lOO THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



wards drying the starch, was a long and troublesome 

 one, therefore potato-flour was never a common item 

 of food, unless when the disease was universal enough 

 to make the potatoes useless in every other way. 



All deficiencies of butcher and baker Tribby knew 

 how to "make up for" by the ^se of milk, which 

 made its appearance in every shape and disguise that 

 human ingenuity could invent. Custard pudding and 

 whipped cream stopped the mouth of all who felt in- 

 clined to protest against salt meat and salt fish. Milk 

 is generally used by Shetlanders in what the prejudiced 

 Britisher calls a " gone " condition — that is, when it 

 has become sour and thick. It is really more light 

 and palatable in that state, and delicate people who 

 dare not for their lives drink a cupful of sweet cream, 

 can devour that quantity of " run " cream with im- 

 punity. In all the Scandinavian nations and in South 

 Africa milk is used mostly in its " gone " stage. 



The favourite drink of the Shetlander is Uaand. 

 This has been called a " weak kind of home-brewed 

 ale;" and the tourist or special correspondent who 

 made the observation must have been considerably 

 astonished at the quantities of blaand which a Shet- 

 lander can drink with impunity. 



Wildie, who was always rather fond of chaffing the 

 orthodox sight-seer, passed her tumbler for blaand so 

 often, when one of the touring fraternity was at table, 

 that at last his amazement got the better of his polite- 

 ness, and he remarked, " Your home-brewed beer must 

 be very weak, or your head must be very strong." 



