ORKNEY 
fome of the ftatiftical accounts, and in Dr. Barry’s Hiftory 
of the Orkney Iflands. 
The Orkney hog is a very fmall-fized variety of the 
common fort, and is fuffered to roam at large, even during 
winter. Of its hair, notwithftanding its (hortnefs, the 
fowlers make thofe ropes by which they fufpend one ano¬ 
ther from the ■ rocky cliffs ; alleging, that they are lefs 
readily fretted than thofe that are formed of the fined 
hemp. However this may be, many of them are loll in 
thefe dreadful attempts, few of their profeffed climbers 
living out their days. 
The brown or Norwegian rat, has been introduced by 
the (hipping that frequents the iflands, and has nearly 
baniflied the common black rat. From the tip of the 
note to the point of the tail it meafures about eighteen 
inches. This animal dilplays great fiercenefs, and has 
even been known to brave the attack of man. Rabbits 
are fo abundant here, that their (kins form a confiderable 
branch of cqynmerce. Their colour is ufually brown :_an 
entirely white one is feldomfeen. Though devoured by 
various animals of prey, the flock never feems to fuffer 
any diminution. The cafe, however, is very different 
'with the hare, which was formerly an inhabitant of the 
Orkneys, but has entirely difappeared within the laft two 
centuries. Seals are common in all the fmall iflands, or 
holms, and are valuable for their (kins and oil. Hams, 
made of young feals, are much reliflied by the natives. 
The domeftic birds are, dunghill-fowl, ducks, geefe, 
turkeys, and a few peacocks. The wild birds confift of an 
- immenfe variety of land and fea fowls, both migratory 
and indigenous. In ornithology, indeed, the Orkneys con- 
ftitute the mod interefting diftridt in the Britifli ides. It 
is the general breeding-place of our native water-birds ; 
and in the towering cliffs and precipices of many of the 
ides are numbers of eagles, falcons, and owls. Swans 
alfo are abundant, during winter, in the fre(h-water lakes. 
Mr. Bullock, the proprietor of the London Mufeum, en¬ 
riched his valuable collection (the breaking-up of which 
every naturalift mult deplore) by many beautiful and rare 
fpecimens from thefe remote iflands, where hefbent a great 
part of the fummer of 1812. In the awful cliff'he found 
every fpecies of Britifli eagle except the ofprey; and brought 
away feveral of the young birds, as well as thofe of the 
peregrine falcon. The great northern diver frequents 
the bays of this ifle ; and thofe rare Britifli birds, the red- 
throated diver and the arCtic gull, breed on the edges of 
the frefti-water lakes. In North Ronaldfay the gentleman 
above mentioned difcovered, and added to the Britifli 
Fauna, the majeftic Stryx nyftea, or great fnowy owl of 
Hudfon’s Bay. In the marfhes of Sanda he found the neft 
of the beautiful little red phalarope. The great black- 
backed gull breeds in the Souli-fkerry, a low flat ifle fitua- 
ted ten leagues from Hoy. Here were feen fuch myriads 
of birds, that they darkened the air; and it was difficult 
to walk without deftroying their eggs. I11 the fmall holm 
cf Papay-Weftray were difcovered the king-duck, the 
eider-duck fo valuable for its down, and the only fpeci- 
men of the great auk Mr. Bullock ever faw on the Britifli 
(hores. Groufe are common in all the mountainous ides, 
but partridges are unknown. The ftormy petrel, or Mo¬ 
ther Carey’s chick, breeds in the rabbit-holes on feveral 
of the ifles. The peregrine falcon is difcovered on head¬ 
lands and inacceffible precipices : never more than one 
pair and their offspring inhabit the fame rock ; and, as 
loon as the young ones have acquired fufficient ftrength, 
they alfo are driven away by their parents, to feek new 
places of habitation for themfelves. When falconry was 
in vogue, this noble kind of hawk was frequently car¬ 
ried hence for the amufement of the Scottifli monarchs. 
In fuch eftimation indeed was it. held, that, when the 
earldom was difannexed from the crown by a£t of parlia¬ 
ment, all hawks were referved to his majefty, with the 
falconers’ falaries; and accordingly, even at this day, a 
hen from every houfe here is paid annually to the royal 
falconer. 
