0)L Crag and Sea-cliff. 



257 



gloom, and their cries filling the air. The "Scrapire", 

 as the St. Kildans call this bird, is a favourite article 

 of food with them, and large quantities are caught 

 at night, when parties of men visit the birds' haunts 

 and knock the poor Shearwaters clown with sticks 

 or drag them from their holes. 



But the most important bird of all in the entire 

 group of islands is the far-famed Fulmar. Its num- 



The Fulmar. 



bers here would be very difficult to estimate even 

 approximately, but some faint idea may be derived 

 from the fact that the St. Kildans are reputed to 

 take, during one special week in August which 

 custom has long reserved for the purpose, no less 

 than twenty thousand young birds! To these we 

 must add the numbers of old birds that are snared 

 on their nests during the hatching season; whilst we 



(MGI8) R 



