492 THE GUILLEMOTS. 



coast, according to Ekstrom, " the Skargdrds-Karlar" or 

 men inhabiting the islands, " protect it, because their mouths 

 water for the delicate young ones." 



"At the end of August, when these are ready to fly," 

 he says, " the fowler starts on special expeditions in search of 

 them. He is provided with a large basket to hold the spoil, 

 and a long flexible stick with a sort of screw at the end. 

 When he comes to places where they are known to breed, he 

 listens at every crevice among the stones and rocks for the 

 cry of the chicks ; and when he has discovered their abode, 

 and finds it impracticable either by removing the stones, or 

 otherwise, to obtain access to the nest with his hand, he 

 forthwith extracts the bird with the screw. If this has only 

 taken hold of the wing, or the feathers, the bird is placed 

 in the basket alive ; but if serious injury has been inflicted, 

 its neck is at once twisted. When the spoiler has thus taxed 

 as many nests as he can find, he returns home with the booty, 

 the living portion of which he deposits in a corner of his 

 Sjo-bod that is, the shed, where he keeps his nets, and 

 where he has previously piled up a heap of stones, amongst 

 which the birds may find shelter. They are fed with the 

 offal of fish, or with small fry, until such time as they 

 become indescribably obese ; and when this is the case, the 

 good woman of the house converts them, as occasion 

 requires, into soup, which these men whom nature has 

 endowed with a taste quite in unison with their strong diges- 

 tive organs consider most delectable." 



The Foolish Guillemot (Sill-Grissla, or Herring-Grissla, 

 Sw. ; U. Troile, Lath.) was very common in the adjoining 

 Skargard during the autumn and winter. " It usually arrives 

 here in large flocks," says M. von Wright, " towards the end 



