Notes on Sula Sgeir and North Bona, with List of Birds. 57 



inquiry I found that the pilot, to save himself the trouble of 

 wholly plucking some razorbills which he wished to cook, 

 had held them over the stove to singe off the feathers. 



After running towards the Butt of Lewis for about two 

 hours, as the weather got no worse, we went about and 

 stood back towards Kona, which I was very loth to leave 

 un visited. 



At about three on Wednesday morning, June 20th, we left 

 the yacht to land on Eona. 



There are one or two places where a boat can land in 

 moderate weather on this island, we chose a slight indenta- 

 tion near the centre of the south side owing to the heavy 

 north-westerly swell which was still running. On landing we 

 had to drag the boat up a very steep rock, and then jam 

 stones under her to prevent her from slipping down again. 



Before I enter upon my own description of Eona, I shall 

 give a few extracts from notes made by previous visitors. 



The earliest published account of Eona that I am aware 

 of is that of Dean Munro before referred to. He gives a 

 very quaint description of the island and its inhabitants — 

 for there were then several families on the island — speak- 

 ing of them as " simple people scant of ony religione," 

 although a little further on he says, " within this ile there 

 is ane chappell callit St Eonay's chappell." ^ 



He states that " abundance of corn growes on it by delving 

 onlie," also that the meal made therefrom, which was very 

 white, was sufficient to feed the people and pay their rents, 

 together with the " superexcrescens " of a number of "ky 

 and schiepe " kept by them. 



Speaking of St Eona's Chapel, Dean Munro mentions the 

 following curious superstition of the natives: "unto quhilk 

 chapell, as the ancients of the country alledges, they leave 

 an spaid and ane shuil quhen any man dies, and upon the 

 morrow findes the place of the grave markit with an spaid 

 as they alledge. In this ile they used to take many quhailles 

 (whales) and uthers grate fisches " (fishes). 



" Eona " means the " Island of the Seals," therefore the 

 saint must have taken his name from the island, and not 



^ Miscellanea Scotica, ii., p. 152. 



