CHAPTER XXIII.

Revisit Arran along with the Rev. Dr. Brown and William Buchanan, Esq.-Dredging with Major Martin-Rarities found -Rare Algæ-Examined and admired by our party at homeFry 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 beginning of June, that I had taken farewell of Arran for that season. In the middle of July, however, when a busy time was over, I was much gratified, when Mr. William Buchanan of Glasgow, having made arrangements to take his worthy and much-loved minister, the Rev. Dr. Thomas Brown of St. John's, Glasgow, to Arran, for the benefit of his health, kindly asked me to accompany them. Mr. Buchanan is well known for his great worth of character, and more particularly for his great kindness and active benevolence; and who is there in Scotland to whom Dr. Brown is not favourably known by report? and to whom can he be personally known without being greatly beloved and esteemed? How many are there who would have gladly embraced the invitation that was given me!

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 minister with filial affection, and we were all animated with 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 invalid, like our dear friend, who 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, who had arranged to meet Major Martin, for some hours' dredging in Lamlash Bay. I went in the Ardrossan steamer from Brodick, and found the Major in a fishing-boat, as I expected, 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 were 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 (Millepora polymorpha) spread out before him. I was soon in the boat beside him, seated at the board, to share in the

feast. The steamer proceeded on her way to the harbour; and we shot our dredge for a fresh 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 specimens of Amphidotus roseus in a live state. It seems to delight in deep water, whereas we dredged not one example of Amphidotus cordatus, so common in the sand in shallow water. We got many fragments of what seemed a large Echinus, which we conjectured might be Spatangus purpureus, as we afterwards found it was. Several live specimens of Echinocymus occurred, as also of Asterina gibbosa, Solaster papposa, Goniaster Templetoni, Cribella rosea, Uraster glacialis, Luidia fragilissima, Ophiura albida, Comatula 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 nondescript Nucula, and living specimens of Nucula margaritacea; also a few examples of Corbula striata, young;-some fine examples of Lima tenera, and a few of Lima fragilis, and one example of Bulla cylindraca, and not a few of Kellia suborbiculata. The only rare Alga we at the time observed, was Bonnemaisonia asparagoides. 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. H.

Harvey, Trinity College, Dublin, enclosing a specimen of Peyssonelia Dubyi, a very interesting plant which he had dredged in the west of Ireland, and asking me to look out for it next time I dredged. Next day I happened to be 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 Peyssonelia, 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 Peyssonelia. 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 enjoyed the sport, and seemed very anxious that we should make discoveries. The winged hours passed quickly by. The steamer, punctual to her hour, approached 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 we might see some of their evolutions before we restored them to the sea. The Echinus sphæra (sea-urchin) immediately gave symptoms of life by sending forth from amongst its prickles hundreds of suckers, which it

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 could walk slowly, as it does, on the rocks in search of food. A Spatangus (sea-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 opercularis) 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 Templetoni (Templeton's sea-star), from 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 underneath 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 periwinkle. 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