80 WITS. NATURE AND A CAMERA. 



out the gentle little things squirted quantities of 

 oil, varying in colour from amber to orange, from 

 their beaks. It appeared to be ejected through fear, 

 and smelt very strongly when it happened to alight 

 on any part of one's clothing. 



Finlay McQuien now began to show us an 

 example of his skill with the fowling- rod amongst 

 the Puffins, which need far more care and deftness 

 to capture than the Fulmar Petrels. The rod used, 

 however, is just the same : a light deal pole about 

 thirteen feet in length, with a hazel twig between 

 two and three feet in length lashed on to the end. 

 To this is securely fastened a running noose of 

 horse-hair and Gannet quills, so cunningly plaited 

 together as to resemble the tapering lash of a 

 carriage whip. The effect of the interwoven quills 

 is that whilst preserving a sufficient amount of 

 flexibility they so stiffen the noose as to make it 

 stand up in the form of an almost perfect circle. 

 The piece of hazel is slightly curved so as to slide 

 easily along the ground, and at the same time 

 elevate the noose sufficiently to enable the fowler 

 to slip it over the head of a bird by a dexterous 

 turn of the wrist. The St. Kildans, one and all, 

 seemed to exercise a kind of uncanny fascination 

 over the Puffins, which they caught one after 

 another with the utmost ease. The whole pro- 

 cedure appeared to be simplicity itself, and as 

 I am considered a deft hand with a trout-rod I 

 essayed the task. Creeping up cautiously on my 

 hands and knees I slipped the rod stealthily along 

 in front of me, but to no purpose; the birds 

 would not tolerate my approach and flew away. 

 I tried again and again, but the noose either 

 waggled about until it scared the foolish-looking 

 little creatures away, or I miscalculated my distance 



