FAIR ISLE AND FOULA. 



215 



All the wool of the pure Shetland sheep is fine, but the 

 finest grows under the neck, and is never shorn off, but 

 "rooed, 1 ' that is, gently pulled. It is said that an 

 ounce of wool can by skill be spun into upwards of 

 1,000 yards of three-ply thread. Stockings can be 



knitted of such fineness as to be easily drawn through 

 a finger-ring. 



To Shetlanders the sea and its products are of para- 

 mount importance, and some account of their fisheries is 

 accordingly indispensable. 



The boat used is the Norway yawl, fitted either for 

 sailing or rowing, and with six of a crew. Each boat has 



