The inhabitants are for the most part poor. In the districts where the men practice fishing, nearly the whole of the adult males go to the Caithness fisheries in summer, while from all parts of the island young men and women go in troops to the s. in search of field-labor. Potatoes and fish are the general diet, meat being a rare luxury. The population is chiefly Celtic, with, however, a considerable mixture of the Nome element. Gaelic is still universally spoken, but is gradually giving place to English. The chief proprietors are still, as of old, lord Macdonald, whose seat, Armadale castle in Sleat, is one of the most beautiful in air its surroundings to be seen on the Scottish coasts, and Macleod of Macleod, whose ancient castle of Duuvegan, picturesquely sealed on a rock, has been pleasantly commemorated by Dr. Johnson and sir Walter Scott. Around these residences are the principal plantations to be seen in Skye. The principal port of Skye is Portree, a picturesquely situated village of (1871) 731 inhabitants, to which steam ers regularly ply from Glasgow. Other villages, also calling-points of the steamers, are Kyleakin (Ilakon's strait), Broadford, and Dunvegan,. The principal export's arc cattle
and sheep, wool, fish, shell-fish, and eggs. At Portree there is a flourishing tweed manu factory, the only one in the island. The celebrated distillery of Carabcx-t (or MIEsker) is now given up. The inhabitants are, with the exception of a few families, all Presby terians, and, as in the rest of the highlands, chiefly adherents of the free church. Of the smaller islands near Skye, the chief are Raasay (q.v.), Ronay, Sca!pay, Pabbay, Sony, all of which are inhabited.
sxYmos, or Scvno, an island of the Grecian archipelago, the largest member of the northern Sporades, 25 m. u.e. of cape Kornai, Eubcca, Its length is 19 m.; area esti mated at about 60 sq. miles. Skyros, is very mountainous and uncultivated in the s.; but the northern part, though also billy, has several fertile plains, which produce as fine wheat as any grown in the archipelago. The only town in the island is Skyro, or St. George; which is built on a high peak on the eastern coast, the bread summit of which is occupied by the ruins of a castle, and was the site of "the lofty Scyros" of Homer. There are several relics of antiquity on the island. Pop. '70, 3,029.