i6 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[January 



SULE SKERRY, ORKNEY ISLANDS. 



GEORGE ELLISON. 



A Paper read before the Warrington Field Club. 



After repeated applications, the Commissioners of Northern Lights, in 



1 89 1, decided to erect a Lighthouse on the Sule Skerry, situated as it is 

 right in the track of vessels passing our Northern coasts. This island 

 and its neighbour, the Stack, have long been a source of terror and 

 danger to mariners, many of whom have, no doubt, met a sailor's death 

 in the surrounding depths, with nothing but the scream of the sea-gull 

 and the angry roar of the Atlantic for their requiem. 



A ring of stones, roughly laid together, with an entrance at one side, 

 and about six feet high, testify to the wreck of some unknown vessel ; 

 and some years ago, the bones of two men were found here. Mr. 

 Aitken, contractor, of Lerwick, Shetland, having been entrusted with 

 the contract for the erection of a lighthouse of the first class, left 

 Stromness in September of that year with the Inspector of Works, and 

 with a staff of workmen, and arrived off the Skerry at night, but could not 

 effect a landing owing to the heavy sea that was running at the time. 

 Fortunately next morning the sea was quieter, and the party succeeded 

 in getting on the Skerry; and after landing material and remaining 

 there a day or two to build a hut capable of lodging eight men, and 

 making a general survey previous to starting the work in the spring of 



1892, Mr. Aitken and party returned to Stromness. Before proceeding 

 further with an account of the Skerry, I must say a few words about 

 the town of Stromness (more particularly as it is our starting point) and 

 the Orkney Isles in general. It may be remarked that the number of 

 summer and autumn visitors to the Orkney Islands has of late been 

 rapidly increasing, and there seems little doubt that, in the future, this 

 increase will continue. The islands possess many more attractions than 

 tourists seem generally to be aware of. In England, many people labour 

 under the impression that these Northern Isles are continually drenched 

 in rain, or wrapt in mist, or swept by storm, and they would as soon think 

 of taking a trip to Nova-Zembla as to the Orkneys during the holiday 

 time; but I think one trial trip would serve to dissipate all such delusions. 

 Time was, when the Churches in the Orkneys continued to put up the 

 usual prayer for James II. three months after he had taken up his 

 residence at St. Germain; but the benefits of the postal telegraph have 

 now been extended to the islands, by way ot Thurso, across the dreaded 

 Pentland-Firth. It is only about three hours* journey from Stromness 

 by the mail steamer, which runs every day ; and the voyage be- 

 tween Leith and Stromness can be accomplished in 24 hours ; or 

 between Aberdeen and Stromness in 12 hours ; but from Liverpool it 



