TO ORKNEY AND SHETLAND. 5^ 



During the interval between my first and se- 

 cond visit several parties from the South travelled 

 through Shetland, principally for amusement, and 

 having fowling-pieces with them, destroyed in- 

 discriminately every bird that came within their 

 reach, in fact almost annihilated several species, 

 particularly the Skua Gull : a great number were 

 also shot by the officers of a cutter which was 

 stationed in Rona's Voe for two or three months. 

 These gentlemen, I was told, destroyed great num- 

 bers of birds of all kinds, but particularly this Gull, 

 which would the more readily become a victim from 

 its habit of returning any attack upon it, thereby 

 affording the gunner a surer aim. Mr. Sheen 

 blamed me for thinning them more than any other 

 person : in this he was certainly mistaken, as I did 

 not take so many as to injure the breed; these 

 gulls were however so scarce when I last visited the 

 islands, that I had great difficulty in obtaining per- 

 missionto visit the places where they breed, the land- 

 lord assigning as a reason for his refusal that the 

 birds had almost become extinct, but allowed me, 

 as a great favour, to shoot a single pair. He cer- 

 tainly had some reason to complain, for I found 

 their numbers considerably diminished. 



In the course of my rude narrative the reader 

 will readily perceive the dangers of travelling in 



