26 
MEMOIR OF RAY. 
other of equal extent. His description of the solan 
goose, of which this rock is well known to be one 
of the principal haunts, is accurate. “ The old 
ones are all over white, excepting the pinion or 
hard feathers of their wings, which are black. The 
upper part of the head and neck, in those that are 
old, is of a yellowish dun colour. They lay but 
one egg a-piece, which is white, and not very large: 
they are very bold, and sit in great multitudes till 
one comes close up to them, because they are not 
wont to be scared or disturbed. The young ones 
are esteemed a choice dish in Scotland, and sold 
very dear (Is. 8d. plucked). We eat of them at 
Dunbar. They are in bigness little inferior to an 
ordinary goose. The young one is upon the back 
black, and speckled with little white spots, under 
the breast and belly grey. The beak is sharp- 
pointed, the mouth very wide and large, the tongue 
very small, the eyes great, the foot hath four toes 
webbed together. It feeds upon mackerel and her- 
ring, and the flesh of the young one smells and 
tastes strong of these fish. The laird of this island 
makes a great profit yearly of the solan geese taken ; 
as I remember, they told us L.130 sterling. They 
make strangers that come to visit it Burgesses of the 
Basse , by giving them to drink of the water of the 
well, which springs near the top of the rock, and a 
flower out of the garden thereby.”* 
His stay in the metropolis of Scotland was very 
* Itineraries, p. 191. 
