lliun l'//(JT()GRAPIIING ON THE FALKLAND ISLANDS ill 



Ilia I I walked on and saw the goose 

 lcn\c her Jiest before I Beared it. She 

 .sloj)ped a hundred and fifty yards from 

 Ihe nest and was at once joined hif her 

 mate who had been watching me from 

 a distance. A skua, who also had been 

 watching me as he circled about, sailed 

 straight for the uncovered nest. While 

 I stood watching the geese, the skua 

 (lio[)pod to the grovmd about six feet 

 fi-tnii the tempting egg>^. This was seen 

 at once by the gander, wlio flew rapidly 

 to the nest, evidently considering me a 

 less dangerous enemy than the poach- 

 ing skua. The nest Avas nicely lined 

 and made an attractive picture with 



'J'lio jjeiitlu kiiij; iJcuguiu builds his ucst of tussac grass aud roots, often 

 bringing in from the sea a long i)iece of kelp to add variety to its lining. 

 This bird is in tlic act of stealing liis neighbor's nesting material, a common 

 sea-bird trait practiced wherever opportunity offers 



diddle-dee leaves and blossoms all about 

 it. Later in the day a crested duck was 

 Hushed from an open nest in a similar 

 location. As the nest contained but two 

 eggs I did not take them, but glancing 

 back after I had passed a few feet, .1 

 saw a skua drop to the ground, pick up 

 one of the eggs and fly swiftly away 

 with it. 



Tramping on to the eastward, 1 

 reached a bushy slope where the domiii- 

 ican gulls were brooding eggs. The 

 nests were all well built, mostly of dry 

 kelp which was abundant on the beach. 

 I could not decide which was the best 

 one to photograph, so went forward 

 again, intending 

 to return later. I 

 found more gulls' 

 nests scattered 

 along the coast 

 line. One, close to 

 the shore line, was 

 placed in the hol- 

 low of a whale's 

 bone tlint had been 

 ibruwii on the 

 bt'acli in a sjoi'm. 

 Along the higli- 

 waler mark in one 

 lonely coNe a Few 

 Icrns bad l)uilt 

 nest>. wliieli cun- 

 l;iin('(| eggs, and 

 in I lie same conc 

 ii black o\ster 

 ealcber called ni\' 

 alteiilion to bis 

 ncsi scratcbed in 

 tlie gravelly soil. 

 Some sections a I 

 tbe east end ot I be 

 island were so rid- 

 dletl with burrows 

 of tbe jackass i)en- 

 guins that the 

 shepherds coidd 

 not ride their 

 horses through the 

 colonies. I more 

 than once broke 



