(N The Lifeboat for November, 1925, two cases were mentioned of Life-boats going out owing to lights on land being mis- taken for lights at sea. In one case the Selsey Life-boat cruised about for three hours and could find no vessel, the only explanation appearing to be that the supposed flares were the headlights of a motor-car close to the seashore. In the other case a bonfire on land was reported to the Life-boat Station at Skegness as a vessel on fire at sea.

Another curious false alarm occurred at Kilmore, Co. Wexford, on 25th Febru- ary last. The Life-boat was launched in rain and fog, with a rough sea, to what appeared to be a boat in distress in the surf. In the fog the Life-boat went past the place without seeing anything, but a moan was heard, and she went back to find, not a boat, but a large whistling buoy, with a tall topmark, which had gone aground.

A similar case occurred on 22nd March last in the Isle of Man. On the evening of that day what appeared to be a vessel on fire, about seven or eight miles away, was reported to the Douglas Station.

The signal was fired to summon the Crew, and the launch was made with exceptional promptness, the Motor Life- boat being in the water four minutes later. A gale was blowing, with a rough sea, but the Life-boat went in search of the vessel, fifteen or sixteen miles seaward, without finding any trace of her. She had been launched about 9.30 in the evening, and it was not until five hours later that she returned.

Meanwhile the Coast Guard had noti- fied the Pulling and Sailing Life-boat at Peel. She was launched at 10.30 P.M.

and also cruised about for several hours, not reaching her Station again until 4.30 the following morning. She also could find no trace of the burning vessel, and it was discovered later that the flames seen were not a vessel, but burning gorse in County Down, Ireland, nearly fifty miles away.

Two other cases, both very similar, occurred during May. In one case a mast with a flag on it, placed on a sand- bank by a surveying vessel, was mis- taken for a small vessel gone ashore, and reported to the Life-boat Station as such by a Light Vessel. In the other a yacht which had been lying at anchor was thought to have sunk, her mast showing just above water, but it was iound that the supposed mast was a spar attached to a cable and anchor which had been slipped by the yacht when she sailed during the night.

It may be of interest to recall also some of the.cases of false alarms which have occurred in the past. A man had gone out wild-fowl shooting off Anglesey ; his shots were thought to be signals of dis- tress and the Life-boat was launched.

A Wedding Bonfire.

On several occasions guns fired by battleships at practice have been thought to be distress signals and Life- boats have been launched, but it is now the duty of the Coast Guard to give warning in advance of such firing.

There have been several cases of bon- fires on the beach being mistaken for yessels on fire at sea. On one such occasion the bonfire had been lit to celebrate a wedding.

Another wedding also led to the assembly of a Life-boat Crew. In this case it was fireworks, not a bonfire. Fire- works, in fact, have caused a number of false alarms. On one occasion they were being fired to celebrate the New Year, and on another, in 1900, the relief of Ladysmith. It has happened more than once that pleasure steamers have celebrated their last trip of the season by firing rockets and have been thought to be in distress, and three Life-boats were once launched in response to rockets which it was later supposed must have been fired by the French Fleet on manoeuvres.

A farmer breaking up boulders with dynamite m tha siware kaa Ve, i to the calling out of a Life-boat; and a most curious instance of all—it has twice happened that sun flashes on metal or glass on board a steamer have been mistaken for distress signals..