to white-lead, 
 as it retains its colour better. It is well that this 
 Barytes Mill was not placed in the centre of the glen, 
 as it would thus have destroyed one of its charms — 
 the utter solitude. As the afternoon was far spent, 
 we had to rest satisfied with a view of the glen from 
 this position ; and as the state of the atmosphere after
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARUAN. 345 
 
 the rain was very favourable, we were all much gratified 
 in contemplating the savage grandeur of the scene. 
 
 Among the other pleasures I enjoyed, I must not 
 forget the pleasure of being at a prayer-meeting at 
 Brodick. It was a weekly meeting, which I was 
 glad to find is kept up there during the summer, and 
 which, I doubt not, is found very beneficial. Bro- 
 dick is a place of much resort, and though many who 
 visit it care for none of these things, there are always 
 some who feel their need of spiritual refreshment, and 
 who delight to go to the place where prayer is wont 
 to be made. During the summer months, it scarcely 
 ever happens that there is not a minister on a visit, 
 ready to preside. On the passage across I had been 
 asked by a pious lady to olficiate, and I was glad to 
 find at the place of meeting another minister willing 
 to take a shai-e of the duty, so that he opened with 
 prayer, and I gave the address. From the number 
 and aspect of those who attended, I would hope that 
 there is much good done. The proportion of truly 
 pious persons is greater than at what maybe called can- 
 onical meetings, for as absence is not visited with so 
 much blame, fewer come merely to save appearances, 
 and more come because they are really hungering and 
 thirsting. Of the natives of the island there were pre- 
 sent on this occasion a considerable number of rather 
 aged men, and not a few sedate pious-looking females. 
 And there Avas at least an equal number who evi- 
 dently were strangers. Among those present I ob- 
 served an elderly lady who seemed exceedingly feeble. 
 As she was placed near me, I at the close assisted her
 
 346 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 to her phaeton, and yet I did not, till next day, know- 
 that I had met with her before. She was the widow 
 of a respectable elder in one of our city churches, 
 where I had often officiated. Her worthy and be- 
 loved husband had been taken from her, and so much 
 had she felt the bereavement, that she had nearly sunk 
 under it. She seemed ten years older than when I 
 had seen her little more than six months before, so 
 that I did not know her even when I was conversing 
 with her. She told me, when I visited her next day, 
 that the prayer-meeting had been to her a time of 
 refreshing, as she had never been able to attend 
 chm-ch since her great bereavement. Others present 
 must have had their sorrows and trials, unknoAvn to 
 us, but well kno^^Ti to God; and though the speaker 
 was shooting a bow at a venture, the Spirit could take 
 the word, and bring it home to the heart, causing it to 
 accomplish that whereunto it was sent. 
 
 I must now bring to a close my rambling accoimt 
 of Excursions to Arran. Though I have written as 
 an amatevir naturalist, I have wished to bear in mind 
 that I have a higher vocation. While I have sought, 
 according to my feeble ability, to cherish in others the 
 love of natural science, far more have I wished to 
 cherish in myself and others the love of the God and 
 Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Were naturalists, 
 absorbed in the study of nature, to forget the God of 
 the Bible, they would be more guilty — because amidst 
 Gospel light — than those of old who, instead of wor- 
 shipping the one living and true God, worshipped 
 birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. If
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 347 
 
 we give our heart to the study and admiration of the 
 creatures, more than to the love and worship of their 
 ever-blessed Creator, then are we making these crea- 
 tures our idol-gods; and such idolatry must, in the 
 end, prove our ruin. However amiable we may be, 
 if the great salvation is not first and chiefly sought, 
 we are neglecting this great salvation; and if we 
 neglect the great salvation so dearly bought, and so 
 freely ofi'ered, how can we escape? The brightest 
 cherub could not tell us how to escape; for escape is 
 impossible. We are casting from us the only remedy, 
 and shutting the door against the only Physician, 
 choosing strangling and death rather than life. Not 
 eagerly to lay hold on this salvation, is to neglect and 
 despise it, and, at the same time, to despise God who 
 sent his Son; and Christ, who shed his precious, 
 precious blood, that it might be freely offered to the 
 perishing. " Despisest thou the riches of his good- 
 ness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not know- 
 ing that the goodness of the Lord leadeth thee to 
 repentance? but according to thy hardness and im- 
 penitent heart, treasurest up for thyself wrath against 
 the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous 
 judgment of God?" May none of us deceive ourselves, 
 by imagining that we are religious, and love God, 
 because we delight to contemplate the perishing 
 works of his hand. It is our duty to contemplate 
 these works — they are " wonderful, and sought out of 
 all them that have pleasure therein ;" but if Ave neglect 
 the greatest of all his works, the work of redemption 
 tlirough the blood of his Son, independent of the guilt,
 
 348 EXCURSIONS TO ARRAN. 
 
 we are more foolish than the man who would admire 
 the midnight taper, but would refuse to open his eyes 
 to behold the glory of the " greater light that rules the 
 day." Rejecting Christ, " there is no farther sacrifice 
 for sin, but a certain fearful looking for of wrath, and 
 of fiery indignation, to consume the adversary." 
 
 Pardon, I entreat you, gentle readers, these parting 
 words of admonition. By many they may not be 
 needed : may they be taken in good part by all ! The 
 study of nature may be both pleasant and profitable, if 
 conducted in a right spirit. But the horn- is at hand, 
 both to you and to me, when the most thorough 
 knowledge of all the mysteries of nature would afibrd 
 us neither profit nor pleasure, unless we have learned 
 to know the God of nature as our reconciled God and 
 Father through Jesus Christ. But if we have known 
 him as a God of mercy, through the blood of the ever- 
 lasting covenant, then, though we must pass through 
 the valley of the shadow of death, it is to enter that 
 land where there is neither death, nor sin, nor sorrow; 
 where we shall hunger no more, neither thirst any 
 more, neither shall the sun light on us, nor any heat. 
 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall 
 feed us, and shall lead us to living fountains of water; 
 and God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes! 
 
 " Acquaint thyself with God, if thou would'st taste 
 I His works. Admitted once to his embrace, 
 Thou shalt perceive that thou wast blind before ; 
 Thine eye shall be instructed; and thine heart, 
 Made pure, shall relish, with divine delight 
 Till then unfelt, what hands divine have wrought." 
 
 Cow PER.
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 Though I shall give as full lists as I can of the fauna ami 
 flora of Arran, I am very sure that they all could be 
 greatly enlarged by any naturalist residing for a consider- 
 able time in the island. I shall begin with the list of insects. 
 It is the same as that in the New Statistical Account of 
 the parish of Kilbride ; for I have in my possession the 
 original list, which I procured for that work from my late 
 •lamented friend, Dr. Connel of the High School, Glasgow, 
 who was not only a good entomologist and a distinguished 
 mathematician, but what is better than both, a good, kind, 
 worthy man. My talented friend, the Rev. Dr. MacNaugh- 
 ton, gives me the credit of furnishing some of the lists in his 
 New Statistical Account of the parish of Kilbride, in Arran; 
 and as I have made no list of the Arran birds, I am sure that 
 he will make me welcome to his. It is right that I should 
 acknowledge taking it, lest I should be ranked in the jack- 
 daw tribe. An Arran minister of amiable simpUcity, once 
 said to me, " Do you know Dr. S of S ?" I an- 
 swered in the negative. "He is a strange person," he 
 added ; " I am told that he goes through the Highlands, 
 and borrows manuscript sermons from the ministers, and 
 preaches them at home. He borrowed one from me,
 
 3o0 APPENDIX. 
 
 which he never returned. I heard of his preaching it 
 before the professors and students in the College Chapel, 
 Glasgow;" adding, with great naivete, "it was one of 
 Stillingfleet's !" It is unnecessary to say, that this able 
 sermon-writer was not Dr. MacNaughton. 
 
 Birds. — " Of the land-hirdiS, the most conspicuous and 
 important are the red and black grouse, both of which are 
 very abundant. The ptarmigan is occasionally found near 
 the summits of the granite mountains. Pheasants, which 
 were introduced some years ago, are now numerous, and 
 spreading over the island. Eagles, falcons, hawks of 
 various species, hooded and carrion crows, ravens, owls, 
 magpies, have been diminished in number, by premiums 
 offered for their destruction. The ring-dove, the rock- 
 dove, the cuckoo, the swallow, the martin, the sand-mar- 
 tin, the swift, the missel thrush, the common thrush, the 
 redwing, the fieldfare, the blackbird, the whinchat, the 
 redbreast, the hedge and house sparrow, the yellow-ham- 
 mer, the common bunting, the linnet, the chaffinch, the 
 wagtail (white, grey, and yellow), the wren, are all com- 
 mon. The rarer land-hir^s, are the kestril, the goat- 
 sucker, the ring-ousel, the water-ousel, the wheat-ear, the 
 golden-crested wnren, the goldfinch, and the starling. 
 Among the toaier-birds, those that occur most frequently 
 are the curlew, the water-rail, the wood-cock, the snipe, 
 the lapwing, the green plover, and the ringed plover. The 
 bittern is met with occasionally. Among the wafer-birds 
 that frequent the coast, the following occur : The oyster- 
 catcher, the cormorant, the shag, the solan goose, the wild 
 duck, the teal, the wild goose, the razor-bUl, the puffin, 
 the northern diver, the common gull, the silver gull, the 
 guillemot, and the tern." 
 
 hnects. — The following list of insects was made by the 
 late Dr. Connel ; but it was made in July 1836, the most
 
 APPENDIX. 351 
 
 unfavourable July for the entomologist that had occurred 
 for many years. Dr. Connel was a much-loved and most 
 successful teacher, first in the Academy at Irvine, and after- 
 wards in the High School of Glasgow: in both which places 
 he was much respected. He was a very zealous student, 
 and his book on the Integral and Differential Calculus, 
 is sufficient proof that he was a first-rate mathematician. 
 It might have had a favourable effect on his health if he 
 could more frequently have enjoyed short seasons of re- 
 laxation from private study, and from the faithful and 
 diligent discharge of public duty — spending these brief 
 periods in the country in entomological pursuits, in which 
 at one time he engaged with great ardour, though latterly 
 his severer studies were prosecuted even in the country. 
 By following his entomological pursuits in Arran, he gave 
 some of the people a strange idea of his character. On 
 one occasion, having started a rare butterfly among the 
 hills, he pursued it with insect-net in hand, and getting hot, 
 he threw off his coat and continued the chase, till he had 
 made the wished-for capture. He then returned to pick 
 up his upper garment which he had cast from him, but it 
 was nowhere to be foimd. Looking round in every direc- 
 tion, he at last discovered that some cows that he had 
 passed on the hill-side, had eaten it up stump and rump, 
 except some rags still hanging from their mouth as proof 
 positive against them ; so that he had to wend his way 
 homewards sans coat — thankful, it may be, that it was not 
 also sans culottes, though this would not have been very 
 extraordinary in the Highlands. 
 
 Returning to Arran the succeeding year, on a day that 
 was too cold for entomological pursuits, he engaged in 
 another favourite amusement in one of the numerous 
 trouting streams. Meeting a Highlander, who had been 
 angling, like liimself, the Doctor invited him to partake
 
 352 APPENDIX. 
 
 of some good cheer which he had brought in his pocket. 
 During the repast, the Highlander said to him, " Ye'll no 
 belang to this place?" "No," saidDr. Connel, " I do not." 
 " Yell be frae Ayrshire or Greenock, maybe?" " No," 
 was the reply. " Ye'll be mair to the eastward — frae 
 Edinburgh, or maybe frae Glasgow?" " Yes," said the 
 Doctor, " I generally live in Glasgow." " Its a big town, 
 Glasgow — I hae been ance there mysel'. Ye'll never hae 
 been in this place afore?" " O yes, I have often been in 
 Arran — I spent some time in it last year." " And where 
 are ye staying noo, if ye please?" "I am staying at 
 
 " " I ken the place ; ye'll never hae stayed there 
 
 afore?" " Yes, I stayed there last year also." " Save us! " 
 said he, looking aghast, " ye're no the daft man that was 
 there last year?" " Yes," said the Doctor, laughing, " I 
 am just the daft man." He looked at him with a very 
 suspicious eye ; but as the meat and drink were very good, 
 and very acceptable on so cold a day, he continued to 
 enjoy the repast ; convinced that though the gentleman 
 might be daft, he was neither unkind nor uncannie. 
 
 He is not the only naturalist in the west who has fallen 
 under suspicion of being rather " wrong in the mind." 
 Captain Carmichael of Appin, being often seen by the 
 country people wandering on the shore, and even wading 
 in the sea, taking up handfuls of trashy sea-weeds, and 
 after examining them, casting them back into the sea, or, 
 what was worse, carefully securing them in a tin-box, as 
 if they had been treasures, they came to the conclusion 
 that he was decidedly wrong in the head. However, as 
 he was very kind and peaceful, they regarded him with 
 compassion. A stranger, walking on the shore one day 
 with a person belonging to that neighbourhood, seeing the 
 Captain wading in the sea, with his shoes and stockings 
 in one hand, and some sea- weeds in the other, said to his
 
 APPENDIX. 35^ 
 
 companion, " Who is that?" " 0," replied the other, 
 
 " that is the Captain. Poor man! he is no hiniEel'; he is 
 
 far wrang — very far wrang to-day, poor man; for it is 
 
 full moon ! " 
 
 INSECTS (Lepidoptera). 
 
 Cynthia cardui, Not common. Taken near 
 
 Brodick and King's Cove. 
 Hipparchia llandina, . . . An Arran specimen of this in- 
 sect first announced to ento- 
 mologists that it was a native 
 of tliis country. (And we 
 may add, that soon after this, 
 an entomologist took sixty, 
 and sold them in London for 
 sixty guineas.) It is far from 
 being uncommon in Arran. 
 B polydama, . . Abundant. 
 
 ■ pamphiius, . . . 
 
 II hyperanthus, . . Three specimens, taken at Ben- 
 
 nan-head. 
 
 If janira 
 
 II semele, .... Found chiefly on stones exposed 
 
 to the sun-beams, and shel- 
 tered from the wind. 
 Polyommatus alsus, .... The sea clifFs opposite Kilmorie 
 
 parish church abounded for 
 a few days with this, which 
 is the smallest of British 
 butterflies. 
 II Alexis, .... Abundant everywhere. 
 
 Vanessa ut-ticce, Confined almost exclusively to 
 
 the eastern side of the island. 
 
 Pontia Irassicce, Abundant everywhere, except 
 
 on the west coast and in the 
 centre. 
 
 II rapa, Chiefly around Brodick. 
 
 n nupi, Chiefly around Brodick. 
 
 Melilicea Jiuphrofync, ... On high grounds between 
 
 Broditk and Shisken. 
 
 Argynnis Aglaia, Not uncommon. 
 
 Lycana plikeas, Found at Shildag. 
 
 Arctia caja, Common. 
 
 Cerura viinda, Rare. 
 
 Macroglossa stellatarum, . . A specimen taken near Ben- 
 
 iian-head. 
 Mivoa cJioeropIiyllata, . . . Found at Kilmorie. 
 Anthrocreajilopiendulce, , , Ftire. Found near Eennan 
 
 head. 
 Z
 
 354 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The following were obtained, about ten o'clock, on the 
 ferns and brambles near the sea-coast, between Bennan 
 and Kilmorie. The locahty was visited for a few minutes 
 during five or six evenings, the weather not permitting 
 longer or more frequent visits: — 
 
 Spilosoma menthastri. 
 Hypena proboscidalis. 
 Mamestra brassicse. 
 Hepialus velleda. 
 Rumia crotsegata. 
 Opliiusa lusoria. 
 Leucania pallens. 
 Hepialus humuli. 
 Plusia chrysitis. 
 Episema coei-uleocephala. 
 Leucania impura. 
 Larentia chenopodiata. 
 Harpalyce ocellata. 
 
 Fidonia atomaria. 
 Cabera exanthemata. 
 
 II pusaria. 
 Actebia porhyrea. 
 Xylina putris. 
 Harpalyce fulvata. 
 Margaritia verticalis. 
 Botys forficalis. 
 Anarta myrtilli. 
 Pterophorua punctidactylus. 
 Nemeophila plantaginis. 
 Harpalyce sylvatica. 
 Plusia gamma. 
 
 To the above may be added Hipparchia ligeas the Ar- 
 ran brown butterfly, the rarest of the whole, said to have 
 been taken by the late Sir Patrick Walker near Brodick. 
 
 LIST OF RARER PHENOGAMUS PLANTS FOUND 
 IN ARRAN. 
 
 A Ichemilla alptna, 
 Altkcea officinalis, 
 Anagallis tenella, 
 Agrimonia Eitpatoriuni, 
 Allium ursinum, . 
 A lisma ranunculoides, 
 A nthyUis vulneraria, 
 Arhutus iwa-ursi, . 
 A Vena planiculmis, 
 Bidens cernwa, . . 
 
 n trijjartita, . 
 Brassica Monensis, 
 Cakile maritima, . 
 Carex pauciflora, . 
 Carlina vvAgaris, . 
 Convolvulus soldanella. 
 
 ic sepium, 
 
 Cotyledon umbilicus, 
 Crambe maritima, 
 
 Goatfell, &c. 
 Struey rocks. 
 Common. 
 
 Holy Isle. 
 Goatfell. 
 Near Brodick. 
 Near Lamlash. 
 Near Brodick, &c. 
 Southend. 
 
 Struey rocks. 
 Black- water-foot. 
 In several places. 
 Lamlash, kc. 
 Imacher Port.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 355 
 
 Cuscuta Europcea, 
 Corydalis claciculata, 
 
 Drosera rotundifolia, 
 
 II atujlica, . , 
 
 ir longifolia, 
 Elymiis arenarius, 
 Epipactis ensifolia, . 
 Mahenaria alb Ida, 
 
 II viridis, 
 
 Eupatorium, Cannabiiiuni 
 Fedia dentata, . . 
 Oaleopsis versicolor, . 
 Gnap/ialium dioicum, 
 Gymnadinia cono'psea, 
 Heli'Uillieiniini vulgare, 
 Helosciadiuni repens, . 
 Hypericum elodes, 
 
 II androsceniim 
 
 ti dubium, . 
 
 Inula Heleniuni, . . 
 J uncus bicjlumis, . . 
 Lathy rios sylvestris, 
 Liguslicuni Scoticitm, 
 Lithosperrmun, maritiimun, 
 
 II officinale. 
 
 Lobelia Dortmanna, . 
 Listera ovata, , . , 
 
 11 cordata, . . 
 Malaxis paludosa, 
 Myrica gale, . . . 
 Narthecium ossifragum, 
 (Enanthe Lachenalii, 
 Pinguiculo, Lusitanica, 
 Pulicaria, dyseiiterica, 
 Pyrus pinnatifida, 
 Jtanunculus lingua, . 
 Raphanus inaritimus, 
 Rkodiola rosea, . . 
 Jiadiola milkgrana, . 
 Salix herbacea, , . . 
 Saxifraga stellaris, 
 Sedum Telephium, 
 Smyrnium ohisatrum. 
 Solatium Dulcamara, 
 TAalictrum alpinum, 
 
 II flavum, 
 
 Typha latifoiia, . . 
 Uiricularia vulgaris. 
 
 Lamlash. 
 
 On roofs of houses at Corrie, 
 
 Sannox, &c. 
 Common. 
 
 Near Lamlash, &c. 
 Near Lochranza, &c. 
 Brodick. 
 
 Whiting Bay, Sliddery, &c. 
 Lochranza, &c. 
 Maclierie. 
 In many places. 
 Lochranza. 
 In corn fields. 
 King's-cross-point, &c. 
 Near King's Cove. 
 Kildonan, &c. 
 Lamlash. 
 
 Lochranza and King's Cove. 
 In many places. 
 Whiting Bay. 
 Struey rocks. 
 
 Struey rocks. 
 Southend. 
 Brodick, &c. 
 Lochranza. 
 
 II 
 Near Lamlash. 
 
 Near Brodick. 
 
 Common. 
 
 Common. 
 
 Corriegills. 
 
 In many places. 
 
 Struey rocks. 
 
 Near Lochrauia. 
 
 Lamlash. 
 
 Southend. 
 
 Near Lochranza. 
 
 Near Springbank. 
 
 Ben Varen. 
 
 Goatfell, kc. 
 
 In many places. 
 Ben Varen. 
 Whitmg Bay. 
 
 II 
 Loch Davie.
 
 35G 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 RARER MOSSES FOUND IN ARRAN. 
 
 Andraea rupestris. 
 Anictangium cilintum. 
 Baxtramia I'outana. 
 
 „ ithyijhylla. 
 
 ,. pomiformis. 
 
 Bryum alpinum. 
 
 ;, carneum. 
 
 „ hornum. 
 
 n ligulatum. 
 
 n nutans. 
 
 „ turbinatum. 
 Conostomum boreale. 
 Dicranum bryoides. 
 
 ,1 adiantoides. 
 
 I, taxifolium. 
 
 n flexuosum. 
 
 n glaucum. 
 
 H heteromallum. 
 
 ,; pellucidura. 
 
 II varium. 
 
 Entosthodon Templetoni. 
 Funaria Muhlenbergii. 
 Grimmia apocarpa. 
 
 ,1 maritinia. 
 
 GjTiinostomum rupestre. 
 Hedwigia aestiva. 
 Hypnum aduncum. 
 
 II alopecurum. 
 
 II dendroides. 
 
 „ loreum. 
 
 II molluscum. 
 
 fi serpens. 
 
 „ splendens. 
 
 II triquetrum. 
 
 II trichomanoides. 
 
 n uncinatum. 
 
 II Silesianum. 
 
 Neckera crispa. 
 Polytrichum nanum. 
 
 ;i aloides. 
 
 II urnigerum. 
 
 Spalchnum ampuUaceum. 
 Trichostomum canescens. 
 
 II lanuginosum. 
 
 II heterostichum. 
 
 II aciculare. 
 
 Weissia acuta. 
 
 n curvirostra. 
 
 Jungermannia Hutchensise. 
 II undulata. 
 
 Jungermannia cochlearifonnis. 
 I, tomentella. 
 
 FERNS. 
 
 Asplenium adiantum-nigrum. 
 
 n ruta-muraria. 
 
 n trichomanes. 
 
 K marinum. 
 
 1, viride. 
 
 Blechnum boreale. 
 Hymenopbylluni Wilsoni. 
 
 Osmunda regalis. 
 Scolopendrium vulgare. 
 Opbioglossum vulgatum. 
 Lycopodium clavatum. 
 
 II alpinum. 
 
 I, selago. 
 
 II Belaginoides. 
 
 Alectoria jubata. 
 Cetraria glauca. 
 Cladonia furcata. 
 
 II rangiferina. 
 
 J^ecanora tartarea. 
 
 LICHENS. 
 
 Parmelia caperata. 
 
 II physodes. 
 
 II saxatilis. 
 
 Peltidea canina. 
 Ramaliua scopulorum.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 357 
 
 Ramalina fastigiata. 
 
 n fraxiiiea. 
 Scyphophorus cocciferus. 
 
 n pyxidatus. 
 
 Scyphophorus gracilis. 
 Squamiiria murorum. 
 Stereocaulon paschale. 
 Sticta pulmonaria. 
 
 ALG^. 
 
 Alaria esculenta. 
 Asperococcus fistulosus. 
 „ pusillus. 
 
 „ Turneri. 
 
 Bangia fusco-purpurea. 
 Batrachospermummoiiiliforme. 
 Bonnemaisouia asparogoides. 
 Bryopsis plumosa. 
 •Seirospora Griffitlisiana. 
 Calitliamnion arbuscula. 
 
 M Brodiaei. 
 
 II byssoides. 
 
 n corymbosum. 
 
 n Hookeri. 
 
 ,r pedicellatum. 
 
 II interruptuiii. 
 
 II plumula. 
 
 II polyspermum. 
 
 II repens. 
 
 II roseum. 
 
 II tetragonum. 
 
 II Tuineri. 
 
 II virgatuluin. 
 
 Calothrix conf'ervicola. 
 Catanella opuntia. 
 Ceramiuni ciliatum. 
 
 II diaphaiium. 
 
 II nodosum. 
 
 I, rubrura. 
 
 Chondrus Brodiaei. 
 
 II crispus. 
 
 » manimilosus. 
 
 ,1 niembranifolius. 
 
 Cliorda filuiri. 
 
 II loinentaria. 
 Chordaria flagelliformis. 
 Chylocladia articulata. 
 
 M parvula. 
 
 II clavellosa. 
 
 II kaliformis. 
 
 Cladostephus spongiosus. 
 
 I, verticillatus. 
 
 Codium tomerivosum. 
 Conferva fucicola. 
 
 II glomerata. 
 
 Conferva lanosa, 
 
 II lir.um. 
 
 II Dielagonium. 
 
 II rupestris. 
 
 II tortuosa. 
 
 II ceramicola. 
 
 Dasya coccinea. 
 Delesseria alata. 
 
 II hypoglosum. 
 
 II sanguinea. 
 
 II sinuosa. 
 
 Desmarestia aculeata. 
 Dicbloria viridis. 
 Dictyosiplion foeniculaceuB. 
 Dictyota dichotoma. 
 Draparnaldia glomerata. 
 Dumontia liliformis. 
 Ectocarpus littoralis. 
 
 II siliculosus. 
 
 Enteromorpha clatlirata. 
 
 II couipreasa. 
 
 Fucus ceranoides. 
 
 II canaliculatus. 
 
 II nodosus. 
 
 II vestculosus. 
 
 II serratus. 
 Gelidium corneum. 
 Gigartina plicata. 
 
 II purpurescens. 
 
 Gloiosiphonia capillaris. 
 Gomphoncma puradoxum. 
 Griliithaia corallina. 
 
 II setacea. 
 
 Halidrys siliquosa. 
 Helmiuthocladia vermicularis. 
 
 II virescens. 
 
 Himanthalia lorea. 
 Iridasa edulis. 
 Laminaria bulbosa. 
 
 II digitata. 
 
 11 fascia. 
 
 II phyllitis. 
 
 II saccliariiia. 
 
 Laurencia obtusa. 
 
 II piunatifida.
 
 358 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Lichina pygmaea. 
 Mesogloia Hudsoni. 
 Nitophyllum laceratum. 
 
 ,1 punctatum. 
 
 Odonthalia dentata. 
 Oscillatoria nigra. 
 Phyllophora rubens. 
 Plocamium coccineum. 
 Polyides rotundus. 
 Polysiphonia atro-rubescens. 
 
 „ Brodiaei. 
 
 n byssoidea. 
 
 ,1 eloBgata. 
 
 n elongella. 
 
 n fastigiata. 
 
 n fibrata. 
 
 n fibrillosa. 
 
 n frutriculosa. 
 
 II nigrescens. 
 
 n parasitica. 
 
 n pulvinata. 
 
 n thuyoides. 
 
 II urceolata. 
 
 Porphyra laciniata. 
 
 11 vulgaris. 
 
 Ptilota plumosa. 
 Punctaria latifolia. 
 
 II plantaginea. 
 
 Rhodomela lycopodioides. 
 
 II subfusca. 
 
 Rhodomenia bifida. 
 
 ,1 laciniata. 
 
 II palmata. 
 
 II palmetta. 
 
