THE FULMAR. 385 
and whenever they land (which they do quietly in the grey of 
the morning) they immediately surround the island to prevent 
the Seals getting into the sea upon the alarm: and each having 
a strong batoon (sic) knocks the Seals on the head and fells them 
as they attemp (sic) the sea; in this manner they go round and 
round the Isle, always describing less and less circles until they 
reach the centre, where they find the harassed Seals swiming 
(ste) in great numbers in the above Loch (sic), which they like- 
wise kill, for the loch will not take a man above the haunch. I 
have been told that in two or three hours they will kill four or 
five hundred Seals. As soon as they are done killing, they take 
off the Fat with the Skin, which they separate from it after they 
return home; for they must not delay to do it there, for if 
a storm should arise they would not get off to the ship which 
lies at an anchor about half a mile from the isle. It appears 
somewhat strange that tho’ they leave such a number of car- 
cases in the island, that when they return next year they will 
not even find so much asa Bone. From this it seems probable 
that the living Seals carry off their bodies into the sea, for suppose 
them to eat the flesh, which is contrary to nature, what do they 
make of the Bones ? 
“‘They never go to Seal-skerry (sic), but in a S.EH. or an 
Kast wind, for when the wind is from any other point the sea is 
so rough that they cannot land. 
‘*‘ This island till of late was the property of Mr. Graham, of 
Brackness, who had a Tack* (sic) of it from Lord Duffus: and in 
it there is the remains of a house built by one of the family of 
Brackness. There hatch in this isle and in a high rock near to 
it called The Stack (sic) a number of different Sea-fowls, par- 
ticularly the Pelicanus bassanus Linnei (Soland Goose).’’t 
That the above should have generally escaped observation 
* Tack (Anglicé = Lease). 
+ 1778. Rev. Geo. Low, ‘‘ Journal of a Tour thro’ the North Iles, and 
part of the Mainland of Orkney, in 1778.’ This is the title given by Sir 
Arthur Mitchell in his ‘ List of Travels in Scotland,’ and he has added a note 
as follows (loc. cit.) : ‘‘ Manuscript in my possession. In the same volume 
there is a translation by Mr. Low of the parts of Torphzus which refer to 
Orkney.” The above excerpt is from p. 21 of the original MSS. now in my 
hands, at Dunipace (J. A. H.-B.). The volume was Lot 740 of Dowell’s Sale 
Catalogue of date December, 1911, and, with others, was purchased by me. 
The Gannet has never frequented the Skerry, and is confined to the Stack, 
or the Stack off the Seal’s Skerry.—(J. A. H.-B.). 
