206 



SHETLAND. 



CHAPTER II. 



FAIE ISLE AND FOULA. 



ON the morning of the 4th of August we sailed 

 Spiggie Bay in the cutter Xclsun. on an excursion :0 

 Fair Isle and Foula. Crossing the sands we observed 3 

 great many huge backbones, and learned that they were 

 the remains of a shoal of the bottlenose or ca'ing whales, 

 which had stranded themselves and been expeditiously 

 slaughtered by the natives. 



It was a perfectly beautiful morning, and the wind 

 though fair was extremly light. The skin of the sea, if 

 I may use the expression, was as smooth as glass. We 

 had a very deliberate view of the west side of the grand 

 headland of Fitful Head, and an excellent opportunity of 

 shooting dozens of porpoises as they came to the surface, 

 with their peculiar wheel-like motion, to sun themselves 



