26 MEMOIR OF EAT. 



other of equal extent. His description of the solan 

 goose, of which this rock is well known to be one 

 of the principal haunts, is accurate. " The old 

 ones are all over white, excepting the pinion or 

 hard feathers of their wings, which are black. The 

 upper part of the head and neck, in those that are 

 old, is of a yellowish dun colour. They lay but 

 one egg a-piece, which is white, and not very large : 

 they are very bold, and sit in great multitudes till 

 one comes close up to them, because they are not 

 wont to be scared or disturbed. The young ones 

 are esteemed a choice dish in Scotland, and sold 

 very dear (Is. 8d. plucked). We eat of them at 

 Dunbar. They are in bigness little inferior to an 

 ordinary goose. The young one is upon the back 

 black, and speckled with little white spots, under 

 the breast and belly grey. The beak is sharp- 

 pointed, the mouth very wide and large, the tongue 

 very small, the eyes great, the foot hath four toes 

 webbed together. It feeds upon mackerel and her- 

 ring, and the flesh of the young one smells and 

 tastes strong of these fish. The laird of this island 

 makes a great profit yearly of the solan geese taken; 

 as I remember, they told us L.I 30 sterling. They 

 make strangers that come to visit it Burgesses of the 

 Basse, by giving them to drink of the water of the 

 well, which springs near the top of the rock, and a 

 flower out of the garden thereby."* 



His stay in the metropolis of Scotland was very 

 * Itineraries, p. 191. 