Vol. XVII. No. 1213. 
ISLANDS. 749 
The flare (Sturnus vulgaris) is a harmlefs, prattling, 
mimic, bird, found in thoufands in the Orkneys ; it breeds 
in old houfes, churches, the fea-rocks, &c. feems to be a 
favourite in Orkney, as few houfes are built but they have 
feveral nobs in the wall for its convenience, of which it 
always, as if fenfible of the favour, avails itfelf, and re¬ 
pays it with a fong, and a deal of its antic mimicry. I 
have often been much diverted (fays Mr. Low), to hear a 
couple of cock flares, perched upon two oppofite chim¬ 
neys, trying to excel one another in imitating all the 
noifes below, the crowing of cocks, cackle of hens, 
barking of dogs, mewing of cats, particular notes of 
different wild birds ; all this intermixed with its own na¬ 
tural harffi difcordant fqueak ; infomuch, that a macaroni 
from every nation in Europe, placed together to difpute 
concerning fome important alteration to be made on a 
button-hole, or the bell: method of fcenting a bouquet, 
could not make a more difl'onant jangle than thefe birds, 
when in the humour of mimicry.” 
Without giving countenance to the improbable tales 
related by Wallace, Sibbald, and others, concerning the 
breeding of the Colymbus glacialis, or northern diver, 
Mr. Low, with his ufual honefty, ftates the difficulties 
with which the fubjebl is encumbered, and does not pre¬ 
tend to refolve them. The Orcadians very generally be¬ 
lieve that this bird hatches its eggs under its wings, and 
that it never leaves the fea; a notion which is counte¬ 
nanced by the credulity of Pontoppidan. If we are rightly 
informed, however, it never breeds either in Orkney 
or Shetland ; and Horrebow, in his Hiftory of Iceland, 
mentions, without any affectation of myftery, that it is 
unmolefted in that ifland, the natives giving themfelves 
no trouble to fearch for either its neft or its brood, its 
flefli and eggs being alike unfit to be eaten. It builds, 
he adds, in remote places, near frefli water. Yet, from 
the fliortnefs of its wings, the procefs of incubation is 
probably very tardily performed. The vulgar likewife 
believe that the immer diver hatches under water, from 
the circumftance, perhaps, of its neft having been found 
among flags and reeds that happened to be furrounded by 
water. Moft of the Colymbi, indeed, which have a very 
awkward gait on land, have their nefts placed fo near 
to the water, that they can readily betake themfelves to 
the element which is belt adapted to their progreflive mo¬ 
tion. This, as Mr. Low oblerves, is particularly the cafe 
with the C. feptentrionalis, or red-throated diver. The 
conjugal attachment manifefted by this fpecies is thus 
recorded: “ The male and female of this fpecies are con- 
ftant companions. I have obferved this whole feafon a 
couple of them which build in Hoy, and have made the 
harbour of Stromnefs their haunt, to come every night 
thither about fix or feven o’clock, feldom fooner or later, 
and immediately betake themfelves to (filling for about 
an hour, when they withdraw to the fame place they came 
from. Thefe birds have a vaft liking to one another; if 
one is (hot, the other may be feen hovering about the 
place for fome days, and often, venturing too near in its 
fearch, (hares the fame fate. It is then very pitiful to 
coufider the willful looks the furvivor cafts around it to 
fee for its faithful mate, and with what anxiety it fwims 
round and round, ftill keeping its eye on the place where 
it was taken on-(hore ; but this is in fome meafure to be 
obferved in others of the fwimming-birds in breeding¬ 
time, though not fo much as in this.” 
The marine animals which haunt the coaft of thefe 
iflands, are no lefs various than the birds which frequent 
their rocks. Lobfters and crabs are difcovered in great 
abundance. Of the former fifti, many thoufands are 
(hipped for the London market every week. The coal, 
cod-filh, and haddock, are plentiful, arid fo likewife are 
herrings; but, notwithftanding the great advantage 
which might accrue from thefe filheries, very little atten¬ 
tion is paid to this fpecies of induftry. Skate are found 
here from one to five feet in diameter. The grampus is 
feen in great numbers on moft of thefe coafts, and parti- 
9 E cularly 