 II sobolifera. 
 
 Sphacellaria cirrhosa. 
 
 II olivacea. 
 
 ti plumosa. 
 
 ,1 scoparia. 
 
 Sphoerococcus coronopifolius. 
 Stilophora Lynobyei. 
 Striatella arcuata. 
 Ulva lactuca. 
 
 II Linza. 
 
 II latissima. 
 Peyssonelia Dubyi. 
 
 MOLLUSCA FOUND IN LAMLASH BAY, 
 
 When dredging along u-itJi James Smith, Usq. of Jordanhill, in 
 the summer of 1844. 
 
 The list was made up by Mr. Bean, of Scarborough, to 
 whom I sent a portion of the shelly sand dredged in the 
 bay. A very few are added, found by myself on the shore. 
 
 Dentalium trachea, Mont. 
 
 II glabrura, Mont. 
 
 II imperforatum,il/o>i^ 
 
 Vermiculum subrotundum, 
 
 n Flem. 
 
 II bicorne, Flem. 
 
 I, intortum, Flem. 
 
 II concentricum. 
 
 II oblongum. 
 
 Renoidea oblonga, Brown. 
 Nautilus crispus, Mont. 
 
 II auricula. 
 Rotalia Beccaria. 
 
 .1 Beccaria, var. 
 LoLatula vulgaris, Flem. 
 
 II vulgaris, var. 
 
 Lagenula striata, 
 globosa. 
 
 Nummulina marginata. 
 Nodosaria linearis. 
 Arethusa lactea. 
 Vermilia triquetra, Lam. 
 Serpula vermicularis. 
 Pectinaria Belgica. 
 Spirorbis lucidus, Flem. 
 
 II corrugatus. 
 
 ,1 heterostrophus, Flem. 
 Lottia Virginea. 
 
 II testudinalis. 
 Bulla truncata, Mont. 
 
 II pellucida, Bean. 
 
 II byalina, Turt. 
 
 II mammillata. 
 Eulima polita. 
 Turritella unica. 
 
 II ambigua.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 359 
 
 Rissoa rufilabrum, Alder. 
 
 ,1 costata. 
 
 II striata. 
 
 II Beaiiii, Hanley. 
 
 IP striatula. 
 
 II decussuta. 
 
 I, reticulata. 
 
 „ costulata, Alder. 
 
 i, labiosa. 
 
 ir Harveyi, Thompson. 
 
 II semistriata. 
 
 II vittata. 
 
 II parva. 
 
 I. vitrea. 
 
 II interrupta. 
 
 II fulgida. 
 
 II Ballise, Thompson. 
 
 I, minutissiniii, Bean. 
 Odostomia interstincta. 
 
 n unidentata. 
 
 II cylindrica, Alder. 
 
 Skenea depressa. 
 
 II divisa, Flem. 
 Natica Alderi. 
 Trochus umbilicatus. 
 
 II cinerarius. 
 
 II niillegranus, Phil. 
 
 II sul)carinatus. 
 
 II magus. 
 Nassa macula. 
 Cerithium reticu^atum. 
 
 II adversum. 
 
 Parthenia turrita. 
 Fusus attenuatus. 
 
 Fusus purpureas. 
 
 II septangularis. 
 
 II retroversus, Flem, 
 Cemoria Flemingii. 
 Terebratula aurita. 
 Pecten opercularis. 
 Lima fragil.s. 
 
 II tenera 
 Anomia Squamula, Mont. 
 Area lactea. 
 Nucula Wargaritacea. 
 
 II nitida. 
 
 II minuta. 
 Cardium exiguum. 
 
 II nodosum. 
 
 II fasciatum. 
 
 II medium, — only one 
 valve. 
 Mactra truncata. 
 
 II solida. 
 
 II elliptica. 
 Kellia suborbiculata. 
 Tellina donacina, Mont. 
 Lucina radula. 
 Lutraria compressa. 
 Lucina flexuosa. 
 
 II spinifera. 
 Cyprina minima. 
 Cytherea sinuata. 
 Hiatella nuimta, Turton. 
 Montacuta bideutata, Turton. 
 Lacuna vincta. 
 
 II canalis, Turton. 
 
 Addenda from Mr. 
 
 lash and Lochi'anza:- 
 
 Tellina depressa. 
 Venus cassina. 
 Pleurotoma elegans. 
 Fusus linearis. 
 
 II costatus. 
 Natica glaucina. 
 Solen pelliK'idus. 
 Cardium ciliare. 
 
 II serratum. 
 Solen antiquatus. 
 Montacuta ferruginea. 
 Crassina Garensis. 
 
 II compressa. 
 
 ►Smith's log-book, dredged at Lam- 
 
 Crassina elliptica. 
 Myrtea spinifera. 
 Anatina pubescens. 
 
 II prajtenuis, 
 Lima tenera. 
 Pecten pusio. 
 Scalaria ')'urtoni. 
 Mya ovalis. 
 
 Amphidcsma prismaticum. 
 Tellina punicea. 
 Venus Prideauxiana. 
 
 II rugosa. 
 Cardium crenatulura.
 
 360 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Nucula tenuia. 
 Pecten lasvis. 
 Bulla akera. 
 Cerithium elegans. 
 Cardium echinatum. 
 Amphidesma Boysii. 
 Mactra solida. 
 Balanus rugosus. 
 Turritella terebra. 
 
 MOLLUSCA FOUND 
 
 Serpula vermicularis. 
 Rostellaria pes-pelecani. 
 Lucina sinuosa. 
 Cavdium exiguum. 
 Tellina donacina. 
 Octopus vulgaris. 
 Pleurotoma Boothii. 
 Patella ancyloides. 
 
 IN ARRAN IN JUNE, 1846. 
 
 This list, with the exception of a few insertions, was 
 obligingly made up by Mr. Joshua Alder, of Newcastle. 
 Along with the numerous species found by him, it includes 
 those found at the same time by Major Martin and myself. 
 
 Eledone octopodia. 
 Doris llammea. 
 
 II tuberculata. 
 
 II Johustoni. 
 
 ir planata, new species. 
 ' II bilamellata. 
 Triopa clavigera. 
 jEgires punctilucens. 
 Dendronotus arborescens. 
 Eumenis flavida, new species. 
 Doto fragilis. 
 
 M coronata. 
 Eolis papillosa. 
 
 ;/ coronata. 
 
 II Drummondi. 
 
 II olivacea. 
 
 II alba. 
 
 II amethystina. 
 
 II Glottensis, new species.^ 
 Bulla lignaria. 
 
 II mammilata, Phil. 
 
 II truncata. 
 
 II acuminata, Phil. 
 
 II umbilicata. 
 
 II liyalina. 
 Bullaea punctata. 
 
 II pectinata, Dilw. 
 
 II cateiiata. 
 Actseon viridis. 
 Eulima polita. 
 
 II distorta. 
 Chemnitzia, non-desc. 
 
 Littorina vulgaris. 
 
 n rudis. 
 
 II neritoides. 
 
 Lacuna pallidula. 
 
 ir quadrifasciata. 
 Rissoa Zetlar.dica. 
 
 II Beanii. 
 
 II rufilabrum. 
 
 II punctura. 
 
 II parva. 
 
 II striata. 
 
 » labiosa. 
 
 II interrupta. 
 
 II ulvEe. 
 Odostomia pallida. 
 
 II plicata. 
 
 II interstincta. 
 
 Skenea depressa. 
 Troclius magus. 
 
 II umbilicatus. 
 
 II cinerarius. 
 
 II tumidus 
 
 II Montacuti. 
 
 II millegranus, Martini. 
 
 II zeziphinus. 
 Margarita communis. 
 Scakiria Turtoni. 
 Cerithium reticulatum. 
 
 II adversum. 
 
 Nassa incrassata. 
 
 II reticulata. 
 Pui'pura lapillus. 
 
 * 1 find that Eolis Landsburgii was not got in Arran, but at SaltcoaU. 
 
 D. L.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 361 
 
 Buccinum undatum. 
 Fusus autiquus. 
 
 rr conieus. 
 Pleurotoma Boothii. 
 
 II linearis. 
 
 II purpurea. 
 
 Aporrhais pes-pelecaiii. 
 Cyprsea Europaja. 
 Tornatella fasciata. 
 Coriocella pergpicua. 
 Velutina lajvigata. 
 Natica monilifera. 
 
 II Alderi. 
 
 II Montagui. 
 Capulus ungaricus. _ 
 Einarginula fissura. 
 Lottia testudinalis. 
 
 ■I virginea. 
 Patella fulva. 
 
 II pellucida. 
 
 ?r Tulgata. 
 Chiton fascicularis. 
 marginatus. 
 
 II ciiiereus. 
 
 II hcvia. 
 
 II laevigatus. 
 Dentalium entalis. 
 Brochus striatus, Br. 
 
 1/ glaber. 
 
 II arcuatus, Br. 
 Pecten maximus. 
 
 M opercularis. 
 
 II obsoletu3. 
 
 II Landsburgii. 
 Lima teiiera, Tuiion. 
 
 'I frngilis. 
 Nu2ula Margaritacea. 
 
 « tenuis. 
 
 II nondescr. 
 Mytilua edulis. 
 Modiola discors. 
 
 Modiola descrepans. 
 
 II vulgaris. 
 
 Cardium echinatum. 
 
 II ciliare. 
 
 II nodosum. 
 
 II edule. 
 
 II laevigatura. 
 
 Tellina fabula. 
 
 II tenuis. 
 
 II donacina. 
 
 II depressa. 
 
 II solidula. 
 Lucina radula. 
 
 II flexuosa. 
 Amphidesma album. 
 Cyprina vulgaris, Sowerhy. 
 
 II triangularis. 
 Mactra truncata. 
 
 II stultorum. 
 Kellia suborbicularis. 
 Corbula striata 
 Moutacuta substriata. 
 
 II bidentata. 
 
 II ferruginosot 
 
 II purpurea. 
 
 Artemis exoleta. 
 
 II lincta. 
 Venus fasciata. 
 
 II gallina. 
 
 II ovata. 
 
 II Prideauxiana. 
 PuUastra vulgaris, 
 virginea. 
 Thracia deolivis. 
 Anatina praetenuis. 
 Mya truncata. 
 
 (I arunaria. 
 Lutraria elliptica. 
 Soleu siliipui. 
 
 II ensis. 
 Saxicava rugosa. 
 
 The following list was kindly made up by Mr. Bean of 
 Scarborough, being the Mollusca and Foramenifera found 
 by him in shelly sand dredged in Lamlash Bay, by Major 
 Martin and myself, in July 1 846. I have inserted some of 
 the larger shells found by Major Martin and me, whieh Mr. 
 Bean did not find in the sand. " To prevent confusion,"
 
 362 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Mr. Bean says, " I have adopted Hanley's names, unless 
 when otherwise specified." 
 
 Dentalium eutalis. 
 
 rr trachea. 
 
 » imperforatum. 
 
 II glabrum. 
 
 Pectinaria Belgica. 
 Terebella chrysodon. 
 Spirorbis conica. 
 
 II nautiloides. 
 
 II lucida. 
 
 » corrugata. 
 
 It heterostropha. 
 
 Serpula Mulleri. 
 
 u vermicularis. 
 Vermilia triquetra. 
 
 fr scabra. 
 
 fialanus communis. 
 
 ,1 Scoticus. 
 Creusia verruca. 
 Mya arenaria. 
 Mactra truncata. 
 
 ri subtruncata. 
 
 rr cinerea. 
 
 rr solida. 
 
 rr elliptica. 
 
 rr stultorum. 
 Kellia suborbicularis. 
 Montacuta bidentata. 
 Amphidesma Boysii. 
 Sphaenia Binghami. 
 Hiatella arictica. 
 Saxicava rugosa. 
 Tellina donacina. 
 
 rr fabula. 
 
 rr tenuis. 
 Lucina radula. 
 
 n spinifera. 
 
 rr sinuosa. 
 Crassina Scotica. 
 Cyprina vulgaris. 
 
 rr minima. 
 Cytherea lincta. 
 
 II exoleta. 
 
 Pullastra vulgaris. 
 
 rr virginea. 
 
 Venus ovata. 
 
 rr gallina. 
 
 , verrucosa. 
 
 Venus fasciata. 
 Cardium exiguum. 
 
 ri nodosum. 
 
 ri fasciatum. 
 
 rr laevigatum. 
 
 ri edule. 
 
 ri medium. 
 Area lactea. 
 Nucula nucleus. 
 
 I) nitida. 
 
 ri minuta. 
 Modiola modiolus. 
 
 rr discrepans. 
 
 rr discors. 
 Lima inflata, Forbes. 
 
 II subauriculata, Turton. 
 
 II tenera, Turton. 
 
 ir fragilis, Fleming. 
 Pectunculus pUosus. 
 Pecten opercularis. 
 
 rr maximus. 
 
 rr varius. 
 
 rr obsoletus. 
 
 rr Landsburgii, Sm. 
 Ostrea edulis. 
 
 rr parasitica. 
 Anemia squamiila. 
 
 II cylindrica. 
 Terebratula aurita. 
 Chiton cinereus. 
 
 H marginatus. 
 
 II ruber. 
 Patella virginea. 
 
 II testudinalis. 
 Emarginula fissura. 
 Fissurella Noachina. 
 Pileopsis ungarica. 
 Bullaea catenulifera. 
 
 II punctata. 
 Bulla lignaria. 
 
 II umbilicata. 
 
 ri obtusa. 
 
 II mamniillata, Phil. 
 
 II cylintlracea. 
 
 rr hyalina. 
 Natica monilifera. 
 
 II Alderi.
 
 
 APPENDIX. 3b3 
 
 Skenea depressa. 
 
 Rissoa reticulata. 
 
 II 
 
 divisa. 
 
 II interrupta. 
 
 Margarita vulgaris. 
 
 II fulgida. 
 
 Scalaria clathrus. 
 
 II minutissima, Bean. 
 
 Trochus umbilicatus. 
 
 II BalliiB ? 
 
 « 
 
 tumidus. 
 
 II Harveyi. 
 
 n 
 
 magus. 
 
 II inconspicua, Alder. 
 
 II 
 
 cinerarias. 
 
 n Tricliotropis borealis, 
 
 rr 
 
 millegranus. 
 
 II Soiverbi/. 
 
 II 
 
 Moutacuti. 
 
 Helix nitidissima, Linyi. Trans. 
 
 Littor 
 
 ina littorea. 
 
 II bicolor, Linn, Trans. 
 
 II 
 
 rudis. 
 
 Turritella terebra. 
 
 II 
 
 neritoides. 
 
 II unica. 
 
 11 
 
 petraea. 
 
 II nitidissima. 
 
 Lacuna viiicta. 
 
 II ambigua, Bean. 
 
 ri 
 
 canalis. 
 
 Eulima polita. 
 
 Odostomia unidentata. 
 
 .1 distorta. 
 
 II 
 
 pallida. 
 
 11 subulata. 
 
 » 
 
 plicata. 
 
 Parthenia turrita. 
 
 « 
 
 cylindrica, Alder. 
 
 -1 clathrata, Jeffrey, 
 
 n 
 
 interstincta. 
 
 Cerithium reticulatum. 
 
 11 
 
 spiralis. 
 
 11 tuberculatum. 
 
 II 
 
 costata, Dean. 
 
 II adversum. 
 
 II 
 
 ornata, Bean. 
 
 Fusus attenuatus. 
 
 Rissos 
 
 I cimex. 
 
 II nebula. 
 
 fi 
 
 striatula. 
 
 1, purpureas. 
 
 M 
 
 costata. 
 
 M retroversus. 
 
 II 
 
 parva. 
 
 n antiquus. 
 
 II 
 
 alba. 
 
 II corneus. 
 
 II 
 
 scalar! formis. 
 
 II rufus. 
 
 H 
 
 striata. 
 
 Pleurotoma septangularis. 
 
 II 
 
 calathisca. 
 
 II linearis. 
 
 II 
 
 labiosa. 
 
 II Boothii. 
 
 II 
 
 rutilabrum, Alder. 
 
 II coarctata. 
 
 II 
 
 costulata, Alder. 
 
 II Smithii. 
 
 II 
 
 Beanii. 
 
 II turricula. 
 
 11 
 
 decussata. 
 
 Purpura lapillus. 
 
 II 
 
 vittata. 
 
 Buccinum undatum. 
 
 II 
 
 semistriata. 
 
 II macula. 
 
 II 
 
 vitrea. 
 
 Nassa reticulata. 
 
 II 
 
 cingilla. 
 
 FORAME 
 
 NIFERA. 
 
 Vermiculum marginatum, ( 
 
 Vermiculum concentricum, 
 
 II 
 
 Mijut. 
 
 II Brown. 
 
 II 
 
 incurvatum, Monf. 
 
 II oblongum, Flem. 
 
 II 
 
 subrotundum, 
 
 Nummulina marginata,i/«r(/. 
 
 II 
 
 Fiinii. 
 
 Nautilus subarcuatulus, Mont.^ 
 
 H 
 
 bicorne, Flem. 
 
 11 crispus, Mont. 
 
 , II 
 
 intortum, Flem. 
 
 II auricula, Wood,
 
 364 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 Nautilus umbilicatulus, Mont. 
 Rotalia Beccaiia, FUm. 
 
 n reversa var., Fkm. 
 Lobatula vulgari?, Flcm. 
 
 ri reversa, var. 
 
 Textularia oblonga, Macgill. 
 Arethusa lactea, Flem. 
 
 Renoidea oblonga, Brown. 
 Orthocera linearis, Flem. 
 
 ri legumen, Flem. 
 
 Lagenula squamosa, Flem. 
 
 ri striata, Flem. 
 
 II lineata, Bean. 
 
 n globosa, Flem. 
 
 The following list of land and fresli-water IMolluscs 
 might be increased tenfold by a little research : — 
 
 Helix trochilus. 
 
 II rufescens. 
 
 II caperata. 
 
 II rotundata. 
 
 II aspersa. 
 
 II arbustorum. 
 
 II nemoralis. 
 
 II hortensis. 
 
 II fusca. 
 Bulimus lubricus. 
 Succinea putris. 
 Vitrina pellucida. 
 Pupa muscorum. 
 Carycliium minimum. 
 
 Balea fragilis. 
 Clausilia nigricans. 
 Limnea palustris. 
 
 II limosa. 
 Physa fontinalis. 
 Planorbis spirorbis. 
 
 II contortus. 
 
 II albus. 
 
 Ancylus fluviatilis. 
 Cyclas cornea, 
 Pisidium obtusule. 
 Pupa sexdentata. 
 Planorbis imbricatus. 
 
 Trouts abound in the lochs and rivers. In the hope 
 that their size might be increased by better feeding, min- 
 nows have been brought from Ayrshire and put into seve- 
 ral of the lakes and rivers in Arran. When the rivers are 
 swollen in summer, salmon and salmon-trouts ascend, and 
 add much to the pleasure of the angler, especially in Loch- 
 erza. Wholesale destruction is at times carried on by nets. 
 The sea-coast abounds with fish, such as haddocks, whitings, 
 seth, lithe, hng, cod, eels, skate, flounders, soles, turbot, 
 mackerel, salmon, and, above all, herrings at certain 
 seasons. A few of the I'arer fish may be mentioned: — 
 
 Spinax Acanthias. 
 Squalus maxinius. 
 Hcyllium catulus. 
 Syngnathus ophidion. 
 
 II acus. 
 
 Lepidogaster bimaculatuB. 
 
 Callyonymus Lyra. 
 
 II dracunculus. 
 
 Crenolabrus tinc.u 
 Trigla cuculus. 
 Cottus scorpius. 
 Spinachia vulgaris.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 3f?5 
 
 LIST OF STAR FISHES. 
 
 Comatula rosacea. 
 Ophiura texturata. 
 
 „ albida. 
 Ophiocoma Ballii. 
 
 jr granulata. 
 
 ti bellis. 
 
 II rosula 
 
 ,. rainuta. 
 
 Uraster glacialis. 
 
 II rubens. 
 
 Solaster endeca.* 
 Cribella rosea. 
 
 II oculata. 
 Asterina gibbosa. 
 Asfcerias aurantiaca. 
 Goiiiaster Templetoni. 
 
 M glacialia. 
 
 Luidia fraa;ilissima. 
 Palmipes membranaceus.-f' 
 
 LIST OF SEA-URCHINS. 
 
 Echinus sphasra. 
 
 II miliaris. 
 
 I, lividus var. ? 
 Spatangus purpureas. 
 
 Ampliidotus cordatus. 
 
 II roseus. 
 
 Ecliinocyamus pusillus. 
 
 LIST OF CRABS. 
 
 Inachus Dorsettensis. 
 Cancer pagurus. 
 Hyas araneus. 
 Pagurus Bernhardus.J 
 C!arcinus inixjnas. 
 Portunus puber. 
 Elialia Pennantii. 
 Corystes Cassivclaunus. 
 Porcellana platyclielcs. 
 
 Porcellana longicornis. 
 Lithodes maia. 
 Nephrops Norvegicus. 
 CTalatliea squamifera. 
 Gonoplax angulata.§ 
 Portunus depurator. 
 Pinnotheres pisum. 
 Crangon vulgaris. 
 Palienion squilla. 
 
 LIST OF ZOOPHYTES. 
 
 Tubulipora patina. 
 
 II serpens. 
 
 II hispida. 
 
 Ccllepora pumicosa. 
 
 n cervicornis. 
 
 Lepralia coccinea. 
 
 I, hyalina. 
 
 II immersa. 
 
 II ciliata. 
 
 I. insignis. 
 
 Lepralia pediostoma. 
 II pertusa. 
 
 II Landsbarovii, ./oAtis^o/i 
 (one specimen at 
 Lochranza.) 
 II anuulata. 
 Hippothoa catenularia. 
 Flustra membranacea. 
 n linearis. 
 
 * Solaster endeca seems rare in the west, as only one specimen 
 has been got. 
 
 + Palmipes membranaccus is rare also, as only one specimen 
 was got by Major Martin and another by me. 
 
 + We found several species of the Hermit-crab but I dare not 
 attempt to name them. 
 
 § Often got on the Ayrshire coast.
 
 366 APPENDIX. 
 
 Flustra tuberculata, 
 Membranipora pilosa. 
 Cellularia reptans. 
 Crisia eburnea. 
 
 II luxata. 
 
 » cornuta. 
 
 II chelata. 
 Sertularia rugosa. 
 
 II polyzonias. 
 
 II filicina. 
 
 Sertularia operculata. 
 
 II pumila. 
 
 Thuiaria thuia. 
 Plumularia falcata. 
 
 ,/ setacea. 
 
 II Catharina. 
 
 I, PLnnata. 
 
 II myriophyllum, 
 
 II with ovaries. 
 
 Laomedea geniculata. 
 
 Could I name all the Annelides I have seen in dredg- 
 ing, they would form a long list; but in this department 
 (which has not been studied by many) I have not even 
 got the length of knowing what is rare. Lest I should 
 trouble my friends with what is common, I allowed all 
 this tribe to escape. One fine striped fellow, more than a 
 foot in length, which I got in Lamlash Bay, I described to 
 my most obliging friend, Dr. Johnston, the most skilled 
 annelidologist, I suppose, in Britain; and he at once knew 
 it to be Meckelia trilineata; but as I soon get out of my 
 depth in this direction, I shall proceed no farther. 
 
 P.S. — Alas! alas! what is our life? "Even a vapour 
 that appeareth for a little, and then vanisheth away." Just 
 when I had finished correcting the proof of this last page 
 I received tidings of the death of two of those who gave 
 such a charm to one of the little excursions I have attempted 
 to describe — of the Rev. Dr. Thomas Brovra, of Free St. 
 John's, Glasgow, one of the oldest of my friends, and one 
 of the best and most beloved of men ; and of Mr. Claud 
 Marshall Buchanan, Glasgow, a most amiable, talented, 
 pious, and affectionate young man, and very dear to all who 
 knew him. " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord,
 
 APPENDIX. 367 
 
 from henceforth : yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest 
 from their labours, and their works do follow them." 
 " Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright ; for the 
 end of that man is peace." 
 
 D. L. 
 
 ADDENDM. 
 
 Extract of a Letter from Joshua Aldek, Esq., New- 
 castle, dated April 14, 1847, in reference to what is said 
 in page 304 respecting a Lucernaria in a young state. 
 
 " I got this morning the first part of Sars's Fauna 
 littoralis Norvegice^ and in it I find figured and de- 
 scribed the Lucernaria that Mr David got in 
 Arran, and Avhich puzzled us so much at the time, 
 Sars names it Lucernaria cyathiformis." This is new 
 to Britain.
 
 COEEIGEKDA. 
 
 Page 117, 
 
 line 19, 
 
 for gawkie, 
 
 read 
 
 gawcie. 
 
 II 
 
 117, 
 
 ir 
 
 29, 
 
 fi 
 
 sprung. 
 
 ri 
 
 sprang. 
 
 tt 
 
 118, 
 
 11 
 
 2 
 
 rr 
 
 sprung, 
 
 H 
 
 sprang. 
 
 ri 
 
 123, 
 
 ri 
 
 2 
 
 u 
 
 Saxifragu, 
 
 n 
 
 Saxifraga. 
 
 u 
 
 13-2, 
 
 ti 
 
 24, 
 
 •i 
 
 lie, 
 
 rr 
 
 lies. 
 
 II 
 
 133, 
 
 It 
 
 32, 
 
 rr 
 
 a new horse. 
 
 » 
 
 anew, horse. 
 
 u 
 
 148, 
 
 n 
 
 11, 
 
 rr 
 
 without, 
 
 n 
 
 beyond. 
 
 r 
 
 149, 
 
 11 
 
 12, 
 
 r( 
 
 light. 
 
 r 
 
 tight. 
 
 ti 
 
 175, 
 
 u 
 
 11, 
 
 rr 
 
 Icevii/atum, 
 
 rr 
 
 lacigatuM. 
 
 II 
 
 ■206, 
 
 IF 
 
 29, 
 
 rr 
 
 Trachus, 
 
 ri 
 
 Trochus. 
 
 »' 
 
 312, 
 
 r. 
 
 6, 
 
 H 
 
 Batracho spermum. 
 
 n 
 
 Batrachospemium 
 
 II 
 
 312, 
 
 II 
 
 11, 
 
 rr 
 
 Bay, 
 
 u 
 
 Beg. 
 
 ri 
 
 319, 
 
 n 
 
 4, 
 
 rr 
 
 Peden striatus fuci 
 
 5 " 
 
 Pectenfuci. 
 
 tf 
 
 330, 
 
 u 
 
 16, 
 
 rr 
 
 parvwhc, 
 
 rf 
 
 pai-vula.
 
 AILSA-CEAIG. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 Hearken, thou craggy ocean-pyramid! 
 
 Give answer from tliy voice— the seafowl's screams ! 
 
 When were thy shoulders mantled in huge streams? 
 
 "When from the sun was thy broad forehead hid? 
 
 How long is't since the mighty power bid 
 
 Thee heave from airy sleep, from fathom dreams ? 
 
 Sleep in the lap of thunder, or sun-beams. 
 
 Or when grey clouds are thy cold coverlid? 
 
 Thou answerest not, for thou art dead asleep ! 
 
