156 THE SHETLANDS IN THE 



show of Gulls' eggs and one or two nests at least of 

 the Eider Duck, of which a few pairs commonly breed 

 there. But, unfortunately, we were a day too late, 

 a boatload of boys having, as we afterwards learned, 

 effected a landing the night before, and made a clean 

 sweep of every egg that could be carried off. Parties 

 of Gulls stood in disconsolate attitudes by empty nests 

 in every direction, and Oyster-catchers and smaller 

 waders rose piping in a half-hearted manner to tell the 

 tale that they had nothing left to lose. 



The only birds which seemed thoroughly contented 

 and happy were the Black Guillemots, whose nests are 

 very hard to find, and often, when found, as hard to get 

 at. They rode peacefully at anchor in parties of ten 

 or a dozen in every little bay, rising and falling with 

 the swell of the water, one or other, every now and 

 then, rousing himself just enough to lift a carmine leg 

 to scratch the back of his head, or peck at some little 

 fish or other tempting morsel which happened to float 

 within easy reach. 



But the interest of the islands is not dependent only 

 on birds' nests. On the smaller of the two are still 

 to be seen the traces of a little chapel, probably, like 

 many others in sites as lonely and picturesque, first 

 built as a retiring-place by some long-forgotten Culdee 

 who has left behind him the only record of a saintly 

 life in the name ' Cross Holm ' which the rock still 

 bears. The beauty of the larger ' Lady Holm ' on the 

 west side a heap of huge bare boulders, tossed up by 

 the Atlantic rollers, which in winter gales half sweep 



