47 
y. 
THE SHTANT ISLANDS AND TlIEIIi DIRD LIFE. 
V,Y ,T. A. IIarvie-Drown, F.Z.S., :M.T’..0.U. 
Rctid 2^tli November, 1879. 
The Shiant Islc.s arc a somewhat inaccessible little group, well 
^^oltlly, however, of a visit either hy the ornithologist, gcoloj^ist, 
or mineralogist. 'I'hey are situateil about 12 miles north of Skye, 
and lie well out in the North Minch, and about 5 or C miles from 
the .south end of l.owis. They arc about 12 juiles also in a direct 
lino from Scalpa Island at the entrance of East Loch Tarbert— 
the nearest laud of Harris. 'Ihore is no regular communication 
between the i-slands and the mainland, or the Long Island. The 
only communication is when the tenant of the island— 
iUr. P. P. Sellar— sends a boat over from his farm of Park 
in Lewis, and this is only occasionally and when his business 
rc( 2 uires. In winter, sometimes two or three months may pass 
without tl.eir being visited. The only inhabitants are the 
shepherd and his family, who most hospitably entertained my 
friend Dr. Ileddle and myself during our short stay of two days 
and one night on the island. 
Casual visitors like ourselves often find considerable ditticulty 
in reaching them, ami in making arrangements to be taken off 
again. The fishermen and other inhabitants of 'Tarbert asked an 
exorbitant sum to land us on the islands, and when we refused 
to be impo.sed upon, influenced all the others in the village, some 
of whom might otherwise have been satisfied with a more reason- 
able sum. Should any parties after reading this account of the 
