K I L D A. 



451 



K<Ua, 



discover the origin of the name St. Kilda. Among 

 the numerous springs of fresh water, is one called 

 Kilder ; and the name Kilda being given to some 

 springs of cold water in Iceland, it is not improbable, 

 that the appellation St. Kilda, may have originated 

 from the abundance of springs in this island. Bede 

 (Hist. Eccl. lib. 3. cap. 24.) and Camden (Brit. pp. 

 89, 906,) mention a religious woman named Kilda ; 

 who possibly may have wandered to this distant island, 

 and left her name: attached to it. That this remote and 

 minute portion of the British empire was deemed wor- 

 thy of attention from the zealous promoters of the Ito- 

 man Catholic faith, appears from the names given to the 

 ruins, still visible, of some small religious edifices. In 

 St. Kilda are the remains of three, one called Christ's 

 church, another St. Brianan's, and a third Columba's. 

 In the island Boreray, a few miles westward of St Kil- 

 da, there are the remains of a building, and of a crucifix. 

 On a rock, forming the east side of the bay, at the bead 

 of which stands the village of .St. Kilda, is a ruin called 

 Dun-fir- Bholng, " the castle of the men of quivers ;" 

 and here ajso are remains of what have been supposed 

 to have been altars. There is a similar appearance on 

 the island* of Boreray anil Soay. In the former Ul.uul, 

 is to be seen what is called Slaller't House. It is built on 

 four pillars, and between these are recesses, each dis- 

 tinguished by its name, vi/. Simmulran, Bearran, Rat- 

 It, and Haiti alia. The whole is roofed with stones, and 

 covered with earth. In a glen of St. Kilda, opening to 

 the south west, is a structure similar to this, called the 

 Female Warrinr't House. 



This island extends in length about two miles, and 

 in breadth nearly one. It is precipitous on all sides 

 but one, on which there is a bay opening eastward, hav- 

 ing a narrow sandy beach at the extremity, uncovered 

 at low water. As there is almost constantly a heavy 

 swell breaking on the beach, it is necessary to land on 

 a shelving rock on the north side, and in doing so there 

 juently much difficulty. It is sometimes practica- 

 ble to land among the rocks at the opening of the glen, 

 on the opposite ide of the island. Like many others, 

 tlm iiland has the appearance of a portion of a more ex- 

 tensive country no longer in existence. Two mountains, 

 joined together by a ridge, seem to have been broken, 

 and a portion of each left. The rocks rising from the 

 sea in the vicinity, appear also as the remaining halves 

 of detached mountain* ; one side sloping, and the other 

 presenting a lofty perpendicular face. The highest 

 point of St. Kilda appears, from barometrical observa- 

 tion* made by the writer of this article, to be 1453 feet 

 above the sandy beach mentioned above. The moun- 

 tain Conajrra is the highest ; and next the sea, it is per. 

 pendicular almost to the very summit. The rock*, call- 

 'reray, Soay, Lavinuh, tec. all present forms high- 

 ly picturesque ; and the whole group form* a seen* 

 truly magnificent 



The rocks are chiefly varieties of trap, granite ap- 

 pearing on the north side of the bay, near the landing- 

 plare ; and not far from this, a large vein of greenstone 

 intersects the granite. On the opposite side of the bay, 

 mall veins of granite intersect the greenstone. It may 

 be supposed, that these are contemporaneous rein* of 

 felspar ; but, to the best of the writers recollection ( his 

 specimen* having been lost) at the distance of eighteen 

 Tears, these veins contain quarts a* well as felspar, and 

 have every appearance of true veins. 



Around the village, there are some patches of rich 

 soil, on, which, potatoes, and excellent crops of barley 



and oats, are raised, sufficient for the consumption of the Kilda, St. 

 inhabitants. The pasture on the mountains, together '* "V"'' 

 with that of the small islands nest St. Kilda, feeds 

 about a thousand sheep, and a considerable number of 

 cows. There are a few horses- -on the island, used for 

 tarrying home fuel. The value of a sheep varies from 

 two to four pecks of corn. 



Sea fowl, which abound here, contribute largely to Birds, 

 the subsistence of the inhabitants, and yield consider- 

 able profit from their feathers. The fulmar, Proi'dla- 

 ria gfacialis, breeds here in great numbers, and is the 

 most valuable of the feathered tribes of this region. 

 From its stomach it yields a supply of oil, and its flesh 

 is a favourite article of food, both fresh and salted. This 

 bird is never seen to feed ; but it brings supplies to its 

 young. The people descend the rocks, by means of 

 ropes made of slips of cow hide; and with a noose of 

 horse hair, rendered rather stiff by means of twisted 

 quills, so as to be kept open, and fastened to a long 

 rod, they catch the fulmar by the neck, which prevents 

 it disgorging its oil, which it would otherwise do in 

 self-defence. The mode of catching the birds, is ge- 

 nerally similar to what we have described in our ac- 

 count of the FAROE Islandt. The dogs are taught here 

 to search for the puffin, among the loose stones and 

 earth near the sea ; they go out by themselves, appa- 

 rently very fond of the sport, and bring the birds care- 

 fully home. The gannet, or solan goose, docs not in- 

 habit St. Kilda ; but is found in great numbers on Bo- 

 reray. The natives frequently take them with their 

 fowling rods ; but they arc most successful when they 

 attack them during the night, when all the birds are 

 asleep except one or two, which are carefully avoided, 

 because, if in the slightest degree disturbed, they would 

 instantly take wing, and alarm the others. Approach, 

 ing the birds which arc asleep, the fowler puts his mid- 

 dle finger between the legs of one, and gently moves the 

 flithn i of its tail. On this, the bird utters a cry some- 

 what like the word birro, lirro, and the others join in 

 it. This is the signal for the fowlers that all is secure, 

 and they proceed cautiously to seize and kill their prey ; 

 and almost always the whole number within reach are 

 slaughtered, in defiance of the watchfulness of the ecu- 

 tinels. 



From the first appearance of the village, a stranger pop\Uation. 

 might suppose that the island was very populous. A 

 great number of huts are built for preserving the furl, 

 which is turf, and for the stores of dried birds. The 

 number of inhabited huts is small compared to these. 

 The inhabitants in number are considerably under a 

 hundred. At the time when the writer visited the 

 island, there were 97 ; 40 males, and 57 females, dis- 

 tributed in 24 families. According to Martin, the num- 

 ber, in 1692, was 200. Mr. Macdonold, the author of 

 the Survey of the Hebrides, found, in 1 795, 87 inha- 

 bitants ; and, in 1809, the number was 103. 



Like the people of some of the islands nearer the Manners of 

 mainland, the natives of St Kilda are very dirty in the people, 

 their person* ; and a very indifferent nose may be sen- 

 sible of their approach. Their huts are cleaned but 

 once in the year, from the filth which is carefully ac- 

 cumulated in them, and which is preserved for enrich- 

 ing their fields. The straw is also removed from the 

 roofs of the huts every spring, and spread upon the 

 arable land. 



The women of St. Kilda are constantly employed ManuCsc* 

 with the distaff*, and spin very good worsted, which is tures. 

 made into plaids and stockings. Every man is his own 



