174 A. L. V. Manniche. 



them fly away in smaller flocks, not containing more than 15—20 

 birds; as far as I could see the old and young birds went together. 



In the summer 1907 the first Skua arrived at Stormkap on 

 June 5'^^; at the same time the bird was observed at the ship's- 

 harbour and at Hvalrosodden. 



In the following days I witnessed a migration of breeding birds, 

 which in my opinion took place in quite the normal way. 



The Skuas arrived in couples and immediately took posession 

 of their nesting-places, each couple guarding its district with the 

 same zeal as they did the preceding summer. 



Everything looked normal, and my fears, that the great reduc- 

 tion in the number of Lemmings caused by the severe winter, might 

 cause disturbance, seemed needless. 



However, the Skuas soon after their arrival appeared very dis- 

 appointed; the first days they were as usual sitting upon large stones 

 and other prominent points lurking for Lemmings whose numerous 

 well-known holes the experienced birds watched in the same way as 

 the summer before; but they soon gave up this sport, and I after- 

 wards saw them running amongst the knolls catching butterflies and 

 other insects. 



At the end of June the Skuas were seen in flocks flying over 

 marsh and plain only to disappear altogether from the country a 

 few days later. 



Not one breeding Skua-couple was to be seen anywhere either 

 at Stormkap or at the other well-known breeding places. 



July the 17*'^ I met with a couple of old Skuas at an open 

 crack in the field-ice not far from Renskæret; the birds were 

 accidental stragglers and were snatching dead or dying small fishes 

 (Cyclopterus spinosus and Liparis fabricii) which were forced up to the 

 surface by the current. I did not see one immature bird this summer. 



In the stomachs of the Skuas shot this summer I found mainly 

 remains of insects occasionally also leaves of Salix arctica and other 

 remains of plants, but in no case Mijodes torqvatus. 



In 1908 the Skuas appeared a little earlier than the summer 

 before; the first couple was seen May 28'^. The Skuas seemed to 

 suffer more from the first days inclement weather, the snow-showers 

 and the low temperature at night, than did the small waders arriving 

 at the sometime. I often saw them lying on the large stones in the 

 moor at Stormkap exhausted by hunger and cold. Until the 

 country was free from snow the Skuas frequently visited the shore 

 and the ice in its neighbourhood ; I think they got now and then 

 an opportunity to catch fishes in the rarely occurring cracks in the 

 ice. Only adult birds were however to be seen. 