 Thy life is but two dead eternities, — 
 
 The last in air — the former in the deep ; 
 
 First with the wliales — last in the eagle -skies. 
 
 Drowned wert thou till an earthquake made thee steep ; 
 
 Another camiot wake thy giant size. 
 
 Keats. 
 
 As many of those who spend a month or more in 
 
 Arran, in summer, are persons wlio seek refreshing 
 
 recreation after being engaged during the rest of the 
 
 year in the exciting and exhausting bustle of business 
 
 in town, they are open to the enjoyment of a pleasure 
 
 trip. Arran itself affords very ample scope for little 
 
 excursions, so that there is not the same temptation 
 
 2 A
 
 370 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 to wander from it for the sake of variety, as in many 
 places of more limited bounds. Some forty years 
 ago, it would have required no little courage to under- 
 take a pleasure trip to Ailsa, which is about twenty 
 miles from the south end of Arran. It might have 
 been reached in a short time with a fair wind; but 
 who could tell but an adverse wind might have kept 
 the voyagers on the Craig for several days, and ere 
 they got away, they might, in their musings on the 
 rocky shore, begin to think that they were more 
 nearly allied to the solan geese, lodged in the cliffs, 
 than they had before suspected. Now, however, 
 owing to the facilities afforded by good steamers, 
 the trip to and fro may be accomplished in a few 
 hours. 
 
 When Dr MaccuUoch wrote his " Description of 
 the Western Islands," between thirty and forty years 
 ago, Ailsa was little known, except as an interesting 
 object from a distance. MaccuUoch, on visiting it, 
 seems to have been greatly struck with it, and writes 
 respecting it with somewhat of the enthusiasm of 
 those who first discovered the wonders of Staffa. 
 " Of the various objects," says he, " which cause the 
 scenery of the Clyde to rank among the most enticing 
 tracts in Scotland, Ailsa stands foremost. Yet it has 
 not hitherto excited that attention to which it is en- 
 titled, having been little visited, even by those to 
 whom its vicinity renders it so easily accessible. To 
 those whose pursuit is picturesque beauty alone, it 
 has almost remained unknown. He who may here- 
 after profit by this hint, will not regret the time he
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 371 
 
 may appropriate to this voyage. He will be amply 
 repaid by the sight of scenery not surpassed, and 
 rarely equalled, among the remoter Scottish isles." 
 
 " In the distant horizon, it forms an object pecu- 
 liarly striking, from its unexpected magnitude in the 
 blue haze, and from the decided and sudden manner 
 in Avhich it rises from the sea. In this respect it pre- 
 sents a solitary feature in Scotland, rather reminding 
 the spectator of the volcanic islands of the Pacific 
 Ocean. The effect is often much increased by the 
 position of the clouds which so frequently involve its 
 summit, adding indefinite and ideal dimensions to its 
 altitude. When viewed near at hand, Ailsa produces 
 that peculiar effect which is the result of greatness of 
 dimension, combined Avith simplicity in the leading 
 form, and variety in the arrangement of the parts. 
 In this respect its chief advantage is owing to the 
 steepness of the acclivity, which enables the eye to 
 comprehend the whole of its bulk, even from a very 
 short distance, thus giving it a mountainous effect, 
 often lost in the vicinity of much larger masses, in 
 consequence of the foreshortening resulting from the 
 lovvness of their angles. While by its magnitude it 
 thus fills the eye, the commodious distance at which 
 it may be examined, enables the sight to comprehend 
 the variety and distribution of its parts, and to dis- 
 tinguish that delicacy of local colouring for which a 
 certain degree of proximity is always required. It is 
 partly owing to the beauty of the local colour, the 
 mild tones of grey interspersed with greens of every 
 tint, that the columnar ranges of Ailsa produce an
 
 ■572 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG, 
 
 effect so far superior to those of Staffa, of the Shiant 
 Islands, or of Skye, — the uniform dark hue of these, 
 without variety or contrast, often confounding the 
 whole in indiscriminate gloom." 
 
 Ailsa is situated in the Frith of Clyde, about ten 
 miles distant from the nearest part of the coast of 
 Ayrshire, and about twice as far from the Island of 
 Arran in the county of Bute, and from Kintyre in 
 the county of Argyle, It rises abruptly from the sea 
 in a conical form to the height of about 1100 feet. 
 As from the perpendicular nature of the acclivity, it 
 cannot be circumambulated, it is not so easy accu- 
 rately to tell its length and breadth ; but Dr Maccul- 
 loch estimated its length at 3300 feet, and its breadth 
 at 2200 feet. In many places the water is so deep 
 at a small distance from the shore, that vessels may 
 approach it with safety, though in other places there 
 are sunken rocks on which they might run aground. 
 There is one point, however, on the east side, where 
 the meeting of contending tides has brought together 
 a great quantity of rolled pebbles, forming a conve- 
 nient landing-place for boats and larger vessels. 
 At every other place the rocks are so perpendicular, 
 or so rugged, that there can be no landing with safety. 
 ''The shores, if shores they may be called, that are 
 found at the foot of the rocks, are formed of the 
 stones and rubbish that fall from the summit, and 
 are, with, the exception of the landing-place above 
 mentioned, so narrow, that though it is possible to 
 land on them in fine weather, they afford no view of 
 the magnificent scenery which towers above. For
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 378 
 
 this purpose it is necessary to make the circuit in a 
 boat, the summit of the island being not only diffi- 
 cult to traverse, but presenting, even when the la- 
 borious task has been executed, no sight of the per- 
 pendicular faces which constitute its most striking 
 features." 
 
 The perpendicular rock where it commences is only 
 about forty feet in height, and slightly columnar. 
 As it increases in height, the pillars are more dis- 
 tinctly marked, and at last it presents a perpendicu- 
 lar range of columns of about 400 feet in height — an 
 elevation before vrhich the columns of Staffa, — sixty 
 or seventy feet in height, — sink into comparative insig- 
 nificance. In regularity of form, however, they are 
 inferior to the columns at Staffa. At the Giant's 
 Causeway also, which I lately visited, the columns, 
 though generally less than two feet in diameter, in- 
 stead of six feet as at Ailsa, are much more distinct, 
 can be easily separated from each other, and divided 
 at the joints. For each joint those who act as guides 
 at the Causeway charge two guineas. Ailsa and 
 what is properly the Giant's Causeway do not admit 
 of being compared, for they are quite different in 
 character, — Ailsa towering in columnar grandeur 
 hundreds of feet above you, and the Causeway lying 
 in tessulated beauty under your feet, as you walk on 
 the smooth and level tops of the pillars till they gra- 
 dually slope down into the sea. A person is filled 
 with astonishment, in walking on this wonderful pave- 
 ment, at seeing how beautifully the columns on which 
 he is treading are compacted together — no empty space
 
 374 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 being left — all piecing as well as if each one had been 
 chiselled out for its place ; and yet, amidst this great 
 regularity, there is great diflFerence of form, — some 
 being pentangular, others hexagonal, and others again 
 forming fine octagons. AVhat a wonderful Cause- 
 way ! we exclaim. " Who made it ?" said a foreigner, 
 after he had looked at it with admiration. '• Who 
 made it?" said he, in his broken English. "God 
 made it," said the Irish gossoon who was acting as 
 his guide. God made it, indeed, and nothing but the 
 hand of God could have produced such wonderful 
 work. Still more evident is it, however, that God 
 made the magnificent columnar work at Ailsa, and 
 dreadful would be the convulsion when it was up- 
 heaved from the bottom of the sea, to remain for ages 
 a monument of His almighty power. The broken 
 summits of these columns, 400 feet above the sea, 
 form the safest possible resting-places for the various 
 kinds of seafowl that there, in their season, build their 
 nests. Gannets or solan geese particularly abound, 
 " forming," says Macculloch, " with the various tribes 
 of gulls, puffins, awks, and other seafowl, a feathered 
 population scarcely exceeded by St Kilda or the 
 Flannan Isles. As the alarm occasioned by the arrival 
 of a boat spreads itself, the whole of the noisy multi- 
 tude takes wing, forming a cloud in the atmosphere 
 which bears a striking resemblance to a fall of snow, 
 or to the scattering of autumnal leaves in a storm. 
 To prevent interference in their courses, each cloud of 
 birds occupies a distinct stratum in the air, circulating 
 in one direction, and in a perpetual wheeling flight."
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 375 
 
 When I visited Ailsa some twenty years ago, 
 steamboat- excursions were not so common as they 
 now are, and a trip to Ailsa was worth speaking of. 
 We sailed from Ardrossan at eight o'clock, a.m., with 
 a goodly number on board ; called at Brodick and 
 Lamlash, taking in additional passengers, and then 
 started for Ailsa, which we reached after a pleasant 
 passage on a delightful day. We landed at the spot 
 of ground mentioned by IMaccuUoch, and were told 
 that an hour would be allowed us, during which we 
 might amuse ourselves on the shore, or ascend to the 
 summit of the conical crag. About fifteen of the 
 party set out to scale the hill. I went up along Avith 
 them as far as the old castle on the east side of the 
 hill, Avhere there is a kind of rough stair opposite to 
 the landing-place. It is no easy matter to make one's 
 way even so far, for the path is rather rough and de- 
 ceitful. It is greatly cumbered with ponderous stones, 
 that have rolled down from the higher parts of the 
 hill. Were they bare, a person might contrive to 
 thread his way among them, or to clamber over them ; 
 but placing his foot on what seems loose herbage, he 
 finds that it gives way under him, and he sinks down 
 to the middle betwixt two large stones, and finds it no 
 easy matter to make his way through the rank vege- 
 tation which conceals the rugged inequality of his 
 steep path. Every naturalist who has visited Ailsa 
 has been struck with the luxuriance of the vegetation, 
 of which, like ourselves, we doubt not, they felt the 
 practical effects. Silene wjlata and Lychnis dioka 
 were as luxuriant as if they had been growing in the
 
 376 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 garden of the Hesperides. The nettle, which dogs 
 the foot of man, was flourishing in gigantic size and 
 vigour, when the human beings whose habitation it 
 marked were slumbering in the dust. The grass 
 also seemed to bid defiance to the nibbling power of 
 the numerous rabbits that burrowed there, and to the 
 stronger teeth of a few goats that we were told might 
 still be seen as the remnant of a larger flock. Those 
 that have ascended farther up, tell us that there are 
 two springs of water producing marshes, in which 
 Helosciadium inundatum abounds, as enormous in 
 size as the other plants found in the island. To what 
 are we to ascribe this prodigious luxuriance ? Chiefly 
 to two causes. As no part of the island is far removed 
 from the waves, all the plants that grow on it are 
 kept almost constantly moist by the spray, which, 
 though often invisible in its ascent, descends with a 
 fertilizing influence on the soil, and on all the her- 
 baceous plants that spring from it. To shrubs and 
 trees this Avould be unfavourable, especially when they 
 rise so high as to feel the influence of the sea-blast. 
 To evergreen shrubs, and to the pine tribe in general, 
 I know from experience that the spray and sea- 
 breeze are particularly injurious. But herbaceous 
 plants, that die down in winter, seem to thrive under 
 the marine aspersions, which come in a milder form 
 during summer. But there is another and a still 
 more powerful cause of this great luxuriance, namely, 
 the guano produced by the seafowls that in numbers 
 numberless congregate in the island. True it is, that 
 much of it must be swept into the sea, from their
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 377 
 
 breeding-places being on the tops of the columns. 
 But they rest at times in immense flocks on various 
 parts of the island, and many of them, we doubt not, 
 find their graves there. We do not often see a dead 
 bird, even in hard winters, when so many of them 
 perish ; but it is because, when they feel the approach 
 of the all-subduing enemy, they instinctively seek a 
 grave for themselves, creeping into some crevice, or 
 burying themselves in some thicket, where death 
 comes upon them, and where they gradually moulder 
 into dust, which every year becomes richer and richer 
 also by the decay of that luxuriant herbage with 
 which in summer it is covered. 
 
 Having forced my way through the vegetable en- 
 tanglements and over the obstructing stones, and 
 reached the castle at the height of about 250 feet, and 
 having no intention of ascending to the summit, we 
 thought this a good place to come to a halt. It did 
 not command the same extensive view as the top of 
 the hill, but nevertheless it was very good. I re- 
 member being surprised to find that 1 had got so near 
 to Ireland. We had a fine view of Lochryan on 
 the Galloway coast, but we were much pleased to 
 find that we had almost as distinct a vicAV of Bel- 
 fast Loch as of the Scottish one. Having enjoyed 
 the distant prospect, I turned my eyes to what was 
 at hand, and especially to the ancient square tower 
 of strength by which I stood, of which only the Avails 
 and some vaulted chambers now remain. Having 
 examined the ruins, and considered how impreg- 
 nable it would long be thought by those who inha-
 
 378 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 bited it, as bows and javelins, the missile weapons of 
 those days, would have had no effect on its massive 
 walls, I remembered that these, high and thick as 
 they Avere, had proved altogether insufficient for the 
 defence of the inhabitants, as there was one enemy 
 who was himself a host, who had not only looked in 
 at their narrow windows and narrower arrow- slits, 
 but had forced their barred gates and invaded their 
 apartments, and had carried them all ofiF, not in a 
 body, but at his pleasure one by one, to consign them 
 to a darksome prison-house, from which there was no 
 possibility of escape. That enemy was Death, and 
 that prison-house was the grave ; and neither the 
 governor of the castle, nor one of the proud defenders 
 of the stronghold, nor even the meanest menial within 
 the walls, has been allowed to escape to tell the various 
 ways by which all the rest in their successive genera- 
 tions were forced to yield to the king of ten-ors. 
 
 I was led also to remember that what was a tower 
 of strength against human power to its ancient occu- 
 pants, would have afforded little protection to them 
 now, when more formidable weapons of offence are 
 in use than arrows, however well barbed, or well 
 aimed, or well guided by the feathers of the grey- 
 goose wing ; as a few broadsides from a man-of-war 
 in the offing would have caused the proudest battle- 
 ments of the fortress to crumble to the dust. 
 
 After some such musings, I descended leisurely 
 without observing any rare plants. I would have 
 been Avell pleased to fall in with Lavatera arborea, 
 which I understand has been found in Ailsa, as it has
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 379 
 
 also in a corresponding habitat, the Bass Rock on the 
 East coast. I regretted less my not finding it, as I 
 have found it in a Avild state at Arneill on the coast 
 of Ayrshire. It thrives remarkably well at Ardros- 
 san, where I have seen it eight feet in height, with 
 a stem almost as thick as a man's arm, well- de- 
 serving the name of Tree Mallow. On reaching 
 the beach, I sauntered along the shore in hopes of 
 finding some shell worth taking home as a memorial 
 of my visit to Ailsa ; but in this I was disappointed, 
 for those that are driven ashore are dashed Avith such 
 violence on the rocks, that nothing but fragments can 
 be picked up. Seeing that the given hour was nearly 
 expired, I was returning from my solitary ramble on 
 the shore, when the sound of the steamer's warning- 
 bell made me quicken my pace. W'^hen I reached the 
 steamei', many crowded round me, and said, " It was 
 well that you were not here, for we have got a terri- 
 ble fright with your sons." These dear boys, of ten 
 and twelve years of age (who have now been many 
 years in Australia), had accompanied me in the ex- 
 ciursion, and were of course among those who started 
 for the pinnacle of the Craig, and were two of the five 
 who succeeded in reaching it. They had been parti- 
 cularly gratified by having so good a view of the 
 North of Ireland, and had been amused by finding 
 that the puffins, or Ailsa cocks as they are called in 
 the West, had built their nests in the rabbit-holes, 
 and that the young birds were very fierce, hissing and 
 biting with their little sharp bills when they attempted 
 to handle them. When, however, they began to
 
 380 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 descend, they found that their companions had got 
 greatly ahead of them, and saw that the steamer was 
 preparing to sail. In a little, they heard the bell 
 which was intended to assemble the stragglers, and 
 they began to quicken their pace, and seeing the party 
 hurrying aboard, some rising fears of being left in an 
 uninhabited island put more mettle into their heels, 
 and the nimble step was quickened into a race. They 
 were observed by the party aboard, who saw, what 
 they did not see, that they were advancing to the 
 brink of a tremendous precipice, from which, if they 
 should be dashed, ruin would be inevitable, and a 
 loud simultaneous shout was raised by all aboard to 
 warn them of their danger. The shout was heard by 
 them, but as they imagined that this was intended to 
 warn them that they might soon be too late for the 
 boat, they pushed on with increased velocity, till they 
 were on the very brink of the cliff. All on board 
 thought that they were hastening to destruction, and 
 the ladies covered their eyes that they might not see 
 the fatal plunge ; but the light-hearted, nimble-footed 
 boys, a moment ere it was too late, observing the 
 precipice when they were on its very brink, were able 
 in some degree to check their speed, and to skim 
 along the ledge of the rock till they reached a place 
 where they could descend with safety, and they had 
 reached the vessel before I arrived at it. Many, as I 
 said, crowded around me, congratulating me on the 
 escape of my sons, and also on being so distant at the 
 time as to escape the fright. 
 
 Though I was thankful to a kind Providence for
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 381 
 
 preserving them, it was not till some years afterwards 
 that I was fully aware of the greatness of the clanger. 
 Passing at that time from Ayr to Ballantrae in a 
 steamer, Ave came very near Ailsa; and when we were 
 alongside of the mighty rock, I thought of those who 
 were then far away, and mentioned to a stranger, with 
 whom I had been conversing, the dangerous circum- 
 stances in which my sons had on that occasion been 
 placed. He seemed more affected by what I told 
 him than I expected, and I saw that he had good 
 reason to be so, when he told me that a year or two 
 after the period to which I have alluded, he had been 
 on Ailsa as one of a happy marriage-party from Stran- 
 raer ; that having landed, they had ascended to the 
 summit, and after spending some time there, they 
 began to descend in great glee, all of them, both male 
 and female, being in the heyday of youth and health. 
 As there had been a tight race for the honour of be- 
 ing first up, they began again to strive who should 
 be first down, and a young man, who had got the start 
 of the rest, running unexpectedly on this very pre- 
 cipice, being unable to check his speed, in spite of 
 every effort rushed over, and was afterwards found 
 by his companions dead, and greatly mangled by the 
 dreadful fall. This cast a deep cloud over the whole 
 party, and they who in the morning left Stranrder 
 full of joy, returned in the evening laden with sorrow, 
 bearing the dead body of their companion, and bring- 
 ing the mournful tidings to the afflicted friends of the 
 deceased. 
 
 How true is it that in the midst of life we are in
 
 382 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA- CRAIG. 
 
 death, and that in the most joyous circumstances there 
 may he but a step between us and death ! And what 
 a lesson does this teach us of the importance of liv- 
 ing in a state of preparation for eternity, — of joining 
 trembling with our mirth, fearing the Lord and his 
 goodness, cultivating such a reverential sense of his 
 presence as will rest^rain us, even in our most joyous 
 moments, from doing any thing to oJBPend Him whose 
 favour is life, and whose loving-kindness is better than 
 life! 
 
 But we must now return to our own expedition. 
 The day hitherto had heen very favourable. Before 
 we left the island, the steamer was brought close to 
 that part of the Craig where there is the range of 
 colossal columns rising from the sea, as we have said, 
 to the height of about 400 feet. The spectacle Avas 
 by far the grandest of the kind I had ever seen. On 
 ledges at different heights, where part of the column 
 had been broken off, there were multitudes of sea- 
 fowl ; and when a musket was fired, immediately the 
 air was filled with the winged inhabitants, and our 
 ears assailed by the noise they raised, as if reproach- 
 ing us for our unpolite conduct. I was very much 
 annoyed by the wanton cruelty of one of our party, 
 and I am sorry to say that he was a preacher. 
 He had a musket, and his delight was to shoot the 
 poor birds in their flight. There was no trial of skill, 
 for the difliculty would have been to miss in such a 
 flock; and the^ when he did kill, he had only the 
 cruel satisfaction of seeing that he had taken away 
 life, for the poor bird falling into the sea could not
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA- CRAIG- 383 
 
 be reached by Iiiin, and might be sadly missed by the 
 young brood left behind. I wish the noble proprie- 
 tor, the Marquis of Ailsa, would use some means of 
 preventing such culpable conduct. It would be an 
 honour to be an informer in such cases. 
 
 So far as we had gone, all had been prosperous ; 
 but when the vessel was brought near to the cliff 
 before sailing, that we might have a good view of 
 the loftiest range of the magnificent columns, ere we 
 Avere aware, she ran on a ledge of sunken rock, and 
 became so completely grounded, that all the power of 
 steam could not remove her from this perilous pre- 
 dicament. The captain was soon at his wits' end. 
 He had proposed that we should form a close phalanx 
 on the deck, and run from bow to stern, in order, if 
 possible, to move her, but we had repeatedly done 
 this, ajad all was in va;in. The afternoon had as yet 
 been good, but there were by this time some appeai-- 
 ances of an unfavourable change, and in these cir- 
 cumstances our condition was far from being enviable. 
 One surly blast might have rendered us a wreck, and 
 I know not if there was even a boat aboard, so that if 
 we had been cast into the sea, there the greater part of 
 us must have remained, for the very thought of scal- 
 ing the precipitous rock, though it was so close to us,~ 
 was altogether out of the question. Some strong 
 swimmers might have succeeded in reaching the land- 
 ing-place, where the shore was accessible, but many 
 men, women, and children must soon have found a 
 watery grave. There was one thing greatly in our 
 favour, and in that, under God, our hope lay. The
 
 384 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA CRAIG. 
 
 tide was making ; and we fondly hoped that ere long 
 the rising tide would raise the vessel from the sunken 
 rock. The tide seemed in these circumstances to 
 floAV more slowly than usual, but with all the patience 
 we could muster, we had to abide the result. Many 
 a countenance had increased greatly in length, and 
 many a tongue that lately had been very glibe and 
 nimble had become quite silent. No jokes were 
 passed. Our cruel sportsman no longer plied his 
 gun, though the birds were hovering over our heads, 
 uttering loud cries, most of them, we doubt not, in 
 wi-ath, though some notes were more in the tone of 
 pity. At all events, we were beginning to think our- 
 selves objects of pity. More than once the power of 
 the steam had been tried, but the vessel stuck fast, as 
 if she had become a part of the rock on which she 
 rested. Many a time was the question put to the 
 captain, especially by the ladies of the party, " Are 
 you sure the tide is rising ? " And, " Do you think 
 that it will really float us ? " The captain had his own 
 fears, I believe, but he put the best face he could on 
 it. When he thought that it was about highwater, 
 he proposed that we should make another effort. We 
 were all directed to crowd together on a particular part 
 of the deck, and all the steam the boiler could yield was 
 put in requisition, and, thank God, it was successful. 
 She glided silently off the rock ; we found that we 
 were afloat, and, while a loud shout of joy was raised 
 by all, I trust there were many silent aspirations of 
 gratitude to Him who had granted deliverance. 
 Pleasure-sails do not always terminate pleasantly.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 385 
 
 Very soon after we left Ailsa, the afternoon became 
 very wet and windy, and the wind besides was ahead, 
 so that, with a bad sea-boat, and cold, wet, squally 
 weather, our progress was very slow, and our condi- 
 tion very uncomfortable. Not a few had come a~ 
 board at Brodick and Lamlash in the expectation of 
 making the trip in a few hours, and of being landed 
 at Brodick or Lamlash before sundown ; but ere we 
 reached either Lamlash or Brodick, it had become 
 quite dark, and so stormy that the captain could not 
 venture to land his passengers in Arran, so that they 
 had to be carried on to Ardrossan. We reached Ar- 
 drossan at a late hour, and, after a walk of three 
 miles, we arrived at the Manse of Stevenston in 
 safety, well pleased that Ave had been on Ailsa, but 
 hoping, if we ever visited it again, that the trip 
 might end more agreeably. 
 
 Though we have left Ailsa, we have a good deal 
 yet to say respecting it. It is in the West spoken of 
 by way of eminence as the Craig ; but what kind of 
 craig or rock is it ? Wc answer this by quoting 
 MaccuUoch : — " Ailsa is composed of a single rock, 
 no difference being perceived between the amorphous 
 and the columnar parts. The whole mass must be 
 considered as one of the numerous modifications of 
 the agents of the trap family. It consists of an al- 
 most uniform basis of greyish compact felspar, occa- 
 sionally tinged with a brownish or reddish hue, hav- 
 ing small grains of quartz interspersed throughout. 
 Together with that it contains black spots, formed 
 
 of very minute particles of hornblende, collected in 
 
 2 B
 
 386 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 small groups, and condensed towards a central point. 
 It adds another variety to the list of those rocks, 
 which, like basalt, are capable of assuming a columnar 
 form. Numerous trap veins traverse this rock. They 
 are of considerable dimensions, and, from the abrupt 
 forms of the cliffs, expose their courses for a great 
 space, presenting this geological fact in a very inte- 
 resting point of view. The greater number are ver- 
 tical, or at least highly erect, and they are attended 
 with no disturbance or derangement of the surround- 
 ing rocks beyond that of simple separation ; nor is 
 there any alteration of either rock visible at the 
 places of contact." 
 
