74 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



little bird, about tbe size of an ordinary pigeon, is much 

 more common than the Great skua. Like his big 

 congener, he is seen in Shetland only during summer 

 and autumn. On the wing, he is one of the swiftest 

 and most graceful of the feathered tribe. Some birds, 

 as is well known, have a practice of simulating distress, 

 in order to allure from the neighbourhood of their nests 

 any one who may be approaching dangerously near; 

 but no bird with which I am acquainted can approaclx 

 the Arctic skua in this artifice. His acting is simply 

 perfect. As Dr. Saxby, in his admirable " Birds of 

 Shetland," says : " There is not an ill that bird-flesh is 

 heir to, which the shooi [the Arctic skua's Shetland 

 name] cannot convince you he is afflicted with." 



This bird has another peculiarity worth mentioning. 

 He seems to disdain the laborious task of fishing for 

 himself; but, from his proceedings, evidently regards 

 all other birds of the gull tribe as existing solely for 

 the purpose of catering for hira. No sooner does he 

 spy one carrying home, perchance, a supper to her 

 hungry family, or contentedly and lazily hieing to 

 some skerry with an evidently well-filled maw, than 

 he gives chase, pestering the poor stupid gull unmer- 

 cifully, and despite the latter's loud remonstrances, 

 demanding of her to deliver up. Not relishing that 

 all her labour should be lost, very possibly she bolts 

 what she may be carrying, if she had not done so be- 

 fore, in the hope, no doubt, that with its disappearance 

 the robber will desist. Yain hope. The little falcon 

 skua is not to be put off in that way, and only becomes 



