BRITISH BIRDS. 375 



them; and it is said that the swarms of the old 

 birds are so prodigious, that when they rise into 

 the air, they stun the ear with their noise, and over 

 shadow the ground like the clouds.* Besides the 

 small isle of Borea, and St. Kilda, noticed by Mar- 

 tin, Pennant and other writers mention the isle of 

 Ail ;a, in the Frith of Clyde; the Stack of Soulis- 

 kerry, near the Orkneys; the Skellig Isles, oif the 

 coast of Kerry, Ireland; and the Bass Isle, in the 

 Frith of Forth. The last-mentioned isle is farmed 

 out at a considerable rent, for the eggs of the vari- 

 ous kinds of water fowl with which it swarms ; and 

 the produce of the Solan Geese forms a large por- 

 tion of this rent; for great numbers of their young 

 ones are taken every season, and sold in Edin- 

 burgh, where they are esteemed a favourite dish, 

 being generally roasted, and eaten before dinner. 

 On the other bleak and bare isles, the inhabitants, 

 during a great part of the year, depend for their 

 support upon these birds and their eggs, which are 

 taken in amazing numbers, and are the principal 

 articles of their food.t From the nests placed 



* Martin, in his History of and Voyage to St. Kilda, published in 

 1698, says, "the inhabitants of St. Kilda take their measures from 

 the flight of these fowls, when the heavens are not clear, as from a 

 sure compass, experience showing that every tribe of fowls bend 

 their course to their respective quarters, though out of sight of the 

 isle; this appeared clearly in our gradual advances; and their motion 

 being compared, did exactly quadrate with our compass." 



t " They preserve the eggs in stone huts or pyramids, which they 

 build for that purpose, as well as for a shelter to the fowlers : in 

 these pyramids they cover up the eggs with turf ashes, which defend 

 them from the air, dryness being their only preservative, and mois- 

 ture their corruption : by this method, it is said, they keep them fresh 

 and fit for use, for six, seven, or even for eight months." Martin. 