 And is it uninhabited ? It is now uninhabited by 
 man. Not long ago an attempt was made to make 
 it a fishing-station, and houses were built, and fisher- 
 men located in them for a time ; but whether they 
 found it too dreary or too stormy, we know not ; at 
 all events, we saw the cottages deserted. Were we 
 to attempt to describe the fish of the sea around it — 
 the living creatures that might be found on it — and 
 the fowls of the air that are seen flying in such flocks 
 above it — we might prepare to write many volumes. 
 We shall limit ourselves to short notices of a few of 
 .the birds that are known to frequent this conical 
 island, making free use, by the kind permission of 
 the author, of the rich store of information in the 
 " Natural History of Ireland, by William Thompson, 
 Esq." I shall begin Avith the puffin {Fratercida 
 arctica, Linn.), which breeds abundantly in Ailsa, 
 and in the west of Scotland goes under the name of
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CUAIO. 387 
 
 the Ailsa Cock. This bird rejoices in many names, 
 such as Coulter-neb, Sea- Parrot, and in the north of 
 Scotland it is called Tammie Norrie. Two of the 
 names, Coulter-neb and Sea-Parrot, are evidently 
 from the peculiar shape of the bill. They are migra- 
 tory, arriving in March and departing in August. 
 They are represented by some as forming their nests 
 in rabbits' burrows, frorti which, no doubt, they can 
 easily dislodge the timid and " feeble folks" who 
 were the rightful proprietors. But though they may 
 at times do this, it has been ascertained that they are 
 in the habit of forming burrows for themselves. On 
 the island of Rathlin, off the Giant's Causeway, 
 where puffins breed in great numbers, it is stated, on 
 good authority, that their burrows must be of their 
 own making, as many of them are in places that 
 rabbits could not reach. They burrow in the mould 
 among the rocks to the depth of two or three feet, 
 and at the end of the excavation the egg, which is 
 white, and about the size of a hen's, is deposited on 
 the bare earth. Dr MaccuUoch, in his description of 
 the Flannan Isles, remarks, " Various seafowl have 
 here established their colonies, but the most numerous 
 is the puffin. These literally cover the ground; so 
 that when, on the arrival of a boat, they all come out 
 of their holes, the green surface of the island ap- 
 pears like a meadow richly enamelled with daisies. 
 The soil is so perforated with their burrows, that it is 
 scarcely possible to take a step on solid ground ! " 
 
 Mr Thompson, after an eloquent description of 
 Horn, in Donegal, says — "Immense numbers of
 
 SSS EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 puffins breed here, and they afford me an excellent 
 and near opportunity of observing them, as, within a 
 yard of the summit, many appear on the flat ledges 
 of rock, while others come flying up from the sea, 
 alighting beside them, quite regardless of my pre- 
 sence. A few yards down, others are seen at the 
 entrance of holes, like rabbit-burrows, though really 
 their own perforations. An immense bank of loose 
 sandy earth, shooting down almost perpendicularly 
 towards the sea, was drilled by them so as to re- 
 semble a gigantic dove-cot." They are excellent 
 foragers for their young, having the bountiful sea 
 always at hand richly stored with provision. " A 
 pufiin shot here yesterday," says Mr Thompson, " was 
 bearing to its mate or young six fish, five of which 
 were young ClupecB, nearly six inches in length, and 
 the other a sand-eel of large size Several more were 
 remarked to be similarly well- laden ; and one bird 
 had hold of a fish nearly the size of a full-grown 
 herring." Little wonder is it that the little puffins 
 thrive, and become very plump, when constantly en- 
 joying such abundant cheer. It is a prevalent opi- 
 nion in Rathlin, in Ireland, and in the island of Eigg, 
 in Scotland, as Mr Hugh Miller states, that the 
 nestlings become so fat that they Avould be unable to 
 leave their burrows, were it not that the old puffins 
 feed them, when their wings are grown, on sorrel 
 leaves to reduce their size, that they may be able to 
 escape from their burrows. As they lay two eggs, 
 they have generally two of a brood to provide for. 
 Pennant states that " they show vast affection towards
 
 EXCURSIONS TO ailsa-Craig. 389 
 
 their young, and seem totally insensible of clanger 
 in the breeding season. If a parent is taken at that 
 time and suspended by the wings, it will in a sort of 
 despair treat itself most cruelly, by biting every part 
 it can reach ; and the moment it is loosed, will never 
 offer to escape, but instantly resort to its unfledged 
 young." Audubon, who gives a most interesting 
 account of the puffin, mentions the extraordinary 
 affection manifested by these birds to each other, for 
 whenever one fell dead or wounded on the water, its 
 mate, or a stranger, immediately alighted by its side, 
 swam round it, pushed it with its bill, as if to urge it 
 to fly or dive, and seldom would leave it till an oar 
 was raised to knock it on the head, when at last, 
 aware of the danger, it would plunge below in an 
 instant. Affectionate as they are to their young and 
 to each other, they experience no mercy from man. 
 Willoughby, nearly two hundred years ago, remarks 
 that the marksmen in the Isle of Man take the puf- 
 fins, when they are sitting on their eggs, with snares 
 fastened to the top of long poles, and so put about 
 their necks ; and Air John M'Gillivray mentions, that 
 in St Kilda, where they abound, they are captured in 
 a similar manner, 300 in the course of a day being 
 thus snared by an expert birdcatcher. Mr James 
 Wilson, in his very interesting " Voyage Round the 
 Coast of Scotland and the Isles," says, " These birds 
 are caught by stretching a piece of cord along the 
 stony places where they chiefly congregate. To this 
 cord are fastened, at intervals of a few inches, nume- 
 rous hair-nooses, and from time to time, when the
 
 390 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 countless puffins are paddling upon the surface, in go 
 their little web feet, they get noosed round the ankle, 
 and no sooner begin to flap and flutter, than down 
 rushes a ruthless widow woman and twists their 
 necks." The widow alluded to lived chiefly on the 
 puffin in its season. After the breeding season, they 
 are very numerous about Ailsa and Arran. They 
 have rather a pert appearance ; and when an attempt 
 is made to frighten them, instead of taking to flight, 
 they dive under water, and bolt upright again at some 
 distance. They find difficulty, indeed, in taking 
 wing, though they can fly pretty well when once up. 
 As they are not good in braving the storm, in tem- 
 pestuous weather they take shelter in creeks or on 
 the shore. When suddenly overtaken by a storm at 
 sea, they are often drowned ; and after a squall, we 
 have occasionally found them dead on the shore. 
 
 The Common, or Foolish Guillemot^ CTria troile, 
 Linn. — Guillemot is the French name given to it by 
 Buffbn. It has several provincial names, such as Wil- 
 lock, Skout, Sea-hen, Strany. It has been called the 
 Foolish Guillemot, because some of them appear to be 
 very stupid, not becoming cautious from experience, 
 but suffering themselves to be repeatedly shot at, as if 
 they did not know the danger ; for notwithstanding 
 they have seen their associates drop at every fire, 
 they continue to whirl about in the same circle, and 
 to ahght again in the same place where they were 
 first disturbed. Others, however, are sufficiently 
 alert.'* The Craig of Ailsa is one of their breeding 
 
 * Bewick.
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 391 
 
 places. The female lays only one egg, which is large 
 in proportion to her size, being about 3 inches in 
 length. The bird itself weighs about 24 oz., and mea- 
 sures 17 inches in length, by 27 in breadth. The bill is 
 about 2|- inches long, both mandibles slightly notched 
 near their points. They use their wings under water. 
 They can use them also in the air, but they generally 
 prefer swimming to flying. They seem incapable of 
 taking flight except from the water. The Rev. G. 
 M. Black, writing from the coast of Down to Mr 
 Thompson, remarks : " A guillemot was brought to 
 me a short time since, which I at first thought had 
 been wounded, as, when put down on the ground, it 
 made no attempt either to walk or fly, but was very 
 bold, sti'iking hard with its bill. When I afterwards 
 took it to the beach, within a few paces of the sea, 
 the eager attempt to get into its proper element Avas 
 very amusing, as, aided both by legs and wings, it 
 shoved itself along in a most awkward way. On 
 reaching the sea it at once dived, rose fifty yards ofi",. 
 flapped its wings, and seemed well and happy." A 
 friend of Mr Thompson's, fishing in Belfast Bay, ex- 
 presses himself as much entertained by observing the 
 habits of these biids and their young. " The young 
 were about one- third less than their parents, and 
 uttered a shrill, squeaking note, while that of the old 
 one was hoarse and guttural, like a croak. They 
 admitted of a very close approach. The old birds 
 dived several times, and on each occasion brought 
 up a fish, which was always given to the young. The 
 latter rested quietly on the surface of the water, and
 
 392 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA- CRAIG. 
 
 never attempted to fish for themselves, but hurried 
 forvpard rapidly to their parents when they brought 
 up any prey." After tempestuous weather, these 
 birds are occasionally found washed ashore on the 
 Irish shore, as they are also on the coast of Ayrshire. 
 
 The Razor-bill — Alca Torda and Alca Pica, 
 Linn. — This bird, like the guillemot, abounds at 
 Ailsa, one of its breeding-places. Early in May they 
 take possession of the highest cliffs, where they deposit 
 their single large egg on the bare rock. The birds 
 sit closely together, and, though congregated in great 
 numbers, each knows its own eg^, and hatches it. 
 Bewick says, " It has often excited wonder, that as 
 the eggs have no nest or bedding to rest upon, they 
 are not rolled into the sea by gales of ^ind, or on 
 being touched by the birds ; it is also said, that if 
 they are removed by the human hand, it is extremely 
 difficult to replace them in their former steady situa- 
 tion." They are three inches long, and are gathered 
 for food in great numbers from the rocks. The cry 
 of the razor-bill is a kind of croak, harsh and dis- 
 agreeable ; and by an imitation of it, the birds are 
 drawn out from their lurking-places by the fowlers. 
 
 The Little Auk — Alca alle, Linn. — Though 
 rare in Britain, has been seen at Ailsa. It is a small, 
 plump, round- shaped bird, measuring only nine inches. 
 The bill is black, and so is the flat cro\ATi of the head. 
 The upper parts of the plumage are of the same 
 colour, except a white bar across the wings. The 
 under parts are white. These birds are inhabitants 
 of Spitzbergen, Greenland, and Newfoundland, where
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 393 
 
 they are called ice-birds. Mr Thompson mentions 
 (vol. iii., page 220) "that Mr Darragh (of the 
 Belfast Museum), when paying an ornithological idsit 
 to the Craig of Ailsa, on the 19th May 1849, saw 
 four little auks. One of them remained on the 
 water at the base of the craig until approached by 
 the boat within about eight yards, when it flew off 
 in the direction which its three companions had taken 
 a minute before." Their being seen, adds Mr Thomp- 
 son, at this fine breeding-haunt of " rock-birds," in- 
 clusive of the gannet, in the middle of May, suggests 
 the probability of their nesting there. Captain Beechy, 
 in his account of the Voyage towards the North Pole 
 in 1815, remarks: " At the head of the bay there is 
 a high pyramidal mountain of granite termed Rotge 
 (i. <?., Little Auk) Hill, from the myriads of small 
 birds of that name which frequent its base. They 
 are so numerous, that we have frequently seen an 
 uninterrupted line of them extending full half-way 
 ov(>r the bay, or to a distance of more than three 
 miles, and so close together that thirty have fallen 
 at a shot. This livins; column on an average micfht 
 have been about six yards broad, and as many deep. 
 There must have been nearly four millions of birds 
 on wing at one time." 
 
 The KiTTiWAKE. — Lams triddctylus, Linn. — L. 
 rissa, Brunn. — Though gulls of various kinds abound 
 in Ailsa, nyoicing in it as their fatherland, we shall 
 allow them to pass undisturbed, noticing only the 
 gentle little kittiwako ; and we are led to select it in 
 consequence of some personal acquaintance with one
 
 304 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CEAIG. 
 
 of this family. It is a small bird, measuring only 
 about 16 inches in length, and weighing about 
 14 oz. The bill is greenish yellow, the head, neck, 
 tail, and other parts of the body, white. The legs are 
 dusky, and the hinder toe not bigger than a small 
 wart, hence the Linnean name L. tridactylus, or three- 
 toed gull. It frequents rocky promontories and islets 
 in the sea, preferring those where there are cHfFs and 
 precipices. Dr J. D. Marshall writes thus respect- 
 ing them : — " This is by far the most common species 
 of gull in Rathlin ; and when I was there in June 1834, 
 they were in such countless multitudes as to darken 
 the air over our heads. The nests were formed of 
 dried grass, &c. When I looked down from a height 
 on these nests, it appeared wonderful how the birds 
 found room to sit and hatch their eggs or tend their 
 young, for they were placed on the shelf of a rock 
 so near to each other that the birds sat in contact." 
 Mr Thompson (vol. iii., p. 341) says: " In June 1832, 
 I saw kittiwakes in immense numbers about their 
 nesting-places in the range of magnificent cliffs west- 
 ward of Horn Head. Looking eastward I saw at 
 one view thousands sitting on their nests, which are all 
 placed on narrow horizontal shelves for about half-way 
 up the rocks from the water, and in depth only suffi- 
 cient to contain a single row of them. They are 
 placed close together, and the birds are then as near 
 to each other as they can sit. The nests are very 
 thick, fully three inches, composed of the grass 
 Elymus arenarius, and exhibit no lining of feathers. 
 Some of the old birds exhibited the pretty and grace-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CUAIG. 395. 
 
 ful gestures of tlie dove when cooing, and looked con- 
 summately happy." Such a spectacle is fitted to give 
 great delight to a benevolent mind, in contemplating the 
 amount of happiness which, in a wild place, God is giv- 
 ing to so many of his beautiful creatures. Mr Thomp- 
 son informs us that there is quite a line of demarcation 
 betwixt the nesting-places of the kittiwahe and the her- 
 ring-gull, the former occupying the lower, and the latter 
 the upper half of the same cliffs. Mv G. C. Hynd- 
 man mentions, that when he was sailing, on 24th June 
 1844, some miles from Ailsa, kittiwakes, which breed 
 in quantities on that majestic pyramidal rock, Avere 
 attracted by the bait that was out for mackerel. Per- 
 ceiving this, he threw out pieces of fat meat to them, 
 Avhen about twenty gathered round the vessel, and 
 followed it for two or three miles. 
 
 Two years ago, I was led to take an interest in one 
 of these pretty little kittiwakes. A boy brought it 
 to the door, saying he had got it in the Isle of Ar- 
 ran, and Avishing me to buy it. I gave a sixpence 
 for it, that I might free it from his hands and set it 
 at liberty. I was sorry, however, to find that he had 
 clipped one of its wings, so that Avhen let loose in the 
 garden it attempted to escape, half running, half fly- 
 in<r. I saAv that it Avould have been crueltv to com- 
 mit it to the sea in that state, and therefore resolved 
 to keep it till the feathers of the Aving were groAvn. 
 Wishing to make it happy in its temporary confine- 
 ment, I treated it Avith all possible kindness; and a 
 member of the household, to Avhom even the Avild 
 birds in the garden got attached, and became so
 
 39 G EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 tame that some of them would, eat out of her hand, 
 showed even more than her usual kindness to the 
 poor little kittiwake — but all in vain. It never put 
 the least trust in any of us, even when giving it food. 
 I think it could never forget the harsh usage it had 
 received from its captor before it came into our hands; 
 and could it have spoken, we may suppose that it 
 would have said, '■'■Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes." 
 We got it in autumn and kept it all winter. Being 
 in a walled gai'den, with its single wing it could not 
 escape. We wished to make it as comfortable as 
 possible during the cold winter nights, and for this 
 purpose placed near it a barrel on its side littered 
 with hay ; but it would never enter it, and if put into 
 it, it would not remain. To give it a resting-place 
 removed from the ground, I laid a large stone in a 
 sloping position against the garden wall, and this it 
 constantly chose as its roosting-place by night. Even 
 in the coldest Avinter nights, when one might have 
 thought that its little toes would have been frozen, 
 this hardy little three-fingered Jack kept to its 
 favourite station, and was found on the stone in the 
 morning. When spring returned, I hoped that the 
 feathers of its wing would soon be so far grown that 
 it might be allowed to return to its kindred in Arran 
 or Ailsa, but it dwindled and became emaciated, and 
 finally died, in consequence, it is probable, of injuries 
 it had received before it came into our liands. 
 
 In describing Ailsa, it would be unjustifiable not to 
 treat a little of the solan goose, seeing that Ailsa is 
 the only place in the West that it honours as a breed-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA- CRAIG. 397 
 
 ing residence. It has several names. Amonfr the 
 learned it is called Sula Bassana. Its generic name 
 is from its Norse name, Sule ; and its specific name 
 is from our own Bass Rock, on the east coast of Scot- 
 land, which, from time immemorial, has been one of 
 its favourite residences. Its Scottish name, Solan, is 
 derived from its Norse name, Side; and its English 
 name. Gamut, is a lengthened form of its Welsh name, 
 Gan. It is a great bird, three feet in length, by six 
 feet in breadth. The greater part of the plumage is 
 white. It is a strong, fierce-looking foAvl, with a long 
 sharp bill, which it is said to dart at the eyes of those 
 that assail it. They form their nests in caverns or on 
 ledges of the rock, " The male and female hatch and 
 fish by turns ; the fisher returns to the nest with five 
 or six heiTings in its gullet, all entire and undigested, 
 which the hatcher pulls out from the throat of its 
 provider, and swallows them, making at the same time 
 a loud noise." Martin says that '' the solan geese 
 have always some of their number that keep watch in 
 the night time, and if the sentinel is surprised (as it 
 often happens) all the flock are taken, one after ano- 
 ther. But if the sentinel be awake at the approach of 
 the creeping fowlers, and hear a noise, he cries softly 
 grog, grog, at which the flock do not move; but if the 
 sentinel see or hear the fowler approaching, he cries 
 softly hxr, bir, which would seem to import danger, 
 since, immediately after, all the tribe take wing, leav- 
 ing the disappointed fowlers without any prospect of 
 success for that night." 
 
 The depth to which gannets often dive in fishing is
 
 S,98 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 proved to bo very great. Mr W. Thompson, to whom 
 we have been so much indebted, says (vol. iii,, page 
 258) : " Having heard from two friends that were 
 grouse-shooting at Ballantrae (on -the Ayrshire coast, 
 near to Ailsa), that they had seen great numbers of 
 gannets lying in a state of decay in holes on the 
 beach, and that these birds had been taken at extra- 
 ordinary depths in the fishermen's nets, I made par- 
 ticular inquiry on the subject from a w'orthy resident 
 of my acquaintance (postmaster, &c., of the village), 
 and received the following reply — ' Gannets are very 
 commonly caught about Ballantrae in the fishermen's 
 nets, which are sunk from 9 to 20, but sometimes 
 to the depth of 30 fathoms, or 180 feet. They are 
 taken at all these depths, when the Avater is rough as 
 well as smooth, in both the cod and turbot nets. Of 
 the greatest quantity taken at one time, John, son of 
 Alexander Coulter, can make oath that he took 
 ninety-four gannets from one net at a single haul a 
 few years ago. The net was a cod net, about sixty 
 fathoms long. The birds brought up the net, with 
 its sinkers and fish, to the top, where such as were not 
 drowned made a sad struggle to escape. There were 
 four nets in this train ; but the above ninety-four were 
 in one of the nets, and there were thirty-four addi- 
 tional birds in the other part of the train, being 128 
 gannets in all.' A scientific friend, who had watched 
 the proceedings of the gannets on the Irish coast, re- 
 marked that, when in pursuit of prey, they invari- 
 ably went down perpendicularly, remained a long 
 time under water, and never reappeared without a
 
 KXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 399 
 
 fish crosswise in their bills, which was thrown up 
 into the air, caught by the head in its descent, and 
 swallow-ed." The Rev. G. M. Black writes, " One 
 that happened to be caught asleep was brought on 
 board the boat and tied by the leg to one of the 
 ' traps.' To test its appetite, some fish Avere thrown 
 to it, when, without drawing breath, it swallowed 
 four full-grown mackerel, and probably would have 
 disposed of more, had not the fishermen thought it 
 had enough, at least, for one meal." 
 
 We have elsewhere mentioned that gannets are 
 taken by fastening a fish to a strong board, Avhich is 
 floated, and the bird coming down with great impe- 
 tus from on high on its prey, has its neck dislocated. 
 The force Avith which a gannet plunges on a fish is 
 astonishingly great. Mr .Tohn JMacgillivray says : 
 '' The following was related to me by more than one 
 person both in St Kilda and Harris, and I believe 
 it to be true. Several years ago, an open boat Avas 
 returning from St Kilda to Harris, and a fcAv her- 
 rings happened to be lying in the bottom close to the 
 edge of the ballast. A gannet passing ov^erhead, 
 stopping for a moment, suddenly darted doAvn upon 
 the fish, and passed through the bottom of the boat, 
 as far as the middle of the body, Avhich, being retained 
 in that position by one of the crew, effectually stopped 
 the leak till they reached their destination." We 
 have often heard of the horn of the Monodon or sea- 
 unicorn having been driven through the plank of a 
 vessel in the Eastern seas, and of the vessel being 
 kept from sinking by the horn remaining in the per-
 
 400 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 foration till the harbour was reached. There is a 
 common saying, " Seeing is believing;" and in the 
 Museum of the East India House, London, a few 
 weeks ago, I actually saw this very plank, with the 
 identical horn which had thoroughly pierced it still 
 remaining in the perforation which the powerful sea- 
 monster had made. 
 
 It may be interesting to some to learn what has 
 been said of Ailsa by other writers besides those we 
 have already quoted ; but before doing so, I am 
 tempted to give another passage from Mr Thompson's 
 "Natural History of Ireland," from which I have 
 already taken copious extracts. " Though I have 
 not visited Ailsa," he remarks, " its noble pyramidal 
 form, rising to the altitude of 1100 feet above the 
 sea, has always been familiar to me, forming, as it 
 does, so fine a feature in the scenery, when viewed 
 from the north-east coast of Ireland. But while 
 shooting on moors in Ayrshire, I have had the plea- 
 sure of making a nearer acquaintance with it, as 
 thence casting the eye seaward, it was always the 
 grandest object within view. On one occasion, it was 
 observed from the inland mountains that intensely 
 black clouds occupied the Avest and north-west, and 
 dismally grim did Ailsa arise from the dark waters ; 
 — again that it appeared covered with snow towards 
 the summit, so exquisitely Avhite were the clouds rest- 
 ing there, — and several times, during two successive 
 days, a dark cloud was seen rising from the apex, 
 like smoke from a volcano, which the configuration of 
 the island so greatly resembles."
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 401 
 
 At the season Avlien tlie young gannets are about 
 fledged, great numbers of them are caught in their 
 nests at the Bass, and at Ailsa, and carried to Edin- 
 burgh, and Ayr, and to other places throughout the 
 country, where they are still regarded by some as a 
 delicacy, and eaten as a whet before dinner. It is an 
 acquired taste, hoAvever, and we had learned in our 
 younger days to eat them with relish by getting them 
 in their season both in Edinburgh and Ayr. It is 
 many years since we tasted them, and we rather 
 suspect that their very strong fishy flavour would be 
 more than enough fur us now-a-days. It is interest- 
 ing to read what Sir William Brewster, Bart., says 
 respecting the solan geese in his journal which he 
 kept when he travelled in Scotland in 1635, and which 
 was published by the Chatham Society in 1844: — 
 " In the Isle of Elsey, which is my Lord Castle's, there 
 breed abundance of solemne (solan) geese, which 
 are longer necked and bodied than ours, and so ex- 
 treme fat are the young, as that when they eat them 
 they are placed in the middle of the room, so as all 
 may have access about it, their arms stripped up, and 
 linen cloths placed before their clothes to secure them 
 from being defiled with the fat thereof which doth be- 
 sprinkle and besmear all that come near unto it." Sir 
 William, doubtless, is here speaking of the Ayrshire 
 epicures of 1G35. In 1851, it is, we doubt not, still 
 tasted by our gourmands as a whet, without the serious 
 preparation of stripping the arms, and towelling the 
 vest and nether garments. We have heard, indeed, of 
 
 one with a pretty sharp-set maw, who, having been told 
 
 2 c
 
 402 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CBAIG. 
 
 that they were used as a whet to quicken the appetite 
 for dinner, set briskly to work, but by and by com- 
 plained that, though he had eaten almost the whole 
 of one, he felt not a bit more hungry than when he 
 began. But, though they may be used as provoca- 
 tives by those who can " dine satisfactionably every 
 day," according to the Irishman's reading of the text, 
 they are regarded as one of the richest blessings of a 
 kind Providence by the inhabitants of St Kilda, and 
 other islanders, and are carefully stored up to be their 
 chief support during winter. Their eggs also are laid 
 up for the same purpose ; for, though they would not 
 lay more than one egg if left undisturbed, the fowlers 
 know that they will lay three if the first and second 
 are taken away, and consequently they leave only 
 the third to be hatched. The mass of eggs thus ob- 
 tained they secure in stone receptacles built for the 
 purpose, in Avhich they cover the eggs with peat-ashes 
 to exclude the air ; and thus protected from rain and 
 atmospheric influence, they continue fresh during the 
 winter. For the sake of the eggs they visit only the 
 nests that are most easy of access, but in robbing the 
 nests of the young birds they are exceedingly ven- 
 turesome, as their support in winter depends so much 
 on the result. Then, says Bewick, " the adventm-ous 
 fowler, trained to it from his youth, and familiarized 
 to the danger, must first approach the brow of the 
 fearful precipice to view and trace his progress on the 
 broken pendant rocks beneath him : over these rocks, 
 which (perhaps a hundred fathoms lower) are dashed 
 by the foaming sui'ge, he is from a prodigious height
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 403 
 
 to be suspended. After addressing himself in prayer to 
 the Supreme Disposer of events, with a mind prepared 
 for the arduous task, he is let down by a rope, either 
 held fast by his comrades, or fixed into the ground on 
 the summit." " Sometimes by swinging himself from 
 one ledge to another, with the help of his hook he 
 mounts upwards, and clambers from place to place ; and 
 at other opportunities, by springing backwards he can 
 dart himself into the hollow caverns of the projecting 
 rock, which he commonly finds well stored with the 
 objects of his pursuit, whence the plunder, chiefly con- 
 sisting of the full-grown young birds, is drawn up to 
 the top, or tossed down to the boat at the bottom, 
 according to the situation of concurring circumstances 
 of time and place. In these hollows he takes his 
 rest, and sometimes remains during the night, espe- 
 cially Avhen they happen to be at such vast and stupen- 
 dous heights. To others of less magnitude the fowlers 
 commonly climb from the bottom, with the help of 
 three hooked poles only, by which they assist and 
 push or pull up each other from hole to hole, and in 
 this manner traverse the whole front of the frightful 
 scar. To a feeling mind, the very sight of this hazard- 
 ous employment, in whatever way it is pursued, is 
 painful ; for indeed it often happens that these ad- 
 venturous poor men, in this mode of obtaining their 
 living, slip their hold, and are precipitated from one 
 projection to another with increasing velocity, and 
 fall mangled upon the rocks, or are for ever buned 
 in the abyss below." We remember reading of a c-ase 
 in point enough to make our blood ran chill. Cue
 
 404 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA- CRAIG, 
 
 of these adventurous fellows had been let down from 
 a precipice of great height till he found himself op- 
 posite to a hollow cavern in the projecting rock 
 where nests might be expected. As the rope de- 
 scended perpendicularly, he succeeded in giving to it 
 an oscillatory motion, so that though by the swing in 
 one direction he was carried farther from the cavern, 
 the next oscillation brought him nearer to it, and soon 
 by his usual dexterity he was swung into the cavern, 
 and got firm footing on the ledge of the cliff, — but 
 alas ! he had inadvertently let go his hold not only of 
 the rope by which he had been suspended, but also 
 of the smaller rope attached to it by which the other 
 is brought near when required. The rope,- from the 
 impulse it had received, continued to swing like a pen- 
 dulum, and fain would he have grasped it, but at its 
 nearest approach it was beyond his reach, and he saw 
 to his horror that at every swing it was farther from 
 him — that in a little it would be at rest, hanging 
 perpendicularly from the upper projecting cliff, and 
 of course hopelessly beyond his reach. Life and 
 death were in the balances. AYas he to give himself 
 up as lost, and by a lingering death to perish of hun- 
 ger in the cavern, or was he to make an effort to reach 
 the rope, with the certainty, if he missed it, of be- 
 ing dashed on the rocks or of perishing among the 
 waves a hundred fathoms below. After a moment's 
 deliberation, he watched with the utmost intensity of 
 feeling the next approach of the rope, and summon- 
 ing all his strength he sprung forward to grasp it. 
 The leap was tremendous, but it was successful. He
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA- CRAIG. 405 
 
 caught the rope, put his foot in the loop,' made the 
 signal to his companions above, and was drawn up, 
 not knowing for a time whether he was dead or 
 alive. 
 
