RICHARDSON'S SKUA 



the bird-photographer must put up with little discomforts like 

 this, and as soon as the camera was placed in position I took off 

 most of my clothes and entered, and my companions covered me 

 up and walked away. Soon after entering that dark peat water I 

 found that a few vicious insects had also found their way in. 

 What with dodging them, and keeping a sharp look out for my 

 feathered sitter, my time was well occupied. About twenty 

 minutes after my companions had left I heard a swish of wings 

 above me, and a second or two later this exceedingly beautiful 

 and graceful bird alighted near her nest. She stood looking 

 intently at the eye of the camera for a few minutes, and then boldly 

 walked forward. I thought at first that the noise of my kinemato- 

 graph would frighten her, but she very soon got quite used to it. 

 After she had settled on her egg I made several exposures 

 with my other camera, and then I wanted to drive her away, so 

 as to get another picture of her upon her return. First I whistled 

 softly, but little notice was taken of this ; then I talked to her, 

 and afterwards I shouted at her, but as I did so a Hooded Crow 

 passed over, and the bird raised her beak and gave out a few 

 angry notes at the bird above, and no doubt thought that the 

 sounds proceeded from him. At last I had to place my hand 

 outside, and this having little effect, I broke out into a Scottish 

 song. Whether it was my bad singing, or my wretched Scottish 

 pronunciation, I don't know, but the bird left her eggs and actually 

 attacked the tent! She flew directly at me, just skimming over 

 the top of the canvas, darted angrily around, snapping viciously at 

 the green cloth, and then, with wings upraised and head lowered, 

 she again settled near her egg, repeatedly calling out her angry 

 notes. When I eventually placed my head outside the cloth, and 

 crawled from underneath, the surprise of the bird was well worth 

 witnessing. At first she hardly knew what to do: she looked at 

 me wonderingly for a few seconds ; then, with a loud cry, darted 



57 L 



