376 Round abotit the Noi^thern Cliffs. [Sess. 



murder with becoming horror ; but robbery, which is of course 

 an offence of less magnitude, they engage in frequently. 

 Gulls unable to dive and catch fish for themselves watch the 

 professional divers, until one has broiight up a fish so big 

 as not to be swallowed without preliminaries, when with 

 larcenous intent they pounce upon the honest fisher, and 

 sometimes deprive him of his prey. He perhaps eludes them 

 for a while by diving from time to time when sorely pressed, 

 his tormentors meanwhile increasing in numbers. After 

 manceuvring against hope as long as possible, the fish is ulti- 

 mately snatched away by a greedy gull, that is immediately 

 pursued by the whole host of its fellows. There may be a 

 hundred competitors for the fish, and the prize must go to one, 

 so it is amusing to watch the scramble as to which shall carry 

 it off. Although the thieves disagree, the honest diver has no 

 chance of recovering his own, for the struggle is now conducted 

 in mid-air. The gull, holding the fish, endeavours to fly higher 

 and higher, but unimpeded rivals hamper his progress. In 

 the heat of the battle the fish is dropped, to be caught by 

 another gull before it has reached the water. The same tactics 

 are pursued over again, and the fish may have figvired in 

 several bills before the matter is settled. When at last a gull 

 with a larger receptive capacity than the rest seems to have 

 ended the contention by taking the fish into its stomach, the 

 others proceed quietly on their course. But all is not over 

 yet. Attracted by the quick shrill cries peculiar to their 

 struggle for food, another robber, not unlike a grey gull in 

 appearance, though much larger, comes upon the scene. This 

 is the skua, who makes a livelihood, oddly enough, by picking 

 up second-hand, or, to be strictly correct, " second-stomach " 

 food, as we shall see. Overtaking the recipient of the ill- 

 gotten fish, the skua proceeds to belabour it unmercifully 

 with its wings, and continues this treatment as long as 

 necessary, which means till the gull has disgorged, when the 

 skua in turn obtains the fish. 



Towards the end of August a great many birds disappear 

 from the cliffs : the gulls nearly all go, and practically the 

 whole of the divers. Whether they leave for another country 

 or spend the time at sea appears to be uncertain. Gulls in 

 diminished numbers visit the cliffs all the year round, and 

 a few divers may be observed in the water during any month. 



