234 



Order XIV 



or mossy moorlands, not necessarily on the tops of 

 hills ; the bird's habits are similar to those of the Great 

 Skua, except that they usually attack an intruder from 

 behind and sometimes actually slap him with their 

 wings, while they customarily try to entice him from 

 their eggs or young by grovelling on the ground before 

 him, and uttering most distressful mewing cries. Their 



I 



Arctic Skua 



lesser size causes them to chase the smaller rather than 

 the larger Gulls for fishes, and especially the Kittiwake. 

 Their eggs are of a brighter brownish or greenish colour 

 than those of the Great Skuas. After the breeding 

 season the Arctic Skua migrates down our coasts, and 

 even reaches the southern oceans ; in summer it is 

 found in the Faeroes, Iceland, and thence all round the 

 Pole in the more Arctic regions. 



