174 A NATURALIST ON THE " CHALLENGER 



■>■> 



It is amusing to watch the process of courtship. The male 

 standing by the female on the nest raises his wings, spreads his 

 tail and elevates it, throws up his head with the bill in the air, 

 or stretches it straight out forwards as far as he can, and then 

 utters a curious cry, like the Mollymauks, but in a much lower 

 key, as would be expected from his larger larynx. Whilst 

 uttering the cry, the bird sways his neck up and down. The 

 female responds with a similar note, and they bring the tips 

 of their bills lovingly together. This sort of thing goes on for 

 half an hour or so at a time. No doubt the birds consider that 

 they are singing. Occasionally an albatross flies round and 

 alights upon the grass, but I saw none take wing. 



There were numerous nests of the Skua about amongst the 

 herbage in dry places. Two nests of these birds are never built 

 near together. The birds always have a wide range of hunting 

 ground round their nest. The Skuas in Marion Island were 

 extremely bold and savage, as they were also in Kerguelen's 

 Land. When one approaches the nest they swoop down, passing 

 with a rush close down to one's head, whizzing past one's ears in 

 a most unpleasant manner. 



The two birds take turns at towering above, and thus swoop- 

 ing. They have sharp claws and beaks, and no doubt would 

 injure one's face or eyes severely if they touched them as they 

 passed. One has to beat them off with a stick or gun barrel. 

 They are very clever in avoiding the stick as they rush past, 

 but several were knocked down. Sometimes I have had to 

 waste a charge on them to get rid of them. Some pairs are 

 much more savage than others. They have a harsh cry. Of 

 course, when their young is handled they are most furious, and 

 one has to keep a stick going as one carries it off. The birds 

 are very like the Northern Skuas in their habits. One of them 

 swooped down on a duck which I had shot one day at Kerguelen's 

 Land which fell in the water. The bird picked it up when I was 

 not more than half a dozen yards off, and was making off with it in 

 its beak, carrying it easily, when I brought it down with a second 

 shot, the duck thus costing me two barrels. 



I searched the sea-shore along for a considerable distance in 

 the hope of finding Fur-Seals, but saw none. Three sorts of 



