364 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



of the neck and across the lower ear-coverts, almost 

 to the nape, and is suffused with yellow. Legs and 

 feet black." 



The female is, so far as is known, indistinguish- 

 able from the male, except that the elongated feathers 

 of the tail are somewhat shorter. 



Situation and Locality. On the ground, amongst 

 short heather, moss, and coarse grass, in the moor- 

 land parts of the Orkneys, Shetlands, Hebrides, 

 and in one or two places on the extreme northern 

 mainland of Scotland. Our illustrations are from 

 photographs taken in the Outer Hebrides. 



Materials. Dried grass and moss, used as a 

 scanty lining to the hollow in which the eggs are 

 laid ; sometimes none at all. 



Eggs. Two ; as many as three have been found, 

 and upon occasions only one. Varying in ground- 

 colour from dark olive-green to brownish-green, 

 irregularly spotted and blotched with differing 

 shades of dark brown and greyish-brown, generally 

 distributed over the entire surface of the egg, but 

 sometimes most numerous at the larger end. They 

 closely resemble some of the Gulls in appearance, 

 and the only safe method of identification is to 

 watch the parent bird on or off the nest, a by no 

 means difficult task with a pair of ordinary field- 

 glasses. Size about 2.3 by 1.62 in. (See Plate XL) 



Time. May and June. 



Remarks. Migratory, arriving in May and de- 

 parting in August and September. Notes : mee and 

 mee-awk, represented by some authorities as kyow 

 and yah-yah. Local and other names : Arctic Gull, 

 Arctic Skua (also applied to Long-tailed or Buff on' s 

 Skua), Shooi, Scoutie- Allen, Black-toed Gull. Sits 

 lightly. 



