9236 Birds. 
a dog running by your side will answer the purpose equally well, only. 
he must be prepared to part with a little of the hair of his back occa- 
sionally, for in spite of the utmost vigilance upon his part, one of the 
birds will be nearly sure to sweep down and strike him unexpectedly, 
and be far out of reach by the time that he first catches sight of a small 
portion of his coat flying to leeward. As soon as laying has com- 
menced, the birds become extremely bold. As you approach suspi- 
cious ground, you will hear a low croaking sound, and at the same 
time a skua, in all probability a female, will begin circling round and 
endeavouring to lead you away in one particular direction. But if you 
wish to find the eggs you will turn your face as nearly as possible 
towards the opposite point of the compass and walk towards it in a 
zigzag manner; then attentively watch the movements of the two 
birds (for by this time the male will have appeared upon the scene), 
and the nearer you approach the nest the more daring they will become. 
As many as two or three times in a minute a bird will make its attack, 
each time charging directly at your face, rising suddenly when within 
a few feet, and passing close over your head—so close, indeed, as 
sometimes even to knock off your hat. The bird acquires an extra- 
ordinary amount of velocity in its descent towards the object of attack, 
and it is no exaggeration to compare the sound of the steadily ex- 
panded wings to the rushing of a small sky-rocket. In places where 
skuas are much persecuted, as they unfortunately are at Hermaness, 
they are rather less bold, but even there they become utterly regard- 
less of danger as soon as the young are hatched. I have not yet seen 
an eagle make its appearance near the forbidden ground, but have 
twice witnessed the complete discomfiture of a party of ravens. The 
nest consists of a hollow in the moss and heather, carefully lined with 
small pieces of lichen, moss, heather and dry grass, and measures 
nearly a foot in diameter. The eggs are so much sought after that the 
birds seldom hatch, and to this cause the great variety in the appear- 
ance of the eggs may chiefly be attributed, the colouring matter being 
exhausted by repeated laying, so that the latest eggs are always the 
lightest in colour, as well as the smallest in size. In many collections 
I have seen gulls’ eggs of different species labelled as those of the 
skua, and although it is easy in most cases to detect the imposition, it 
is very difficult.to define the precise points of distinction. However, 
generally speaking, the egg of the skua is finer in texture, rather more 
glossy and smoother to the feel, and more frequently either of a clayey 
or a purplish brown colour; the spots are fainter and more scattered, 
and, if we were looking at an artificial production, we should say that 
a 
