Dear Mr. Lang,--My tyrannical doctor won’t let me out yet, so that I have not been able to collect all the information I should like to get for you about the Orkney nicknames--or ‘bye-names,’ as they are called here. Here follows the list as taken from Tudor’s _The Orkneys and Shetland_, with alterations: I. MAINLAND OR POMONA Kirkwall Starlings St. Andrews Skerry-scrapers Deemess Skate-rumples Holm Hobblers Orphir Yearnings Firth Oysters Stromness Bloody-puddings Sandwick Assie-pattles Harray Crabs (of old, sheep) Birsay Hoes = dog-fish Evie Cauld kail Rendall Sheep-thieves II. SOUTH ISLES Hoy Hawks, Auks or Tammynories Walls Lyars (Manx Sheer-water) Burray Oily Bogies = the skin buoys used for herring nets South Ronaldshay a. Grimness Gruties b. Hope Scouties (Skuas) c. Widewall Witches d. Herston Hogs e. Sandwick Birkies f. South Parish Teeacks (Lapwings) III. NORTH ISLES Gairsay Buckies Wyre Whelks Egilsay Burstin Lumps Rousay Mares Shapansey Sheep Stronsay Limpets Sanday Gruelly Belkies North Ronaldshay Selkies = Seals (also called ‘Tangie Whessos’) and ‘Hides’ Eday Scarfs = Shag or small Cormorant Westray Auks = the common Guillemot Papa Westray Doundies = spent Cod These are all the names I know or can hear of in Orkney. I wrote to Mr. Moodie Heddle of Cletts on the subject, as I knew him to take a great and intelligent interest in all such topics; and I have a most interesting letter from him, of which I shall give you the gist. He says he has no doubt that the origin of the names is that which you suggest, though some of the names do not at first sight appear to bear this out. _Kirkwall ‘Starlings’_ are easily accounted for, assuming that there have always been as many starlings about Kirkwall as there are now. They may well have been eaten by the townsfolk. I have tried them, and their breasts are not at all bad.