The Summer Birds of Shetland. 561 



Mackay found the skuas sitting in September, this being 

 their third attempt to raise a brood. It seems a pity that 

 more stringent measures cannot be taken for the skuas' pro- 

 tection. The shepherd does what he can, but of course can- 

 not be everywhere at once. If relieved from persecution 

 they would soon increase, as their smaller relation, the Arctic 

 Skua, has done in the same locality. A third locality, where 

 I discovered a single pair nesting in 1885, was again tenanted 

 this year (1887). I saw both birds at a hillock about two 

 miles from the nest site of 1885, but they were not aggi-es- 

 sive, as is their habit when they have eggs, but were simply 

 indifferent, sitting stolidly until I walked up to within eight 

 paces, when they merely shifted to the next hillock. From 

 their behaviour, it was evident the nest had been robbed, and 

 I afterwards saw the man who had found the nest, with a 

 single Qg^, on the 20th May. We may thus reckon the total 

 number of these fine birds that still nest in these islands at 

 about twenty pairs. 



65. Eichardson's Skua {Stercorarms crepidatus), (Allan, 

 Shooi). — There are several considerable colonies of the 

 Arctic skua throughout Shetland. The largest is that at 

 the haunt of the great skua in Unst. At the date of my 

 visit to Unst (1885), the colony only numbered thirty pairs, 

 and were decreasing rapidly, their eggs being taken in 

 quantities and sold to an English dealer, but this having 

 been discontinued, they are now increasing rapidly. A letter 

 I received this year from Mr Mackay states — " I can safely 

 say there were from 80 to 100 pairs here last season (1887). 

 There is a colony on the mainland of about twenty-four 

 pairs. As this colony is in a very secluded district, and 

 much scattered, it will probably hold its own for some time 

 yet. There are also colonies of about fifty pairs in Noss, 

 and thirty pairs in Foula, besides scattered pairs in a good 

 many other islands. This skua is not altogether an agreeable 

 neighbour to the other seafowl, and I was eye-witness of an 

 incident which doubtless often occurs at their colonies. There 

 were a number of lesser black-backs nesting among the skuas, 

 and I saw one of the latter, despite the valiant efforts of the 

 gull to protect its nest, and the terrible outcry raised by the 