 We shall now give a short extract from Donald 
 Monro, Dean of the Isles, who published an account 
 of the Hebrides in 1549 : — " North-west from the ile 
 of Man sixty myles olf, layes Elsay an iyl, ane myle 
 lange, wherein is ane grate high hill round and rough, 
 and ane heavin (haven), and als abundance of soland 
 geise, and ane small poynt of ane uesse whereat the 
 fish bottes lyis, for in the same ile is very good kill- 
 ing, lyng, and other whyte fishes. Forenent this ile 
 layes Carrick on the south-east pairt, Ireland on the 
 south-west pairt, and the lands of Kintyre on the 
 west and north-west pairt ; the said Elsay being 
 neirhand midsea betwixt the said marches." The 
 nests of the solan geese are composed of grass and 
 seaweeds, occasionally intermixed with sticks ; but 
 Martin states that " the steward of St Kilda told him 
 that they found in their nests a red coat, a brass dial, 
 an aiTow, and some Molucca beans, no doubt all 
 found floating in the sea. The young are spotted 
 like a starling. At first the young are fed with pulpy 
 matter from the stomach, and afterwards with fish 
 which they disgorge. They were brought to the 
 royal table of old, and so were seals and porpoises, 
 but chiefly their tongues, as a delicacy." We shall 
 give another short extract from Sir William Brew- 
 ster's Journal. In his way bet^vcen Glasgow and 
 Erwin (Irvine), July 1, 1635, "he caught sight of
 
 406 EXCtTRSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 Ailsa Craig." " One more remarkable isle here shows 
 itself at forty miles' distance ; this is placed in the sea 
 about sixteen miles from shore. It is a mighty high 
 rock, seeming very steep and high, round at the top ; 
 the name of it is Ellsey, and it belongs to my Lord 
 Castle : not inhabited, but with abundance of fowl, 
 and two eyries of goosehawks, this year stolen by 
 some Highlanders. This rock or island was in our 
 view three days whilst we travelled betwixt sixty and 
 seventy miles, and when you are at a great distance 
 it presents itself in shape like a sugar-loaf, and when 
 you approach nearer it seems lower and flatter at 
 the top, but it is a rnuch-to-be-admired piece of the 
 Lord's workmanship." 
 
 This reminds me that the first time I saw Ailsa 
 was probably from the same place that Sir W, Brew- 
 ster first saw it. In returning home after my first 
 winter at the University of Edinburgh, another col- 
 lege stripling and I resolved to come by Glasgow and 
 Aat, both of which were new to us. The spring day 
 was clear and fine; and sitting down on a stone to 
 rest, I said to my companion, " What can that sugar- 
 loaf-like Mil be which rises from the plain at a great 
 distance ? " He was as ignorant as myself. We did 
 not even know that that plain was the sea ; and as 
 little did I wot that that conical hill, with the sea in 
 Avhich it was placed, were to be daily objects of in- 
 terest to me from Stevenston Manse during the greater 
 part of my life. Truly the lines have fallen to me in 
 pleasant places ; and I may add, " yea, I have a goodly 
 heritage," if I can with truth say like the Psalmist,
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG, 407 
 
 ■^^ The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of 
 my cup ; thou maintainest my lot." 
 
 We shall now give Pennant's description of Ailsa 
 in 1772 : — " June 25. After a very tedious calm, we 
 reach the Craig of Ailsa, and anchor on the N.E., 
 within fifty yards of the side, in twelve fathoms 
 water, gravelly bottom. On this side is a small beach. 
 All the rest is a perpendicular rock for an amazing 
 height, but from the edges of the precipice the moun- 
 tain assumes a pyramidal ^rm. The Avhole circum- 
 ference of the base is t^vo miles. On the east side is 
 a stupendous and amazing assemblage of precipitous 
 columnar rocks of great height, rising in wild series 
 one above the other. Beneath these, amidst the ruins 
 that had fallen from time to time, are groves of elder 
 trees — the only trees of the place, — the sloping sur- 
 face being almost entirely covered with fern and short 
 grass. The quadrupeds that inhabit the rock are 
 goats and rabbits. The birds that nestle in the pre- 
 cipices are numerous as swarms of bees, and not un- 
 like them in their flight to and from the Craig. On 
 the verge of the precipice dwell the gannets and shags. 
 Beneath are guillemots and the razor-bills ; and un- 
 der them the grey gulls and kittiwakcs helped by 
 their cry to fill the deafening chorus. The puffins 
 made themselves burrows above ; the sea-pies found 
 a scanty place for their eggs near the base. Some land 
 birds made this their haunt : among them ravens, hooded 
 crows, pigeons, wheatears, and rocklarks; and what is 
 wonderful, throstles exerted the same melody in this 
 scene of horror as they do in the groves of Hertfordshire.
 
 408 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 " Three reptiles appeared here very unexpectedly, — 
 the naked black snail, the common and the striped 
 shell-snail, not volunteer inhabitants, but probably 
 brought in the salads of some visitants from the neigh- 
 bouring shores." 
 
 " This rock is the property of the Earl of Cassilis, 
 who rents it for £33 per annum to people who come 
 here to take the young gannets for the table, and the 
 other birds for the sake of their feathers. The last 
 are caught when the young birds are ready for their 
 flight. The fowler ascends the rocks with great 
 hazard, is provided with a long rod, furnished at the 
 end Avith a short hairline with a running noose. 
 This he flings round the neck of the birds, hawls it 
 up, and repeats it till he takes ten or twelve dozen in 
 an evening. I cannot learn where the feathers are 
 used. On the beach we find the ruins of a chapel, 
 and the vestiges of places inhabited by fishermen, who 
 resort here during the season for the capture of cod, 
 which abound here from January to April on the 
 great bank, which begins a little south of Arran, 
 passes this rock, and extends three leagues beyond. 
 The fish are taken with long liACS. * * * The 
 fish are dried and then salted ; but there are seldom 
 sufiicient caught for foreign exportation. The castle 
 is of difiicult ascent. It is a square tower of three 
 storeys, each vaulted, placed pretty high on the only 
 accessible part of the rock. The path is narrow, over 
 a vast slope, so very steep that it wants but little of 
 a true precipice. The walk is horrible, for the depth 
 is alarming. It would have been thought that no-
 
 EXCURSIONS TO AILSA CRAIG. 409 
 
 thing but an eagle would have fixed his habitation 
 here, and probably it Avas some chieftain not less an 
 animal of rapine. The only mark of civilization I 
 saw in the castle was an oven, a conveniency which 
 many parts of North Britain are yet strangers to." 
 
 " In 1597, one Barclay of Ladyland undertook the 
 remarkable design of possessing himself of this rock, 
 and of fortifying it for the service of the Spaniards. 
 He arrived there with a few assistants, as he ima- 
 gined undiscovered ; but one day walking alone on the 
 beach, he unexpectedly encountered Mr John Knox, 
 who was sent to apprehend him ; and the moment he 
 saw the unfriendly party, in despair rushed into the 
 sea and put an end to his existence."* 
 
 " We made a hearty dinner under the shade of the 
 castle, and even at that height procured fine water 
 from a spring within a hundred yards of the place. 
 The view of the Bay of Girvan in Carrick, within 
 nine miles, and that of Campbeltown in Argyleshire, 
 about twenty-two miles off, bounded each side of the 
 firth. The weather Avas so hot that Ave did not 
 ascend to the summit, Avhich is said to be broad, and 
 to have had on it a small chapel, designed, as is fre- 
 quent on the promontories of foreign shores, for the 
 devout seaman to offer up his prayer of supplication 
 for a safe voyage, or of gratitude for a safe return." 
 
 We cannot conclude Avithout giving a short extract 
 from the Ncav Statistical Account of the parish of 
 Dailly, contributed by the Rev. Dr Hill, noAv Pro- 
 fessor of Divinity in the University of GlasgoAv : — 
 * Spottiswood's History of Scotland.
 
 ■IIO EXCURSIONS TO AILSA-CRAIG. 
 
 " Altliough the extremity of tliis parish is nearl}' two 
 miles distant from the seacoast, yet the island of 
 Ailsa, about fifteen miles west from thetownof Girvan, 
 is considered as belonging to Dailly, being included 
 in the barony of Knockgirvan, a part of the Marquis 
 of Ailsa's property which lies in this parish. It is a 
 huge rock, perhaps two miles of circumference at the 
 base, and about 1100 feet above the level of the sea. 
 Seen from the south or north, its shape is very much 
 that of a cone. Its appearance from the east is more 
 flattened. It is precipitous on all sides, and is acces- 
 sible only on the north-east, where there is a small 
 beach. The cliffs in several places are columnar. 
 A considerable way up the rock are remains of build- 
 ings, supposed to have been a tower or castle, and a 
 chapel. Very fine water is found on the rock, and 
 very near its summit. There is little pasture on it. 
 Numberless flocks of birds frequent it, and particu- 
 larly gannets or solan geese. It is chiefly from their 
 feathers that the rent of the island is derived, and it 
 is only during the time that the birds are sought for 
 on account of their feathers that any one resides upon 
 it. There was recently a plan in agitation for mak- 
 ing Ailsa a fishing-station for the supply of Glasgow 
 and Liverpool, by means of the steamboats which 
 pass it regularly. Some buildings were commenced 
 for the purpose, but the plan has not been carried 
 into effect,"
 
 THE TWO CUMBEAES. 
 
 PART lY. 
 
 THE GREAT CUMBRAE. 
 
 " 'Tis pleasant to wander along on the sand, 
 
 Beneath the high cliff that is hollowed in caves; 
 Where the fisher has put off his boat from the land, 
 And the prawn-catcher wades through the shore-rippling 
 waves. 
 Bright gleam the white sails in the stout rays of even, 
 
 And stud, as with silver, the broad level main; 
 While glowing clouds float on the fair face of heaven, 
 And the mirror-like water reflects them again." 
 
 " When the heat of mid-day is past, and the refreshing sea- 
 breeze invigorates the exhausted frame, it is delightful to wan- 
 der along the beach, and observe the various objects there which 
 are full of interest. .The seashore is indeed the last place in 
 which a true lover of nature can be idle. Such a number of 
 beings, varying in form and character, in habits and manners, 
 and in the design of their existence, here surround him, as may 
 often employ his time and attention. Yet how many annually 
 visit the sea — some for the sake of health, some for amusement 
 and pleasure — who leave it without having examined a single one 
 of the natural productions with which it teems — an investigation
 
 412 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 which would have made an uneasy hour one of gratification and 
 instruction." — Sights in all Seasons. 
 
 There are two islands of Cumbray or Cumbrae — 
 the Great Cumbrae and the Little Cumbrae, or, in 
 the language of the district, the Big Cumbrae and 
 the Wee Cumbrae. They are separated from each 
 other by a strait less than a mile in breadth. They 
 are both in the county of Bute ; but while the Big 
 Cumbrae forms a parish connected with the presby- 
 tery of Greenock, the Little Cumbrae forms an ap- 
 pendage (jjiuoad sacra) of the parish of West Kilbride, 
 connected with the presbytery of Irvine in the county 
 of Ayr. I could not easily tell how often I have visited 
 the Big Cumbrae, but most of my visits were in the 
 way of clerical duty, and had no reference to natural 
 science. Some of them were before steamers had 
 begun to ply on the lower parts of the Firth of Clyde ; 
 and old Mr Adam, who was then the parish minis- 
 ter, and a very eccentric character, used to allege 
 that the Prince of the Power of the Air surely bore 
 me a grudge, as in coming to them I almost always 
 had to encounter a storm. Once, I remember, when 
 he was depending on me for aid on a sacramental 
 occasion, though a boat had come over for me to 
 Portincross on the coast of Ayrshire, he began to 
 fear that, owing to the storminess of the day, I would 
 not venture to cross. He kept a good lookout, how- 
 ever — saw the boat start — saAV it, after many tack- 
 ings, reach the Little Cumbrae, but there it disap- 
 peared. It had, from stress of weather, run into a 
 creek, and there he thought it must remain. Again,
 
 ISLAND OP GREAT CUMBRAE. 413 
 
 however, he saw it venturing out, and with well- 
 reefed sail making for the strait betwixt the islands, 
 — on such a day, owing to the strong breeze and 
 strong tide, a dangerous passage, — and seeing the 
 greatness of our peril, it was too much for him, and 
 he ran into the manse. The boatmen were noble 
 sailors, and, by the kind providence of God, Ave got 
 safely into the harbour. 
 
 The Large Cumbrae is an island in the Firth of 
 Clyde, about four miles from the island of Bute, two 
 miles from the parish of Largs in Ayrshire, and less 
 than a mile from the Little Cumbrae. It is about 
 three and a-half miles in length, by two and a-half in 
 breadth. The surface is undulating, rising in some 
 places to the height of .500 feet. There is a flat space 
 round the island betwixt the sea and the rising ground, 
 but this space bears marks of having been at one time 
 under the sea, as the soil in some places is composed 
 of sea-shells and sand. The climate of the island is 
 very salubrious. I remember the old minister, Mr 
 Adam, told me on one occasion, that there had not 
 a single death occurred in the island during the past 
 year. The population was then about 700 ; now, I 
 suppose, it is more than double that number, as it 
 has become a favourite place of resort of seabathers, 
 so that the village has greatly increased, and some 
 nice villas have been built along the shore. Though 
 to our taste it is too limited in its range for a place 
 of permanent abode, we do not wonder that it is 
 much liked as a temporary residence. The views 
 from it are surpassed by none in the Firth of Clyde,
 
 ■ili EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 and that is saying not a little. From the high 
 grounds ahove the village they are truly magnificent. 
 On one side you have in the distance the rugged 
 mountains of Argyleshire — in an opposite direction 
 you have Ayrshire and Galloway bounding the view 
 by land, and Ailsa seen at a distance over Little 
 Cumbrae in the foreground. On the right hand you 
 have the peaks of Arran in their grandeur, with a 
 fine view into Glen Sannox ; and on the left hand 
 you have Kelburn, its finely-wooded banks, and 
 the old castle of Fairly, of classical celebrity, the 
 sweet village of Fairly, ^nd the no less sweet town of 
 Largs, memorable as the battlefield on which of old 
 the Norwegians were routed, and better known in 
 the present day for its attractions as a delightful 
 watering-place. In proof of the remarkable beauty 
 of the surrounding scenery, I have occasionally men- 
 tioned a jocular conversation betwixt the late Mr 
 Watt of Greenock and myself, when, many years 
 ago, we met at a dinner-party in Edinbm-gh. After 
 the usual greetings, he said to me, " I was down at 
 Cumbrae this morning." This was before the intro- 
 duction of steamers and railways, and next to impos- 
 sible, unless he had possessed the velocity, not to say 
 the ubiquity, of a bird. Nevertheless I immediately 
 responded, w^th corresponding gravity, " So was I." 
 He saw that I understood him, and said to me, smil- 
 ing, " Was that in Leith Walk?" I said, " It was." 
 We had both gone to see an excellent panorama of 
 the Bay of Naples, which Avas then exhibited at the 
 head of Leith Walk, and it had struck both of us as
 
 ISLAND OF GREAT CU.MBRAE. 415 
 
 being exceedingly like the view from Cumbrae; — 
 Arran, though it had not a volcano, being very like 
 Vesuvius and the adjoining mountains, and the Little 
 Cumbrae bearing a striking resemblance to the Island 
 of Capri. 
 
 I find that I have short notes of three short ex- 
 cursions made to Cumbrae for scientific purposes. 
 To a person who has little time to spare for such 
 things, the steamers present great facilities. The 
 daily steamer during summer to Arran sails at ten 
 o'clock, and if a day is chosen when a pleasure sail is 
 projected, five or six. hours may be spent in the island 
 before she returns in the evening. Another steamer 
 for Glasgow leaves Ardrossan at 8, a.m., by which 
 you may be put ashore at Millport in Cumbrae at 
 nine o'clock, and have the Avhole day in the island, as 
 the return boat for Ardrossan does not touch at Mill- 
 port till six o'clock in the evening. In June 1 846, 
 Major ]\Iartin and I sailed for Cumbrae for a day's 
 dredging. The day was fine, and we were pretty 
 successful, though we got little that we had not found 
 before in Arran. Among the moUusca we captm-ed 
 were the following : Lima hiaiis, Pecten striatus, 
 Pecten ti(/rinus, Trochus miUip'rmiis, Trochus tumi- 
 dus, Natica MonlcKjui^ Venus ovata, Venus fasciata, 
 Tellina a'assa, Tellina donaci7ia^ Eulhna polita, 
 Kellia suborblculars, Cyprina minima, and the finest 
 specimen of Fusus Boothii we had ever seen, about 
 an inch in length, and beautifully marked. We got 
 some good seaweeds, Polyslphonia parasitica, Padi- 
 nella parvula, and Pcyssonelia Duhyi. The best
 
 4 1 6 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 zoophytes we fell in with were Plumularia pinnata, 
 Antennularia ramosa, and one specimen oi Anten- 
 nularia antennina, the only one I ever got in the 
 West. The dredge brought up several specimens of 
 Echinus sphcera. Echinus miliaris, Echinocyamus 
 pusillus, Amphidotus cordatus^ and Amphidotus rose- 
 us. The day was delightful — quite a day for Beroes 
 to enjoy themselves; and we saw several beautiful 
 specimens oi Beroe cucumis floating around the boat. 
 One beautiful little creature we dredged, which we 
 had never seen before. It was like a little fish, about 
 the size of a minnow. It had no eyes, no fins, but a 
 membrane along the back and belly instead of a fin, 
 and it had a little crest on the head. When put into 
 a tumbler of seawater, it darted about with great 
 velocity ; but it could not keep itself suspended like 
 a fish ; for, when it ceased to move, it fell to the 
 bottom, and lay motionless on its side. It was very 
 pretty. I learned afterwards that it was a very rare 
 creature — Amphioxus lanceolatus. I believe it is 
 ranked among the annelidcs; and a very able paper 
 respecting it, by Professor Allman of Dublin, may 
 be found in the "Annals of Natural History." When 
 I first saw it in the dredge, I thought it might be the 
 young of a very rare fish which had been got a few 
 days before by my son, alive, under stones in shallow 
 water. This, however, was a real fish, and certainly 
 one of the most delicately beautiful fishes I had ever 
 seen. It was the Leptocephaliis Morrisii, sometimes 
 called the ribbon-fish. In shape it somewhat resem- 
 bles Cepola rubescens, the red band-fish, which, though
 
 ISLAND OP GREAT CUMBRAE. 417 
 
 rare, is occasionally got alive by our fisliermen ; and 
 I have found it once or twice dead on the shore. It 
 is a beautiful fish of more than a foot in length ; but 
 the ribbon-fish, which is only six inches in length, 
 is like an exquisitely-beautiful miniature of the band- 
 fish. The body is compressed, about half-an-inch in 
 breadth, and only the 12th part of an inch in thick-- 
 ness. The dorsal and ventral fins are united. The 
 pectoral fins are small and delicate. It is of a light lilac 
 colour, and nearly as transparent as glass, so that the 
 shape and colour of objects could be quite clearly seen 
 through it. The head is small. The snout is rather 
 paler than the body. The eyes are large and beauti- 
 ful. The eye is silvery, Avith a black iris ; and as the 
 head is pellucid like the body, you can see to the very 
 base of the^ eye all round, as if it were set in light 
 pink-coloured glass. Above the ventral fin, which is 
 fine, and consisting of innumerable rays, there is a 
 pretty close line of blackish dots. There are also 
 three faint longitudinal lines from the head to the 
 tail. It was a most beautiful creature, and its move- 
 ments were full of ease and gracefulness. Such was 
 its transparency, that we could see all its inward 
 structure ; and all its ribs, though of countless num- 
 ber, and not so thick as the finest haif. O ! may we 
 remember that He, whose exquisite workmanship Ave 
 behold in this tiny beauty of the deep, formed also 
 the human heart, and that not one of the multitude 
 of the thoughts within it can escape his notice ; for 
 he searcheth all hearts, and Understand etli all the 
 
 imaginations of the thoughts ! If we seek him, he 
 
 2 n
 
 418 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 will be found of us ; but if we forsake bim, be will 
 cast us off for ever. O ! may we seek bim wbile he 
 is to be found, and call on bim wbile be is near; 
 for if in tbe name of our great Higb Priest we say, 
 " Pardon our iniquity, for it is great," be will assur- 
 edly be merciful to our unrigbteousness — our sins and 
 our iniquities remember no more. 
 
 We kept tbe ribbon- fisb in a tumbler of seawater for 
 a fortnigbt, at tbe end of wbicb time, tbougb it was still 
 living, its fine, deliqate pink colour bad become paler; 
 and being afraid tbat our lovely captive migbt die in 
 our keeping, we took it back to tbe place wbere it bad 
 been caugbt, and bad tbe pleasure of restoring it to 
 its native element ; and it moved gracefully out of our 
 sigbt, rejoicing, we doubt not, in its manumission. 
 
 Tbere are two otber tbings, wbicb, tbougb not got 
 on tbis occasion, I tbink it well to mention as being 
 got at Cumbrae. Tbe one is a Balanus, tbe specific 
 name of wbicb, according to Brown's illustrations, 
 seems to be Candidus. It is by far tbe largest native 
 Balanus or acorn-sbell I ever saw. It Avas alive 
 when sent to me by the fishermen who got it off 
 Cumbrae, and as I put it into a vase of seawater it 
 lived for several days ; but it was too far gone before 
 it reached me to open the valves of its operculum, 
 and send forth the cirrhus, which would have been 
 as large as an infant's hand. Its shelly receptacle, by 
 which it had been fixed to tbe rock, was exactly eight 
 inches in circumference, and its length, when it 
 pushed out the valves of tbe operculum, was almost 
 five inches. It had a goodly number of parasitical
 
 ISLAND OF CUE AT CU3IBRAE. 419 
 
 inliabitants upon it, — two kinds of serpula, two 
 kinds oiAno7nia, Tuhulipora patina, Laomedea genicu- 
 lala, Clisia verrucosa, Hiaiella arctica, Lohuiulw, &c. 
 The two largest opercular valves were fully au inch 
 and three-fourths in length. 
 
 The other rarity, which it would be improper to 
 omit, is a rare sponge, with a very jaw-breaking name, 
 even Halichondria infundlhidiformis, but we shall 
 speak of it by its English name, Funnel sponge. This 
 is regarded as very rare. Montague had never seen 
 it when he published his work on sponges. I think, 
 however, almost a dozen have passed through my 
 hands, got from Cumbrae. I had the pleasure of 
 sending a specimen of it to my good friend Dr 
 Johnston, when he was preparing his work on 
 rponges ; and he, or rather his talented lady, did it 
 the honour of figuring it for his book. These sponges 
 are generally iound attached to stones, and when 
 placed in the cabinet with the stone as a pedestal, they 
 are very handsome marine cups, very like in shape to 
 a silver porter cup. I shall subjoin a portion of Dr 
 Johnston's description of it. — "Sponge, forming a fun- 
 nel-shaped cup, about three inches high and the same 
 in diameter ; the cup gradually evolving from a very 
 short stalk, and rooted by a moderately spreading 
 base. The texture and colour is uniform and spongy, 
 finely reticulated, or rather porous ; the walls about 
 the eighth of an inch in thickness; and the rim brought 
 to an edge, even, or sinuated, or fissured. Surface 
 even and alike on both sides, excepting that the 
 interior is more compact ; oscula none. This fine 
 
 K
 
 420 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 sponge is the British analogue of the Neptune's- cup 
 of the Indian ocean ; and Avhile it is vastly inferior in 
 capacity, it excels the tropical species in neatness of 
 texture, and in sponginess." 
 
 I forgot to mention among the shells Lutraria 
 elliptica, as got at Cumbrae, of great size and in great 
 abundance, and also Pecten Islandius, which is 
 regarded as a rare shell, but is found in considerable 
 plenty in winter and spring on the shore at Fintry 
 Bay, but these are always dead shells, and we doubt 
 not from some posttertiary deposit. The first speci- 
 men ever got in Scotland of Panopea Norvegica was 
 found on the shore here, and probably from the 
 same deposit. The fine shell Pecten Danicus is oc- 
 casionally got here alive on the long lines, and 
 was first found by Mr Blythe here, and called P. 
 nehulosns. 
 
 Some time after this, I had another day's dredging 
 with Major Martin at Cumbrae. We landed on the 
 Allans, that is, the rocks that lie in the bay and ren- 
 der it a place of great security for vessels. In the 
 New Statistical Account it is stated, "At Millport 
 there is an excellent harbour capable of containing 
 vessels of considerable burthen ; and a fine pier has 
 been erected, mostly by the Marquis of Bute, on whose 
 property the harbour stands. Near to this harbour 
 there is also good anchoring-ground of considerable 
 extent, and finely sheltered by two small rocky 
 islands called the Allans ; to which islands, by means 
 of iron rings fastened in the rocks, both vessels be- 
 longing to the island, and others that resort thither
 
 ISLAND OF GREAT CUMBRAK. 421 
 
 in stormy weather, are moored, and where they can 
 ride in perfect safety during the greatest storms." 
 
 Cumbrae is associated in my mind with flocks of 
 beautiful seafowl, and especially Terns, as it was there 
 I first saw them congregated at one of their favourite 
 breeding-places. They there in the summer season 
 deposited their eggs, and reared their young, in num- 
 bers almost numberless, on the Allans, little flat islands 
 already mentioned, in the mouth of the bay, giving 
 much life and cheerfulness to Millport, which was then 
 a sweet secluded marine village, having all the charm 
 of the most beautiful scenery, and all the advantages 
 of proximity to the sea, without any of the filth often 
 to be found in fishing villages. The inhabitants were 
 very unsophisticated. Few strangers visited them. 
 One of the King's cutters generally lay there, but the 
 captain was highly respectable, and resided in a house 
 of his own called the Garrison, which afterwards be- 
 came a residence of the Earl of Glasgow. The crew 
 of the cutter were in general young men, natives of 
 this little green island, and who generally married 
 the young girls of the village. The tern, that "clean- 
 looking, pretty bird," as Bewick calls it, was quite in 
 keeping with the sweet, clean-looking place where it 
 chose to dwell. It is often called the Sea-Swallow 
 in England. Buffon calls it " La Grande HirondeUe 
 (le mer;" and in Scotland and Ireland it is very 
 generally called the Pirre, from its cry, which resem- 
 bles that word ; — for the one of which we are now 
 more particularly speaking is the common tern, the 
 Sterna Hirundo, Linn. It is fourteen inches in
 
 422 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 length, thirty inches in breadth ; the bill is crimson, 
 tipped with black ; the head is capped with black ; 
 the throat and all the under parts of the body are 
 pure white ; the upper parts are of a fine pale lead- 
 colour ; the tail is forked, and the greater part of it is 
 white. At the time I first visited the Allans, where 
 these elegant birds abounded, there were mingled 
 with the common a few of the beautiful roseate, 
 and some also, it is probable, of the arctic tern. 
 Unless a person walked warily, he was apt to step on 
 the eggs ; for in general there was no nest, except a 
 little hollow in the sandy soil, in which there was 
 only occasionally a very little dried grass, on which 
 the eggs vA'^ere deposited. The eggs are three in num- 
 ber, but sometimes six are found in the nest, and 
 Montagu says at times as many as twenty, in which 
 case there must be a general incubation of the eggs 
 of several birds. Some think that the birds leave 
 the eggs to be hatched by the heat of the sun ; but 
 it is more generally thought, that, except in places 
 where they are very much disturbed, they sit on the 
 eggs during part of the day, and always during the 
 night. It is very interesting to see them flying 
 about near their resting-places, which, though ge- 
 nerally on the seashore, or on some islet in the 
 sea, are occasionally also near freshwater lakes. Mr 
 Thompson has seen their nests among loose stones in 
 little islets, in Port Lough, Donegal, and also on a 
 narrow slip of land adjoining to Lough Neagh. He 
 greatly admired their evolutions at MeAv Island, on 
 the coast of Ireland. Immense numbers of them
 
 ISLAND OF GREAT CDMBRAE. 423 
 
 were flying around, poising themselves beautifully 
 in the air, with their wings merrily wafting, or beat- 
 ing, to maintain their position. They looked out 
 merely for their finny prey, which, soon as perceived, 
 the wings were drawn quick as thought close to the 
 body, and, like an arrow from a bow, they shot from 
 such a height into the water, within a few yards of us, 
 so as to be wholly immersed, or more rarely obtaining 
 their prey at the expense of a partial ducking. It 
 may be added, that when Mr J. N. Garret visited the 
 same island, he saw the terns in great abundance, 
 and, endeavouring to estimate their numbers, he con- 
 sidered that there were not less than 2000 within 
 sight. 
 
