342 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



only two or three places on this rocky island where a land- 

 ing can be effected, and a stiff climb np the rocks imme- 

 diately commences, which finally lands one on the grassy 

 slopes which constitute the top of the island. Here some 

 L>00 sheep are grazed, for the pasturage of which a charge 

 of 6d. a head is made by the proprietor. These are left a 

 good deal to themselves, and naturally get pretty wild, 

 and some of them get lost over the cliffs every year. 

 The natives make a stay of a few days in the island every 

 summer for the purpose of shearing the sheep, living 

 during that time in little primitive, partially under- 

 ground, huts, which have been constructed for their 

 shelter. They also go in the autumn to catch a few sheep 

 to salt down for winter food. Boreray is the great head- 

 quarters of the Fork-tailed Petrel, which still nests plenti- 

 fully in burrows in the light turfy soil of the hillside, and 

 it was a pleasant experience making the acquaintance of 

 this interesting little bird at the nest. As mentioned 

 before, these eggs have now unfortunately a market value. 

 Two boat loads of natives went over to the island the day 

 we were there, for the express purpose of collecting these 

 eg*gs, and it was a melancholy sight to see upwards of a 

 dozen men and boys on their knees on the hillside, busily 

 engaged in tearing up the turf in search of the nests. It 

 is a pity that the traffic in eggs of birds of this kind 

 cannot be stopped, as the number of these eggs taken 

 annually by the natives must in time seriously jeopardise 

 the existence of this species, especially as the bird 

 apparently only lays once. Boreray is also famous for its 

 Puffins, which breed there in countless hordes, whilst the 

 magnificent precipices on its western and north-western 

 sides furnish nesting sites for innumerable Gannets. 

 Coming home in the evening, we experienced an adven- 

 ture, which might have had decidedly unpleasant conse- 



