8 Mr. R. Hull on the 



horn-colour, with tips of mandibles cream. The eggs were 

 generally two and sometimes three in number, but oc- 

 casionally there was only one. The measurements of 15 

 specimens ranged between 2'2x 1*5 inch and 2*4 x 1*6. As 

 a large series of eggs shows much variation, I give below 

 the descriptions of four types : — 



(«) Creamy- white ground, with small, thin, purplish 

 blotches appearing as if beneath the surface. On this sur- 

 face are light to deep brown irregular blotches of nearly the 

 same size, occupying about one fifth part, and being more 

 numerous towards the larger end. 



{b) Base creamy white, with streaky grey-slate smears 

 on it and some heavy brown blotches. The ground-colour 

 is visible only on about one third portion of the egg. 



(c) Creamy-white ground, with bold blotches, varying 

 from black to brown. 



{d) This and the preceding (c) are the standard types of 

 some 30 eggs observed by me. In d the ground-colour is 

 light brown, and the irregular blotchings of umber-brown 

 vary from light to dark. Less than one half of the ground- 

 colour is visible to the eye. 



Megalestris ANTARCTICA (Lessou) ; Sauudcrs, Cat. B. 

 XXV. p. 319. 



More details of the field-life of the Great Skua have been 

 written than on any other bird of the island, yet there are 

 more to follow. When one bird tries to kill and eat its 

 w^ounded mate, and a pair promptly did eat one of their own 

 voung ones which had been killed, it will be agreed that the 

 term " Yulture-llawk'^ is not misaj^plied to it. Both these 

 occurrences were observed by the writer. Like previous 

 observers, I was, at first, continually mistaking this web- 

 footed bird for a Hawk. It pesters all other birds while on 

 the wing, and the rabbits are harassed beyond endurance. I 

 have seen it worrying Albatrosses and Petrels at 1100 miles 

 from shore, to the eastward of Kerguelen. There the 

 Spectacled Petrel made its clear treble notes heard in protest, 

 and the Mollymawks [Diomedea melanophrtjs) would settle 

 upon the water to escape further molestation. 



