Orkney Image Library

Carrick hoose, Eday

Trumland House?

Woodwick House?

balfour castle

From Ian to Ian. Carrick House, Eday ?

Balfour Castle ?

Definately Carrick Hoose, Eday.

Used to be a hippo's head behind the door .

Also drawer full of native poison arrows which had to be removed incase visitors were too nosey for their own good !

How could anyone do this to such lovely creatures??

Correct Malcolm. A candle-lit dinner with me (you know the rules: I bring the candle, you pay) to anyone who can identify all the species on display, each one a menacing herbivore in serious need of shooting.

Thanks Ian, I could get all the names of the animals easy enough sometime...... Carrick House or "The Big Hoose" is only about half a mile away from my house. I remember being kindo frightened the first time I saw this lot when I was about five years old.

Aye Bertha, and some folk still fish for trout, shoot grouse, ducks, geese, and deer. I used to fish trout myself but thank goodness I was no good at it.

I'll have the candle ready Malcolm, but you have an unfair advantage. My own best guess is, left to right: impala, topi, Bohor reedbuck, waterbuck (?common), Dorcas gazelle, don't know, topi again (or a closely related hartebeest). The skull is a puzzle: seems to be smooth-horned, unlike all the others. So the dinner goes to whomever can fill in the blanks, and make convincing corrections if necessary. (If I'd realised I'd get myself into this I'd have made notes at the time.)

I can't say I approve of any of that either - except maybe your not being good at it!!!

Sorry you disapprove of my campaign to identify dead antelopes, Anonymous, but don't say I'm no good at it unless you can do better. And now's your chance! A candle-lit dinner could be yours (or mine, or both).