 Montagu says, with respect to the mode of flying 
 of some of the terns, that their evolutions are rapid 
 and their turns short, by which means they sometimes 
 escape the talons of predaceous birds of prey ; — that 
 once, when he was ol)serving a numl^er of terns 
 sporting over the water in a hard gale of wind, a 
 peregrine falcon passed like a shot, singled out his 
 bird, and presently coming up within the space, made 
 a pounce ; but' the great dexterity of the tern, by a 
 quick and short turn, avoided the deadly stroke, and 
 took a new direction. The falcon, by his superior 
 velocity, soon regained sufticient elevation, and suc- 
 cessively repeated his pounces ; but being still cleverly 
 eluded, he at last relinquished the pursuit. 
 
 The tern we are next to name is the rarest bird 
 that Cumbrae can boast of. 
 
 The Roseate Tekn. — Sterna Paradisea, Brunn.
 
 424 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 1764 — Sterna Dougalii, Mont. Had I not had Mr 
 Thompson's exceedingly interesting Natural History 
 of Ireland in my possession, I would have stated that 
 this beautiful tern had been first discovered at Oum- 
 brae, in 1812, by Dr M'Dougall of Glasgow. It had 
 not, indeed, before this been observed in Great Bri- 
 tain or Ireland ; but I learned from Mr Thompson's 
 valuable history that it had been described by Brun- 
 nich so far back as 1764, under the name of Sterna 
 Paradisea. It was shot by accident on the Allans at 
 Cumbrae along with some common terns, and the 
 beautiful delicate blush colour of the breast and under- 
 part of the body attracted attention, and led to the 
 discovery that it was a distinct species. Dr M'Dou- 
 gall sent a specimen of it to Montagu, who was de- 
 lighted with it, and, describing it in the Supplement of 
 the Ornithological Dictionary, expresses his belief that 
 it was an entirely new species. It Avas distinguished 
 from the other terns by the comparative shortness of 
 its wings ; by the whiteness of its plumage ; by the 
 elegance and comparative slowness of its motions, 
 sweeping along, or resting almost immovably in the 
 air like some species of hawks ; and still more evi- 
 dently by the beautiful blush colour of its breast, and 
 the lower parts of the body. Mr Thompson says, 
 that at Mew Island he could distinguish the roseate 
 tern on the wing from the other species by its 
 colour, and by its note, which, instead of sounding 
 like pirre, resembled the word crake, uttered in a 
 hoarse, grating key. Their flight was more graceful 
 and buoyant than that of the other species. " When
 
 ISLAND OP GREAT CUMBRAE. 425 
 
 the}- ' sail upon the bosom of tlie air,' the tail is borne 
 so as to appear pointed ; but is generally beautifully 
 spread when their nest is approached, and when they 
 swoop towards an intruder in anger. I have observed 
 terns, too, apparently when not intent on prey, fre- 
 quently pause, kestril-like, in their flight, and remain 
 with their body stationary in the air, but flapping 
 their wings very quickly." Audubon thus writes — 
 " Beautiful, indeed, are the terns of every kind, but 
 the roseate excels the rest — if not in form, yet in 
 the lovely hue of its breast. As the unscathed hun- 
 dreds arose, and clouded, as it were, the air, I thought 
 them the loveliest birds of the sea, so light and 
 graceful were their movements." 
 
 " I was much pleased," says Mr Thompson, " by 
 remarking the following trait in the character of the 
 terns : — When one is killed or wounded, all within 
 view of the poor victim fly instantly towards it, 
 and bewail its fate in the most piteous terms. The 
 quickness with A>hich they perceive its fall is sur- 
 prising. They dart down till almost touching it, 
 and, observing that it cannot rise, keep circling over 
 it with the greatest vociferation. In this act the 
 three species join, making common cause, no mat- 
 ter which kind is victim.' 
 
 It is painful to think how much these interesting 
 creatures are harassed and destroyed. In some islets 
 off the coast of Ireland, where they have breeding- 
 places, hundreds of their eggs are gathered every day, 
 and boys even remain on the islets during the night, 
 that they may begin the work of pillage early in the
 
 426 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 morning ; and no eggs are left to the poor birds to be 
 Latched till the work of hay-harvest calls off the 
 plunderers. Their diminution in many places is 
 owing also to the unceasing wanton persecution to 
 Avhich the birds themselves are subjected in being 
 killed by heartless shooters, who have no object in 
 view but their destruction. Mr T. mentions, that in 
 a forenoon in May, a party butchered not less than 
 fifty, of which about a dozen were the roseate, and 
 all were afterwards flung away as useless. — (Page 275). 
 It is much to be regretted that the same spirit of 
 wanton cruelty has shown itself at Cumbrae, so that 
 the numerous pirres, — so light, and airy, and graceful 
 in their shape and movements, so interesting in their 
 wild, yet gentle, incessant cry, — have been destroyed 
 or driven away. The native inhabitants seemed to 
 love them, and guarded against molesting them ; but 
 of late years, owing to the daily steamers, many sum- 
 mer visitors have been in Cumbrae, who, instead of 
 delighting in the happiness of God's beautiful harm- 
 less creatures, have taken pleasure in harrying the 
 nests, and annoying in every Avay these gentle terns, 
 so that their numbers Avere soon diminished ; and the 
 persecuted residue, seeking for themselves some 
 quieter place of abode, have forsaken the Allans, so 
 that Cumbrae can no longer boast of its roseate terns. 
 But though the jnrre, and the cke-ep, and the 
 crake of the common, arctic, and roseate terns have 
 ceased to mingle in wild harmony with the gentle 
 murmur or the loud roar of the waves, there is no 
 lack of birds in this green isle. The lively song of
 
 ISLAND OP GREAT CUJIBUAE. 427 
 
 the musical Mavis causes in spring every brake and 
 bank and brae sweetl}'^ to resound. In days of yore, 
 when bird-nesting was my delight, notwithstanding 
 my unwillingness to do any injury to my feathered 
 favourites, I took one from a nest of young thrushes, 
 and brought it up with affectionate care. It amply 
 repaid me ; for it not only proved a noble songster, 
 but it had an accomplishment which I think was 
 peculiar to it — it was a notable bell-ringer. It took 
 up this amusement, we may say, at its own hand. 
 Thrushes in a wild state are dexterous in breaking 
 the shells of snails, by dashing them against stones, 
 that they may reach the animal, which they regard 
 as dainty food. Not having snail-shells to break, by 
 way of pleasant exercise it was in the habit of taking 
 up a small stone in its bill, and striking with it upon 
 the cup which contained its food. On seeing this, I 
 hung up a hand- bell in a comer of its cage, laying a 
 bent nail beside it. It was not long in taking up the 
 nail, and, having approached the bell, it gave it a 
 stroke, and started back surprised at the success of 
 its own performance. It soon returned to the charge, 
 and struck again and again, and then seemed to lis- 
 ten with wonder. But this was too good a thing to 
 be given up ; it continued to practise it every day at 
 intervals as a favourite amusement. When from its 
 perch it had poured forth its thrilling song, it de- 
 scended to the floor of its cage, and made the clear 
 tones of the bell a substitute for the varied notes of 
 its mellow voice. It was amusing to behold it ; for 
 it laid on lustily, tmning its bill with the stone or
 
 428 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 nail back, as it were, over its shoulder, and bringing 
 it down on the bell with an impetus like a little 
 sledge-hammer. 
 
 Blackbirds so greatly abounded in Cumbrae, that 
 a gardener, with Avhose cherries they made rather 
 free, without compunction shot great numbers of 
 them, and baked them in pies. My bird-nesting days 
 were over ere I visited Cumbrae ; but to a true lover 
 of God's beautiful innocent creatures, a bird's nest is 
 an object of interest even when his head is grey. 
 Nine years ago, the whole family got much interested 
 in a blackbird, who had built her nest in an apple- 
 tree on the wall in our sweet garden at Stevenston 
 Manse. She sat very closely when hatching, and 
 though we often went up to her nest, she never moved. 
 When her young ones made their appearance, we 
 used greater freedom, going close to her and speaking 
 to her, so that she became acquainted with us. My 
 son, a boy of fourteen, proceeded farther, putting 
 his hand to her bill and gently patting her head ; and 
 yet she sat still. On offering her food, though she 
 would not take it out of his hand, she gobbled it up 
 when he removed to a little distance. But, alas ! she 
 had less friendly visitors. One morning, on going 
 to the nest, the dam was not seen, and the young 
 birds seemed cold ; and, on looking more narrowly, 
 we saw that instead of five there were only three 
 young ones in the nest, and a third one half-dead 
 hanging by a twig. This gave us great grief. We 
 concluded that a prowling cat had discovered the 
 nest, and had killed the mother and some of her brood.
 
 ISLAND OF GREAT CUMBRAE. 429 
 
 What were we to do with tlie orphans? We fed 
 them all day, and in the evening we were glad to see 
 the parents paying a very rapid visit to the nest, 
 though seeming quite wild and frightened. We were 
 pretty sure that the cruel cat would return during 
 the night to have another feast ; and we therefore 
 took the nest into the house, and returned it to its 
 place early in the morning. David repeated this for 
 several nights, and we had the pleasure of seeing the 
 mother paying stealthy visits to them during the day. 
 As the base of the tree was barricaded Avitli thorns, 
 we began to hope that they would soon be fledged, 
 so as to get out of the reach of their sharp-clawed 
 enemies. One morning David awoke at three o'clock, 
 and, though it was rather too early, being afraid that 
 he might not awake at a more suitable hour, he 
 placed the nest as usual in the branch of the tree. 
 Alas ! the enemv had come in the dawn ; for when 
 we went to the tree in the morning, the nest was 
 torn down, the birds were away, and there was no- 
 thing but silence and desolation ! 
 
 The last Cumbrae bird on which I shall descant is 
 the Rook, Corvusfrugilefjus, Linn. ; Scotice, the Craw. 
 As the rook is a favourite of mine, I am glad that 
 he has won the affections of our most distinguished 
 naturalists. Mr William Thompson of Belfast, au- 
 thor of the " Natural History of Ireland," after 
 stating the charges which are brought against the 
 rook, declares himself decidedly in its favour. " It 
 is true," he remarks, " that the rook is generally 
 looked on by the farmer as an arch-enemy, but the
 
 430 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 reason of this is, that the evil that it does is very ap- 
 parent, while its virtues do not in so obvious a man- 
 ner come under his cognizance. I have always been 
 disposed to regard the rook as a bird intended by 
 its Creator to check the unwonted increase of the in- 
 sects most detrimental to the vegetation of the fields, 
 and keep them within due bounds. Both England 
 and Scotland furnish instances of the almost total 
 destruction of crops in particular districts, consequent 
 on the extirpation of the rooks. The evil that they 
 do may be summed up under a few heads : — They 
 pick up grain when it is just springing into the 
 braird ; when grain is lodged, they destroy it by light- 
 ing on it in numbers ; they eat it, and carry it away 
 when in stook ; tliey pick up potatoes when planted ; 
 and they greedily devour young potatoes in autumn." 
 Though these are heavy charges, as their counsel, 
 we would humbly advise them to plead guilty on all 
 the counts, in so far as to confess that they have at 
 times, at least, committed the depredations with 
 which they are charged. But surely it may be pleaded 
 as an extenuation, that they were only satisfyii\g the 
 cravings of nature ; and, if that will not do, we 
 must wax bolder and say in their behalf that they are 
 only taking what they might justly claim, for is not 
 the labourer worthy of his hire ? Before they thus 
 lay hold on their reward, they have been active la- 
 bourers in the husbandman's service, in destroying 
 myriads of grubs and other unseen vermin, and they 
 are the only workmen adequate to the task. Let the 
 farmer employ man-servants and maid-servants, and
 
 ISLAND OF GREAT CUMBRAE. 431 
 
 boys and girls, in the work of destruction in nhich 
 the rooks so willingly and efficiently engage, and he 
 will find that they cannot accomplish it ; and, though 
 they could, that they would cost him ten times more 
 than all the damage the rooks may at other times 
 occasion. Besides, it is only at certain seasons that 
 they do any mischief; and it would not cost much 
 to employ boys to scare them away at those times ; 
 and the good which they do on so many occasions 
 would make ample compensation for the hire of the 
 scare-crow hoys. 
 
 Professor M'Gilllvray remarks, that rooks seem 
 to calculate on the protection they usually receive in 
 the neighbourhood of their breeding-placos. It is 
 highly interesting to observe them in such places, fel- 
 low-labourers with man when the plough is at work, 
 closely following in his track to consume the destruc- 
 tive larv?e that are turned up. At such times, too, as 
 if conscious of the good work in which they are en- 
 gaged, they admit of a nearer approach. 
 
 Having attempted to prove that they are useful, 
 let me farther endeavour to interest your feelings in 
 their behalf, by showing that they are amiable, social, 
 affectionate creatures. For this purpose I shall quote 
 what folloAvs from Goldsmith's Natural History : — 
 
 " A large collection of rooks had subsisted many 
 years in a grove on the banks of the river Irwell, 
 near jNIanchester. ' One serene evening,' says Dr 
 Perceval, ' I placed myself within the view of it, and 
 marked with attention the various labours, postures, 
 and evolutions of this crowded society. The idle
 
 432 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 members amused themselves with chasing each other 
 through endless mazes, and in their flight they made 
 the air resound with an infinitude of discordant voices. 
 In the midst of these playful exertions, it unfortu- 
 nately happened that one rook struck his bill against 
 the wing of another. The sufferer instantly fell into 
 the river. A general cry of distress ensued ; the 
 birds hovered, with every expression of anxiety, over 
 their distressed companion. Animated by their sym- 
 pathy, and perhaps by the language of counsel known 
 to themselves, he sprung into the air, and, by one 
 strong effort, reached the point of a rock which pro- 
 jected over the water. Their joy become loud and 
 universal ; but, alas ! it soon changed into notes of 
 lamentation ; for the poor wounded bird, in attempt- 
 ing to fly towards his nest, dropped again into the 
 river, and was drowned, amidst the moans of the 
 whole fraternity." From an article in a popular 
 periodical, evidently written by a kind-hearted natu- 
 ralist, I shall select the following quotation : — " In 
 spring 1827, I had occasion to witness a fact which 
 interested me not a little. One of those beings who 
 go about early in the morning with firearms, seeking 
 what they may deprive of life, happened to mark two 
 rooks on one of my trees feeding their young. The 
 fatal tube was immediately levelled, and in an instant 
 both birds lay gasping in the agonies of death at my 
 feet. An idiot laugh, and a hurried retreat, on ob- 
 serving that I was a spectator of his morning's 
 achievement, were all that I could make of him ; 
 but I observed the poor orphan progeny, all uncon-
 
 ISLAND OF GREAT CUMBRAE. 433 
 
 scious of the calamity which had so suddenly reached 
 them, stretching out their bare featherless necks, and 
 raw open mouths, in expectation of the wanted sup- 
 plies. My heart sunk within me at the sight, and 
 I could not help moralizing on that cruel, unthinking 
 disposition which marks so many of our race. For 
 twelve long hours, whenever a returning rook inti- 
 mated that food was in the act of being supplied to 
 surrounding gullets, did these poor hungry nestlings 
 solicit supply. At last I observed a bird seemingly 
 more considerate than the rest, in the act of surveying 
 the perishing family. With much difficulty was a 
 small dole brouglit up from the throat-reservoir which 
 was devoured with screams of delight. Another and 
 another succeeded in this work of charity, till, I verily 
 believe, the best fed progeny in my little rookery 
 were those pauper dependants on common charity." 
 
 Since it must be acknowledged, then, even by their 
 enemies, that rooks do much good — since, in foraging 
 for the support of life, they are taking but a small 
 portion of the crops which they have been instrumen- 
 tal in preserving from more destructive depredators — 
 since they are amiable, affectionate creatures, — I 
 would entreat their enemies to consider whether they 
 are quite justifiable in taking away their life. What is 
 it you take from these happy, active creatures ? It is 
 their all. You rob them of a precious gift which 
 their benignant Creator gave, and which the most 
 powerful of earthly potentates could not restore. 
 We would shrink from unnecessarily crushing a fly, 
 
 whose ephemeral term of life might, ere to-morrow's 
 
 2e
 
 434 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 sundown, come to a close. Still more reluctant 
 surely should we be, without good cause, to cut short 
 the existence of creatures, whose natural term, it is 
 believed, surpasses the brief earthly pilgrimage of 
 man. To the thoughtless, we would say, Can you 
 take pleasure in cruelty ? Will you scatter firebrands, 
 arrows, and death, saying, Are we not in sport ? 
 
 I am tempted to subjoin a brief sketch of one of 
 this dusky brotherhood with whom I had the plea- 
 sure of being acquainted. I visited him at Ardros- 
 san on the way to Cumbrae, and I was glad to find 
 that, though a dozen winters had passed over his 
 head, he had all the vivacity of early life. He was 
 a crow of aristocratic extraction ; at all events, he was 
 of high descent^ having been reared on one of the 
 loftiest trees at Shieldhall, where his ancestors, it is 
 believed, had had their favourite residence for many 
 generations. When he was well fledged, he was 
 brought down to the abodes of men, by one of the 
 aspiring youths of Shieldhall, as a present to his 
 aunt, Miss Oswald, and by her the pet crow, prized 
 for its own good qualities, and loved for the donor's 
 sake, was brought to her sweet villa at Ardrossan. 
 Her villa was contiguous to that of Miss Hamilton 
 of Holmhead, and our rook, having then the free 
 use of his wings, and being of a social disposition, 
 paid frequent visits to his neighbours, and soon formed 
 acquaintance with the occupants of Miss Hamilton's 
 poultry-yard, consisting of a cock and two hens. 
 The intimacy increased, the visits became longer and 
 longer, till at last the crow became domiciled along
 
 ISLAND OP GRKAT CUMBRAE. 435 
 
 ■with them ; and when Miss OsAvald left Ardrossan, 
 being unwilling to l)reak asunder the ties of affec- 
 tionate friendship, she left the crow in its adopted 
 dwelling-place. The longer they were acquainted, 
 the stronger did the friendship become, though it was 
 evidently most ardent on the part of the crow. He 
 was exceedingly attentive to his chosen friends the 
 hens, and would often arrange their feathers and 
 dress them to his own taste, though his services Avere 
 sometimes rejected as officious and troublesome. The 
 cock was a still greater favourite, and he roosted 
 every night beside him, nestling under his wing. 
 
 After this Platonic friendship had subsisted for 
 several years, one of the hens became sick and died. 
 During her illness he was unremitting in his atten- 
 tion, waiting on her most affectionately; but he could 
 not ward off the stroke of death. A still greater 
 calamity befel him, for the favourite cock also died. 
 He was unceasincr in his attention to him during his 
 trouble, and when he died he was so disconsolate 
 that he would not taste food for several days. 
 
 At last old age, which had carried oft" the others, 
 crept on the remaining hen. When she became fee- 
 ble and helpless, he scarcely ever left her for a mo- 
 ment, striving to cheer her by innumerable little acts 
 of kindness. There were two steps up from the 
 poultry-yard to the house in which they roosted ; and 
 when she became too weak to mount the steps, as he 
 could not himself lift her up, he always came to tlie 
 kitchen window, and kept up an incessant clamour 
 till some of the servants came out and lifted her up.
 
 436 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 For two clays before her death she coukl not leave 
 the roosting-house, and he remained along with her, 
 bringing her food, laying it down before her, and 
 coaxing her to eat it. Notwithstanding his unwea- 
 ried assiduity and affectionate attention the poor 
 hen died, and it was thought that he would not have 
 long survived her. He was quite disconsolate. Life 
 had lost its charm. He scarcely tasted food, and 
 became altogether changed, so that from being lively 
 and cheerful and active, he drooped and became 
 timid and spiritless. Some young poultry ^^•ere pur- 
 chased, in the hope that they might cheer him ; but 
 he seemed quite afraid of them, and avoided their 
 company. 
 
 After months had passed away, he gradually re- 
 covered his spirits, and became as brisk and lively a 
 bird as you could look upon. He was no longer 
 afraid of the inmates of the poultry-yard ; but though 
 he associated with them, they gained not his affec- 
 tions. He knew all the members of the household, 
 and took with pleasure a bit of bread or cold meat 
 from their hands. Unfortunately he was so much of 
 an epicure as to be particularly fond of a newlaid 
 egg ; and when the exulting cackle of a hen pro- 
 claimed that she had deposited a treasure, there was 
 generally a race betwixt the servant-maid and the 
 rook, each being eager to seize the prize. 
 
 For a long time he was allowed to retain the free 
 use of his wings, but complaints were lodged against 
 liim by the proprietors of the neighbouring villas, that 
 he was in the habit of perching on the roofs of their
 
 ISLAND OF GREAT CUMBRAE. 437 
 
 houses and of picking the lime from the skeivs, cast- 
 ing it up into the air. This frolic was an overt act of 
 mischief in their eyes, but they did not take into ac- 
 count that it was conjoined with an act of utility, 
 for it was only the loosened pieces of lime that he 
 removed, and chiefly, we doubt not, that he might 
 get at the vermin concealed underneath. As no per- 
 son would become bound for his more sober demean- 
 our, when he got into his altitudes, the poor fellow 
 was condemned to have one of his wings clipped, 
 that as a degraded biped he might for the future 
 walk on the face of the earth. It was vexing to see 
 him attempting to fly with the remaining wing, and 
 falling down to the ground after being provokingly 
 twirled round. The only way in which he could 
 taste any of the departed joys of exalted station, was 
 by mounting an old apple tree in the garden, the 
 lowest branches of which were within his reach, and 
 when he had reached the highest, he showed his delight 
 by proud carvings and cacklings, for he had learned 
 to imitate the notes of his gallinaceous associates. 
 
 He Avas a very cleanly bird, as his glossy plumage 
 showed. Wlien a pail of water was placed within 
 his reach, he immediately entered it, and splashed i( 
 over and about him with great delight. He was still 
 more delighted when there was a fall of snow, for he 
 rolled himself in it, taking it up in his bill, and throw- 
 ing it about with the greatest glee and merriment. 
 
 I was rather afraid that his egg-sucking propensity 
 might bring him into trouble, and I was therefore 
 much pleased to hear that he was cured of this.
 
 438 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 Ualling on Miss Hamilton of Holmhead (from Avhom 
 I had got all my information) and inquiring for my 
 black- coated friend, she told me that he was not only 
 in good heart, but had become a reformed character. 
 Some months before this, the maid- servant who had 
 charge of him, hearing the cackle of a hen, ran to 
 secure the egg thus announced, but blackie had been 
 beforehand with her, and had it half- sucked before 
 she arrived. Her ire was kindled, and pouring out 
 a torrent of abuse on him, she put him in great 
 bodily fear by chasing him with the besom in her 
 hand round and round the back court. From that 
 day to this, said Miss Hamilton, he has never tasted 
 an egg, he has regarded them as tabooed ; and when 
 the other servants would not believe his keeper that he 
 was reformed, she took them out and showed him sit- 
 ting beside a hen's nest with three untouched eggs in it. 
 But, alas ! alas ! rooks as well as men must die, and 
 in many cases sooner than expected. The rook is 
 known to be long-lived, and the ladies who took an 
 interest in him hoped that he might outlive them ; 
 but not observing him one morning going about as 
 usual, they went to his roosting- place, and found 
 only his feathers ; the poor rook had been destroyed, 
 and it was thought that rats had been the merciless 
 midnight murderers. Alas ! alas ! poor bird, thou 
 didst come to an untimely end, but thou didst not 
 die unlamented ; and thou hast not lived in vain, if un- 
 feathered bipeds can derive from thee any instruction. 
 He reads not the book of nature aright Avho finds not 
 in it lessons of heavenly wisdom. He who spake as
 
 ISLAND OP GREAT CUMBRAE. 439 
 
 never man spake, taught us to learn of the lilies of 
 the field, and of the fowls of the air. If we need 
 reproof and chastening, may we he docile as the rook, 
 and with reverential love and fear listen to the warn- 
 ing voice which says, " Touch not, taste not, handle 
 not." Let us also learn active benevolence from the 
 rook. It had only instinct for its guide : how much 
 more, then, might be expected of us, when we have 
 , not only the book of nature, but the Word of God to 
 teach us wisdom; and when we have, moreover, the 
 spotless example of Him who had mercy on the perish- 
 ing ; who, though rich, for our sakes became poor, 
 that we through his poverty might be made rich ! Let 
 us then " be kind one to another, tender-hearted." 
 "Let us put on us the elect of God, holy and beloved, 
 bowels of mercy, kindness, long-suffering, forbearing 
 one another, and forgiving one another, even as God 
 for Christ's sake has forgiven us." 
 
