76 Mr. C. Dixon on the 



a few Puffius and Gulls in the bay ; tlie great bird-nurseries 

 are away behind the frowning hills, where the cliifs fall almost 

 sheer down to the water, and on the adjoining islands and 

 " stacks/' One of the first birds to arrest my attention on 

 landing was the Hooded Crow (all apparently thorough-breds), 

 which perched on the roofs of the cottages with as little con- 

 cern as the Sparrow in a crowded city ; and next to this the 

 Starling and the Wheatear were the most common. I had 

 not been ashore long before the Wren attracted my notice, 

 and I saw at once that it was not the typical British form, 

 and set it down provisionally as Troglodytes borealis. When 

 I reached St. Kilda the egg-harvest was nearly over ; out of 

 the hundreds of eggs we took from the rocks very few were 

 fresh, and most were so hard-set as to render blowing them 

 impossible. The St.-Kildans eat vast numbers of eggs, 

 especially those of the Fulmar and the various species of 

 Auks. The cliffs of St. Kilda are divided equally amongst 

 the inhabitants, and a man seldom or never poaches on his 

 neighbour's preserves. Each year the rocks are portioned 

 out anew, the Saxon Mod, or council, assembling for the 

 purpose. The adjacent islands of Doon, Soay, Borrcay, and 

 the several '' stacks " are common propei'ty, and are hunted 

 at intervals by a party despatched in one of the boats for the 

 purpose, the produce of the expedition being shared equally. 

 The St.-Kildans are adepts at catching birds; but as for 

 their feats amongst the rocks, I saw nothing extraordinary, 

 and the climbers at Flamborough are every bit as daring. In 

 fact, high as the cliffs at St. Kilda arc, they are compara- 

 tively easy to climb, being for the most part broken into 

 ledges, and few of them fall sheer down to the water. Ea en 

 the mighty cliff of Connacher (twelve hundred feet high) does 

 not fall sheer, but much of it is broken up into ledges and 

 grassy slopes, in Avhich the Fulmars love to nest. The men 

 were very anxious that I should not disturb their Fulmars. 

 No gamekeeper watched his preserves more jealously ; and 

 every time I went near the cliffs where they were breeding, 

 if I chanced to have a gun with me, several men or boys 

 were sure to follow and warn me off the sacred spot. 



