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14 Tatbom before they set tb.eir Foot on Grass) they Haie up the Strängento them with the Ropes. When they have Gather’d as many Eggs, andKill’d as many Fowls, as 'will bad their Boat, they Lower all roto theBoat, and the Ablest Fello w is always lest behlnd; who having non» tohelp him, must Throw himfelfinto the Sea, and sorccover the Boat. ThiiBurra lies from Hirta about 6 Miles Nortbwatd.

Soa lies near Hirta, on the South West. In this, except Fowls , there isonly remarkable a Creek, where great Seals Haunt. The People are soMad, that they go in their Boat, about 4 of them, in that narrow Pafiäge,to Kill these Seals, with Poles; baving scarce Room for their Oar«, andevery where sceming to Close up the Mouth thereof. If the WindChangeth, during their being there, it » not poflible to säve either Manor Boat.

There are several Rocks, Rising out of the Sea, amangst these Istands ,which the People of Hirta call Stacks: some 10, 20, 2.4 Fathams aboveVVater, wirhoutany Grast upon them. On the roundTopsof the Rocksa great Number of Fowls Breed, and in all the Cliffs, Amongst the restthere is Onecall’d Stacka Donna, upon the Topwhereof Breedtth such anabundance of Fowls , that though it sceins Inacceffible, yet the Men of Hirtahave ventur’d to go thither. After they have Landed with much difficulty,a Man having room but for one of his Feet, he must climb up 12, or 1 6Fathoms High. Then he comes to a Place, where having but room forhis Lest Foot and Lest Hand, he must Leap from thence to such anotherPlace before him; which if he Hit right, the rest of the Ascent is Easyand with a small Cord, which he carries with him, he Hales up a Rope,whereby all the rest come up. But if he Misieth that Footstep (as often-times they doj he falls into the Sea, and the Company take$ him in bythe small Cord, and then he tries it again.

Hirta Istand isTwo Miles in Length, accounted Five-ptnny-Land. In itthere are Ten Families. The Men seldom growOldj and seldom was itever known, that any Man Dy*d in his Bed there, but was either Drown’dor Broke his Neck. They are Strong, Big, and Well-Skinn’d. TheirFood is only Young F onvls and Eggs ; their Drmk Whty and Mater. Theyare much given to iieeping of Holy-Days; having a number of littlcGtap-pels, where sometimes they Watch whole Nights, making Mdry togetherwith their Offei ings.

The most Service of their W»men is to Harrow their Land: whichthey must do, when their Husbands are Cliinhing iorFcwlslox them.

Their ordinary v/ay of Dividing their Land, is one Half-pennj to everyFamily. The Rocks also are divided, such and soch on every Half-Tenny. Andthere is a bind of Ojstcer]ehby the Master of the lstand, who Governs inhis Absence, and so Regulates, that tfe Best Climbers and Worst are Mix’dtogether, that so none of the Land be Unlabour’d that is, that all theShelves of the Highest Rocks be search’d for Eggs.

The way of their Climbing, when they Kill their Fowls, is thus ; Theygo Two and Two with a Lorg Rope, not made of Hemp, butof Cow-Hides

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