GREAT SKUA. 91 



Adult in Winter. — Mr. Saunders considers that there is scarcely 

 any difference between the winter and summer plumages, and 

 in the series in the British Museum there is scarcely any 

 perceptible difference in colour, except when the plumage is 

 worn, and then the pointed straw-coloured feathers of the 

 neck become more prominent. 



Young Birds. — According to Mr. Saunders, these are very 

 similar to the adults, but have less tendency to acumination 

 and striation of the feathers of the neck, and show somewhat 

 rufous margins to the feathers of the mantle. 



Nestling. — Covered with buffish-grey down ; more ruddy on 

 the upper surface. 



Range in Great Britain. — The Great Skua is an expiring species 

 with us. From its predatory habits, it has been marked out for 

 destruction ; but the desire of collectors to possess its eggs has 

 probably done more to contribute to its extermination than 

 any other cause. It is rarely seen on the coasts of England 

 and Scotland during winter, and its breeding-places are now 

 confined to the Shetlands, where two small colonies exist on 

 Unst and Foula, where the birds are protected. 



Range outside the British Islands. — The breeding-range of the 

 Great Skua is now restricted to a few localities. It nests in 

 the Faeroes, in Iceland, and has been said to breed in North 

 America, on some islands to the north of Hudson Strait. It 

 occurs occasionally in South Greenland and off the coast of 

 Norway ; and wanders in winter as far as the Mediterranean, 

 and, in North America, to the coast of New England. 



Habits. — The following note is taken from Mr. Saunders's 

 account of the habits of this species in his edition of Yarrell's 

 " British Birds " (vol. iii. p. 665) : — " There is no difficulty in 

 finding the nests, as the parent birds attack any intruder upon 

 their domain with fierce and repeated swoops. When handling 

 the nestling, I found their assaults were unremitting ; first one 

 bird and then the other wheeling short, and coming down at 

 full speed, almost skimming the ground. At about fifteen 

 yards' distance, the strong clawed feet are lowered and held 

 stifily out, producing for the moment a very ungainly appear- 

 ance, and it seems as if the bird would strike the observer full 

 in the centre of the body, but on quickly raising the hand or 



