Logo
Prev
Bookmark
Rotate
Print
Next
Contents
All Pages
Related Articles
Browse Issues
Help
Search
Home
'
National Geographic : 1947 May
Contents
Lundy, Treasure Island of Birds In a deep combe on the east side grows the rare royal fern; it is a leading feature among some 260 species of plants listed on Lundy. The trapdoor spider has also taken up quar ters on the island, its only known locality in the British Isles. "How long this par ticular species has been in residence on Lundy no one knows," said the overlord, "but he has certainly been here for forty years or more. He probably came as the result of the wreck ing of some vessel which was homeward bound from the New World." Nature's School Children-the Gray Seals Nature's school chil dren are here on picnic, for the gray seals have a large colony. The seal loves a crowd; in fact, it is usually only when in numbers that breeding takes place, for the seal seems to seek noise and excite ment in his mating ven tures. Along the eastern shore, which is the more Crab and Lobster Are Symbols of Her "Royal" Position As cook and housekeeper she provides for the general welfare at the owner's Villa. T H on marker stands for Trinity House, lighthouse authority which built Old Lighthouse (page 697) and began contributing to road upkeep in 1819. sheltered, an expert at lobster catching told me of the "powerful lot of lobster" around Lundy. When we got tired of lobster hauling, we took to catching mack erel with lines. On the western side there are strong tides and currents, and here on a dark night many a good ship has foundered. Ancient and curious coins have been found among the rocks and embedded in the sand-coins that for merly belonged to galleons wrecked there, no one knows when. This shore line must have a wonderful tale to tell. Long years ago a ship beating up from the Ivory and Gold Coasts of Africa was driven ashore on the rocks. It had on board a cargo of ivory and leather bags holding gold dust; some of the ivory was afterwards recovered, but the gold dust has long since become merged with the sand. The stoutest ship ever built would not last long against the surf and waves that come rolling in with 2,000 miles of sea power behind them. When they have lifted the doomed craft up on the foreshore, the jagged teeth of the rocks soon tear the ship to pieces. In 1906 H. M. S. Montagu was driven ashore, a brand-new battleship which was trying out wireless for the first time. Parts of the equipment and guns were salvaged after immense efforts, but the seas were re lentless and soon battered the warship into a jigsaw. Now only the barbettes can be seen at low spring tides, wedged firmly in the rocks, a reminder of what the sea can do. 695
Links
Archive
1947 Jun
1947 Apr
Navigation
Previous Page
Next Page