down on one flying, there is a very conspicuous patch of white nearly in the centre 
of each wing, caused by the white colour of the bases of the quills. Bill hooked and 
black ; legs and feet black, with hooked and sharp claws. Length, 24 to 25 inches ; 
wing, 16 inches. The sexes are alike in colour, and the young only differ from 
the adult in the greater freshness of the plumage. 
PomatorHine Sxvua.—Front and crown of head, sooty black; neck, white, with straw 
coloured, sharp-pointed feathers ; upper parts, chiefly umber brown, the two middle 
tail-feathers projecting four inches, and being twisted vertically ; breast, dull white ; 
flanks and abdomen, brown. Length, 21 inches; wing, 14 to 14¢ inches. Younger 
examples have a brown pectoral band, under parts more or less striped, barred tail 
coverts, and central feathers but little elongated. The bird of the year is brown, 
mottled and barred with dull rufous. 
Ricuarpson’s Sxkua.—There are two forms of this species, a dark and a light race. The 
adult of the former is wholly of a sooty colour; the light race is very dark brown 
or sooty on the back, the chin light, then a dark band, and the rest of the under 
parts white; the nape of the neck yellowish; this latter is seen at times in the 
dark form. In both forms the two middle tail feathers project from 14 to 2 inches 
beyond the rest, and the quills of all the primaries are white. Whole length, 
20 inches. Young birds, dark above, light below, and mottled all over. 
Burron’s Sxua.—Crown of head, dark brown ; neck, nearly encircled with buffish yellow ; 
back, brownish grey ; under parts, white; two central tail feathers about 9 in. longer 
than the others. Length, including central tail feathers, 23 in. Bill, dark horn 
colour ; legs, slate grey ; feet, black. Immature birds are barred with greyish brown 
and white on both under and upper parts, especially on the breast, flanks, and tail 
coverts. At all ages, only the quills of the two outer primaries are white. 
JII. Where. when, and in what numbers found. 
All four species are found on migration along the British coasts, but are much commoner 
on the east side than on the west, and are far more abundant during the autumn than the 
spring migration. ‘'T'wo species breed in the British Isles: the Great Skua in Shetland only ; 
the Richardson’s Skua in Orkney, Shetland, the Outer and Inner Hebrides, and one or two 
places on the northern mainland. None of the species can be called resident in the strict 
sense of the word, though a few occur in the south during winter. In Ireland all the species 
are rare, only Richardson’s Skua being a periodical visitor. 
IV. Food. 
Generally fish, which they procure mostly by chasing gulls and terns, and forcing them 
to disgorge, adroitly catching it before it reaches the water. The Great Skua is more 
carnivorous, preying on other birds, mostly gulls, but both the Pomatorhine and Buffon’s 
Skua also prey on the Lemming, a small northern and migratory rodent; the latter species 
also feeds on crowberries in the summer. 
V. Characteristics. 
The great characteristic feature in the Skuas is the way in which they live by chasing 
gulls, and feeding on the fisk disgorged by them. They make their nests in open ground, 
amongst heather or grass, and usually lay two eggs of a brown colour, spotted with 
darker brown. They swoop down on anyone who approaches their nest with great rapidity, 
