Hebrides

heb'ri-dez, or the Western Isles, an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are about four hundred islands in all, including uninhabited rocks. The total area, 2,800 square miles; population, 79,159. They are attached politically to four counties of Scotland. The best known of the islands are Lewis and Harris and Skye. Skye is noted for the skye-terrier, a small long-haired dog the size of a poodle. The inhabitants are engaged largely in fisheries. The language of the people is Gaelic. Oats, barley, and potatoes are raised. Cattle, small horses, and small sheep are reared. Butter, fish, and wool are sent to market. A large part of the land is occupied by sheep farms. There are grouse, moose, and deer ranges of considerable extent. Scott celebrates the Hebrides in his Lord of the Isles. The Hebrides were less known than the Fiji Islands until the visit of Dr. Samuel Johnson in 1773. In the summer season the islands are visited not a little by tourists, chiefly from Glasgow. See Johnson; Dr. Samuel; Boswell