34 Capt. Elwes on the Bird-Stations 



After I had collected a few, I came up and got one of the 

 natives to go down to show us his way of catching birds. He 

 took a rod about ten feet long, with a horsehair noose at the end, 

 and slipped this cleverly over the heads of the Fulmars, whose 

 necks he then broke and tied them in bunches of five to the end 

 of the rope. I asked him why he killed so many, as 1 only 

 wanted a few ; and he said that if the egg was taken it was 

 best to catch the bird also, as she would lay no more that year. 



The Fulmar when caught vomits from its mouth (and not 

 from its nostrils, as is usually stated) nearly a wine-glassful of 

 clear yellow oil, with minute green particles floating in it. This 

 oil has a very strong smell, and when kept becomes of a dark 

 red colour, like raspberry vinegar. The St.-Kildians collect a 

 large quantity of this oil, by making the birds vomit it into the 

 dried gullets of Solan Geese, which are hung on strings when 

 full ; and a good deal of grease is also obtained by boiling down 

 the young Fulmars, which are one mass of fat. 



All the Fulmars I caught on the nest were females ; and I re- 

 marked that the eye is not yellow, as is generally stated in 

 books, but black, or dark bi'own. The stomach is filled with an 

 oily fluid, in which are the horny mandibles of some Cuttle-fish, 

 and a greenish substance, which I believe is sorrel, as that plant 

 grows in great abundance on the rocks, and, the people say, is 

 probably taken by the birds to correct the oiliness of their diet. 

 The feathers of the breast are unusually thick and close j and 

 there was a bare hollow place on the stomach, of the same size 

 and shape as the egg. 



After remaining a time to admire the view, which alone would 

 fully repay one for the journey to St. Kilda, I returned to the 

 village laden with the spoils. The whole island is covered with 

 little stone hovels, which are built partly as a protection for 

 the sheep during the gales, and partly to dry the turf, which 

 is used for burning, as there is no real peat in the island. 

 The sheep are of a peculiar sort, not unlike those which were 

 kept by the crofters in most of the Hebrides before the intro- 

 duction of the improved breeds, and have very fine wool, which 

 is sometimes of a light-brown dun colour. This sort, however, 

 is not very common; and the wool is in -great request, as the 



