The cliffs on its west coast are the home of myriads of sea birds and one of the nesting-places of the bonxie, or great skua. The natives are daring cragsmen. The only landing-place is the village of Ham, on the east coast. Vaila (io), in the mouth of the Bay of Walls, affords good pasturage. Papa Stour (I DO, "the big island of the priests," lies in the south-west of the great bay of St. Magnus. It is 2 m. by 3 m. and has very fine caves. Four miles north-west are the islets known as the Ve Skerries, where seals are found. Whalsay, "whale island" (855), 5 m. by 21 m., is an important fishing station. Muckle Roe, "great red island" (189), roughly circular in shape and about 3 m. in diameter, lies in the east of St. Magnus bay. Grunay, "green isle" (9), Housay (72), Bruray (44), Bound (2) are members of the group of Out Skerries, about 4 m. N.E. of Whalsay. Yell separated from the north-east coast of Mainland by Yell sound, is the second largest island of the group (17 m. by 6 m.), though towards the middle the voes of Mid Yell and Whale Firth almost divide it into two. It contains several broths and ruined chapels and is a fishing station. Fetlar (224) lies off the east coast of Yell, from which it is divided by Colgrave sound and the isle of Hascosay (4) and is 5 m. by 61 m. Uyea (9) lies south of Unst, from which it is divided by the narrow sounds of Uyea and Skuda. Unst (1,805), to the north-east of Yell and separated
from it by Bluemull sound, is 12 m. by 6 m. It has been called the "garden of Shetland," and offers inducements to sportsmen in its trout and game. Near the south-eastern promontory stands Muness castle, now in ruins. Buness, near Balta sound, was the house of Dr. Laurence Edmonston (1795-1879), the naturalist. Near Balliasta are the remains of three stone circles. It is sup posed the ting, or old Assembly, met at this spot before it removed to Tingwall. Farther north lies Haroldswick, where Harold Haarfager is believed to have landed in 872, when he annexed the Orkney and Shetland islands to Norway. Burra firth, in the north of Unst, is flanked by a series of magnificent cliffs. Muckle Flugga (3), which is situated about one mile north of Unst, is the extreme northernmost point of Shetland, and has long been the site of a lighthouse.
Shetland unites with Orkney to return a member to parlia ment. The island is divided into Mainland district and North Isles district. It forms a sheriffdom with Orkney and Caithness, and there is a resident sheriff-substitute at Lerwick, the county town. The county is under school board jurisdiction and Lerwick has a secondary school.