162 Wild Birds and their Haunts 



THE COMMON SKUA (STERCORARIUS). 



THE Skua is a northern bird, appearing on our 

 shores in autumn and beginning of winter. 

 Specimens have occurred on the coasts of 

 Norfolk, Essex, Kent, Sussex, Devon, and Cornwall, and 

 they have been observed on the Solway Firth, on the 

 Northumberland coast, Holy Island notably, and far up 

 the Firth of Forth. These seem almost its most southern 

 range ; and it is there seen now flying swiftly over the 

 waves, now pursuing some of the weaker gulls, following 

 them about as a hawk does a small bird, and generally 

 finishing the chase when the victim has given up its own 

 prey. 



Scotland is supposed to be out of its breeding range, for 

 the isles of Shetland is its southern limit for this purpose, 

 and St. Rona's Hill has been long known as a favourite 

 station there ; it incubates in pairs, making the nest among 

 the moss and heath (not on rocks as the true gulls), and 

 during this time both sexes are very fierce and courageous 

 in defending their property, driving off all animal in- 

 truders, and they are said even to attack man when he 

 enters upon their precincts. 



The more proper territority of the skua is, however, 

 northward ; it is found in the Faroe Islands, Norway, and 

 Iceland, Nova Zembla and Spitzbergen. It is a power- 

 fully made bird, little inferior in size to the lesser black- 

 backed gull, but of a thicker and stronger make. 



The ground colour of the plumage may be said to be 

 shades of clove-brown, the feathers in the centre yellowish 

 and reddish-brown ; on the head and neck the feathers are 

 pointed, and the yellowish-brown prevails on the sides and 

 auriculars ; on the lower parts the ground tint is paler, and 

 in the centre the reddish-brown prevails ; the secondaries, 

 quills, and tail are nearly brownish-black, the base of the 

 quills with their shafts white ; the tail is rounded ; legs and 

 feet black, front of the tarsi irregularly scaled; the other 

 parts with small prominent rounded or oval scales, rough 

 to the touch, and reminding one of the fish-hawks. 



