20 THE NORTH ISLES. 



being a small portion of the northern end, is cultivated; the 

 southern and eastern sides are low and sandy ; but the west, north, 

 and north-east are rocky, and the island attains its greatest height 

 at these points. The uncultivated area is covered with very short 

 stunted heather, in places barely discernible through the coarse 

 grass. Numbers of the common waders breed in this uncultivated 

 tract, and on the grassy height and on the rocks below we saw 

 the largest collection of gulls of different species that we met with 

 anywhere in the islands, all, as far as could be seen with a glass, 

 immature most of them in the nearly adult plumage. At Fowls 

 Craig there are some Guillemots and Eazorbills, and a colony of 

 Kittiwakes. Other birds were Larks, a few Wheatears, Corn- 

 crakes, Eock Pipits, Starlings (not so numerous), but Sparrows in 

 numbers. No Eider Ducks were seen here nor on the Holm, next 

 to be described. 



"The lamination of the pavement-like sandstone is perfectly 

 horizontal throughout the whole length of the cliffs about J mile, 

 and say 50 feet in height the top courses are furthest out over 

 the sea, each succeeding layer and each succeeding ledge, so 

 formed, being rather less, until the sea is reached, the top thus 

 overhanging by at least from 1 2 to 1 5 feet. On the ledges is a 

 very extensive colony of Kittiwakes ; and a more lovely one, taken 

 with its full surroundings, or one more perfectly disposed in abso- 

 lutely parallel and horizontal and equidistant ledges, it would be 

 difficult or almost impossible to conceive. 



"At sea-level this pavement sandstone cliff is tunnelled by 

 innumerable caverns and arches, all running at the same angle of 

 from 20 to 25 with the general face of the cliff, and forming, 

 with the projecting portions of the cliff, a marvellous succession of 

 almost perfectly equidistant buttresses lying in a north-easterly 

 direction ; so that, rowing along from a southerly direction, not one 

 cave is visible, naught but apparently continuous lines of hori- 

 zontal and parallel strata ; whilst, if approaching from the opposite 

 direction, a wonderful procession of arches and caves and buttresses 

 is visible throughout the whole length, and, at the same time, 

 above the caves, the regularity of the ledges and projecting sand- 



