254 THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



only occasionally visiting the shore. It does not wander far 

 south, but is met with at sea on both sides of the Atlantic, and 

 it is affirmed that there is one breeding station off the Canadian 

 coast. The breeding stations are returned to in March or April. 

 The Great Skua is a large, heavily built bird, umber-brown 

 in general colour, about the size of a Herring Gull ; at a 

 distance it may be taken for a young Herring or Lesser Black- 

 back in mottled plumage. It is, however, browner — less grey — 

 and on the outspread wing is a large white patch, formed by 

 the white basal inner webs of the primaries. In all the skuas 

 the central tail feathers are elongated ; in the " Bonxie," as the 

 bird is called in Shetland, they only just project beyond the 

 outer ones, yet sufficiently to give a rounded appearance to the 

 tail. The white patch may be concealed by the flank feathers 

 when the wing is closed, but shows immediately the bird rises. 

 Normally the Bonxie has a gull-like, drifting, aimless flight, but 

 it becomes direct and powerful when the bird has sighted 

 chance of food, a clamorous cloud of gulls harrying an 

 unlucky shoal of fish. When from amongst the flock it has 

 singled out some victim, gull or tern, its true speed and aerial 

 agility is shown. It has also a gliding flight, often associated 

 with courtship; with wings raised at an angle of about 45°, 

 it floats like a harrier. The method of obtaining a meal, 

 shared by other skuas, is to select its victim and give chase 

 with ferocity and terrifying cries, following every turn and 

 dodge relentlessly, threatening to strike with wing, beak, and 

 foot. As a rule, at any rate, there is no need to actually buffet 

 the screaming fugitive, which sooner or later reluctantly dis- 

 gorges its latest meal, sometimes half digested, or the fish it has 

 just captured. Instantly the Skua stoops like a falcon, usually 

 catching the fish before it strikes the water. The cry during 

 the chase is skeerr or skua; from this the name is derived ; 

 in ordinary flight it has a deep gull note, and a barking cry of 

 alarm or anger. Any gull or tern is hunted, and Hewitson saw 



