2 GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION AND PHYSICAL 



There are many large and well-sheltered bays scattered 

 throughout the islands, well suited for wild-fowl, which can shift 

 their locality with ease from one side of the island to the other, 

 according to the wind, but good and safe anchorage for vessels 

 of any size in all weathers is rather scarce ; the best of these per- 

 haps are Longhope in South Walls, Stromness and Kirk wall in 

 the Mainland, Kettletoft in Sanday, Pierowall in Westray, and 

 St. Margaret's Hope in S. Eonaldsay. 



The most remarkable of all these bays is Deer Sound, which may, 

 however, best be described as bays within a bay, and which, at 

 one point, almost separates the parish of St. Andrews, making one 

 of the portions into an island. This bay is one of the best-known 

 resorts for wild-fowl in the whole of the islands, as there is here 

 a larger extent of shallow water and diversified feeding-ground 

 than elsewhere. 



All the islands are divided from each other by sounds, through 

 which the tides run with great force and rapidity, the velocity of 

 some of these streams (or "roosts" as they are locally termed) 

 rising, during spring-tides, to eleven knots an hour, and the noise 

 of these roosts resembles a huge river in full flood. These roosts, 

 too, are very dangerous to inexperienced persons, as the waves rise 

 to a great height, and then either break or seem to fall down 

 suddenly, and, should a small boat get into the full strength of 

 one of these tideways, she will fill and go down. Indeed such an 

 accident happened to a boat we once possessed when in Eousay, 

 and we heard, shortly after our departure, that the two men, to 

 whom she had been sold, got caught in a roost and were drowned, 

 a wave falling into the boat and taking her down. 



With experienced boatmen, however, excellent fishing may be 

 had close to the heaviest roost. We have had splendid sport when 

 in the slack water between the two tideways on each side of the 

 island of Grsemsay, where, although the water was a little rough, 

 there was little or no current. Here we had great fun with the 

 larger "cuddies," taking in two at a time almost as fast as we 

 could put the flies out, while the huge breakers tossed and tumbled 

 harmlessly, with a thundering roar, on each side of us. 



