LARIDJ3. 617 



Eev. Murray A. Mathew informs me that an im- 

 mature specimen of the present species has been 

 obtained at Weston-super-Mare, and that is the only 

 instance I know of its occurrence in the county. 

 This, like the rest of the Skuas, is a northern spe- 

 cies, only visiting our southern counties in the 

 autumn and winter, probably following the other 

 birds that follow the herrings and sprats. It re- 

 mains, however, to breed in the more northern parts 

 of the kingdom, such as the Shetlands and Orkneys, 

 where it appears to occupy very high hills and 

 moors as its breeding station, scratching a hole 

 amongst the heather for a nest, which it lines with 

 dry grass and moss. They appear to endeavour 

 to lead the searcher for eggs away from their 

 nests, much in the same manner as the Peewits 

 do, by pretending to be wounded and fluttering 

 along the ground ; but Dr. Saxby says this habit is 

 not confined entirely to the breeding season. At all 

 times, he says, they are fond of sitting half buried 

 amongst the heather and grass, more particularly in 

 rainy or foggy weather.* 



The food of this and the other Skuas appears to 

 consist mostly of fish and other things which they 

 can bully the Gulls and Terns into disgorging for 

 them: besides this bold sort of highway robbery 

 they take every opportunity that offers of stealing 



* ' Zoologist' for 1864, p. 9240. 



3 G3 



