At the time when the fishery flourished, a ship of con siderable size used to be loaded once a year at the village of Eyde in Osteroe, and cargoes were made up at several other places. At times, the caing whale, as it is called in Orkney, (and which is now supposed to be a new species,) comes to Faroe in vast shoals. When they appear, signal fires are lighted on the hills, and the joyful intelligence is soon spread to every corner. In a few hours a numerous fleet of boats is assembled ; for, whatever may have been their employment, it is instantly forsaken to pursue these Sometimes shoals of a thousand and upwards are seen sporting about the islands. Being surrounded, they are driven into some convenient creek, where there is a sandy beach, such as that of Midvaag in Vaagoe. The shoal carries forward a body of water sufficient to float them into the creek, and when they take ground the work of death begins. The animals are destroyed by means of long spears. Their oil is the chief object with the people, and it is an article in great demand in Denmark. The flesh is cut up, and hung to dry in wooden buildings, con structed of spars so as to admit plenty of air. In its dried state, without any other preparation, it is reckoned a deli cacy ; but the odour forbids a stranger to approach within several yards of this dainty.
When these welcome visitors have been slain and secur ed, they are valued by the sysselman and his assistants. The tythe is first set apart ; but the largest animal is given to the boat's crew who first discovered the shoal, the head being the property of the man who first descried it. Ano ther is set aside to be distributed among those whose boats may have been damaged in the attack, The provost, or dean of the clergy, has one allotted to him ; and one is given to the poor. The rest are divided into two equal portions, one of which belongs to the proprietors of the place where the shoal came on shore, and the other to those who assisted in driving them.
There can be little doubt that the herring fishery might he prosecuted about Faroe with success ; but it has never been attended to.
The only other source of subsistence which remains to be mentioned, is the great number of sea birds which nes tle in the rocks. Of these, the puffin Plea arctica) is the most numerous, and the most sought after. But various other kinds are taken. The eider duck, which in some other countries is so carefully protected for its down, is here often shot for food. The bird-catchers are exceed ingly adventurous ; and as this is the first opportunity we have had of describing this hazardous occupation of the inhabitants of many northern countries, an account of it may entertain our readers.
The fowlers are provided with long poles, to the ends of which are fastened small poke nets. With this instru
ment they generally display great dexterity in casting it over the birds, which invariably make towards the water when they are disturbed. It is this anxiety of the birds to seek the element in which their security is to be found, which gives certainty to the exertions of the fowler. The birds push their heads through the meshes of the net, which being dexterously inverted, keeps them suspended by the neck.
When a fowling expedition is undertaken, two men fast en themselves to a rope, so that there may be eight or ten fathoms of it between them. One assists the other to as cend the rock by means of a pole, at the end of which is a 'hook, which is fastened to the band of the climber's breeches, or to a rope tied round his waist, and thus he is pushed up: But the most common method is for the climber to seat him self on a board fastened to the end of the pole. They often ascend frightful cliffs without any assistance. When tho first has got to a place where he has some footing, lie helps the other up by means of the rope to which they are both. fastened. When they have gained the elevation where the birds are pretty numerous, they assist each other from cliff to cliff. It sometimes happens that one of them falls and pulls the other after him, when both are precipitated into the sea, or dashed to pieces on the projecting rocks. When the rocks are so high and smooth as to render it impossible for the fowlers to ascend, they are let down by means of a strong rope from above. To prevent the rope being cut, a piece of wood is placed at the verge of the precipice. By means of a small line, the fowler makes signals to those above, and they let him down or pull him up accordingly. When he reaches a shelf of the rock where the birds have their nests, lie unties himself, and proceeds to take them. Sometimes he places himself on a projecting rock, and, using his net with great adroitness, he catches the birds as they fly past him ; and this they call heining. This mode of catching birds is even practised while the fowlers are suspended. When a projection of the rock is between the fowler and the place where the birds are, he swings himself from the rock so far that he turns round the projection. In this, great address and cou rage are requisite, as well as in swinging under a projec tion into a cavern. When he cannot, with the help of his pole, swing far enough, he lets down a line to people sta tioned in a boat below, who swing him, by means of it, as far as is neccessary to enable him to gain a safe place to stand upon. Besides being exposed to the risk of the rope breaking, the fowler is frequently in danger of being crush ed by pieces of the rock falling down upon him.--Such are the hazardous means to which these poor people resort for procuring food.