 We landed on the Allans, and in the rock-pools 
 got some good seaweeds, and some mollusca and 
 starfishes, but nothing of great rarity. We after- 
 wards spent some hours in dredging, but I think we 
 got nothing that has not been mentioned in the for- 
 mer excursion. We dined, according to previous 
 invitation, Avith worthy Mr Drumraond at Kaimscliff, 
 and reached the pier about six o'clock, to he in readi- 
 ness for the steamer from Glasgow to take us back to 
 Ardrossan. We waited, however, for an hour, and 
 no steamer appeared. A dense fog by this time had 
 come on, and the beautiful frith and the romantic 
 scenery which we had so much admired in the morn-
 
 440 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 ing, were as much hid from us as if it had been mid- 
 night. At last we heard the sound of the paddles, 
 though we could not see the steamer till she was 
 close to the pier. All who had been Avaiting hurried 
 aboard, and were considerably disappointed on learn- 
 ing that the captain had resolved to proceed no far- 
 ther till the fog cleared away. Ten o'clock came, 
 and it was as dense as ever, and then we had to 
 make up our minds to pass the hours of darkness the 
 best way we could aboard the steamer, the captain 
 saying that he would, weather permitting, sail by the 
 earliest peep of day. The cabin was full of passen- 
 gers. A few of the ladies found beds in the ladies' 
 cabin. The rest of the party, both ladies and gentle- 
 men, had to be content to pass the night in a sitting 
 posture, musing or dozing, for no very sound sleep, I 
 think, was enjoyed. However, by midnight all were 
 quiet. "When it began to dawn, there waS' some stir 
 on deck, and the welcome tidings reached us that, as 
 the fog seemed nearly gone, we were about to start 
 for Ardrossan. Accordingly we sailed, but in a very 
 little it became as misty as it had been the preceding 
 evening. On, however, we hied in the direction of 
 Ardrossan. We saw no land, not even the cliffs or 
 the old castle on the shore at Portincross. On, 
 still, we went, though beginning to wonder that we 
 had not reached Ardrossan. At last we passed a 
 boat, and the captain having hailed the fishermen, 
 saying, " Where are we ? " the answer returned was, 
 " Off Irvine bar," which was six or seven miles farther 
 on than Ardrossan. Cautiously retracing our course
 
 ISLAND OF GREAT CUMBRAE. 441 
 
 through the mist-covered waves, we passed so near 
 to Saltcoats, that we could almost have shaken hands 
 wdth those who were on the pier, though only a small 
 portion of it could be seen by us ; and as Ardrossan 
 was only a mile farther on, we thought we could not 
 fail to catch the harbour. "We came to rocks, but so 
 strange was the appearance of these rocks, that fami- 
 liar as we Avere with all the coast, we could not tell 
 Avhether they were rocks on the mainland, or some 
 rocky islands that we had discovered. By groping 
 about, however, we did at last get intothe harbour, 
 and right glad were we all to step once more ashore. 
 Unhappy they who, in the journey of life, have no 
 light from on high to guide them ! ! how much to 
 be pitied are they who, amidst doubts, and perplexi- 
 ties, and fears, go on in spite of constantly increasing 
 gloom, till their feet stumble on the dark mountains, and 
 the blackness of darkness encompasses them for ever ! 
 The last excursion to Cumbrae in which I had any 
 part, was made when the Ayrshire Naturalists' Club 
 visited that island in August 1850. On August 
 21st, they met at Ardrossan from different parts of 
 Ayrshire, and leit it about ten o'clock for Millport in 
 the Big Cumbrae, which they reached after an hour's 
 pleasant sail. The minutes of the day's proceedings 
 state, that " a good deal of club business was trans- 
 acted in the cabin of the steamer ; several new mem- 
 bers were elected, and two gentlemen who had come 
 with a member — one of them a student from Cam- 
 bridge — were, according to a by-law, admitted as 
 members of the club for the day."
 
 442 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 On landing at Millport, they divided, as formerly, 
 into two parties : one party, consisting of geologists 
 and botanists, provided with hammers, clinometers, 
 and vasculums, set out to circumambulate the island ; 
 and the other party set out in a boat to dredge in the 
 deep. They all met again at the inn about four 
 o'clock. The land division had been much gratified 
 with their excursion; the marine party were not much 
 satisfied with their success. When asked by the 
 other party what they had got, the curt reply was, 
 " Nothing." " Call you that nothing ? " said one of 
 them, lifting a live Pecten maximus, lying in the 
 bottom of the boat, " Call you that nothing ? " and 
 beginning to measure it, it proved not undeserving of 
 notice, as one of the largest specimens of this great 
 bivalve, being 8 inches in length, and 7^ inches in 
 breadth. It was borne oft" triumphantly by the lands- 
 men, and the mollusc it contained, if well cooked, 
 would be quite a treat for a supper party. 
 
 Though the dredgers got fewer shells than they 
 expected, some of them were well deserving of a place 
 in their cabinets. They found five large specimens 
 of Cardium Norvegicum^ and one good specimen of 
 Tellina crassa^ with several of the following, — Tellina 
 donacina, Cardium nodosum, Tapes Virginica, Venus 
 Jusciata, Thracia puhescens, Thracia phaseolina^ and 
 a single valve of CocJdodesma prcetenuis. They 
 dredged also Lucinopsis undata, Saxicava rugosa, 
 Kellia suhorbiculata, and Lima Mans — the Lima 
 in its millepore nest, and the other two lodged in 
 old shells. One good specimen of Fusus Boothii
 
 ISLAND OF GREAT CUWBRAE. 443 
 
 was found, and, we think, a specimen of Rissoa ahys- 
 sicola. 
 
 They fell in with some beautiful specimens of 
 Solaster papposa, one large specimen of Solaster en- 
 deca, which is rare in the West; several specimens of 
 Urasfer glac'ialis, too large to be manageable, so that 
 they were returned to the deep — one of the speci- 
 mens was abnormal, having only four rays. 
 
 They were pretty successful in dredging algae. 
 Some beautiful specimens oi Bonnemaisonia aspara- 
 goides would have been thought a rich prize, had it 
 not been more than usually abundant this season on 
 the coast of Ayrshire. They also got specimens of 
 Ceramium botiyocnrpum, Ceramium nodosum, Nito- 
 phylhim laceratum, Chrysimenia clavellosa, anA-Schiz- 
 onema helminthosum. Major Martin obtained a good 
 specimen of StUophora rhizodes, rare in Scotland, and 
 his fellow- dredger found a hittock of Gracilaria con- 
 fervoides, almost new to Scotland, as it had only once 
 before been got about forty years ago by the Rev. Mr 
 M'Vicar in the Firth of Tay. It is less rare in 
 England. The only zoophyte of value that was 
 dredged was Antennularia ramosa. 
 
 After giving a list of the rarer flowering plants got 
 in Cumbrae, on this and on some previous occasions, 
 I shall give the Geological Report in the words of the 
 minute made out by the Rev. Mr Cowan of Troon : — 
 Anthemis noLilis ; Anagallis tenella ; Conium macula- 
 turn,; Hyocyamim niger; TAthospermum maritimiim ; 
 Pinguicida Lusitanica; Solarium Didcamara; Trifo- 
 lium fragiferiim ; Veronica anagallis, &c.
 
 444 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 Geological Section Report. 
 
 This beautiful and interesting island was visited by 
 the Ayrshire Naturalists' Club on the 21st of August 
 1850. The marine, botanical, entomological, zoolo- 
 gical sections started at once in pursuit of their re- 
 spective objects. On landing at Millport, the geolo- 
 gical section noticed the old red sandstone, which 
 exists on the opposite Ayrshire shore at Portnacross,* 
 and also on the south side of Bute (?J, dipping to- 
 wards the S.W., at an angle of about 40"; a little to 
 the west of the town the angle is even greater. 
 
 Proceeding across the island, and diverging to- 
 wards the east to the first elevated ridge, the dis- 
 turbing agent is seen in the hard porphyritic trap of 
 which it consists. Further to the east another ridge, 
 somewhat higher, consists of the same igneous for- 
 mation. On examining the general run of the 
 ridges, of which there were several in view, they were 
 found to be as nearly as possible from N.E. to S.W. 
 On an inferior ridge, on the north side of the rising 
 ground, a vein of very highly crystallized quartz was 
 found, the red approaching jasper, the dull resembling 
 chalcedony. A minuter and prolonged examination 
 would elicit some beautiful specimens of this rock. 
 
 * There is in the sandstone at Portnacross, at the corner of a 
 quarry, a few hundred yards from the village, near the road to 
 Ardrossan, at a considerable height above the road, all the ap- 
 pearances of the action of waves, hollowing, scooping, and smooth- 
 ing; at least we know not how otherwise to account for the 
 present state of the rock, although, of course, it is far above the 
 present sea-level, and several hundred yards distant from the 
 present sea-line.
 
 ISLAND OF GREAT CUMBRAE, 445 
 
 Advancing eastwards, but reverting towards the 
 highest point, the junction of the porphyritic trap and 
 sandstone was discovered, the sandstone being greatly 
 indurated. And the next, and all the subsecjuent 
 touches of the hammer, showed us the regular sand- 
 stone, till we stood on the Gled-slone, a large sand- 
 stone boulder, covered with partially engraved initials, 
 from which the view up the Frith exceeds descrip- 
 tion. 
 
 When found in junction w^ith the trap, and a little 
 to the east, the sandstone dips at ] 0° from N.E. to 
 S.W. In one place, near a farm-house and small 
 loch, the angle was 21°; within a few hundred yards 
 only 1 1% and generally, in all our subsequent obser- 
 vations, from 10° to 12°. 
 
 Having thus found the north-east section of the 
 island to be composed of the old red sandstone, and 
 the lower ridges to the west of porphyritic trap, we 
 retraced our steps, descending in a slanting direction 
 to the northern side of the island. 
 
 When fully half way down, the sandstone appeared 
 highly conglomerated, and on the beach, all the way 
 round the north side and south and south-west side, 
 it continued so, till coming round towards the town, 
 when pure sandstone reappeared, dipping at an angle 
 of 40° at a distance of 300 or 400 yards from a ridge 
 of the disturbing porphyritic trap. 
 
 Immediately on our reaching the northern shore, 
 we found our path leading below a considerable cliff 
 of sandstone conglomerate, which terminates nearly 
 opposite the town, allowing tbe inhabitants to pass
 
 446 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 with ease right across the island from the north to the 
 south shore.* 
 
 On the west side of the path alluded to, the sand- 
 stone, considerably hardened, appears in a fine section 
 of some 30 or 40 feet, dipping at 1 0", and running in 
 the usual direction. For nearly a hundred yards it 
 extends along the coast, but at that point it is sud- 
 denly interrupted by an outburst of porphyritic trap, 
 of nearly 30 yards in width, and 50 or 60 feet in 
 height. The appearance of the upbursting trap is 
 beautiful — its countless lines, nearly perpendicular, 
 contrasting greatly with the regularly dipping sand- 
 stone on either side. 
 
 Westward the sandstone is generally on a level 
 with the beach, visibly supporting the overlying mass 
 of porphyritic trap. In one place the sandstone ap- 
 pears as elevated as the disturber, but only for a few 
 yards, when it sinks again to the usual level. Its 
 base being covered, the elevating cause was concealed, 
 but strange to say, its dip seemed as regular as its less 
 elevated neighbours on either side. 
 
 Towards the end of the cliff, which extends about 
 half-a-mile, the porphyritic trap becomes considerably 
 
 * We saw an itinerant tinker at this spot making his way to 
 his tent, near the village, laden with two good oars, which a sea- 
 side visitor had told him of. We were told that a boat had been 
 lost on the Arran coast a few days before, and it was thought 
 these were the oars belonging to it. 
 
 When on the highest point, we accosted the shepherd, and had 
 some pleasant talk. He was a man apparently of threescore and 
 ten, and had been about half a century on the island. He car- 
 ried under his arm a large-print fine old Bible.
 
 ISLAND OF GRRAT CUMBRAK. 447 
 
 higher, and strongly inchned to the columnar form, 
 the underlying sandstone being visible to the end of it.* 
 Several trap dikes exist in the north side of the 
 island, of somewhat remarkable appearance. Two of 
 these on the coast, distant about 400 or 500 yards, 
 merit attention. The east one, running due N. and S., 
 about six feet Avide, and the west one, running E. and 
 W., or rto the S.W. They seem to be the ends of a 
 trap bow, the eastern half being very entire, having 
 the usual shaft at the end thus : — 
 
 The Avestern side wants that portion of the curve 
 Avhich lies between the coast line and the cliff. An- 
 other very remarkable dike, to the east of the town, 
 will repay a visit. It is found, we were told, on the 
 opposite coast of Ayrshire. 
 
 The western end of the ridge is chiefly conglo- 
 merate till fairly round the end of the island, and 
 coming eastwards, when the porphyry again appears 
 on the surface. 
 
 We ended our walk after five hours' interesting 
 observation, satisfied that originally old red sand- 
 stone, alternating with sandstone conglomerate, had 
 formed the basis of the spot on which we stood ; that 
 
 * Considerable disappointment was expressed by our zoological 
 friends (which was shared by the other sections, for here we all 
 met, except the marines) at the disappearance of some specimens 
 of grouse, which the geologists had previously dissected, examined, 
 and disposed of, although not exactly in their line.
 
 448 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 after the formation of these ^^-ith igneous agents, it had 
 in the centre of the island burst through, and, cover- 
 ing much the larger halves of the middle and western 
 portions of the island, thereby formed those ridges 
 which run so regularly from N.E. to S.W. 
 
 In the eastern and higher sections, the trap has 
 raised but not covered the sandstone. 
 
 And these general commotions have been increased 
 by numerous dykes of trap, Avhich run in various di- 
 rections, the most remarkable of which, however, 
 follow a direction nearly parallel with the dip of the 
 sandstone and the slope of the porphyritic ridges, i.e., 
 from N.E. to S.W. 
 
 We hope that the club will devote another day in 
 the coming summer to the Larger Cumbrae.* 
 
 Dr Macculloch mentions that the geological struc- 
 ture of Great Cumbrae corresponds with that of the 
 middle region of Bute ; consisting of red sandstone, 
 traversed by trap veins. It contains also beds of 
 conglomerate attached to the sandstone. It might 
 have been expected, from the structure of the adjoin- 
 ing island of Little Cumbrae, that overlying trap 
 would have abounded ; but only a small patch of it 
 is to be found on the western shore, Avhich, it is pro- 
 bable, is only the remains of a much more extensive 
 portion, which, in process of time, has wasted away. 
 
 • The marine section found many valuables ; among others, a 
 Pecten maximus (8 in. by 7i), which furnished the writer and his 
 family and a friend with a novel and not to be despised supper, 
 though zoologists, of course, would prefer grouse.
 
 ISLAND OP GREAT CUMBRAE. 449 
 
 Trap veins, however, are very abundant. They are 
 commonly erect, and stand high above the surface, 
 like walls. " The most remarkable of these," says 
 the Rev. Mr Drummond in the New Statistical Ac- 
 count of the island, "are on the east side of the 
 island, running nearly parallel, from five to six hun- 
 dred yards from each other. Their direction is from 
 north-west, where they spring from the hill, to the 
 south-east, where they disappear in the sea. The one 
 to the north-east measures upwards of forty feet in 
 height, nearly a hundred in length, and in mean 
 thickness from ten to twelve feet. The one to the 
 south-east is upwards of two hundred feet in length, 
 from twelve to fifteen in thickness, and from seventy 
 to eighty feet in height, where it joins the hill, but 
 droops considerably towards the sea, and, when viewed 
 in a certain direction, exhibits the distant resemblance 
 of a lion couching — hence it is sometimes called the 
 Lion. These dykes are composed of blue whin, with 
 joints and seams like basalt, but not in columns." 
 
 Dr Macculloch, after mentioning the trap veins in 
 Cumbrae, follows up the matter with valuable re- 
 marks of a general nature. *■' It requires no arguments 
 to show that these veins have derived their forms 
 from those of the fissures of the surrounding rocks, 
 and that, however far they may now project from the 
 present surface, they have at one time been sur- 
 rounded by the strata, to the removal of which they 
 owe their present appearance. They offer, therefore, 
 a gauge by which to judge of the waste of the sur- 
 rounding land," though an imperfect one, seeing that 
 
 2 F
 
 450 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 it is evident that they have to some extent partaken 
 of the waste. On the southern coast of Arran, for 
 instance, many of these dykes run into the sea, form- 
 ing little creeks and natural piers. The space be- 
 twixt them must at one time have been filled up with 
 earth or softer rock, which the waves have washed 
 away, having at the same time some wasting influ- 
 ence on the dykes themselves, though from their 
 greater hardness more capable of withstanding the 
 dashing of the Avaves and the grinding influence of 
 the pebbles hurled agairist them and over them. 
 
 " The veins of the Great Cumbrae" says Maccul- 
 loch, "present many different varieties of composi- 
 tion ; but greenstone, basalt, and porphyritic traps, 
 are among the most common. Two only appear 
 sufficiently remarkable to claim a more distinct notice. 
 One of these is conspicuous for its foliated structure. 
 The other is traversed by numerous reticulating veins 
 of calcareous spar — a circumstance which I have not 
 elsewhere observed in the veins of trap, though not 
 very uncommon in the overlying masses." 
 
 THE LITTLE CUMBRAE. 
 
 This interesting little island I have occasionally 
 visited, though by no means so frequently as the 
 larger island. Though two miles in length by about 
 a mile in breadth, there are only four families resi- 
 dent on it ; the lighthouse-keepers, of course, being
 
 ISLAND OF LITTLE CUMBRAE. 451 
 
 one of these. It rises to greater height than the 
 Great Cumbrae, the summit, on which are seen from 
 all quarters the remains of the old lighthouse, being 
 probably seven or eight hundred feet above the level 
 of the sea. One Avould have thought that this was a 
 better situation for the lighthouse than that chosen 
 for the new one, which is low down on the shore ; 
 but it was found that the light on the top of the hill 
 was more liable to be obscured by clouds and mists. 
 Dr MaccuUoch says, " The whole island presents a 
 ridgy and terraced surface, covered with verdure, the 
 ridges being the faces of the beds of trap which are 
 piled in succession from the base to the summit. 
 The greater number of these abrupt faces look to the 
 south-west, in which respect they differ from those of 
 the Garroch-head in Bute, which are placed in the 
 opposite direction ; but it is to be supposed that in 
 both cases the inclination of the trap beds is deter- 
 mined by that of the red sandstone, on which they 
 both alike repose." The Little Cumbrae, though 
 covered with trap, shows Avhat is the foundation by 
 a small portion of the sandstone which forms the little 
 peninsula on which the old castle stands. The aspect 
 of the trap rock is various, sometimes presenting a 
 prismatic fracture, at other times approaching a rude 
 columnar structure. Occasionally, also, it is porphy- 
 ritic, and at other places amygdaloidal. Dr Maccul- 
 loch makes some very interesting remarks on the 
 peculiarities which the amygdaloids frequently pre- 
 sent. They often contain brown spar, and sometimes 
 needlestone and red stilbite. Mixed with the trap
 
 452 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 there is in some places a rather rare substance, a kind of 
 indurated steatite, in nodules as large as a pea^ Their 
 colour is green of different shades. These are found 
 also on the larger island. There is besides a kind of 
 green earth among the nodules appearing in a great 
 diversity of aspects. Its most interesting appearance 
 is that described by Macculloch as follows : " It often 
 occurs in stalactite or arborescent forms, sometimes 
 incrusted with a distinct deposit of chalcedony ; sub - 
 sequently embedded in a solid mass of the same 
 material, or else simply surrounded with the general 
 matter of the chalcedonic nodule in which it lies ; its 
 progress being always easily traced from the includ- 
 ing rock. In these cases, the ramifications are often 
 very minute and intricate ; producing those well- 
 known ornamental substances often supposed to con- 
 tain vegetable remains, and popularly distinguished 
 by the name of moss agates." 
 
 Donald Monro, Dean of the Isles, who wrote, as we 
 have already remarked, in 1549, after mentioning the 
 large island as " inhabit and manurit, witji ane kirke, 
 callit Sanct Colmis Kirke," adds, " besides this lyes 
 ane iyle callit Cumbrae Dais, because there is many 
 dayis intill it." An author who writes a description 
 of this island, and quotes the preceding passage, 
 subjoins : " Not a vestige of the deer here alluded to 
 has survived within the memory of the present time, 
 nor does any remembrance of them appear to have 
 been handed down by local tradition." All the dayis 
 that were so numerous in the time of Monro are still 
 there ; but dayis is not the Scotch for does or deei\ as
 
 ISLAND OP LITTLE CUMBRAE. 453 
 
 he seems to think, but the antique name for those 
 trap terraces which still exist, and from which it was 
 " callit Cumbrae Dayis." 
 
 This island, as we have said, though in the county 
 of Bute, quoad civilia, has been attached to the parish 
 of West Kilbride, in Ayrshire, quoad sacra, though 
 separated from this parish by two miles of what is at 
 times pretty rough sea. It is the property of the Earl 
 of Eglinton, and has for many years belonged to 
 that family. Though it has been long occupied as a 
 rabbit warren, from which some 500 dozen are an- 
 nually sent to market, an aged person told me that 
 he remembered when there was not a rabbit in the 
 island, and that the colony which now overruns it 
 was introduced in his young days. Besides the rab- 
 bits, some sheep and a few young cattle find pastur- 
 age on it. And yet there must have been generations 
 of rabbits in it in the olden time, and even deer, 
 though they were not dayis; for Ave find both men- 
 tioned in the year 1515, in " a Lettre to lieu Erie 
 of Eglintoune, makand him and his assignais keep- 
 eris, oversearis, correkaris, and suplearis of the Isle 
 of Litill Comeray, the deere (doer), cunyngis (conies 
 or rabbits), and wild beastis being thairin, quhill the 
 Kingis perfite age xv. yere ; because Robert Hun- 
 tare of Huntarestoune, forrestar of heritage of the 
 said isle, is nocht of power to resist the personis that 
 waistis the samyn, without suplie and help," &c. * 
 
 The old castle which we have already mentioned 
 
 * See New Statistical Account ofWest Kilbride, from which I 
 have receiTed information.
 
 454 EXCURSIONS TO THE 
 
 is a square tower, the walls of which are pretty en- 
 tire, and are six feet in thickness. It was habitable 
 in CromweH's time, and, when he paid a visit to 
 Scotland, as Lord Eglinton was very unfriendly to 
 the Protector, he seems to have withdrawn his family 
 to this little fortress as a place of safety. Principal 
 Baillie mentions this in one of his letters, saving, " I 
 got to the Isle of Cumray with my Lady Montgo- 
 mery, but left all my family and goods to Cromwell's 
 courtesy, which, indeed, was great ; for he took such 
 a course with his soldiers, that they did less displea- 
 sure at Glasgow than if they had been in London, 
 though Mr Zachary Boyd railed on them all to their 
 face in the High Church." It is stated in the old 
 statistical account, though I know not on what autho- 
 rity, that this castle in the Little Cumbrae was taken 
 by Cromwell and burned. And it fared no better 
 with the castle of Ardrossan, for he took it, and de- 
 stroyed the greater part of it, causing the stones, it 
 is said, to be carried by sea to Ayr, to be employed 
 in building the fort there, the ruins of which still 
 remain. This was not the first time that the castle 
 at Ardrossan had fallen into the hands of the Eng- 
 lish. Pont, in his history of Cunninghame, men- 
 tions that, in the days of Wallace, it was held by an 
 English garrison, but that Wallace was determined 
 that they should not continue to hold it. Accord- 
 ingly, he drew together some of his trusty friends, in- 
 structing them to keep themselves concealed till the 
 evening. Having then assembled them, they set fire 
 to some cottages at the base of the Castlehill : the
 
 ISLAND OF LITTLE CUMBRAE. 455 
 
 English garrison ruslied out to extinguish the flames, 
 upon which Wallace and his men rushing in took 
 possession of the castle, and stationing themselves at 
 the gates, slew the English soldiers as they returned, 
 and threw their dead bodies into the dungeon-keep 
 below, which from that time was called " Wallace's 
 Larder." 
 
 We are unwilling to conclude what we have to 
 say respecting this old castle in the Little Cumbrae 
 Avithout mentioning the tradition that both it and the 
 corresponding one at Portincross, about three miles 
 distant on the Ayrshire coast, were resting-places for 
 funeral parties when they were conveying the bodies 
 of kings and great men to their long resting-place in 
 lona. Be this as it may, they are picturesque ob- 
 jects in the beautiful scenery ; Portincross being, 
 moreover, interesting as belonging to Crawford of 
 Auchenames, a name well known in the history of 
 Scottish song ; and still greater interest is attached 
 to the place because to a certain extent associated 
 with an event for which we have cause at this day 
 to be grateful to a kind Providence— the destruc- 
 tion of the Spanish Armada, and the blasting of 
 the Popish plans. In 1588, after the dispersion of 
 this formidable fleet, when the elements fought for 
 us, one of their large ships having been driven by 
 stress of weather into the Frith of Clyde, perished 
 close to Portincross Castle. ]\Iuch property was re- 
 covered from the vessel by means of a diving-bell 
 in 1740, and among other things, a good many 
 brass and iron cannons, which were all taken away.
 
 456 EXCURSIONS TO THE LITTLE CUMBRAE. 
 
 except one, which still remains near the old castle, 
 and which I examine with interest every time I am 
 there. The Spanish crown on it is now becoming 
 very indistinct. 
 
 About thirty years ago, the late Earl of Eglinton 
 caused some tumuli on the north side of the Little 
 Cumbrae to be opened. They were found to contain 
 sepulchral urns, fragments of weapons, &c., which 
 were deposited in Eglinton Castle. The Norwegians 
 had long the possession of these islands in the Frith 
 of Clyde, and their last stand was made at Largs, on 
 the opposite shore. These barrows, then, may con- 
 tain the remains of some of their heroes; but envious 
 time has obscured their glory, and hidden their names. 
 " We all do fade as a leaf." " As for man his days 
 are as grass ; as a flower of the field so he flourisheth : 
 for the vdnd passeth over it and it is gone ; and the 
 place thereof shall know it no more."
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 DIRECTIONS FOR LAYING OUT SEAWEEDS, 
 
 AND PREPARING THEM FOR THE 
 
 HERBARIUM. 
 
 SIccH of the pleasure, and much of the benefit, arising 
 from the study of algology, consists in the pursuit. It 
 is iu so far like hunting and fishing ; there is all the ex- 
 citement of hope, and all the advantage of exercise; and 
 there is this in its favour, that however great the success, 
 there is no life taken, no blood shed, and the subsequent 
 enjoyment is not limited to a short repast, but m.a}' be 
 continued for many years. 
 
 Let the young algologist provide a tin vasculum, or an 
 oil bag, in which he may deposit his morning stores; as 
 some of the finer algse soon fade in colour when exposed 
 to the air, it may be well to have a small wide-mouthed 
 flask, in which they may be carried floating in sea water. 
 A staff witii a crooked end is not a bad accompaniment. 
 Thus accoutred, let him j)roceed to the shore at ebb-tide, 
 and examine the rejectamenta cast out by the sea, turning 
 them all over with his staff, that no newly buried beauty 
 may be allowed to perisii. Let him then carefully ex- 
 amine the aigai growing on the uncovered rocks, — extend- 
 ing the investigation to those rocks or stones that are still 
 partly under the water. When the tide is turned, and 
 begins to flow, finer weeds may often begot floating in little 
 bays, or where currents betwixt rocks are formed. These 
 may be easily caught by the weed-gatherer's staff. 
 
 When the vasculum is filled, let the spoils of the sea be 
 carefully examined. There will be much uncertainty in 
 many cases as to the contents of the vasculum, till the 
 weeds are floated and spread out on paper. Then it is
 
 458 APPENDIX. 
 
 that there is scope for fine taste, and for delicate.manipu- 
 lation : nature must be consulted as the sure instructress 
 for laying out the specimens in the most graceful manner. 
 Place on the table a basin of fresh water ; cleanse the 
 weeds from any impurity ; let only a small portion of the 
 mass be put into the basin at a time, as some begin to 
 decompose when placed in fresh water, while others, it 
 must be owned, improve in colour by being allowed to re- 
 main for a day or so in fresh Mater. If the specimens are of 
 large size, they may, after cleansing, be floated in a shal- 
 low tin-tray; but if they are only of a moderate size, a 
 white soup plate will answer the purpose, the plate being 
 nearly filled with lukewarm water. As much of the 
 beauty of the specimen depends on the beauty of the 
 paper, it should be fine, and at the same time stout — the 
 kind called medium paper. It should be cut so as to be 
 smooth at the edges, and this is best effected by the book- 
 binder's knife. 
 
