﻿Nesting 
  of 
  some 
  Shetland 
  Birds. 
  357 
  

  

  beautiful 
  varieties^ 
  some 
  having 
  the 
  ground 
  tint 
  of 
  a 
  lovely 
  

   bluish-green 
  colour^ 
  others 
  being 
  straw-coloured. 
  The 
  second 
  

   layings 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  show 
  a 
  marked 
  deterioration 
  in 
  size, 
  and 
  

   more 
  variation 
  in 
  colouring 
  than 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  set. 
  

   As 
  this 
  species 
  takes 
  no 
  pains 
  to 
  place 
  its 
  eggs 
  in 
  inacces- 
  

   sible 
  situations, 
  it 
  probably 
  comes 
  in 
  for 
  more 
  rifling 
  by 
  the 
  

   natives 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  species. 
  I 
  think 
  the 
  Shetland 
  natives 
  

   are 
  more 
  diligent 
  in 
  collecting 
  and 
  eating 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  sea- 
  

   fowl 
  than 
  even 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  Wales. 
  We 
  managed 
  to 
  per- 
  

   suade 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  boatmen 
  that 
  they 
  gave 
  themselves 
  useless 
  

   trouble 
  when 
  they 
  gathered 
  eggs 
  which 
  rose 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  

   immediately 
  on 
  being 
  placed 
  in 
  water. 
  

  

  1- 
  Herring 
  Gull 
  {Larus 
  argentatus). 
  Very 
  abundant, 
  

   nesting 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  on 
  lofty 
  clifi"s, 
  but 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  invariably 
  

   as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  on 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  England 
  and 
  Wales. 
  In 
  

   Shetland 
  you 
  frequently 
  find 
  the 
  Herring 
  GulFs 
  nest 
  *' 
  on 
  

   the 
  flat 
  " 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  cliff. 
  

  

  -^ 
  KiTTiWAKE 
  {Rissa 
  tridactyla). 
  There 
  are 
  very 
  large 
  

   colonies 
  of 
  this 
  elegant 
  Gull 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  loftier 
  

   cliff's, 
  notably 
  at 
  the 
  Noup 
  of 
  Noss 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  parts 
  

   of 
  Unst. 
  Most 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  were 
  only 
  building 
  their 
  nests 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  June. 
  

  

  -f- 
  KicHARDsoN^s 
  Skua 
  [Stercoravius 
  crepidatus). 
  There 
  is 
  

   a 
  large 
  colony 
  of 
  this 
  very 
  interesting 
  bird 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  

   of 
  Unst, 
  and 
  several 
  smaller 
  colonies 
  on 
  other 
  islands, 
  

   " 
  Scoutie 
  Allan 
  " 
  being 
  the 
  name 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  

   the 
  natives. 
  The 
  peculiar 
  half 
  cat-, 
  half 
  peacock-like 
  cry 
  of 
  

   this 
  bird, 
  its 
  mysterious 
  dark 
  and 
  light 
  phases 
  of 
  plumage, 
  

   and 
  the 
  rapidity 
  of 
  its 
  evolutions 
  when 
  on 
  wing, 
  combine 
  to 
  

   render 
  it 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  fascinating 
  birds 
  I 
  know. 
  The 
  

   birds 
  were 
  only 
  just 
  beginning 
  to 
  lay 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  of 
  

   June; 
  one 
  nest 
  we 
  found 
  contained 
  an 
  egg 
  of 
  a 
  beautiful 
  blue 
  

   undertint, 
  the 
  other 
  egg 
  in 
  the 
  nest 
  being 
  of 
  the 
  normal 
  

   coloration. 
  

  

  -/- 
  Great 
  Skua 
  {Stercorarius 
  catarrliactes). 
  We 
  saw 
  one 
  of 
  

   these 
  fine 
  birds 
  circling 
  high 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  like 
  some 
  bird 
  of 
  

  

  