Birds of Lewis, Hebrides 21 



or second week of June is probably the earliest date of 

 hatching. I saw flocks of golden plover, field fares, and 

 Curlews, and the rock pigeons were more numerous than 

 any others, incessantly going to and form the patches ot 

 barley and oats, which with the potato patches, form the 

 harvest of the fisherman-crofter in these parts. 



I next visited Doune Tower, a moorland rendezvous 

 situated some five miles from the Port of Ness. 



On this journey I was accompanied by Mr. Nicholson, 

 a native, and one of the best naturalists it has been my 

 pleasure to meet. Here I saw the young of a species — 

 the Fulmar — for the first time — a species of Gull. 



On the ledges beneath the Doune Tower, five or six 

 of the young could plainly be seen — birds of some six 

 weeks or two months old, preparing to go seawards. 



This is the bird from whose feathers the rent of the 

 Island of St. Kilda is paid. It is said that 250 lbs. of 

 * ' down ' ' is collected to pay the rent, and an oil is ex- 

 tracted from the stomach which enables the St. Kildians 

 to have light for their lamps, etc. 



Although it was late in the season for the collection 

 of eggs, I contrived to bring away those of the Black 

 Guillemot, Brindled Guillemot, Fulmar, Twist-tailed- 

 Petrel, Twist-tailed Gull, Kittiwake, Rock Pigeon, Skua, 

 and the gulls of several other varieties. 



The autumn migration was scarcely begun by the end 

 of August, otherwise my account of the birds would have 

 been much more lengthy and interesting. I can imagine 

 this Island to be " par excellence," a veritable paradise 

 foi the naturalist, and under the beneficent rule of the 

 present owner the resources of bird-life, fishing, poultry 

 1 earing, and gaidening, will be tapped to its utmost, and 

 forestiy. 



The Island sometimes called Long Island — is forty 

 miles long, and has an average width of fifteen miles, 

 and in pre-war times had a population of 35,000, Storno- 

 way — an exceedingly busy fishing port — has a population 

 roughly computed at 4,000. The " Sheila " calls every 

 two days, at midnight, for mails and commissariat, and 

 to set down and convey passengers and merchandise. 



