B24 Ornithological Visit to Shetland and Orkney, 
the rocks. As soon as this is the case, the gulls leave, and 
quietly return to the mountain. 
Snuge being the highest mountain is usually chosen by the 
skua cull as his retreat in the breeding season. ‘The female, 
whictris somewhat smaller than the rialle: makes her nest in 
the long coarse herbage of the mountain; and generally lays 
four eggs, of a dirty greenish colour, very faintly and obscurely 
blotched with spots of a brownish cast, principally at the larger 
end. When the young are hatched, the old ones are then 
very savage, and will unhesitatingly eirike either man or beast 
that attempts to molest them by approaching too near to their 
nests. Their mode of attack is always from behind ; never, by 
anny chance, in front. Probably, the reason for this caution 
is to avoid any blow which they would naturally receive if 
their intentions were discovered ; as they would be, if the birds 
approached in any direction but behind. It is surprising how 
dexterously they will avoid an attempt to strike them, by a 
rapid and almost perpendicular ascent, even if they have ad- 
vanced within a foot of your shoulders. To avoid them, it 
merely requires to be on your guard ; and, when a bird stoops, 
to face him immediately, or you are most likely to suffer for 
your neglect by a good smart blow on the shoulders. 
Bewick has given a not very clear description of this bird ; 
therefore, the following one may, possibly, not be disagreeable 
to your readers : — 
In dimensions and weight, Bewick’s is tolerably correct. 
His head is of a dark brown, each feather margined with 
dull white; the auriculars and cheeks are covered with fine, 
narrow, pointed, hackle-like feathers, the points of which are 
of a yellowish colour ; as is also the back of the head, extend- 
ing almost to the shoulders. The neck is of a darkish brown, 
each feather sharply pointed with yellowish rust-colour, until, 
gradually extending, they form waving bars of the same colour 
across the breast. The belly is of a rusty colour, waved and 
obscurely marked with ash; under tail-coverts the same. 
The back, greater and lesser coverts, and tertials, are dark 
brown, dashed and freckled with ash and rust colour; the 
tertials more so than the rest. The roots of the primaries 
white, extending along the inner webs; extremities nearly 
black ; bastard wing dark, each feather sharply pencilled with 
dull wittes Tail, “consisting of twelve feathers, dark ashy 
brown. Bill and Claws hooked, the inner claw more so than 
the rest; eye dark. 
On the southern side of the island is one of the most mag- 
nificent and stupendous cliffs or faces of rock that I ever 
beheld; it consists of a lofty mountain, entirely isolated, re- 
