360 THE WILD-FOWLER. 



panions : the latter immediately begin to mourn over their departed 

 friend with much grief and groaning ; when the fowler, taking advan- 

 tage of the mournful ceremony, secures many captives from among 

 the mourners. In these expeditions the fowlers climb over steep and 

 dangerous rocks, linked together in couples after the same manner as 

 that pursued by the fowlers in Norway ;* so that one, having climbed 

 to a shelf, draws up his comrade by the rope which unites them and 

 in case of one of the two slipping, or losing his hold, the other, by 

 standing firm or holding on, checks the fall and saves the life of his 

 companion. 



In the month of May the fowlers climb and scale the rocks in the 

 same way in pursuit of the eggs of solan geese ; and about August 

 and September they take the young ones (called goug), which are 

 then just ready to fly, and in prime condition for the table ; being so 

 redundantly fat from the constant feeding of the parent birds, that 

 they are, just at that particular age and season of the year, larger 

 and heavier than the old birds. Macauley asserts that the fat on 

 their breasts at that time is three inches in thickness. They are also 

 well covered with valuable down, of which they are stripped after 

 being killed, and they are then sent to market. 



The young solan goose is "quite a favourite dish of the St. Kildians, 

 and at festive entertainments is the crowning delicacy of their humble 

 board. 



The rock-fowlers of St. Kilda also use gins, made of horse-hair, for 

 the purpose of taking birds on the rocks ; and they use nooses of the 

 same material, which they attach to the ends of light poles or fishing 

 rods, and reach over, at night, to opposite cliffs (otherwise inaccessi- 

 ble), and snatch birds off the ledges whilst at roost there, by quietly 

 slipping the noose over their heads, and drawing it round their necks 

 one at time : in this manner they sometimes capture dozens of fowl 

 in a few hours.f 



The rocks of this island are allotted once in every three years, in 

 exact proportions, among the inhabitants, according to the extent of 

 land each person possesses : and this whether for the purposes of fish- 

 ing or fowling. At the expiration of every three years, which termi- 

 nates the tenancy, the allotments change hands ; and any disputes 

 which arise are finally decided by drawing lots. Encroachments 



* Vide ante page 346. 



t This method of taking rock birds is also practised in Siberia by the Kamtscha- 

 dales. Vide post, chcvp. Ixxiii 



