The lights shown from lighthouses have all special characteristics--such as fixed, flashing, or a variation in colour--to distinguish them from each other, and to enable the mariner when he sights them to know exactly off what part of the coast he is. Unfortunately, this does not always prevent shipwrecks occurring; for, although he should not do so, sometimes the mariner mistakes his light, and runs into danger instead of out of it; or fog may render a light invisible; or a storm may drive a vessel on a lee shore in spite of any light. It might be said that wrecks should never occur from the first of these causes, viz., a mariner mistaking his light; but sailors are sometimes careless, like other people, and only learn their lesson when too late. It is different, however, when a master or officer has been storm tossed, probably for many days and nights, without seeing the sun or stars to give him an idea of his whereabouts. Suddenly the fog lifts a little and he sees a gleam of light which, in the anxious state of his mind, he supposes to be one which he thinks he ought to be approaching, and then taking, as he supposes, his correct course, runs on the rocks. Such a case occurred about five years ago, when the s.s. _Labrador_, bound from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Liverpool, was lost on the Skerryvore reef. The captain had not been able for many days to take an observation owing to fog, and the tide had evidently carried him further to the north than he reckoned on, when suddenly the light of Skerryvore appeared, and mistaking it for a light on the north coast of Ireland, he unfortunately altered his course, with the result that the ship ran on a portion of the Skerryvore reef and became a total wreck. Fortunately, all on board were saved. Two boat-loads of crew and passengers were picked up by a steamer and landed on the Island of Mull; while another boat, containing the remainder, eighteen in all, reached the rock where the lighthouse stood, and, assisted by the lightkeepers, landed and found shelter there, and had all their wants attended to till the lighthouse steamer _Hesperus_ went to their assistance and took them to Oban. Many acts of heroism since that of Grace Darling have been performed by lightkeepers in saving life from shipwreck, and have been suitably acknowledged by the Lifeboat Institution or Humane Society. A short time ago, two daughters of the principal lightkeeper at Kyleakin, observed a sailing boat struck by a squall off the lighthouse, and its occupants (two men) thrown into the water. The tide was running fast, and as there was no time to lose, they rushed down to the shore, and, getting into a boat, rowed out to where they saw one man struggling in the water, and, after taking him on board, rowed after the upturned boat, which had the other man clinging to it, and saved him also.