The Seal.-] OF ORKNEY. 17 



prised, rather than frighted ; and in this manner continued 

 to wonder, as long as the bell rung. 



Numbers of seals are yearly caught about our coasts, both 

 with nets and shot, for the sake chiefly of the skins and oil, 

 though I am credibly informed, in North Ronaldsha they 

 take them for another purpose, namely, for eating ; and they 

 say they make good ham. I have seen numbers of them cut 

 up, and have no doubt but the young ones may eat tolerably 

 well, but the large and old ones must be very ordinary feed- 

 ing, because the flesh is both black and very coarse-grained. 



There is a ship commonly goes from this place once a-year 

 to Soliskerry, and seldom returns without 200 or 300 seals. 

 She is manned with between thirty and forty men, who, as 

 soon as they come up with the rock, land (except a few left 

 to keep the ship, and receive what the others kill), and imme- 

 diately surround what seals are then on it. One party arm- 

 ed with clubs, fall to knocking them on the head, and ano- 

 ther set to jacking, i. e. cutting off the skin, together with the 

 blubber on it, while the others put it on board. They con- 

 tinue thus as long as they have any thing to do, and, when 

 all is over, immediately set sail, otherwise they are in danger 

 from the weather ; if it blows up there is no such thing as get- 

 ting into their boats. When they arrive the jacks are divid- 

 ed, and sold by public auction, at about five or six shillings 

 sterling a- piece; and each man makes about thirty shillings 

 sterling for his share, after Allowing a third for the vessel, and 

 something more than a common share for the master. After 

 all is disposed of, the blubber is cut from the skin, and boil- 



c 



