MAMMALS. 89 



they were extremely abundant. They are well kept down in 

 Rousay by the principal farmers there, but at one time the 

 west side of the island was overrun with them. 



Referring to Rousay, Mr. Moodie-Heddle tells us that when 

 he first remembered the island there were no wild grey Rabbits 

 to be seen, but the hill behind Westness was full of holes made 

 by escaped tame ones of various colours. At the time Buckley 

 was there he saw nothing but the common grey ones. 



At the present time, Rabbits exist in every island of any 

 size, but nowhere (except, as said before, in Eynhallow) in 

 large numbers. 



DOMESTIC MAMMALS. 



Of these we have very few notes, and there is little to be said 

 about them. The old native breeds have been improved almost out of 

 existence, though a few sheep still remain in one or two places. 



Being so well supplied with sea communication, Orkney is now as 

 well farmed, and has as good stock, as any part of Scotland ; and by 

 this time farmers know exactly what is best adapted to the climate, 

 both as regards live-stock and seeds and roots, etc. 



ShirrefF mentions a curious sort of horse-sickness as existing in 

 Eday, and he states that a Mr. Murray of Greentoft lost seventy-two 

 horses by this disease alone in twelve years. 



The native Sheep (Ovis aries) still exists on some of the islands, 

 though now much reduced in numbers from the importation of the 

 better breeds. In N. Ronaldsay there are a good many of this native 

 stock, and these have to feed themselves almost exclusively on sea- 

 weed, a wall going round the whole island to keep them out of the 

 cultivated ground. They are of all colours white, brown, black, and 

 speckled, the white and the brown predominating. For a short time 

 during the lambing season, the ewes are admitted to graze on parts of 

 the island. 



We think the following note on Pigs, given us by Mr. Heddle, 

 will be of some interest : 



"In Orkney, more especially in Hoy, large herds of swine were 

 kept on the hills some fifty years or more ago, and this was probably 

 a custom of very ancient date. They were kept out all spring and 



