Clifton College Scientijic Society- 91 



bottom is of white shelly sand, and its depth, nearly opposite the 

 centre of Balta Island, is eight fathoms, which diminishes towards the 

 head of the bay down to two. The few hauls of the dredge which I 

 had in Unst were not very productive. The /msws is among the chief 

 of the mollusca, and small cephalopods occur. But there is a great 

 difference in marine life between this Sound and that of Bressay, on 

 the mainland of Shetland ; no holotlouridce, no brittle stars, ophiuras, 

 sotas/ers, or goniasters, are here found, which swarm in Lerwick 

 harbour. 



Where the deep sea fishing is carried on, in the months of May and 

 June, is a fine place for marine specimens. Off the east coast of 

 Shetland, in 80 fathoms of water, the purple echinus (Spatangus 

 purpureous) is found ; also the Brissiopsis lyrifera, aud the remarkable 

 ' Pipa' echinus {Cidaris papillata). 



Sponges are to be obtained on the shore only after the storms of 

 winter. 



Unst affords good sport to the angler, Cliflf Lock, near Baliasta, 

 is 3 miles long by a quarter of a mile broad. As before remarked, the 

 Burn of Baliasta flows into it at the southern end, and Cliff Burn, its 

 outlet falls into Burra Fiord, which yields splendid sea-trout. There 

 are private boats on the Lake, but the fishing is quite free. Balta, 

 though containing no Inn, is the only place to procure lodgings at 

 near the lake. June and July are the best months for fishing it. 

 The trout run 3 to -lib, and are numerous; 33lbs being known to have 

 been caught in a few hours. Watley Loch, lying three miles further south, 

 and connected by Baliasta Burn, is a mile long, and open to the 

 public. It contains small trout, but plenty of them. Belmont Loch, 

 two miles south-west of Watley, is half a mile long, and its fishing 

 belongs to Major Cameron. Trout run about 3lbs. each. There are 

 many other small Locks in Unst. 



ANTIQUITIES AND SCENERY. There are very few islands that 

 can compete with Unst in abundance and variety of ancient remains, 

 found in a small space. It is the first place the Norsemen landed at 

 when they came to people Shetland; and when Harold Harfager came to 

 wrest it from these pirates, he is said to have landed at the bay that 

 still bears his name; and, on the shore of Haroldswick, there are the 

 remams of a cairn, or tumulus, which tradition points out as his 

 grave. But Unst appeai-s to have been of importance in Pictish times, 

 long before the arrival of the Norsemen. Besides the more lasting 

 relics the early inhabitants have left, we find their domestic and 

 warlike implements. Many cells, or stone axe-heads have been picked 

 up in this island, and in the Antiquarian Museum of Edinburgii are 

 deposited no less than twenty-five worked stones from this .ocality. 

 Nine of them are polished and chipped celts of sandstone and 

 serpentine, etc. These vary in size from 2^ x 4| inches, to ;3i x l^- 

 inches. The rest are club-shaped stones, sinkers for fishing nets, 

 hammer stones, ladles, oblong-shap d instiunients, tureen-shaped 

 vessels and rubbing stones ; also the fragment of a sculptured stone, 



