TO ORKNEY AND SHETLAND. 37 



The next morning, feeling greatly refreshed, and 

 anxious to procure a further supply of birds, I pro- 

 ceeded down Rona's Voe, which is a long narrow 

 inlet with high cliffs on each side, and presents one 

 of the most romantic scenes I have witnessed, the 

 cliffs being bold and rocky, the hills around gra- 

 dually rising, while high above them all stands the 

 majestic Rona, its summit towering to the clouds, 

 defying both time and tempest. At certain times 

 this voe abounds with seals ; during my first visit 

 I shot twenty-six ; likewise Crested Shags, Red- 

 breasted Mergansers, Large Black-backed Gulls, 

 Black Guillemots, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 

 Herring Gulls, &c. Very few of the Duck tribe fre- 

 quent this voe. I never saw more than three Eider 

 Ducks in it, two of which I shot. Many of the 

 sea birds breed in these cliffs, but most of them are 

 far too high and dangerous to attempt their ascent 

 for the purpose of procuring the eggs. Being 

 anxious to visit the west side of Rona's Hill, or 

 that part which is exposed to the Western Ocean, 

 and the morning being tolerably fine, we set off to 

 make the attempt, but were disappointed, a heavy 

 swell from the westward setting directly into the 

 voe, and preventing us from getting out. This 

 being the case, my old boatman informed me that 

 we were near to a landing-place ; and as it was im- 



