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J$h* account of feme Sea~fi»l out of the Ttefcription of the 



Faroe I/lands, * 



'NtheDefcriptionof the Faroe Iflands, written by Lucas Jacobfin Debes, I find 

 an account of the manner of breeding and taking of fome Water-fowl defcribed 

 by us, Book 3,. Part 3, Sect. 1. Chap. 2,4, 5. and Sect. 3. Chap. 2. which be- 

 caufe it confirms and illuftrafes what we have there delivered, 1 fhall here fub- 

 joyn. The names by which thefe Birds are known in the Faroe Iflands are the Skrabe 

 the Lunde, the Lomwifve, and the Sea-Daw. The Skrabe, that is oar Mank^ Pujjin, 

 comes in February about St. Matthias day, and fareth away about St. Bartholomew 

 tide'f ifeg.24. ] The Lomwifve, that is our Guillemot ; and Sea-daw, that is our Ra- 

 &or-bill, come about St. Gregories tide, [ March 12.3 and fly away at Mary Magdalens 



The Skrabe Theaforefajd forts of Birds lay every one but one Egg, and get but one Young 

 er Puffin. every year 5 and though they be thofe that are chiefly fought for, and there be taken 

 of them 10000© every year,there is neverthelefs more of them than of any other fort, 

 yea, by the admirable providence of God, they arefo plentiful, that in clear weather 

 they can darken the Aiming of the Sun, as it were with a thick cloud, making fuch a 

 terrible noife with their Wings in flying, that they who hear it, and do not know the 

 caufe thereof, would not think otherwife than that it were Thunder. 



The Skrabe [Puffin"] builds on the Land under the earthy fcraping with its Beak 

 and Claws, lying on the back, ( whence it is called a Skpabe ) it diggeth a hole in fome 

 places a foot deep, in fome other eight or ten foot in feveral turnings, feekingefpe- 

 cially to dig it felf behind a ftone, where it thinketh to lie fecureft. It is very re- 

 markable, that this Bird is the whole day away from its Young and never comes to it 

 but in the night to feed it 5 and if it flies not from its Young at the dawning of the day 

 it flays with it the whole day over, and then flyeth out to Sea till the other night 

 cometh: An3 though the Young be fed but once a day, yet it is fb fat, that no Goof e, 

 though it hath been three weeks fed, can be fatter. Thefe young ones they call 

 Lyers, and by reafon of their fatnefs they do not make prefent ufe' of them, but fait 

 them to eat them in Winter, melting their fat, which they bum in Lamps. They 

 have to take them out feveral hooks half an Ell, or an Ell long, wherewith they pierce 

 them through and draw them out. They do not ufually take the Dam her fdf, except 

 (he be fbmetimes hurt with the hook that (he cannot live. If they cannot get the 

 young one with their hook, or by thrufting their arm into the birds Neft, by reafon 

 of the many turnings, they dig a hole down to it, as near as they can guefs, and then 

 thruft about with their hooks till they can get it : Which hole they mud again flop fo 

 clofe, that not one drop of water can come into it, for elfe (he will forfake her hole, 

 and never come thither more 3 which otherwife fne doth every year in the wonted 

 place j fo that the Inhabitants know where under the eatth to find that Birds Neft 

 yearly. 

 - The Lunde The Lunde, fo called alfo by Hoier in his Epiftle tp Clufius, and by Clufius Anas 

 ovCoukcracb ' Ar&ica, by us Coulterneb-mdMuI/et, hathaftrong crooked Beak^ fo that if it biteth 

 a man by the hand it teareth off the flefh. It wageth War with the Raven, that 

 cometh to take it away and its young ones: It being a wonderful fpectacle to fee 

 their fight 5 for as foon as the Raven cometh near, the Lunde catcheth it under the 

 Throat with its Beak, and grafpeth it about the Breaft with its Claws, fo that the Ra- 

 ven cannot hurt it, but muft fly away with a great crying. The Lunde holds it fait in 

 the mean time without letting it go, till they come into the Sea, where flipping it is 

 drown'd. Yet the Raven doth often take the Lunde at unawares, rufheth into its 

 hole, takes and eats it up. I fufieff there is fomething of fabulous in this Narration. 

 The faid Bird, the Z»We,buildeth its Neft fometimes on the Continent, far from 

 houfes, digging it felf two or three yards, according to the nature of the place, un- 

 der ground 5 fometimes in Vres ( that are places under high Cliffs, full of great and 

 fmaMones, that fall from the Cliffs, and by length of time are filled between with 

 earth, and covered with grafs ) in which places they dig themfelves into the earth, or 

 build, where there is no earth, their Neft under and between ftones, where they can 

 come to br^ their Young withmoft fecurity. The moft part being taken in fuch 

 places, fo that a man may often take above a hundred Lundes in one tire. Some of 



them 