 Having got the paper cut into square and oblong por- 
 tions of different i4zes, take a piece suited to the size of 
 the specimen, and place it under the weed floating in the 
 water, then putting the left hand under the paper; on which 
 the weed is placed, Itring it near tlie surface, and gently 
 move the seaweed till it assume on the paper a natural 
 and graceful form. The fingers of the right hand may be 
 employed in helping to arrange the branches of the plant. 
 Some, instead of the fingers, use the point of a silver fruit 
 knife ; others employ a pretty large camel hair brush. 
 Dr Cocks of Plymouth, in aid of the fingers, employs a 
 pair of pincers, with one end of which he removes super- 
 fluities, and with the other arranges the branches on the 
 paper; while Mr Boswarva of Plymouth uses in addition 
 a perforated plate of zinc, on which he spreads out the 
 most delicate alg£e. 
 
 When the specimen is properly arranged, let the paper 
 on which it is spread be very cautiously removed from 
 the water, and allowed to lie for a few minutes, to allow 
 the water to run off, and during this time other specimens 
 may be laid out. When all that have been collected have 
 been laid out, then the drying and pressing processes be- 
 gin. Before any portion of the paper on which the spe- 
 cimens have been laid out is dry, place them on several 
 folds of blotting paper, and cover them with a fold of
 
 APPENDIX. 459 
 
 muslin, and over the muslin lay several folds of blotting 
 paper, repeating this operation till all the specimens that 
 have been laid down on the white paper are covered with 
 a fold of muslin, and several folds of blotting paper — were 
 the muslin not intorposed, the specimen would adhere to 
 the blotting paper, and would be destroyed. If a screw- 
 press is at hand, let the whole be placed in it, and veiy 
 gently pressed, as strong pressure at first would bruise the 
 plants, especially if they be gelatinous. After a few hours 
 of slight i)ressure, the whole may be removed from the 
 press, and shifted into dry blotting paper. The advantage 
 of being covered with a fold of muslin M'ill then appear, for 
 in general none of them will be found adhering to the 
 muslin. The whole may then be replaced in the press, 
 and stronger pressure applied to them, and under this 
 they may be allowed to remain for & day or a night. In 
 shifting them the second time, the muslin coveiings may 
 be removed, for, when permitted to remain till the plants 
 are quite dry, there is danger of their leaving chequered 
 impressions on the specimens. They may tlien be re- 
 placed in the press, and very strong pressure applied. 
 They should be shifted once a-day for a week, giving them 
 dry paper, and at the end of that time they may bo deposited 
 in the Herbarium, as in general they will be found adher. 
 ing so closely to the paper as to have the appearance of 
 beautiful paintings. Should any of them, from deficiency 
 of gelatine, be found not adhering, the paper may be 
 brushed over with skimmed milk, and the specimen re- 
 turned to the press, and when dry it will be found that 
 the milk acts as gum without leaving a glare. 
 
 Where there is not a press, all that is necessary is two 
 boards the size of the blotting paper, and tliree weights 
 of stono or cast iron. The blotting paper containing the 
 s])eciniens being placed betwixt the boards, one weight 
 may be placed above them at first, two at the second 
 shifting, and all tlie three afterwards, and let the last be 
 a very heavy one. When the specimens are taken out 
 of the blotting jjaper, before they are placed in the Her- 
 barium, the scientific name, the locality, and the date, 
 should be neatly written at the bottom. 
 
 Some of the larger seaweeds are, by algologists that we 
 know, dii»|)ed for a little in hot water, which renders thera 
 more pliant, and prevents them, for a time at least, from
 
 460 APPENDIX. 
 
 becoming black. Others are in the habit of giving them 
 a coat of varnish, to help to preserve the natural colour, 
 and of attaching them to the strong paper of the Her- 
 barium with glue. 
 
 It is a common complaint that the Porphyrce do not ad- 
 here to paper in drying, but shrink, and become torn, in 
 consequence of starting from the paper. This may be 
 easily prevented. Let them be spread and covered with 
 muslin in the common way, but let not the muslin be re- 
 moved for some days, and let them have, along with the 
 other species, a supply from time to time of blotting paper, 
 not only dry but heated at the fire. In four or five days 
 they will be quite dry, and will adhere so closely to the 
 paper as to seem a part of it. 
 
 Very gelatinous kinds, such as Gloiosij^honia, Mesogloia, 
 Batrachospermum, &c., as they are apt to adhere to the 
 muslin, and to be bruised when in a soft state, by pres- 
 sure, are allowed by many to lie exposed to the air till 
 they are dry, and then put under strong pressure after 
 the under side of the paper has been moistened. When 
 allowed, however, thus to dry in the open air, they con- 
 tinue to have a slirivelled appearance. In most cases it 
 is preferable, and will be found safe, to treat them in the 
 ^me manner as the Porphyras — covering them imme- 
 diately with muslin and blotting paper, allowing them to 
 lie for a few hours with scarcely any pressure, then giving 
 them dry paper without removing the muslin, gradually 
 increasing the pressure every time dry paper is applied; 
 and after three or four days the muslin may be removed, 
 leaving the specimen in beauty, and ready in a day or 
 two to be placed in the Herbarium. 
 
 Some delicate plants that speedily lose their colour in 
 fresh water, are thought to preserve their colour better if 
 floated in sea water; but this is not often practised. 
 
 There are several ways in which collections of seaweeds 
 may be preserved after they have been carefully prepared. 
 They may be kept loose betwixt folds of paper; and the 
 sheets may be arranged alphabetically, according to the 
 names of the plants they contain. This is found very con- 
 venient when reference is required, or when a selection 
 from them is to be made. 
 
 When the student of algology has got specimens named 
 on good authority, they should be kept separate, and may
 
 APPEND! X. 461 
 
 be attached by fine pins to the sheets in which they are 
 placed. This, in their case, is preferable to any permanent 
 fastening, because it may often be necessary to examine 
 their structure and fructification, by placing them under 
 the microscope, or by holding them up betwixt the eye 
 and the light, that they may be examined with the aid of 
 a good lens. 
 
 When specimens are placed in an album, slits may be 
 made to receive the four corners, and in this way they 
 may be easily removed and replaced at will. If the collec- 
 tion is chiefly valued for its beauty — and few things are 
 more beautiful than a good collection of well prepared 
 alg£e — a handsome allnim should be procured, formed of 
 stout-coloured paper or thin pasteboard, and on the pages 
 of this album the specimens should be tastefully arranged 
 according to their size and form, and then they may be 
 made to adhere to the strong coloured paper or board by 
 touching the under side of each corner with well-made 
 paste; or, if there is no wish to remove them, — by applying 
 the paste with a camel-hair brush to the whole of the un- 
 der side. After a short pressure they will adhere in the 
 firmest manner; and there is no way in wliich a fine col- 
 lection appears to so great advantage, especially if each 
 specimen is surrounded by a printed edging or border.* 
 
 We doubt not that those who engage in good earnest in 
 the study of algology will thank us for the following in- 
 structions as to the mode of preparing the fructification, 
 &c., as objects for the microscope : — 
 
 From the minuteness and delicacy of their structure, it 
 will at once be perceived that the aid of a good micro- 
 scope, or at least a powerful lens, is an indispensable re- 
 quisite in prosecuting the study of alga; in its scientific 
 details. The forceps, knives, and scissors, used in dissect- 
 ing other vegetable tissues, will do equally well for them; 
 and as most of them are not of so perishable a nature as 
 forms of a high rank, any delay from other engagements 
 in mounting them is not of material consequence. 
 
 When mounted on glass slides, or other modes, in which 
 
 * When seaweeds are prepared for fancy work, the art consists, not )n 
 causing them to adhere to the paper, but in transferring them from the 
 paper, and keeping them free. Mr Pike, of Brighton, is very successful in 
 preparing in this way, for sale, fancy-work composed of seaweeds. His 
 mode of preparation, however, is a secret.
 
 462 APPENDIX. 
 
 they can be viewed by transmitted light, they form per- 
 manent objects, not only of scientific interest, but also, 
 from the beauty of their form, of agreeable entertainment 
 to even the uninitiated; and it is to several simple plans 
 of preparing them for this purpose that we devote the few 
 following paragraphs. 
 
 In the first place, we must mention the few implements 
 and materials required in preparing the cells, and after- 
 wards mounting the objects in them. These are — 
 
 Slips of crown or patent plate-glass, rough or smoothed 
 at the edge. The size chiefly used is that approved 
 by the Microscopical Society, viz., 3 x 1 in. In 
 using a uniform size, great facility is given in the 
 way of exchange. 
 
 Thin (or microscopic) glass, cut into circular or square 
 pieces, of various sizes, as covers for the objects 
 immersed in fluid. 
 
 Phials with a supply of either of the liquid prepara- 
 tions enumerated below. 
 
 Japan varnish, gold size, and thin pieces of gutta 
 percha, or other materials used for forming the 
 cell in which the object is to be preserved in a 
 fluid state. 
 
 Knives, forceps, and scissors, of various constructions. 
 
 Saucers with and without lips, watch-glasses, hair-pen- 
 cils, chamois leather for cleaning glasses. 
 
 Having these ready, with the help of a hair-pencil, a 
 square or circular space is marked ofi^ with varnish, ex- 
 actly on the centre of a glass slide, forming a narrow band 
 or cell l-8th in. or so in diameter. The varnish in this 
 process should be laid on very thin, and a second coat 
 should not be given till the first is quite dry. A third or 
 fourth may be added, according to the depth required for 
 the specimen. In making the gutta percha cell, we shall 
 suppose a portion of that material cut out with a knife or 
 punch of the same size and form as that mentioned for 
 the one of varnish. With this ready, place a glass slide 
 on the hob or other stand at fireplace, till it is of such heat 
 as will barely allow of handling. A pair of forceps will 
 hold it on one side, while with the other the gutta percha 
 is dropped on the centre, and pressed gently down with
 
 APPENDIX. 463 
 
 some flat substance. When quite cold, the cell may be 
 farther cemented to the glass by several layers of varuish 
 applied to the exterior edge. 
 
 We will now supjjose the collector to have retui-ned 
 from the shore, laden with the spoils of a recent storm, in 
 the shape of some finely fruiting specimens of the various 
 species — delesseria, polysiphonia, callithamnious, or allied 
 genera. After supplying himself with a sufficiency for 
 drying, he will have as many fragmentary portions left as 
 ■will make a number of preparations. 
 
 He is now ready to try his hand at mounting these, and 
 we proceed to give, briefly, a few simple directions, refer- 
 ring such as would be proficient in the art, for further de- 
 tails, to Quekett's admirable work ou the microscope, and 
 also to articles on the subject in the Annals and Magazine 
 of Natural History for February and April 1845. 
 
 The first mode we mention is one to which we have not 
 yet referred, inasmuch as no barrier cell requires to be 
 raised for confining the fluid. Some of the callithamnious 
 and allied genera, whose delicate branclilets are thin as 
 the " web of the gossamer loom," require no cell with raised 
 walls. All that is necessary is to touch one of the thin 
 glass covers — previously carefully cleaned — all round with 
 varnish. The delicate object having been laid on the sur- 
 face of a glass slide, with the necessary quantity of preserv- 
 ing fluid, the glass cover is carefully dropped over it. As 
 the varnish repels the water, none but superfluous liquid 
 escapes from beneath, which can be removed with small 
 pieces of blotting ])aper. After standing for a little, the 
 varnish gets firmed, and the object may be sealed up, as 
 mentioned in the next mode. 
 
 In using the varnish cell, having ascertained that the 
 walls are quite dry, their surface even, and the enclosed 
 space free from dust, we may proceed to prepare an object. 
 A thin glass cover having been selected, a slight degree 
 smaller than the exterior edge of the cell, the operator 
 proceeds to give a slight layer of varnish to the cell to be 
 used for cementing the cover. The preserving fluid, with 
 an obji'ct suitably proportioned in size and thickness, is 
 laid out on the centre, and the glass cover thereafter care- 
 fully laid on. It is better to have rather too much than 
 too little liquid, as what remains can be sucked up with 
 blotting paper; and the operator must not be disappointed
 
 4G4 APPENDIX. 
 
 if he fails frequently in excluding the air. In a short while 
 it is ready to seal up, by giving, over the edges of the thin 
 glass, a thin coating of varnish. After standing on a dead 
 level for twenty-four hours, a second and third coat should 
 be given ; and if the colour of the Japan varnish is not 
 liked, a [coat of sealing-wax varnish will make a nice 
 finish. 
 
 The gutta percha cells are used much in the same way ; 
 the surface of the cell getting a slight coating of varnish 
 before putting in the specimen, though, if the cell is quite 
 flat, this part may be dispensed with. Space will not per- 
 mit to speak of the paper covers, modes of attaching names 
 to objects, and packing the slides in cases or boxes, which 
 all require attention. All we would say about preserving 
 them is, to see that they are thoroughly dry, and kept 
 without touching each other, in order to secure their safety. 
 Larger specimens of the fruit or fronds of the Fuci, and 
 other melanospermeffi, should be preserved in phials. 
 
 LIQUID PKEPARATIONS FOR PRESERVING ALG^, 
 
 Mr Thwaite's Creosote Preparation. — 1 part alcohol, 14 
 parts water, to be accurately saturated with creosote. This 
 should be filtered through prepared chalk, and the solu- 
 tion allowed to stand some time before use. 
 
 Goodbyes Solution for Marine Algoi. — 4 oz. bay salt, 2 
 oz. alum, 4 grains corrosive sublimate, 2 qts. boiling water. 
 Some use simple spring water, or sea water, which answers 
 well enough for many. 
 
 LIST OF RARE PHENOGVENOUS PLANTS 
 FOUND IN ARRAN. 
 
 REVISED AND ENLARGED BY PROFESSOR BALFOUR. 
 
 Alchemilla alpina, . . Goatfell, &c. 
 
 conjuncta, . . Glen Sannox. 
 
 Althfea officinalis, . . Struey rocks. 
 
 Anagallis tenella, . . Common. 
 
 Agrimonia Eupatorium, . In several places. 
 
 Allium ursinum, . Do.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 465 
 
 Alisma ranunculoides, 
 Anthyllis vulneraria, 
 Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, 
 Apium graveolens, . 
 Avena planiculmis, . 
 Atriplex laciniata, . 
 liideiis ceriuia 
 
 tripartita 
 
 Brassica Monensis, . 
 Carex pauci flora, 
 
 kcvigata, 
 
 Carlina vulgaris, 
 Cakile inaritima. 
 Convolvulus soUianella, 
 
 sepium. 
 
 Cotyledon umbilicus, 
 Crambe niaritiina, 
 Cuscuta epilinum, 
 Corydalis claviculata, 
 Drosera rotundifolia, 
 
 Aiiglici, 
 
 • longifolia, 
 
 Epip;ictis ensifolia, . 
 Eleocliaris uuiglumis, 
 Eupatorlum caunabiniun, 
 TTabenaria alhida, 
 
 bifolia, 
 
 chlorantha, • 
 
 viridis, 
 
 Fedia dentata, . 
 (laleopsis versicolor, 
 Gnaphalium dioicum, 
 Gymnadenia conopsea, 
 Helianthenuim vulgare, 
 lielosciadium repens, 
 Ilieracium vulgatum, 
 Hypericum elodes, . 
 
 androsiomum, 
 
 dubium. 
 
 Inula llelenium, 
 
 inaritima, 
 
 Latiiyrus sylvcstris, . 
 Lamiuni intermedium, 
 
 In several places. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Holy Isle. 
 
 Near Lochranza. 
 
 Goatfell. 
 
 Lag. 
 
 Near Brodick. 
 
 Near Lamlash. 
 
 Near Brodick, &c. 
 
 Ill several places. 
 
 Near Corriegills. 
 
 Struey rocks. 
 
 Southend, &c. 
 
 Black- water-foot. 
 
 In several places. 
 
 Lamlash, &c. 
 
 Imacher Port. 
 
 Lamlash, among flax. 
 
 On roofs of houses, Corrie, &c. 
 
 Common. 
 
 Near Limlash, Corrie, &c. 
 
 Near Lochrauza, Goatfell, &c. 
 
 Wiiiting bay, Sliddery, &c. 
 
 Kildonan. 
 
 In many places. 
 
 Lochranza, &c. 
 
 Macherie. 
 Lochranza. 
 Corn fields. 
 
 King's-cross Point, &c. 
 Near King's Cove. 
 Kildonan, &c. 
 Lamlash. 
 Lochranza. 
 
 Lochranza and King's Cove. 
 In many places. 
 Whiting bay. 
 Struey rocks. 
 Lamlash. 
 Struey rocks. 
 Kildonan. 
 2 G
 
 466 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Ligusticuin Scoticum, 
 Lithosperirium maritimum, 
 
 officinale, 
 
 Lobelia Dortmanna, 
 Listera ovata, 
 
 cordata, 
 
 Mentha sylvestris, var. ve- 
 
 lutina, 
 Myrica gale, 
 
 Narthecium ossifraguni, . 
 CEnanthe Lachenalii, 
 Oxyria reniformis, . 
 Pinguicula Lnsitanica, 
 Peucedanum Ostruthium, 
 Pulicaria dysenterica, 
 Polygonum Rail, 
 Pyrus fennica, 
 Potamogetou plantagineus, 
 
 oblongus, 
 
 Ranunculus lingua, . 
 Raphanus maritimus^ 
 Radiola millegrana, 
 Rhodiola rosea, 
 Rosa involuta, 
 
 villosa, 
 
 Rubus coryifolius, . 
 
 cordifolius, . 
 
 — incurvatus, . 
 
 nemorosus, . 
 
 discolor, 
 
 — macrophyllus, 
 
 Koechleri B.,pallidus, 
 
 saxatilis, 
 
 Idseus, . 
 
 affinis, . . ' . 
 
 carpinifoliiis, 
 
 leucostachys, 
 
 plicatus, 
 
 sylvaticus, 
 
 mucronatus of 
 
 Bloxam, . 
 
 nitidus, 
 
 Salix herbacea, 
 
 Soutliend, &e, 
 
 Brodick, &c, 
 
 Lochranza. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Near Lamlash. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Brodick. 
 
 Common. 
 
 Common. 
 
 Corriegills. 
 
 Goatfell. 
 
 In many places, 
 
 Brodick. 
 
 Struey rocks. 
 
 Lamlash and Lag. 
 
 Near Lochranza. 
 
 Brodick, in a ditch. 
 
 Loch Davie. 
 
 Near Lamlash. 
 
 Southend. 
 
 Near Springbank, 
 
 Near Lochranza. 
 
 Lamlash. 
 
 Lamlash. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Near Lag. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Lamlash, 
 
 Lamlash. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Do. 
 
 Do. 
 Do. 
 Ben Varen.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 4G^ 
 
 Brodick, Lamlasli, Kildonan. 
 Goatfell, &c. 
 
 In many places. 
 Ben Varen, Goatfell. 
 Whiting bay. 
 Lamlash. 
 Whitintr bay. 
 Loch Davie. 
 
 Samolus Valerandi, . 
 Saxifraga stellaris, . 
 Sedum Telephium, . 
 Smyrnium olusatrum, 
 Solanum dulcamara, 
 Thalictrum alpinum, 
 
 minus, 
 
 Triticum laxum, 
 Typlia latifolia, 
 Utricularia vulgaris, 
 
 A FEW ADDITIONAL CRYPTOGAMIC PLANTS. 
 
 Lastrea foenisecii, . . Abundant, Brodick. 
 Equisetum Telmateia, . Benan-head. 
 Batrachospermum vagum, Goatfell. 
 
 This last plant — the most beautiful species perhaps of 
 the beautiful family — I am glad to say has lately been 
 found in abundance, in streamlets, on Goatfell, by my 
 valued friend, Mr Keddie. It had not before been met 
 with in Scotland, except by Captain Carmicliael in Ap- 
 pin, and by Professor Dickie in Loch Phadrick, Aber- 
 deenshire, 2199 feet above the level of the sea. It has 
 been found by SirW, Hooker on the summit of Snowdon. 
 
 LIST OF MOLLUSCA 
 
 Found by Mr Bean, of Scarborough, in Shelly Sand, dredged iu 
 Lamlash Bay by Major Martin and Dr Landsborough. 
 
 Aclis unica. 
 
 nitidissima. 
 
 Acmsea testudinalis. 
 
 virginea. 
 
 Adeorbis subcarinatus. 
 Amphisphyra hyalina. 
 Artemis exoleta. 
 
 lincta. 
 
 Area lactea. 
 Aporrhais pes pelicani. 
 
 Anomia undulata. 
 
 squamula. 
 
 • aculeata. 
 
 cylindrica. 
 
 Astarte Scotica. 
 
 Danmoniensis. 
 
 elliptica. 
 
 compressa. 
 
 Buccinum undatum. 
 Balanus communis.
 
 468 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Balanus Scoticus. 
 
 balanoides. 
 
 Chiton marmoreiis. 
 
 asellus. 
 
 ruber. 
 
 Crania spiralis. 
 
 personata. 
 
 Fleniingii. 
 
 Chemnitzia ruftscens. 
 
 iudistincta. 
 
 Ceritliium reticulatum. 
 
 adversum. 
 
 Ccecum trachea. 
 
 im perforatum. 
 
 glabrum. 
 
 Clitia striata. 
 Cerithiopsis tubercularis. 
 Circe minima. 
 Crenel la discors. 
 
 niarmorata. 
 
 decussata. 
 
 Cardium echiiiatuni. 
 
 edule. 
 
 ■ fasciatum. 
 
 nodosum. 
 
 Norvegicum. 
 
 Suecicum. 
 
 Cyliclina cylindracea. 
 
 . truncata. 
 
 ■ obtuf-a. 
 
 mamillata. 
 
 umbilicata. 
 
 Corbula nucleus. 
 Cyprina vulgaris. 
 Donax anatinus. 
 Dentaliura entalis. 
 Emarginula reticulata. 
 Eulima polita. 
 
 distorta. 
 
 bilineata. 
 
 Fissurella reticulata. 
 Fusus antiquus. 
 Islaiidicus. 
 
 Kellia rubra. 
 
 suborbicularis. 
 
 Lamellaria perspicua. 
 Lacuna pallidula. 
 
 vincta. 
 
 canalis. 
 
 Littorina neritoides. 
 
 littorea. 
 
 rudis. 
 
 littoralis. 
 
 neglecta. 
 
 Leda caudata. 
 Lepton convexum. 
 Lima hians. 
 
 Losconibii. 
 
 subauriculata. 
 
 Lutraria elliptica. 
 Lucina radula. 
 
 flexuosa. 
 
 spinifera. 
 
 Lucinopsis undata. 
 Mangelia turricola. 
 rufa. 
 
 septangularis. 
 
 Leufroyi. 
 
 linearis. 
 
 . nebula. 
 
 — costata. 
 
 Mactra solida. 
 
 cmerea. 
 
 truncata. 
 
 . elliptica. 
 
 subtruncata. 
 
 ■ — stultorum. 
 
 Montacuta bidentata. 
 
 substriata. 
 
 Mya truncata. 
 
 Mya var. Uddevalensis. 
 
 arenaria. 
 
 Mytilus edulis. 
 Modiola modiolus. 
 
 ■ phaseolina. 
 
 Nassa reticulata.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 469 
 
 Nassa incrassata. 
 Natica monilifera. 
 
 Alderi. 
 
 Montagui. 
 
 Nucula nucleus. 
 
 nitida. 
 
 radiata. 
 
 Ovula acuminata. 
 Ostrea edulis. 
 
 parasitica. 
 
 Odostomia conoidea. 
 
 plicata. 
 
 unidentata. 
 
 rissoides. 
 
 cyliudiica. 
 
 iuterstincta. 
 
 ■ ornata. 
 
 spiralis. 
 
 decussata. 
 
 excavata. 
 
 Pecten opercularis. 
 
 tigrnuis. 
 
 niaxiiims. 
 
 pusio. 
 
 striatus. 
 
 sitnilis. 
 
 varius. 
 
 Pectnnculus glycimeris. 
 Psammobia Ferroensis. 
 Patella vulgata. 
 
 atliletica. 
 
 j)ellucida. 
 
 Pectinaria Bclgica. 
 Pilidiuiu fulvuin. 
 PuUastra vulgaris. 
 
 virgiiiea. 
 
 aurea. 
 
 Pnncturella Noachina. 
 Purpura lapillus. 
 Pileopsis Jlungaricus. 
 Philine operta. 
 
 scabra. 
 
 Philine catena. 
 
 Rissoa alba. 
 
 calathus. 
 
 crenulata. 
 
 costata. 
 
 costulata. 
 
 cingillus. 
 
 Beanii. 
 
 inconspicua. 
 
 fulgida. 
 
 niinutissima. 
 
 rubra. 
 
 interrupta. 
 
 . labiosa. 
 
 punctura. 
 
 rutilabruni. 
 
 seniistriata. 
 
 — striatula. 
 
 vitrea. 
 
 ulvsc. 
 
 Zetlandica. 
 
 striata. 
 
 parva. 
 
 Skenea planorbis. 
 nitidissinia. 
 
 rota. 
 
 divisa. 
 
 Scalaria communis. 
 8cai)liander lignarius. 
 Saxicava arctica. 
 
 Splienea liinghami. 
 Syndosmya Boysii. 
 
 prismatira. 
 
 Spirorbis eonica. 
 
 nautiloides. 
 
 lueida. 
 
 corrugata. 
 
 lietfrostrophus. 
 
 Serpula MuUeri. 
 
 verniicularis. 
 
 Tercbella cbrysodou. 
 Terebratula caput-serpentis. 
 Teredo megotara.
 
 470 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Thracia phaseolina. 
 Tellina crassa. 
 
 donacina. 
 
 fab u la. 
 
 tenuis. 
 
 solidula. 
 
 Trophon clathratus. 
 
 Barvacensis. 
 
 Turritilla terebra. 
 Trochus cinerarius. 
 
 magus. 
 
 umbilicatus. 
 
 undulatus. 
 
 pusillus. 
 
 millegranus. 
 
 Montagui. 
 
 tumidus. 
 
 ziziphinus. 
 
 Turtonia miiiuta. 
 Trichopteris borealis. 
 Venus cassina. 
 gallina. 
 
 fasciata. 
 
 ovata. 
 
 FORAMENIFEBA. 
 
 Yermilia triquetra. 
 scabra. 
 
 serrulata. 
 
 Vermiculum incurvatum. 
 
 bicorne. 
 
 oblongum. 
 
 intortum. 
 
 Vermiculum subrotundum. 
 
 funetum. 
 
 concentricum. 
 
 politum. 
 
 retortum. 
 
 Arethusa lactea. 
 
 vesicula. 
 
 Renoidea oblonga. 
 Textularia oblonga. 
 Bulimina nitida. 
 Lobatula vulgaris. 
 
 reversa var. 
 
 Rotalia Beccaria. 
 
 reversa var. 
 
 Nummulina marginata. 
 Spirolina subarcuatula. 
 Polystomella calcar. 
 
 crispa. 
 
 depressula. 
 
 • umbilicatula. 
 
 auricula. 
 
 Lagenula striata. 
 
 lincata. 
 
 Isevis. 
 
 ' semistriata. 
 
 Entosolenia squamosa. 
 
 globosa. 
 
 marginata. 
 
 Nodosaria liuearis. 
 
 legumen, 
 
 radicula. 
 
 delecta. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 JOHNSTONE AND HUNTER, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.
 
 60 
 
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