16 The British Skuas. 



pines do grow and reach a decent height in both Lochar and 

 Kirkconnel Moss. All that is required is to drain the moss and 

 plant the trees. Man}- parts of it, in my own opinion, only 

 require draining to be capable of bearing crops — not merely pine, 

 but useful crops. 



Is it not possible to set the unemployed to this undoubtedly 

 useful and paying work? 



There are difficulties in the way of such a scheme ; but I do 

 not believe that any unprejudiced person can have the slightest 

 doubt as to the financial soundness of planting Scotch pine on 

 either of those mosses. They grow there now. 



6th Novernhev, 1908. 



Chairman — Mr R. Service, Hon. V.P. 



The British Skuas, vi^iXH Special Reference to their Local 

 Occurrences. By Mr R. Service. 



(Sjimmary.) 



The skuas formed a very homogenous and very interesting 

 group of predatory gulls. There were seven known species of 

 these skuas scattered throughout the globe. They were divided 

 into two genera, the first of which was megalestris, which com- 

 prised four species, all of which, with the exception of the great 

 skua, belonged to the far Antarctic seas. The other genus, 

 stercorarius, comprised three species, all of which were British, 

 while the individual members of these genera were scattered all 

 over the northern hemisphere. They were all predatory or robber 

 gulls, and differed from the ordinary gulls in that the beak was 

 strongly hooked, the nostrils were in a different position, and the 

 tail was cuniate shaped, instead of square across at the prominent 

 part as with other gulls. In addition, they had strong claws, and 

 their feet were very much coarser than those of the ordinary 

 species. The skuas were birds of strong flight, able to twist and 

 turn with ease, and in view of the fact that almost the whole of 

 their lives was taken up in robbing the gulls and terns, these 

 qualities were most essential. The lecturer produced specimens 



