72 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



that the Wild Bird Preservation Act is in force, they 

 will multiply. To be allowed to procure a young skua 

 was an immense favour and concession. We had one 

 for several years ; and a most interesting and intelligent 

 pet he was. The only drawback was that he was 

 rather inclined to tyrannise over all other birds about 

 the premises which might come within his reach, 

 always excepting our gamecock Cceur-de-lion. The 

 two had more than once tried conclusions ; but the 

 skua received such thorough chastisement for his 

 daring presumption, that he soon learned habitually 

 to acknowledge the superiority of his conqueror. He 

 had an excellent appetite, and was quite omnivorous, 

 anything and everything eatable being gratefully re- 

 ceived, from new-caught trout or herring and sheep's 

 liver, to cold potatoes and porridge. But I am afraid 

 he did not always confine himself strictly to the fare pro- 

 vided for him ; for it was pretty well known amongst 

 us that several of Bessie Bell and Mary Gray's newly 

 hatched ducklings, which had disappeared mysteri- 

 ously, had passed into his greedy maw ; so we needed 

 to be very careful not to allow him opportunities of 

 exercising his rapacious propensities, which he was 

 but too ready to take advantage of when he wanted a 

 specially dainty dinner. 



We had a very effective trap for catching mice. A 

 little grease of any kind was dropped in the bottom of 

 a bowl and sprinkled over with oatmeal. The bowl 

 was turned on a plate, and supported on the lip by a 

 penny. Mousie is the most simple and unsuspicious 



