290 RICHARDSON'S SKUA 



ing account of the capture of one of these birds, in 1844, indicates 

 a bird of unusual daring and voracity : " About the beginning of 

 last October, a Pomarine Skua was taken in the adjoining village 

 of Ovingdean. It had struck down a White Gull, which it would 

 not quit : it was kept alive above a fortnight, and then died. The 

 very first day of its captivity it (is said to have) devoured twenty- 

 five Sparrows. Once it escaped, and immediately attacked a Duck, 

 which it held till recaptured." 1 



RICHARDSON'S SKUA 



STERCORARIUS CREPIDATUS 



Crown dusky ; cheeks, neck, and under plumage white, tinged with yellow or 

 brown ; rest of the plumage dusky, the wings and tail the darkest. 

 Two central tail-feathers tapering from the base, pointed, and projecting 

 six inches ; tarsus less than two inches. Length twenty-one inches. 

 Eggs olive, with a circle of brown spots near the larger extremity, the 

 rest speckled with the same colour. 



This species of Skua, most familiarly known, perhaps, as the Arctic 



Gull, received its distinctive name, ' Richardson's ', in honour of 



the eminent Arctic naturalist. It is distinguished from the species 



already described by its longer tail, but the habits of all are much 



alike ; indeed, the names of ' Arctic Gull ', ' Boatswain ', ' and Man- 



of -War ', appear to be sometimes employed indiscriminately. 



Richardson's Skua, like the rest, inhabits the Arctic seas, but 



extends its wanderings southwards in far greater numbers than 



either of the other species, so that its occurrence on the east coast 



of England is not unusual. According to Mr. Dunn, ' numbers of 



this bird breed in Orkney and Shetland, appearing regularly in 



May and leaving in August : it is confined to a few situations and 



is strictly preserved, from the same motive as the Skua Gull. It 



constructs its nest on low, not mossy, heaths in exposed situations. 



The female lays two eggs, and has recourse to the same stratagems 



that the Plover employs to decoy you from the nest ; but when a 



person approaches near to the place where the nest is built, becomes 



bold and fierce, and strikes severely with the feet and bill.' The 



following account is taken from Mr. St. John's Wild Sports of 



the Highlands : "I was much amused the other day by the 



proceedings of a pair of the Black-toed Gull or Boatswain. 



These two birds were sitting quietly on an elevated ridge of 



sand, near which a number of other Gulls of different kinds were 



fishing, and hovering about in search of what the waves might 



cast up. Every bird, indeed, was busy and employed, excepting 



these two black robbers, who seemed to be quietly resting, quite 



* Zoologist, vol. iii. p. 88o, 



