ST. KILDA 143 



Mackenzie, minister to the St. Kildians from 1829 to 1843. 

 " Never since I came to the island," writes Mr. Mackenzie, 

 " have they [the natives] killed in any year more than two 

 thousand ' gugas ' [young Gannets], and about the same 

 number of old birds. About eighty of the old birds will 

 yield a stone of feathers (24 lbs.). Last year (1840) they 

 only secured a little more than twenty stones [-^1,600 

 Gannets]. It takes on an average eighty ' gugas ' when 

 salted to fill a barrel. In general they are very fat, but 

 some years they are quite lean and comparatively worthless.* 

 This is also true of all the birds which frequent the island ; 

 some years they are much leaner than others. From the 

 information which I got from the natives, I do not believe 

 that they ever in any one year killed more than five 

 thousand ' gugas ' [young Gannets], and from two to 

 three thousand old birds. There is no reason why they 

 might not, if they liked, kill in a year five thousand 

 ' gugas ' and four thousand old birds. "f 



This would be 9,000 Gannets altogether, as against 

 Martin's 22,600, Macaulay's 20,000, and Wilson's 15,000. 

 Wherein lies the truth in these conflicting figures it is hard 

 to say, but I think we may hold that what Mr. Wilson was 



* In anotlier place he says that Gannets arc fat in ilarcli but very 

 lean in October. 



t " Annals Scottish N. H.," 1905, p. 145. 



