NOTES ON THE MAMMALS AND BIRDS OF ROUSAY. 47 



dents. Close below the house, and looking westward 

 over to Pomona, is the Sound of Eynhallow, so called 

 from an island of that name that stands in the 

 <jentre. Once inhabited by two or three families 

 who all died of fever, but now deserted on that 

 account, it is given over to innumerable Rabbits and 

 the wild-birds which breed there in quantities. Some 

 sheep and cattle, too, are grazed there during the 

 summer months as long as the grass is plentiful. 

 On each side of the island the tides run with great 

 force, forming what are called "roosts," which seem 

 to mean merely these strong currents, and here they 

 run at the rate of nine or ten miles an hour. 

 Quantities of Black Guillemots build under the stones 

 or crevices of the rocks far more than in any othei* 

 place hereabouts. To the east of Westness the 

 ground rises steeply to the hills, the heather coming 

 down to the road at the back of the house ; and to 

 the north the Atlantic is the only thing that meets 

 the eye. 



I had hoped to have been able to record some of 

 the more ordinary summer warblers as having 

 occurred here, from my own personal observations; 

 but, unfortunately, nearly the whole of October we 

 had westerly winds, which kept the migrants from 

 visiting us. Such observations as I have been able 

 to make will be found below under their resj)ective 

 headings. 



The mammals of Rousay are more conspicuous for 

 their absence than for anything else, and perhaps 

 the most wonderful circumstance of all is the entire 

 absence of Rats (Mils decuinanns), and almost so of the 

 Mustelidcv, in fact, of all so-called "ground vermin." 

 The most abundant mammal of all is the common 

 Field Vole (ArvicoJa agresfis), locally known as "Vole 

 Mouse," and the whole of the uncultivated part of 

 the island is covered with their runs. One species 

 of Seal is common. 



