■348 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



sometimes raises cases of trespass. The fences are the usual dry stone 

 walls of the west, and the fields seldom have gates. 



The crops most grown are barley, oats, potatoes, and a little rye, 

 and a few turnips. The manures are sea- weed and farm-yard manure, 

 and occasionally old thatch, saturated with peat smoke, and well 

 rotted with age. The agricultural implements employed are the 

 spade and shovel, and the sickle ; the use of plough or harrow is not 

 known. Low-lying, damp places are utilized for the growth of osiers 

 for panniers, baskets, and lobster-pots. 



As is the case in many fishing communities, the fields are not well 

 kept, and have a rather untended appearance, the weeds being let 

 grow rankly in the potato fields, the reason given for which is that 

 without the shelter given by the weeds the crop would be speedily 

 destroyed by the winds ; but the most probable explanation is that 

 the amount of attention directed towards the fishing at the most 

 critical periods of the year causes the less important occupation to be 

 to some extent neglected. A family keeps a couple of pigs, some 

 sheep, a cow or two, geese (of which large flocks are kept on the 

 islands), ducks and fowl, but no turkeys. 



Some sixty families are said to be in very poor circumstances, and 

 of these forty-six have no cattle. 



The animals are to a large extent supported on the very extensive 

 commonage. 



The pigs, cattle, and fowl are taken into the houses at night, 

 while the sheep, geese, and ponies get shelter how they can. The 

 pigs are not regularly fed, but have, as the people express it, "the 

 run of their teeth " of the island, and by feeding on such provision 

 as they can pick up on the sea-shore, the flesh is often rendered rank 

 and fishy-flavoured. 



Fuel is supplied either by peat cut from the bogs, or, in a large 

 proportion of cases, by " scraws " of the thin peaty layer which covers 

 the rocky surface of the higher and wilder parts of the islands, cut 

 into blocks the size of peats, and dried in the sun. The substance 

 thus obtained can be burned, and will throw out considerable heat, 

 but is extremely dirty and wasteful, as it contains a large proportion 

 of earth and small pebbles, which are left in the ash. From repeated 

 cuttings of these "scraws" the surface of the higher ground has 

 become much deteriorated in value, and this is especially the case on 

 Inishshark, where there are no bogs. In times of scarcity fish-bones 

 and cow-mats {hois de vdche) are used as fuel. 



For light, petroleum lamps and candles are now generally used, 



