ON THE BIRDS OF THE SOUTH ORKNEY ISLANDS. 243 



bills and claws for nearly an hour, when one of them became quite exhausted ; and then 

 the victor flew off with his bride, and the vanquished was ruthlessly torn to pieces and 

 devoured by a Giant Petrel, which had been an interested spectator of the fight. 



The first eggs were laid on December 2nd, and young birds a week old were found 

 on January 29th. By February llth, dark feathers were appearing on the wings and 

 sides of the breast of these youngsters. 



The period of incubation was not precisely ascertained, but was believed to be 

 about six weeks. 



In the spring of 1904 the skuas returned on October 21st; and the first eggs were 

 found on November 27th (Mossman). 



The nests were usually placed on the tops of mossy rocks, or on plateaux from 100 

 to 400 feet above the sea, and consisted of well-made hollows in the moss, while teased- 

 out fragments of moss formed the lining. Occasionally nests were found on the tops 

 of moraines, and were then hollows in the earth lined with lichens. 



The eggs were two in number, and on these the bird sat very close, her mate usually 

 remaining near at hand. When the nest was approached the owners screamed defiance, 

 and if the eggs were wanted the sitting bird had to be forcibly ejected from the nest 

 not a very pleasant proceeding, as the sentinel bird wheeled above and dashed at the head 

 of the intruder, though never actually striking him. When a dog, however, appeared 

 upon the scene both birds swooped down on it, and sometimes struck it with their 

 wings. The nests were surrounded by many shells of eggs and remains of young 

 penguins. The young pretty little masses of light brown down soon wander away 

 from the nest, and are most difficult to detect among the moss, which they closely 

 resemble. 



These birds were to be seen incessantly hovering over the penguin-rookeries, and 

 swooping down ever and anon at the sitting birds to snatch their eggs or young. On 

 such occasions the penguins combined in screeching at the harpies, but to little purpose. 



Many were about the house all the summer, being attracted by the remains of 

 penguins thrown out by the cook. Nearly one hundred were observed around a seal's 

 carcase ; while dead Giant Petrels, and even deceased members of their own species, 

 did not seem to come amiss as food. 



Numerous specimens were obtained at the South Orkneys. These vary in colour, 

 though mature and obtained at identical periods. Specimens captured in November, 

 soon after their arrival on the nesting-grounds, were of two types. One had the 

 ground-colour of both upper and under surfaces dark, being of a deep blackish brown, 

 rather paler below, and showing comparatively few light markings on the mantle and 

 scapulars ; indeed in some specimens the back is practically uniform. The other type 

 is less numerously represented in the collections, and is much paler (drab) generally, 

 except on the head ; while the feathers of the interscapulary region and under surface 

 have grey-buff margins. In these light- coloured birds the yellow streaks on the neck 



are much more numerous and pronounced than in the darker birds ; and they agree 

 VOL. IV. e " 



